"Tonight!" (1953) TV series 1953-1957

Creators:

Steve Allen
Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

June 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Talk-Show

Plot:

The show originated as a local New York City late night program in June 1953 and went onto the network in September 1954...

Plot Keywords:

Company Sponsor Name In Title | Stand Up Comedy | Non Fiction

Awards:

Won Golden Globe.

Cast

Skitch Henderson	...	Himself - Conductor (52 episodes, 1953-1957)
Gene Rayburn	...	Announcer / ... (52 episodes, 1953-1957)
Steve Allen	...	Himself - Host (47 episodes, 1953-1957)

Also Known As:

Knickerbocker Beer Show (USA) (summer title)
The Knickerbocker Beer Presents The Steve Allen Show (USA) (second season title)
The Steve Allen Show (USA) (second season title)
Tonight (USA) (syndication title)
Tonight Starring Steve Allen (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

USA:105 min (1954-1956) | USA:105 min (1953-1956) | 60 min (1956-1957) | 105 min (1957)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Hudson Theatre - 141 W. 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Trivia:

On 11 August 2009 the US Postal Service issued a pane of twenty 44¢ commemorative postage stamps honoring early USA television programs. A booklet with 20 picture postal cards was also issued. The stamp honoring "The Tonight Show" pictured Steve Allen, host of the first incarnation of the program, when it was called simply "Tonight!" (1953). Other shows honored in the Early TV Memories issue were: "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" (1952), "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955), "The Dinah Shore Show" (1951), "Dragnet" (1951), "The Ed Sullivan Show" (originally titled "Toast of the Town" (1948)), "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950), "Hopalong Cassidy" (1952), "The Honeymooners" (1955), "The Howdy Doody Show" (original title: "Puppet Playhouse" (1947)), "I Love Lucy" (1951), "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" (1947), "Lassie" (1954), "The Lone Ranger" (1949), "Perry Mason" (1957), "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955), "The Red Skelton Show" (1951), "Texaco Star Theater" (titled "The Milton Berle Show" (1948), 1954-1956), "The Twilight Zone" (1959), and "You Bet Your Life" (1950).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Andy Williams" (2003)

Soundtrack:

This Could Be the Start of Something Big

The Birth of Late Night TV, and the start of a Dynasty

When the world was filled with Wrestling or early Evenings after the news, Steve Allen gathered a bunch of comics (most of whom went on to great careers in their own right) and created the original Tonight Show. It was talk, it was skits. It was fun, and it was Steve Allen.

I have only had a chance to catch clips of the show in reruns a few years ago, and the brilliance of the show shines through. While he would be eclipsed in years to come by Carson, Allen put together a solid show with no real weaknesses other than the fact that he found himself funny too often, and couldn't keep a straight face. (Yes, carson did that too, but he usually didn't fall down laughing) And unlike Carson, he depended a lot more on his supporting actors in the skits (both a + and a - for him).

If you can ever catch "The Steve Allen Show" as it's sometimes labeled in repackaging ever, please do. you will thank yourself that you did.