The Jo Stafford Show (1954 TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Jo Stafford Show is a 15-minute musical variety program which aired on CBS
in prime time
in the 1954
-1955
television
season. Jo Stafford
began her solo singing career after success with the big band
group known as The Pied Pipers
. Arrangements for the program were handled by Stafford's husband, Paul Weston
, himself a conductor and arranger at Capitol Records
and Columbia Records
. The series aired on Tuesday evenings at 7:45 Eastern Time after Douglas Edwards with the News
and preceding the half-hour The Red Skelton Show
. Singer Perry Como
had a similar 15-minute program on CBS in the same time slot on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Stafford used as her theme song, "You Belong to Me
", an original 1952 Patti Page
recording.
The television program was done live; during the year it aired, Stafford was beset with many of the on-air difficulties which came with live television, including the loss of her skirt while singing "Let Me Go Lover" on one show. The show had the same cast of regular performers Stafford worked with during her Chesterfield Supper Club
shows from Hollywood. Paul Weston and his Orchestra and the Starlighters provided the music and vocal accompaniments on the radio and the television show.
Stafford was born in Coalinga
, California
. Though she had been trained as a teenager in opera
, she instead joined her two sisters, Christine and Pauline, to form the Stafford Sisters vocal group. One reason for her shift away from opera was the decline in popularity of that genre during the Great Depression
. Her career spanned five decades from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. From 1949 until 1953, Stafford made at least four hundred broadcasts for Radio Luxembourg and the Voice of America
. In 1961, Stafford also had a short-lived series
of musical specials on British television, with American and British guests.
The Jo Stafford Show aired during a period when 15-minute prime time programs were relatively common. Such offerings began as early as the 1948-1949 television season, but they had largely disappeared by the time of the 1957-1958 season.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
in the 1954
1954 in television
The year 1954 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.-Events:*January 1 – NBC broadcasts the Rose Parade in NTSC color on 21 stations.*January 3 – RAI launched in Italy....
-1955
1955 in television
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1955.-Events:*March 5 – Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
season. Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
began her solo singing career after success with the big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
group known as The Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s. Originally they consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody...
. Arrangements for the program were handled by Stafford's husband, Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
, himself a conductor and arranger at Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The series aired on Tuesday evenings at 7:45 Eastern Time after Douglas Edwards with the News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
and preceding the half-hour The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
. Singer Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
had a similar 15-minute program on CBS in the same time slot on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Stafford used as her theme song, "You Belong to Me
You Belong to Me (1952 song)
"You Belong to Me" is a pop music ballad from the 1950s. The singer reminds his/her lover that, whatever exotic locales and sights he/she experiences, "you belong to me." It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart...
", an original 1952 Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
recording.
The television program was done live; during the year it aired, Stafford was beset with many of the on-air difficulties which came with live television, including the loss of her skirt while singing "Let Me Go Lover" on one show. The show had the same cast of regular performers Stafford worked with during her Chesterfield Supper Club
The Chesterfield Supper Club
The Chesterfield Supper Club, an NBC musical variety radio program , was also telecast by NBC from 1948 to 1950.-Radio:The Chesterfield Supper Club began on December 11, 1944, as a 15-minute radio program, airing at 7pm weeknights on the NBC Radio Network. This musical variety show was sponsored by...
shows from Hollywood. Paul Weston and his Orchestra and the Starlighters provided the music and vocal accompaniments on the radio and the television show.
Stafford was born in Coalinga
Coalinga, California
Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State Hospital. Coalinga is located southwest of Fresno, at an elevation of 673 feet .-Early...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Though she had been trained as a teenager in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, she instead joined her two sisters, Christine and Pauline, to form the Stafford Sisters vocal group. One reason for her shift away from opera was the decline in popularity of that genre during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Her career spanned five decades from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. From 1949 until 1953, Stafford made at least four hundred broadcasts for Radio Luxembourg and the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. In 1961, Stafford also had a short-lived series
The Jo Stafford Show (1961 TV series)
The Jo Stafford Show is a nine-episode British television programme which aired in the United Kingdom on a fortnightly basis starting 9 September 1961. It was presented by the singer Jo Stafford, who was joined on stage by guests from the world of music and television; each episode was based on a...
of musical specials on British television, with American and British guests.
The Jo Stafford Show aired during a period when 15-minute prime time programs were relatively common. Such offerings began as early as the 1948-1949 television season, but they had largely disappeared by the time of the 1957-1958 season.