The King Family Show
Encyclopedia
The King Family Show was an American musical variety series
that featured The King Sisters
and their extended musical family. The series first aired on ABC
from January 1965 to January 1966. The series was revived in 1969, airing from March to September 1969.
in August 1964 drew a reported 53,000 letters, ABC
decided to give the Kings their own hour-long weekly series (replacing The Outer Limits
), debuting on Saturday, January 23, 1965 (the King Family made a third Hollywood Palace appearance a week before the debut of their own series in order to promote it). The show starred the four King Sisters, Donna, Yvonne, Luise and Alyce. It also featured Alyce's husband, actor Robert Clarke
, and her sons, Ric de Azevedo, Lex de Azevedo
and Cam Clarke
. (In all, some thirty-seven members of the King family, ranging in age from seven months to 79 years, were seen on the show.) Tina Cole
, later featured on My Three Sons
, also regularly appeared.
While the show was somewhat successful in its initial season, the network trimmed it to a half-hour on September 18, 1965, moving its start time from 7:30 to 8pm (EST) (enabling Shindig!
to appear before it), and the ratings declined - up against Jackie Gleason
on CBS
and I Dream Of Jeannie
on NBC
- but the show did inspire an intensely loyal following. One letter to ABC enthused, "the King Family was beautiful, talented, and completely entertaining. We are buying (sponsor's products) Wisk
and Clairol
tomorrow." Still, the show was cancelled in January 1966.
was cancelled after a single airing, ABC brought back a somewhat pared-down version of the King Family Show that focused on a sub-group of the family "the King Cousins". The program occupied the Wednesday 8:30-9:00 timeslot until September of that year.
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
that featured The King Sisters
The King Sisters
The King Sisters were an American big band-era vocal quartet.-History:Born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the King Sisters originally were part of the "Driggs Family of Entertainers"."In the early 1930s sisters Luise, Maxine and Alyce formed a vocal trio...
and their extended musical family. The series first aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from January 1965 to January 1966. The series was revived in 1969, airing from March to September 1969.
Background and premise
After an appearance on The Hollywood PalaceThe Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months...
in August 1964 drew a reported 53,000 letters, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
decided to give the Kings their own hour-long weekly series (replacing The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
), debuting on Saturday, January 23, 1965 (the King Family made a third Hollywood Palace appearance a week before the debut of their own series in order to promote it). The show starred the four King Sisters, Donna, Yvonne, Luise and Alyce. It also featured Alyce's husband, actor Robert Clarke
Robert Clarke
Robert Irby Clarke was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s.-Early life:...
, and her sons, Ric de Azevedo, Lex de Azevedo
Lex de Azevedo
Alexis "Lex" de Azevedo is an American Mormon composer, song writer, pianist and singer known primarily for his film scores and his work on the LDS musical Saturday's Warrior.-Biography:...
and Cam Clarke
Cam Clarke
Cameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices...
. (In all, some thirty-seven members of the King family, ranging in age from seven months to 79 years, were seen on the show.) Tina Cole
Tina Cole
Tina Cole is an American actress and singer. She is best-known for her role as Katie Miller Douglas on the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons. She was also a member of the King Family Singers.-Family:...
, later featured on My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, also regularly appeared.
While the show was somewhat successful in its initial season, the network trimmed it to a half-hour on September 18, 1965, moving its start time from 7:30 to 8pm (EST) (enabling Shindig!
Shindig!
Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz....
to appear before it), and the ratings declined - up against Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
on CBS
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...
and I Dream Of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
- but the show did inspire an intensely loyal following. One letter to ABC enthused, "the King Family was beautiful, talented, and completely entertaining. We are buying (sponsor's products) Wisk
Wisk
Wisk is the name of a laundry detergent sold in the United States manufactured by Sun Products.Wisk was launched in 1956 as the first liquid laundry detergent...
and Clairol
Clairol
Clairol is a personal care products division of Procter & Gamble. The Clairol company was started in 1931 by Lawrence M. Gelb and wife, Joan, who named their enterprise after a hair-coloring preparation they found while traveling in France....
tomorrow." Still, the show was cancelled in January 1966.
Revival
In March 1969, after the program Turn-OnTurn-On
Turn-On is an American sketch comedy series that aired on ABC in February 1969. Only one episode was shown and the show is considered one of the most infamous flops in TV history....
was cancelled after a single airing, ABC brought back a somewhat pared-down version of the King Family Show that focused on a sub-group of the family "the King Cousins". The program occupied the Wednesday 8:30-9:00 timeslot until September of that year.