Terrace - Television specials: 5,336 entertainment programs, 1936-2012

It was the early 1930s and a time of experimental television programming in the United States. There were news broadcasts, several actual series (e.g., The Television Ghost, Punch and Judy, Tele-Talkie and Broadway Half-Hour), theatrical cartoons (like Felix the Cat) and feature lms. However, at the time there was nothing that would actually develop into what would eventually become known as the television special. On July 21, 1936, NBC broadcast a one-time only comedy skit called Love Nest that could be considered the rst television special (although that term did not yet exist). This book is the most complete listing ever produced that covers the spectrum U.S. television entertainment specials, from that one-night broadcast to the thousands of such programs that followed over the decades.

Unfortunately, like Love Nest (a copy of which no longer exists), the process of airing these programs on a one-time only basis has continued to this day. Very few shows of this genre are given second airings, and some entries have made their way to the home DVD market (like The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts). But the majority of these programs have been discarded (considered lost) or stored deep in some vault where they appear to remain forever. Some previously thought lost specials have emerged, like 1955s Our Town with Frank Sinatraalthough the only known existing copy of this live program is in very poor audio and video quality. Even the Walt Disney Company, which has a high regard for the television programs it creates and strives to keep a copy of everything, has fallen victim to lost specials. For example, its 1959 special, Kodak Presents Disneyland 59, was broadcast live, and believed to have been kinescoped, but an existing copy has not been found.

This book is an alphabetical listing of 5,336 programs in 2,786 numbered entries. In an attempt to make for an easy-to-use reference work, the specials hosted by one performer (e.g., Ann-Margret, Bob Hope, Dean Martin) or adaptations of stories (e.g., Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol and Little Women) have been listed under an overall title rather than as numerous separate entries (e.g., all of Bob Hopes hosted specials can be found under Bob Hope Specials as opposed to 272 individual Bob Hope entries). This format avoids a constant repetition of information and searching back and forth through the book.

In addition to actor- and actress-hosted specials, you will also nd adaptations of Broadway plays and operas, musicals and dramas produced especially for television, awards programs (e.g., The Emmy Awards, The Golden Globe Awards), parades (including The Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Tournament of Roses Parade), beauty pageants (e.g., Miss America, Miss U.S.A., Miss Teenage America), prole specials (including Marilyn Monroe, Brooke Shields, James Bond), tribute specials (such as those for Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jr.), celebrity documentaries, the American Film Institute specials, honors specials (like The Kennedy Center Honors), New Years Eve specials, Christmas and Easter specials, cartoon specials; in short, the entire range of American-made entertainment specials from 1936 through 2012. In addition to cast information, entries also include production credits (producer, director, writer and music). A full cast and credits index completes this reference book.

The author would like to thank the following individuals for their help in making this book possible: James Robert Parish, Bob Leszczak, Jane Klain and especially TV historian David Schwartz for supplying the very difcult to compile announcer credits.

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1031The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. (Variety; NBC; Oct. 29, 1971). Highlights of various aspects of the opening ceremonies of the new Walt Disney complex in Orlando, Florida.

Host: Julie Andrews. Guests: Glen Campbell, Jonathan Winters, Bob Hope, Buddy Hackett. Producer: Ron Miller, Bill Walsh. Director: Robert Scheerer. Music: Dave Grusin.

1032Grand Opera. (Opera; NBC; Mar. 10, 1940). The rst U.S. telecast of a grand opera. The broadcast occurred on a stage in Radio City Music Hall under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera Company. The program was actually a fund raiser to earn one million dollars so the Met could purchase its present home (but with less than one thousand television sets in existence, only a small portion of the money was earned). Acts were continually spotted with appeals for money and featured songs from Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Rigoletto and Pagliacci.

Host: Gene Hamilton, Edward Johnson. Performers: Lucia Albanese, Richard Bonelli, Hilda Burke, Bruna Castagna, George Cehanovsky, Frederick Jagel, Hilde Reggiani, Armand Tokatyan, Leonard Warren.

1033Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. (Cartoon; WB; Dec. 5, 2000). A young boys (Jake) efforts to deal with a number of problems on Christmas Eve: help his grandmother when she becomes a victim of an unusual hit and run: struck by Santa Claus and his sleigh and contend with his mean-spirited cousin Mel, who is seeking the ownership of the store owned by his mother and father.

Voice Cast: Alex Doduk (Jake), Susan Blu (Grandma), Michele Lee (Cousin Mel), Elmo Shropshire (Narrator), Jim Staahl (Santa Claus), Cam Clarke (Austin Bucks), Maggie OHara (Daphne). Producer: Fred A. Rappaport, Phil Roman, Jim Fisher. Director: