Archival Television Audio: 1957_10_13 Hour 1 of 1

Sampler 2: of Rare & Lost Content from the 1950's '60s, and '70s:
Brief eye opening teasers representing early and rare television broadcasts. Including "lost" documentaries, variety, sports, talk shows, public affairs, special events coverage, interviews, and news broadcasts. The golden and silver age of television.

The Standard Oil 75th Anniversary Show is a gem, and a prime example of a 50 year old TV Audio Air Check (there are hundreds of air checks in the archive over 50 years old).

Running Time: 10:03 minutes

Jack Paar leaving the Tonight Show

Table of Contents: (Topic and location in min:sec)

Jack Paar leaving the Tonight Show   (February 11, 1960)
   • Introduction by Phil Gries for T.V. Audio Archive - 0:00
   • Preview of the Jack Paar program - 0:17
   • Phil Gries gives background information on this audio clip - 0:49
   • Jack Paar resiging from The Tonight Show - 1:09
   • How Jack Paar popularized the Tonight Show - 3:53
   • Phil Gries explains the controversial censorship - 4:23

Standard Oil 75th Anniversary Show   (October 13, 1957)
   • Introduction by Phil Gries for T.V. Audio Archive - 5:10
   • Preview of the Standard Oil Company 75th anniversay show - 5:26
   • Phil Gries gives background information about this audio clip - 6:02
   • Jimmy Durante and Burt Lahr singing a song - 6:23
   • Phil Gries summarizes this rare and nostalgic 51 year old show - 9:39

Phil Gries: This is Phil Gries with another edition of TV Audio Archive presenting lost and rare, nostalgic television moments from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. The golden and silver age of television.

Announcer: As you will see shortly during the taping of the Jack Paar program earlier this evening Jack

Paar walked off the show in protest against the deletion of one of his stories from last night's show. In the exercise of its proper responsibility to the public, NBC deleted this material last night because it considered it to be in bad taste. It is NBC's hope that Jack Paar will reconsider his action and return to the program. (Applause.)

Phil Gries: From July 29, 1957 through March 30, 1962 Jack Paar reigned supreme as late night talks show host on NBC's Tonight Show. As early as 1958 Paar had talked publicly about leaving the show, and on February 11, 1960 he made good on his promise.

Jack Paar: So, I went to them and, uh, I said, well, you know the least you could do maybe - ask. Get permission. Or give me a no. Could I show that tape again?

Let me show that one hunk that's caused all this comment in the press because there's so many guys, uh, in a way out to zing me, that this is the way to stop it. Show, show what we do. And, uh, they thought about it. And, uh, said, "Pass it off with a joke, lightly." Well, I cannot pass it off with a joke and will not.

I, uh, have been wrestling with my conscience all day. I have been attacked and will be attacked (unintelligible). It's gonna go on forever now. You might as well know it, by the Hearst people, the Hearst press. And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy because it starts in the television columns and then it spreads to the Dorothy Kilgallen column.

And I finally on the editorial page, you know, what, what's left for me, you know, Westbrook Pegler and the comics. You know, I don't know where to go from there. And, so, this is how it's going to be. I am opposed to purposely plotted risque material. I am more vehemently opposed to yellow journalism.

Now when you take a moral stand in your television column or on your front page and your editorial page and speak how moral you are and how religious your paper is. Why then in heaven's name do you have your front page full of the Finch murder trial with red headlines this big, banners on all the trucks where all the kids can see it. And in these articles going into the most, I think, obscene and personal matters that just don't belong on the front page of a reputable newspaper.

Uh, I have talked about that kind of thing and when I talked about it I knew full well what my future was going to be. That's the way it has to be with me. Now I made a decision about what I am going to do and, uh, only one person knows about this. It's Hugh Downs. My wife doesn't know it, but I will be home in time and I'll tell her.

I'm leaving The Tonight Show. There must be a better way of, uh, making a living than this. There is a way of entertaining people without being constantly involved in some form of controversy which is on me all the time.

It's rough on my wife and child, and I don't need it. I like the National Broadcasting Company. They've been, uh, swell to me. And I, ah, have been pretty wonderful to them.

I took over a show with sixty stations. There is now a hundred and fity-eight. The show is sold out. It's the highest, I think, uh, money producer for this network. And I believe I was let down by this network at a time when I could have used their help. You have been peachy to me always.

