The Movie Star->TV Star Conversion Factor

Posted by medusamorlock on October 9, 2009

Movie Star Loretta Young Hosts Her Own Show Back in the day when Movie Stars were really MOVIE STARS, taking that step into television was a shocking move. Considering how much opposition the movie studios had put up against the arrival of TV as a rival to their lock on audience attention, it’s perhaps downright courageous how many stars eventually embraced TV. (Not to mention the piles of money that were thrown at them to try out the box.) We’re all familiar with the process, which can also go in the reverse, too – TV star tries to become Movie Star — and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, both ways. A fun way to look at the journey is through TV Guide magazine, whose covers have always offered a glimpse into the contemporary TV landscape and the personalities populating it. You can find quite a few movie star faces among the strictly television ones, and it’s always a treat and somewhat of a surprise.

Movie Star Betty Hutton stars in "Satins and Spurs" TV Special in 1954 1954's "Satins and Spurs" Starred Betty Hutton Back in the early 1950s, the television set was considered the demon that would devour the motion picture theater business, and actual stars making the step over were relatively rare. In September of 1954, the energetic Betty Hutton threw caution to the wind and teamed with Broadway whiz Max Liebman for a 90-minute musical spectacular called Satins and Spurs. Betty starred as a rodeo queen who fell in love with magazine writer played by Kevin McCarthy, and the show was highly publicized and anticipated as a colorful extravaganza. Given the hype, it’s almost no wonder that the ambitious production laid a great TV Guide tells you "Why Betty Hutton Flopped on TV" big egg, with lackluster audience tune-in — colorful? the television sets in people’s homes were black and white, unfortunately – and vicious (no doubt too vicious) critical reception. The opposing two TV Guide issues tell the story, one from before the show and one from a few weeks afterward.

There you go. “Why Betty Hutton Flopped on TV”. Tellingly, on the cover was comedian Red Buttons, who had gone from Broadway and nightclub success to television success as the star of his own show, and only later did he break into feature films with his role in Sayonara. He did it the TV Star -> Movie Star way.

Walt Disney Embraces Television in Fall 1954 That same early 1954 season brought the show business savvy of legendary Walt Disney to television as the on-air host of Disneyland, which was in some form or another to become a little screen staple The Secret Word is "Groucho" on "You Bet Your Life" for the next thirty years or so.

The brilliant and acerbic comedian Groucho Marx had migrated to television a couple of years earlier as star and host of You Bet Your Life, a comedy quiz show which originated on radio and was especially designed to capitalize on Groucho’s cheeky wordplay. Many of us no doubt were exposed to this entertaining series, if we were too young to have caught it the first time around, when it became a smash in mostly late-night slots in a syndicated run during the heyday of classic movie nostalgia in the late 1970s. After the years of starring with his brothers in his brilliant films for Paramount, then MGM, and later in solo outings which perhaps hadn’t ever given free reign to his talent, Groucho was able to bring the full powers of his naughty wit and lightning quick mind to a perfect venue.

Loretta Young on "TV Guide" from 1957 The photo at the beginning of this post is movie star Loretta Young, who came to TV after a very successful movie career and nearly a hundred films on her resume. Once the Academy Jackie Cooper and Cleo, from "The People's Choice" Award-winning actress made the changeover to the small screen, she never went back to movies. She was more than content — and incredibly successful – as host of the anthology series Letters to Loretta (aka The Loretta Young Show), and often she starred in the episodes herself. Her trademark became the moment where she walked through the doorway at the beginning of each show, and TV Guide captured it for their 1957 cover shot.

Former child star Jackie Cooper had turned to the expanding world of live television drama while still a teen, as screen roles for a maturing former Little Rascal started to dwindle. In addition to many guest starring roles in quality showcases of the time such as Lux Video Theatre, Suspense, Kraft Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents (another star who had gone the TV host route), and Studio One, Cooper starred in his own sitcom The People’s Choice The Dapper Raymond Burr as "Perry Mason" on TV Guide for three seasons beginning in 1955. Jackie played Socrates “Sock” Miller in this clever look into the comic adventures of a city councilman, with special assist from the internal monologue of his pet basset hound Cleo (voiced by Mary Jane Croft), pictured on the cover of TV Guide with him.

