Melody Street
Encyclopedia
Melody Street is an early American television series, hosted by Elliot Lawrence
, which aired on the now defunct DuMont Television Network
. The program aired from September 23, 1953 to February 4, 1954. Each episode was 30 minutes long. One guest star was guitarist Tony Mottola
.
, along with an excerpt from another episode.
Elliot Lawrence
Elliot Lawrence is an American jazz pianist and bandleader.Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he played swing at the time its heyday was coming to a close. He recorded copiously as a bandleader for Columbia, Decca, King, Fantasy, Vik, and Sesac...
, which aired on the now defunct DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. The program aired from September 23, 1953 to February 4, 1954. Each episode was 30 minutes long. One guest star was guitarist Tony Mottola
Tony Mottola
Tony Mottola was an American guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey, and died in Denville, New Jersey.-Career:...
.
Criticism
Melody Street was hampered by a small budget, even by 1950s standards. Later-day critics, such as Castleman and Podrazik (1982), have cited Melody Street, among other DuMont series, as one of the reasons fewer and fewer viewers tuned in to the ailing DuMont Network. They stated Melody Street was, like several other DuMont programs during the 1953-1954 season, "doomed from the start by third-rate scripts and cheap production" and pointed out that the program "required the performers to lip sync other people's records." The series did not last long, and the network itself began crumbling shortly thereafter.Episode status
Two complete episodes of the show survive at the UCLA Film and Television ArchiveUCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
, along with an excerpt from another episode.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts