The Polly Bergen Show
Encyclopedia
The Polly Bergen Show is a half-hour 18-episode comedy
/variety show
, starring then 27-year-old Polly Bergen
, which aired on NBC
in the 1957-1958 television
season. The program is remembered for its impressive guest-star lineup as well as its closing theme song, "The Party's Over
" (1956).The Polly Bergen Show alternated in the 9 p.m. EST Saturday time slot with the equally short-lived Club Oasis
.
, Sylvia Sidney
and Bud Collyer
, the first emcee of CBS
's To Tell the Truth
, on which Bergen was a long-term panelist. Bergen and LaRosa perform a duet "When You and I Were Young Maggie Blues." Carson performs "Top Banana" with Bergen, who herself sings "Tammy
" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
." Coincidentally, four months earlier on May 16, 1957, Bergen played the title role of singer Helen Morgan
in "The Helen Morgan Story" of CBS's Playhouse 90
; Sylvia Sidney, one of her guests in the first episode of The Polly Bergen Show, played Helen Morgan's mother, Lulu Morgan. Bergen was nominated for an Emmy award
for her portrayal of Helen Morgan.
and Bergen performed the duet, "We're a Couple of Swells." Bergen also sings on this episode "But Not for Me
" and "Every Little Movement". On October 19, Bergen's guests are Howard Morris
and English
actress Kay Kendall
, the latter in her television debut. Following the recent launch of Sputnik I by the former Soviet Union
, Bergen sings "How High the Moon", "By the Light of the Silvery Moon
" and "It's Only a Paper Moon
".
On November 2, Don Ameche
guest stars, as he and Bergen perform a medley
of Irving Berlin
songs: "It's a Lovely Day Today
" and "Play a Simple Melody
." The whole cast closes with Alexander's Ragtime Band
. On November 16, Kay Kendall and Howard Morris return for a second appearance, with songs such as "Side by Side
" and "Friendship." Iconoclastic actress Tallulah Bankhead
appeared as the only guest on November 30.
Howard Keel
appears with Bergen on December 7 and sings "Affair to Remember." Bill Bergen, Polly's father, originally William Hugh Burgin of Knoxville
, Tennessee
, also guest stars in this episode, the first of his several appearances on his daughter's program. On December 14, ventriloquist Paul Winchell
appears with his dummy "Jerry Mahoney". Winchell and Bergen duet with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and "Let It Snow". In this Christmas
segment, Bergen also sings "The Christmas Song
" and joins her father again in "I'll Buy You A Star
."
" and "Why is There a Rainbow in the Sky?" On January 25, Burr Tillstrom
and his puppets Kukla and Ollie
are the guests. Bergen opens with "Tonight, I Love Everybody." Polly and her father perform a duet of "Crawdad Song". Jack Paar
is the guest on February 8. He and Bergen duet with "Memories". Bergen performs solo "I Want to Be Happy
", "New Fangled Tango" and "I've Got a Crush on You
".
On February 22, Gordon MacRae
guest stars. He and Bergen perform a medley with "Pennies from Heaven
", "Cabin in the Sky," "I Don't Want To Set the World On Fire," and "I've Got the World on a String
." The two also did a duet of "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life". Bill Bergen and MacRae yodel, "I Like Mountain Music". On March 8, Jack Paar returns, as Bergen sings "Lucky Day", "I'm Through With Love" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye". The closing number is "Takes Two to Tango". On March 22, Johnny Carson
, then the host of Do You Trust Your Wife? was the only guest star.
Bob Hope
appeared on April 19. Bergen sings "When the World Was Young," and she and Hope perform a song-and-dane medley about Paris. On May 3, comedian Joey Bishop
is the guest. The cast sings "New York, New York," and Bergen does a solo in a hansom cab
to the tune of "It's A Grand Night For Singing". She and Bishop also perform "East Side, West Side". Peter Gennaro
with Bergen and the dancers perform "Saturday Night In Central Park".
On May 17, Dick Van Dyke
, Carol Haney
, and Peter Gennaro are the guests. Bergen sings "That's Entertainment", "I'm In the Mood For Love". Haney and Bergen perform a duet of "The Way You Look Tonight
". Van Dyke, Haney and Bergen sing Cole Porter
's "Just One of Those Things." Gennaro, Van Dyke, Bergen, and Haney sing "Side By Side". Luther Henderson, Jr., conducts the orchestra in this episode.
In the series finale on May 31, Jack Carter
helps Bergen reminisence in a nostalgic look at the past seventeen episodes. Bergen sings "Today I Love Everybody" and "You'll Never Know". The casts is leaving for Las Vegas
after the concluding episode. Songs performed are "I'm Late",
"Cuanto Le Gusta," and "Ridin' High".
, both NBC variety programs. Cast opposite The Polly Bergen Show was The Gale Storm Show
, a CBS situation comedy
, known in syndication
as Oh, Susanna, and the first half of Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party
on ABC
.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
/variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, starring then 27-year-old Polly Bergen
Polly Bergen
Polly Bergen is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum...