Dramatic heavy hitter Raymond Burr, who had enjoyed a burgeoning movie career (primarily playing unsavory types) since his debut in 1947, went back and forth between films like Rear Window and TV anthology dramas during the early 1950s. In 1957 he became the television embodiment of Erle Stanley Gardner’s clever attorney Perry Mason, a run that lasted from 1955 to 1966, and then again in a series of TV movies in the 1980s and early ’90s.

I’ll venture into the 1960s and beyond in the second part of this article. I think we also ought to look at a few clips now, to jog our memories. First up, of course we probably all remember the amazing theme song to Perry Mason, written by veteran television composer Fred Steiner.

Here’s Loretta Young and one of her entrances and opening words.

And because I wouldn’t want anybody to think Betty Hutton wasn’t a completely dynamite entertainer no matter what she did or where she did it, there are a couple of television appearances you should look at — you’ll have to go to YouTube to view them. The first is from an episode of the variety show The Hollywood Palace from 1964, and then a clip from when she guest-starred in an episode of Gunsmoke in 1965. Wow! She’s incredible.

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14 Responses The Movie Star->TV Star Conversion Factor

Posted By Suzi : October 9, 2009 8:45 pm

The TV Guide covers are so cool-looking — very colorful. I miss the old TV Guide. Very interesting way to illustrate your post.

Posted By Patricia : October 10, 2009 10:35 am

Barbara Stanwyck guest-starred on “Zane Grey Theatre” and “Wagon Train”, and before success with “The Big Valley” won an Emmy for “The Barbara Stanwyck Show” which followed the format of Loretta and Jane Wyman’s series. Vol. 1 is available on DVD this month. I can hardly wait!

A favourite Betty Hutton television moment is her guest appearance on Nat “King” Cole’s program. In a duet with the host, she did an amusing impersonation of Mr. Cole.

Posted By Ingrid Berzins Leuzy : October 10, 2009 5:48 pm

This is fantastic stuff. Check out Loretta Young’s dresses each time she comes through the door! Glamour like that doesn’t exist anymore. Thanks for taking me back down memory lane…

Posted By Al Lowe : October 12, 2009 10:40 am

Thanks to second-hand stores and the wonders of DVD and VHS I have some of the shows you mentioned.

My two episodes of The Peoples Choice focus on the romance between Sock (Jackie Cooper) and the mayor’s daughter (Patricia Breslin) – but you keep waiting for Cleo to come on screen.

I have a couple DVDs of the early Perry Mason series, back when the cast was really giving its all. It is amazing how much dialogue poor Raymond Burr had to memorize.

An episode of Loretta Young shows her off to her best advantage.

I wish more of Betty Hutton’s movies were available on VHS and DVD. She was one of the big stars of the era.
The Hutton Movies that ARE available are: Star Spangled Rhythm, Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, Here Come the Waves, The Stork Club, Perils of Pauline, Annie Get Your Gun, Lets Dance and Greatest Show on Earth.
The ones NOT available are: The Fleets In, Happy Go Lucky, Lets Face it, And the Angels Sing, Incendiary Blonde, Duffy’s Tavern, Cross My Heart, Dream Girl, Red Hot and Blue, Somebody Loves Me and Spring Reunion. Of course, some of those titles were huge hits in their day.
Do these films even exist any more? Are the negatives so damaged that they are lost to us forever?

Posted By Medusa : October 12, 2009 12:59 pm

Hi Al!

You wouldn’t believe the amazing trove of Betty Hutton material on http://www.satinsandspurs.com/movies.shtml. They seem to have most/all of the movies you mentioned for viewing, and so much more Betty Hutton material. A truly wonderful site.

All those Paramount titles are distributed by MCA — they have all their pre-1948 releases — and maybe someday they’ll hit DVD. Let’s hope!

Posted By moirafinnie : October 12, 2009 3:17 pm

Great article, Medusa. You make me wish I could see more of these.

I hadn’t seen the Loretta Young Show since I was a kid until recently and was surprised that many of them held up rather well. No, there is no raw Pre-Code Loretta in evidence, but she’s quite good in some of the episodes. Young’s sweeping entrances seem more like the actress was aware of a bit of self-parody than a grandiose theatrical gesture that most people remember and I can see why she’d want to work in this anthology style, allowing her to play so many different characters.

One studio era actress who I wish had enjoyed more success on tv was Ann Sheridan. Her foray into a Western comedy in the latter half of the sixties,Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats, ended prematurely due to her death at only 51 of lung cancer. It may not have been the subtlest comedy, but she was an endearing actress. You can see many episodes in part or whole here on youtube.

