Star of the Family (TV program)

For the 1982 ABC series, see Star of the Family.

Star of the Family is a CBS Television program which premiered on September 22, 1950,^[1] and aired until June 26, 1952.

Star of the Family
Genre	Variety
Directed by	Norman Frank
Presented by	Morton Downey (1950–1951) Peter Lind Hayes with Mary Healy (1951–1952) Frank Waldecker (announcer)
Opening theme	Buddy Kaye
Composer	Carl Hoff
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	75
Production
Executive producers	Perry Lafferty Coby Ruskin
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	25 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS Television
Release	22 September 1950 (1950-09-22) – 26 June 1952 (1952-06-26)

Overview

The first season featured people who might be related to a celebrity, and the show contestants tried to guess the name of the celebrity. The celebrity was then brought out to entertain the audience. In the second season, the show became a musical comedy show.^{[citation needed]}

Personnel

Hosts included Morton Downey (1950–1951) and Peter Lind Hayes with Mary Healy (1951–1952).^[2]

The series was directed by Norman Frank, produced by Perry Lafferty and Coby Ruskin, and written by Adrian Spies. Music was by Carl Hoff and His Orchestra, with the Beatrice Kroft Dancers also featured. Some episodes were directed by John Wray.^{[citation needed]}

Production history

The show aired in these time slots:

• (22 September 1950 – 15 June 1951) Fridays 10-10:30 pm ET
• (29 July 1951 – 6 January 1952) Sundays 6:30-7pm ET
• (10 January 1952 – 26 June 1952) Thursdays 8-8:30pm ET^{[citation needed]} Beginning with the January 10, 1952, episode, the show alternated with The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.

The show was sponsored by Kelvinator.

Episode status

One of the few surviving episodes is available online at TV4U. This is the December 9, 1951 episode, hosted by Hayes and Healy, and featuring Duke Ellington, Gloria LeRoy, and Andy Russell.

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Billboard called an episode of the first version of the program "a stilted, slow-paced show brightened only intermittently when the 'stars' themselves perform".^[3] The review said that some of the interviews "were self-conscious and dull".^[3] A subsequent Billboard review complimented Healy's singing and mimicry talents and said that Hayes's "gags were adequate, if corny".^[4]

See also

• 1950-51 United States network television schedule
• 1951-52 United States network television schedule