, which aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the 1957-1958 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
season. The program is remembered for its impressive guest-star lineup as well as its closing theme song, "The Party's Over
The Party's Over (1956 song)
"The Party's Over" is a popular song composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced in the 1956 musical comedy Bells Are Ringing by Judy Holliday. Nat King Cole, Smoking Popes and Lonnie Donegan recorded popular versions. Shirley Bassey recorded the song for...
" (1956).The Polly Bergen Show alternated in the 9 p.m. EST Saturday time slot with the equally short-lived Club Oasis
Club Oasis
Club Oasis is a 24-episode half-hour comedy-variety show, set in a chic simulated nightclub, which appeared on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The series alternated with The Polly Bergen Show in the 9 p.m. EST time slot on Saturday evenings...
.
Premiere episode
In the premiere on September 21, 1957, the guests include Julius LaRosa, Jack CarsonJack Carson
John Elmer "Jack" Carson was a Canadian-born U.S.-based film actor.Jack Carson was one of the most popular character actors during the 'golden age of Hollywood', with a film career spanning the 1930s, '40s and '50s...
, Sylvia Sidney
Sylvia Sidney
Sylvia Sidney was an American actress who rose to prominence in the 1930s appearing in numerous crime dramas.-Early life:...
and Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
, the first emcee of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
, on which Bergen was a long-term panelist. Bergen and LaRosa perform a duet "When You and I Were Young Maggie Blues." Carson performs "Top Banana" with Bergen, who herself sings "Tammy
Tammy (song)
"Tammy" is a popular song with music by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. It was published in 1957 and debuted in the film Tammy and the Bachelor. It was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Original Song....
" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,...
." Coincidentally, four months earlier on May 16, 1957, Bergen played the title role of singer Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s...
in "The Helen Morgan Story" of CBS's Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
; Sylvia Sidney, one of her guests in the first episode of The Polly Bergen Show, played Helen Morgan's mother, Lulu Morgan. Bergen was nominated for an Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her portrayal of Helen Morgan.
Other 1957 episodes
On October 5, 1957, guest star Ernie KovacsErnie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
and Bergen performed the duet, "We're a Couple of Swells." Bergen also sings on this episode "But Not for Me
But Not for Me (song)
"But Not for Me" is a popular song, composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.It was written for their musical Girl Crazy and introduced in the original production by Ginger Rogers. It is also in the 1992 musical based on Girl Crazy, Crazy for You...
" and "Every Little Movement". On October 19, Bergen's guests are Howard Morris
Howard Morris
Howard Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
and English
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
actress Kay Kendall
Kay Kendall
Kay Kendall was an English actress.Kendall began her film career in the 1946 musical London Town. Though the film was a financial failure, Kendall continued to work regularly until her appearance in the comedy Genevieve brought her widespread recognition...
, the latter in her television debut. Following the recent launch of Sputnik I by the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Bergen sings "How High the Moon", "By the Light of the Silvery Moon
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (song)
"By The Light of the Silvery Moon" is a popular song. The music was written by Gus Edwards, and the lyrics by Edward Madden. The song was published in 1909 and first performed on stage by Lillian Lorraine. It was one of a series of moon-related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era.The song has been used...
" and "It's Only a Paper Moon
It's Only a Paper Moon (song)
"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song. Published in 1933, it was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and Billy Rose. It was written originally for an unsuccessful Broadway play called The Great Magoo, set in Coney Island. It was subsequently used in the movie Take a Chance, in...
".
On November 2, Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
guest stars, as he and Bergen perform a medley
Medley
-Sports:*Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles*Medley relay races at track meets-Music:*Medley , multiple pieces strung together*"Medley" -People:...
of Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
songs: "It's a Lovely Day Today
It's a Lovely Day Today
"It's a Lovely Day Today" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin and was published in 1950. It is from the popular musical "Call Me Madam", which was later adapted as a movie...
" and "Play a Simple Melody
Play a Simple Melody
"Play a Simple Melody" is a song from the 1914 musical, Watch Your Step, words and music by Irving Berlin. The show was the first stage musical that Berlin wrote. It ran for 175 performances New Amsterdam Theater in New York City...
." The whole cast closes with Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a...
. On November 16, Kay Kendall and Howard Morris return for a second appearance, with songs such as "Side by Side
Side by Side (1927 song)
"Side by Side" is a popular song with lyrics by Gus Kahn and music by Harry M. Woods written in 1927, now considered a standard.It has been recorded by many artists, but is probably best known in a 1953 recording by Kay Starr.-Recorded versions:...
" and "Friendship." Iconoclastic actress Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
appeared as the only guest on November 30.
Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
appears with Bergen on December 7 and sings "Affair to Remember." Bill Bergen, Polly's father, originally William Hugh Burgin of Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, also guest stars in this episode, the first of his several appearances on his daughter's program. On December 14, ventriloquist Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
appears with his dummy "Jerry Mahoney". Winchell and Bergen duet with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and "Let It Snow". In this Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
segment, Bergen also sings "The Christmas Song
The Christmas Song
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by musician, composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer...
