The Red Buttons Show
| The Red Buttons Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Variety show sitcom |
| Created by | marlo lewis |
| Developed by | cbs |
| Directed by | burt shevelove |
| Starring | Red Buttons |
| Theme music composer | elliot lawrence |
| Composer(s) | mitch miller |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | marlo lewis |
| Producer(s) | al span |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
The Red Buttons Show premiered on the CBS television network in 1952, and ran for two years on that network, then moved to NBC for the final 1954-55 season.
Red's catch phrase from the show, "Strange things are happening!" entered the national vocabulary briefly in the mid-1950s. The series finished #11 for the 1952-1953 season in the Nielsen ratings and #12 in 1953-1954.[1]
Format
The CBS run of the series featured monologues, dance numbers, and sketches with Red and the other series regulars. Among the characters played by Red included, boxer Rocky Buttons, the Kupkekin Kid, the Sad Sack, and Keeleforven. When the series was canceled by CBS it moved to NBC which at first keep it a varitey show. When the ratings remained low the program was overhauled and turned into a sitcom with Red playing himself as a TV comic, Phyllis Kirk played his wife, Bobby Sherwood played the director of Red's program and Paul Lynde the network vice president.[2]
CBS regulars
- Red Buttons
- Dorothy Jolliffe
- Pat Carroll
- Beverly Dennis
- Allan Walker
- Joe Silver
- Betty Ann Grave
NBC regulars
- Red Buttons
- Phyllis Kirk
- Paul Lynde as Mr. Standish
- Bobby Sherwood
- Nelson Case, announcer[3]
References
- ↑ http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv-ratings.htm
- ↑ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
- ↑ Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1955). The 1955 Radio and Television Yearbook. Radio Daily Corp. P. 1173.
External links
- The Red Buttons Show at the Internet Movie Database
- The Red Buttons Show at Classic TV & Movie Hits
- The Red Buttons Show theme song lyrics at Classic Themes