Hugh Downs: (Unintelligible) Jack I know (unintelligible).

Phil Gries: As Hugh Downs began to talk Jack Paar left the stage. The censored water closet joke which precipitated Paar's celebrated walk out, concerned an English woman who planned to travel abroad and wrote her host to inquire for accommodations included a "WC". Her abbreviation for "water closet".

Her host, who is not fluent in English, was baffled by the term. After some thought he concluded that WC stood for wayside chapel and wrote back to the women extolling in detail the sumptuousness of the nearby WC but cautioning her that it was likely to be crowded on the two days a week that it was open.

For the USA Today channel this is Phil Gries presenting TV Audio Archive on the XM Satellite Radio network.

*** For the purposes of this demo, the entire content is not available ***

Standard Oil Company 75th Anniversary Show

5:10
Jimmy Durante

Phil Gries:

Announcer: The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC.

Standard Oil Company, New Jersey presents its 75th anniversary entertainment starring Jimmy Durante, Burt Lahr. (Fade out.)

Phil Gries: On October 13, 1957 The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey presented live, from New York, and in color a music variety show with features from every field of entertainment. Tyrone Power was host for this NBC 90 minute anniversary party which included guest stars Jimmy Durante and Burt Lahr.

Chorus: (Music.) (Unintelligible). Most to the (unintelligible) and the (unintelligible) but nobody knows where the west wind blows when the east wind blows to the south. Now (unintelligible).

Jimmy Durante: Why are we singing that song?

Burt Lahr: I don't know. We just felt like it. That's the trouble with today, you gotta have a reason for everything.

Jimmy: That's true. You know in the old days you did things just because you felt like it.

Burt: Yeah.

Jimmy: They don't make days like that anymore. An Imposter.

Jimmy: (Music.) There he goes again.

Burt: Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning,

Jimmy: Oh, you're beautiful.

Burt: Nothing could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her in the morning. When the morning glories. Twine around the door, whispering pretty stories -

Jimmy Yeah!

Burt: I long to hear once more. Strolling with my girlie (unintelligible) and all the birds are purty -
Jimmy: Say, Burt, does that humming annoy you.

Burt: Yeah.

Jimmy: Oh, pardon me.

Burt: A lot of flops (unintelligible). You're a false friend.

Jimmy: Are you sure it doesn't annoy you?

Burt: I'm snubbing you. If I had Aladdin's lamp for only a day.

Jimmy: What happened to the music?

Burt: I'd make a wish and that's what I'd say:

Chorus: Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning. Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.

Jimmy: That annoys me.

Chorus: Nothing could be (unintelligible) than -

Jimmy: Burt, you know something...

Jimmy: You know. It's been nice being with you tonight.

Burt: It's nice being with you, Jim.

Jimmy: You know something in this business, eh, you don't see your friends often enough.

Burt: No, you don't, Jim, how true.

Jimmy: And, uh, for instance I'm in California, you're in New York. When you're in California I'm in New York.

Burt: (Unintelligible) Jim, that's show business.

Jimmy: Yeah, well...

Burt: We had a lot of laughs, didn't we?

Jimmy: A lot of laughs even with (unintelligible) boarding houses.

Burt: Yeah, cold dressing rooms rehearsing all night.

Jimmy: One day you're up, the next day you're down.

Burt: Well, Jimmy, that shouldn't discourage anyone.

Jimmy: That's right because . . .

Jimmy: (Music.) One little slip don't mean you're losing your grip. You gotta keep on trying.

Burt: One little fall don't mean you're no good at all. You gotta keep on tryin'.

Jimmy: One small mistake should never make you despair.

Burt: One little break and you'll be riding on air.

Jimmy: One little flop don't mean you can't reach the top.

Chorus: You gotta keep on trying!

Phil Gries: (Fade in) Standard Oil of New Jersey 75th anniversary show spectacular, directed by Greg Garrison and staged by Cyril Ritchard, also starred Jane Powell, Marge & Gower Champion, Eddie Mayhoff, Donald O'Connor, and Sydney Miller, Duke Ellington, Kate Thompson and Brandon Dewilde.

Phil Gries: For the USA Today Channel this is Phil Gries presenting TV Audio Archive on the XM Satellite Radio network.

*** For the purposes of this demo, the entire content is not available ***

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