Behind the Scenes

Like the Colgate Comedy Hour, Four Star Revue/All Star Revue had a dependable array of talented people running things in the background.

NBC's Pete Barnum was the first executive producer, joined by Harold Kemp of the William Morris Agency in the second season. Sam Fuller of NBC took over that job in the third season. These people had, as their primary responsibility, the role of liaison between their companies and the show. Barnum and Fuller also ensured that the hosts were well stocked with big name guest stars. Various producers worked under the execs, doing the day-to-day job of getting the show on the air.

Joseph Santley, remembered today primarily for staging the musical numbers in the Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts, was Jimmy Durante's producer-director, not just on Revue but on the Schnoz's subsequent Colgate Comedy Hour and Texaco Star Theater stints, as well. Santley had directed Durante in the 1940 Gene Autry vehicle Melody Ranch and did some producing-directing for Ed Wynn on Revue, too.

Leo Morgan, who later worked on Sid Caesar's Caesar's Hour, produced for Danny Thomas, Olsen and Johnson, and Martha Raye. Norman Zeno was Jack Carson's first producer, before Coby Ruskin was promoted from director to replace him. (Ruskin was subsequently blacklisted for a time and had to move to England to find work. Returning to the States, he resumed his career by directing shows like The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and Here's Lucy.)

Tallulah Bankhead brought her producer-director Dee Engelbach over from her radio program The Big Show, while George Jessel borrowed Martin and Lewis's Colgate Comedy Hour producer-director Ernest D. Glucksman.

Ezra Stone, who had played eternal teenager Henry Aldrich on radio ("Coming, Mother!"), directed Revue episodes for Danny Thomas, Ed Wynn, Martha Raye, and Ezio Pinza. He was married to actress Sara Seegar, and his subsequent work included episodes of The Munsters and Lost in Space.

Other directors were James V. Kern (later of I Love Lucy and My Three Sons), Garry Simpson, Bill Bacher, and Tim Whelan.

In the early days of TV, there were often two directors, one to stage the show and another to handle the technical task of directing the cameras. On Revue, TV directors included Grey Lockwood, Sid Smith, Doug Rodgers, and Hal Keith.

Writer-director Nat Hiken worked for Jack Carson and Martha Raye on Four Star Revue/All Star Revue.

The brilliant Nat Hiken, who had been with Fred Allen and Milton Berle on radio, was Jack Carson's head writer before performing the same function on Martha Raye's shows. At the start of the third season, he became Raye's director, as well, before moving on to create the classic Phil Silvers Show (aka Sgt. Bilko) and Car 54, Where Are You? Working with Hiken on scripts were Billy Friedberg and Al Singer.

Throughout his 1950s TV shows, Jimmy Durante primarily used only two writers, Charles Isaacs and Jack Elinson, while Ed Wynn's list was much longer and included John Whedon, Seaman Jacobs, Bud Pearson, Dick McKnight, Bob Schiller, Vincent Bogert, Al Johansen, Leo Solomon, Bud Pearson, Joe Stein, Stan Burns, Herb Sargent, Maurice Richlin, Bill Jacobson, Art Stander, Sid Dorfman, and Hal Kanter.

Danny Thomas wrote some of his own material, but also relied on Arnold Horwitt, Morris Freedman, Julie Oshins, Bob Schiller, Phil Sharp, Aaron Ruben, and Jerry Seelen.

George Jessel's writers were Mannie Manheim and Larry Gelbart (formerly of Your Show of Shows and Bob Hope and futurely of M*A*S*H). Tallulah Bankhead performed material written by Mort Green, George Foster, Robert Tallman, Howard Snyder & Hugh Wedlock, and Danny Simon & his brother Doc Simon (who would grow up to become superstar playwright Neil Simon).

Some of the show's choreographers were future Hollywood director Herbert Ross (for Martha Raye), George Hale and Aida Broadbent (Jimmy Durante), Ronnie Fletcher (Tallulah Bankhead), Valerie Bettis (Ezio Pinza), and Seymour Felix (The Ritz Brothers).

Musical directors included Merle Kendrick (Ed Wynn), Lou Bring (Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn), Roy Bargy (Jimmy Durante), Dean Elliott (Jack Carson), George Bassman (Martha Raye), Milton DeLugg (Olsen and Johnson), Meredith Willson (Tallulah Bankhead), and Al Goodman (George Jessel).

Andre Baruch was announcer in the early, New York-based episodes, while Don Pardo filled that role in later episodes originating from that city. Hal Sawyer introduced many west coast episodes.