Posted By Al Lowe : October 12, 2009 3:52 pm

By the way, I want to share some movie trivia that the Morlocks and their readers are so fond of.

There was a recent important announcement that Father Damien, who treated lepers many years ago and contacted the disease himself, has been recognized as a saint by the pope.

And, yes, there is a movie connection.

When I was in Catholic high school I was assigned to read a book called Damien the Leper written by John Farrow.
Yeah. Thats right. Mia’s dad, the film director who helmed Hondo, The Sea Chase and His Kind of Woman, among other films, and was married to Maureen O’Sullivan, best known as Tarzan’s Jane. He wrote books about Catholicism.

Thanks for your prompt response, Medusa. Someday, if I ever have a good computer (and I certainly don’t now), I’ll take advantage of the access offered to those movies.

I share Moirafinnie’s enthusiasm for Ann Sheridan. She was as good a partner for Cary Grant in I Was a Male War Bride as Roz Russell, Irene Dunne and Myrna Loy were. I particularly like her in They Drive by Night.
Yes, she is one of those actresses who should have had a better career. I wonder if the Oomph image hurt her. Also, she was not Bette Davis or Joan Crawford and Warners shouldn’t have put her in soap operas.
Sometimes you can throw the blame on a bad agent. I think we all know good agents are responsible for some illustrious careers. Lauren Bacall’s agent insisted Warners reshoot scenes for the Big Sleep to save her reputation. Dean Martin’s agent got him The Young Lions after Tony Randall had already been cast; Randall recounts this himself in one of the books he wrote.

Posted By Jacqueline T Lynch : October 13, 2009 8:18 am

Thanks for a great article, and a fun look back at Hollywood stars on TV. Looking forward to part 2.

Posted By Medusa : October 13, 2009 12:34 pm

Love all the excellent comments and info tidbits we all come up with!

Moira, I was going to mention Ann Sheridan in “Pistols and Petticoats” in my next installment, but couldn’t find a TV Guide cover of the show, so I’m glad you brought it up. I love her spunky humor, and thank goodness we can see some of it in those unearthed episodes. She would have aged wonderfully along with television and it’s such a shame she died so young.

I agree that Loretta Young’s larger-than-life entrances certainly seemed like a knowing touch and she’s actually quite approachable in her intro segments. I don’t think she would have been so popular with her show if she hadn’t appeared friendly. Though it may be different now — so many choices for so many different audience segments — seeming nice was an asset back then on TV!

Posted By Andre : October 19, 2009 1:40 am

Actually the only reason Disney went on TV was because he needed funds for his little place called “Disneyland”, and (I believe) it was NBC who would provide him with the funds on one condition. That he would do a TV show showing his movies. Disney agreed (had no choice as he was nearly bankrupt) but he also wanted to be able to use the show to promote the amusement park. That is why the program was also called “Disneyland.” When it was up and running for a while it’s (the show’s) name was changed to first; “Disney’s Wonderful World of Color”, then to “The Wonderful World of Disney.”

Posted By Al Lowe : October 19, 2009 10:40 am

The network was ABC, not NBC. He switched to NBC with the Wonderful World of Color.

You have to give Walt a lot of credit for his TV know-how. He was perfect for television because he seemed like everybody’s favorite uncle. His show, like today’s informationals, promoted his movies but were entertaining to watch. Other studios – MGM and Warners – tried to imitate the format but fell short. They seemed too much like commercials. Walt made you feel he was really interested in the story behind the making of his movies.

Posted By medusamorlock : October 19, 2009 10:50 am

Hi Andre!

I’m sure money was the reason most everyone turned to television, but at least Walt had an interesting special project. I’m certainly glad he did, because I grew up in So. Cal and spent many exciting childhood hours at Disneyland, back in the day!

Posted By Al Lowe : October 19, 2009 3:32 pm

I have a question and maybe someone out there has the answer.

On the Disneyland TV show each week featured a different “land.” I recall Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Fantasyland. Was there another land? And which land did the nature shows belong to?

I can’t believe I contributed four times to this blog.

Posted By jbl : November 7, 2009 9:07 pm

I can’t believe no one has posted an answer after all this time. (I’m still catching up from way behind.)

Adventureland.

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