The Ed Wynn Show

The Ed Wynn Show – the early television variety show, hosted by the zany Perfect Fool, Ed Wynn. With a variety of guest stars as well.

Product description

He was known as “The Perfect Fool.” With his distinctive silly giggle and clown costumes, Ed Wynn entertained audiences for over 60 years – from his early days as on-stage assistant to W. C. Fields until his charming performance as laughing Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins in 1964. He lent his zany voice to the Mad Hatter in 1951’s Alice in Wonderland, and he later triumphed in a surprising turn to drama in Rod Serling’s 1956 television masterpiece, Requiem For A Heavyweight. In the midst of this amazing career, he starred in one of the very earliest television variety shows, the Emmy Award winning Ed Wynn Show. This groundbreaking program inspired countless other comics to make the leap to the new small-screen medium during the fabulous Fifties.

S1.E1 ∙ Premiere Show with guest Gertrude Niesen – originally aired Oct 6, 1949

S1.E2 ∙ Carmen Miranda – originally aired Oct 13, 1949

Carmen Miranda sings “When I Love, I Love“

S1.E3 ∙ Mel Torme, Belita, Sam Hearn – originally aired Oct 20, 1949

S1.E4 ∙ Dinah Shore – originally aired Oct 27, 1949

Ed Wynn tries to demonstrate weight loss in his gym. Dinah Shore sings “Blues In the Night” under a lamppost at night set. In the finale, she sings “Tea For Two” while riding Ed’s wacky piano bicycle contraption.

Ed announced that this was Dinah Shore’s first appearance on TV.

S1.E5 ∙ Victor Moore – originally aired Nov 3, 1949

Ed pays tribute to vaudeville performer Victor Moore, who supposedly wants his own TV series. “All it takes is a silly costume.” There’s a very sweet moment when Victor is supposedly auditioning at a night club, and Ed tells an anecdote about Victor. Literally bringing him to tears.

S1.E6 ∙ Peggy Lee – originally aired Nov 10, 1949

S1.E7 ∙ Rochester, Kay Starr – originally aired Nov 17, 1949

S1.E8 ∙ Diana Lynn – originally aired Nov 24, 1949

S1.E9 ∙ Eve Arden – originally aired Dec 1, 1949

S1.E10 ∙ Celeste Holm – originally aired Dec 8, 1949

Actress Celeste Holm brings her inventions to the show, to the consternation of Ed, who just wants her to sing.

S1.E11 ∙ Ben Blue, John Raitt – originally aired Dec 15, 1949

S1.E12 ∙ Buster Keaton, Virginia O’Brien – originally aired Dec 22, 1949

Highlights include Buster Keaton recreating his battle with molasses from his 1917 film “The Butcher Boy“. Ed, in a comedy Spiedel commercial, performs in a ballet sequence. There’s an extended scene where Ed fights with an elevator, coerces Virginia O’Brien to sing, and then frustrates a bell boy who wants to be paid ten cents per piece of luggage.

S1.E13 ∙ Hattie McDaniel, Buddy Ebsen – originally aired Dec 29, 1949

Buddy Ebsen visits Ed’s pet store in search of an exotic animal and Ed plays a door-to-door salesman who tries to peddle his wares to Hattie.

S1.E14 ∙ Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz – originally aired Dec 24, 1949

At the beach, Ed is a life guard, surrounded by bathing beauties. Desi Arnaz comes by, and pretends he doesn’t speak English. So, Ed has one of the swimsuit models “translate”. Desi next sings “The Straw Hat Song” followed by “Babalu”. Prior to “Babalu”, there’s a funny bit as Ed keeps going off stage to get the bongo drum, bolero jacket, etc. — and Lucille Ball comes onstage from the opposite side with the same items for Desi, each time to applause. Which Ed can’t figure out why a jacket gets applause! Finally seeing Lucille, of course. Highlights include a silent movie sketch with Lucille Ball as Theda Bara.

S1.E15 ∙ Dick Haymes – originally aired Dec 31, 1949

S1.E16 ∙ Howard Duff, Olga San Juan – originally aired Jan 21, 1950

Ed tries his hand at hosting a cooking show and joins his guest stars in a murder mystery spoof.

S1.E17 ∙ Gloria De Haven – originally aired Jan 28, 1950

S1.E18 ∙ Garry Moore and Lita Baron – originally aired Feb 4, 1950

S1.E19 ∙ Ann Sheridan and Robert Clary – originally aired Feb 11, 1950

Ann Sheridan helps Ed present his latest invention (a guitar-gun for singing cowboys) before she stands in for absent Gary Cooper in a wacky Western sketch.

S1.E20 ∙ Leon Errol, The Modernaires – originally aired Feb 18, 1950

S1.E21 ∙ Mitzi Green, William Farnum – originally aired Feb 25, 1950

S1.E22 ∙ Ella Logan – originally aired Mar 18, 1950

S1.E23 ∙ Elsa Lanchester, Reginald Gardiner – originally aired Mar 11, 1950

Elsa Lanchester does a comical East Indian song and dance number before joining Ed in a hilarious sketch about the two-timing wife of an intrepid jungle explorer.

S1.E24 ∙ Gloria Swanson, Gale Robbins, Bill Shirley – originally aired Mar 4, 1950

Fresh from appearing in Sunset Boulevard, legendary film star Gloria Swanson joins Ed in
an acrobatic marionette sketch.

S1.E25 ∙ Helen Forrest, The Three Stooges – originally aired Mar 25, 1950

Three CBS network executives (played by the Three Stooges – Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard) arrive to “help” Ed with his show. A very funny, hilarious episode!

S1.E26 ∙ Joe E. Brown, Ilona Massey, William Frawley

Tue, Apr 4, 1950

S1.E27 ∙ Charles Laughton, Beverly Tyler

Tue, May 2, 1950

S1.E28 ∙ Richard Arlen, Ella Raines, The Firehouse Five Plus 2

Tue, Apr 11, 1950

S1.E29 ∙ Andy Devine, Sam Hearn, Andy Russell & Della Russell

Tue, Apr 18, 1950

S1.E30 ∙ Vera Vague

Tue, Apr 25, 1950

Ed and guest star Vera Vague are featured in a skit where the cruise ship on which they are sailing sinks and they are marooned on a desert island. With an amorous gorilla!

S1.E31 ∙ Cesar Romero, Irene Hervey, Allan Jones

Tue, May 9, 1950

S1.E32 ∙ James Barton, Frank Fontaine, Joan Leslie, Preston Foster

Tue, May 23, 1950

S1.E33 ∙ Marie Wilson, Jack Holt

Tue, May 16, 1950

S1.E34 ∙ Cass Daley, The Charlivels

Tue, May 30, 1950

S1.E35 ∙ Frances Langford, Fred Sanborn

Tue, Jun 6, 1950

S1.E36 ∙ Billie Burke, Gil Lamb

Tue, Jun 13, 1950

S1.E37 ∙ Mitzi Green, El Brendel, Frank Fontaine

Tue, Jun 20, 1950

S1.E38 ∙ Episode #1.38