" and joins her father again in "I'll Buy You A Star
I'll Buy You A Star
I'll Buy You A Star is the fourteenth album released by traditional pop vocalist Johnny Mathis. It is the twelfth original studio album recorded by the singer -Overview:This album is the first of two album collaborations with legendary arranger and...
."
1958 episodes
On January 11, 1958, Bergen returns after a three-week absence to play "Musical Questions" with Julius LaRosa. The two play a medley of "How Deep Is the Ocean?How Deep Is the Ocean?
"How Deep Is the Ocean?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1932, and can be heard in the background of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan...
" and "Why is There a Rainbow in the Sky?" On January 25, Burr Tillstrom
Burr Tillstrom
Franklin Burr Tillstrom was a puppeteer and the creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie....
and his puppets Kukla and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Kukla, Fran and Ollie is an early American television show using puppets, originally created for children but soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed...
are the guests. Bergen opens with "Tonight, I Love Everybody." Polly and her father perform a duet of "Crawdad Song". Jack Paar
Jack Paar
Jack Harold Paar was an author, American radio and television comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962...
is the guest on February 8. He and Bergen duet with "Memories". Bergen performs solo "I Want to Be Happy
I Want to Be Happy
"I Want to Be Happy" is a song with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Irving Caesar for the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette.-Musical:The song is used several times throughout the musical, as a running theme of No, No, Nanette is the attempts of various people to please others.It is first sung by...
", "New Fangled Tango" and "I've Got a Crush on You
I've Got a Crush on You
"I've Got a Crush on You" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.It is unique among Gershwin compositions in that it was used for two different Broadway productions, Treasure Girl , and Strike Up the Band ....
".
On February 22, Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
guest stars. He and Bergen perform a medley with "Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven may refer to:* "Pennies from Heaven" , a popular American song by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston* Pennies from Heaven , starring Bing Crosby and Madge Evans, and introducing the song...
", "Cabin in the Sky," "I Don't Want To Set the World On Fire," and "I've Got the World on a String
I've Got the World on a String
"I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the 1932 Cotton Club Parade....
." The two also did a duet of "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life". Bill Bergen and MacRae yodel, "I Like Mountain Music". On March 8, Jack Paar returns, as Bergen sings "Lucky Day", "I'm Through With Love" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye". The closing number is "Takes Two to Tango". On March 22, Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, then the host of Do You Trust Your Wife? was the only guest star.
Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
appeared on April 19. Bergen sings "When the World Was Young," and she and Hope perform a song-and-dane medley about Paris. On May 3, comedian Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
is the guest. The cast sings "New York, New York," and Bergen does a solo in a hansom cab
Hansom cab
The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn cart designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety cab, it was designed to combine speed with safety, with a low...
to the tune of "It's A Grand Night For Singing". She and Bishop also perform "East Side, West Side". Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro was an American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Make Mine Manhattan in 1948. He followed this with Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls...
with Bergen and the dancers perform "Saturday Night In Central Park".
On May 17, Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
, Carol Haney
Carol Haney
Carol Haney was an American dancer and actress. After assisting Gene Kelly in choreographing films, Haney won a Tony Award for her role in The Pajama Game...
, and Peter Gennaro are the guests. Bergen sings "That's Entertainment", "I'm In the Mood For Love". Haney and Bergen perform a duet of "The Way You Look Tonight
The Way You Look Tonight
"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song featured in the film Swing Time, originally performed by Fred Astaire. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. The song was sung to Ginger Rogers as Penelope "Penny" Carroll by Astaire's character of John "Lucky" Garnett while Penny was busy...
". Van Dyke, Haney and Bergen sing Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's "Just One of Those Things." Gennaro, Van Dyke, Bergen, and Haney sing "Side By Side". Luther Henderson, Jr., conducts the orchestra in this episode.
In the series finale on May 31, Jack Carter
Jack Carter (comedian)
Jack Chakrin , known by his professional name of Jack Carter, is a Jewish-American comedian, actor and host. Brooklyn Born Carter had long-running comedy act similar to fellow rapid pace contemporaries Milton Berle and Morey Amsterdam...
helps Bergen reminisence in a nostalgic look at the past seventeen episodes. Bergen sings "Today I Love Everybody" and "You'll Never Know". The casts is leaving for Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
after the concluding episode. Songs performed are "I'm Late",
"Cuanto Le Gusta," and "Ridin' High".
Scheduling
The Polly Bergen Show and Club Oasis followed The Perry Como Show and preceded The Gisele MacKenzie ShowThe Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show in an American variety show hosted by Gisele MacKenzie. The series aired live on NBC from September 28, 1957, to March 29, 1958. The Curfew Kids appeared on the program as semi-regulars....
, both NBC variety programs. Cast opposite The Polly Bergen Show was The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC...
, a CBS situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, known in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
as Oh, Susanna, and the first half of Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.