I recently received a wonderful letter from a gentleman in New York who read “The Lucky Strike Papers,” and was a fan of the TV show “Your Hit Parade.” He worked for years at one of New York’s TV stations, in a behind-the-scenes technical capacity. The book, he said, “brought back many fond memories of my favorite TV show. I was a fan of both the show itself and Dorothy Collins." He wrote:
“The show was telecast originally from the International Theatre at Columbus Circle during the summer of 1950. It then moved to the Center Theatre (a mini Radio City Music Hall) at Rockefeller Center in October 1950. The Center Theatre was the ideal place for this show. It utilized the vast stage itself to showcase the various songs. There were also several aprons along the front of the stage upon which the cameras were installed. Several stage areas were reused as the show progressed. A huge overhead black and white screen displayed all the action that appeared on stage. Tickets to the show were free, but had to be ordered from the Guest Relations Dept. at NBC. Everyone entering the theatre received a small packet of Lucky Strike cigarettes (four cigarettes). It was extremely colorful and reminiscent of watching an MGM musical in person…
“Technically it was the best show on TV and each show looked like a small spectacular. It was the only show that had 2 day camera rehearsals. All camera movement was done manually (no zoom lenses back then)…like watching the old Hollywood master craftsman at work, except being live, there were no retakes….”
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Andrew Fielding, while host of a radio talk show in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1996
A Book About Network Television in the late 1940s and early 1950s, by Andrew Lee Fielding. Originally published in 2007 by BearManor Media. Revised Edition published in 2019. See also: www.andrewleefielding.com, or www.earlytelevision.net
A Blog About Early Television...Later Television...The Big Band period...and other matters of history, family, and popular culture...
REVISED EDITION NOW AVAILABLE
"The Lucky Strike Papers"--subtitled "Journeys Through My Mother's Television Past"--profiles such early network television shows as "Your Hit Parade" (also known as "The Lucky Strike Hit Parade"), "Kay Kyser's College of Musical Knowledge," and "The Freddy Martin Show." Author Andrew Fielding's late mother, Sue Bennett, sang on these programs, and others, in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
To purchase a copy of the 2019 Revised Edition of the book, please visit:
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Andrew Fielding, while host of a radio talk show in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1996
About Me
- Andrew Lee Fielding
- Andrew Fielding has written for The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Providence Journal, The Philadelphia Daily News, Horizon Magazine, and other publications. He has also worked as a radio talk show host--in Philadelphia, in suburban Philadelphia, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and in northern New Jersey. He was also, for three years, the host of a weekly talk show on a nostalgia-oriented Internet radio station. His book about early television, "The Lucky Strike Papers," was published in December, 2007 by BearManor Media. A revised edition of the book was brought out in January of 2019.