Eddy Arnold Time

Eddy Arnold Time is an American musical television series syndicated to local stations from 1955 through 1957. The show consisted of 26 half-hour filmed episodes starring Eddy Arnold in different roles within a musical narrative. Arnold portrayed, among others, a lumberjack, a traveling salesman, a cowboy, a pet shop owner, himself, and even Stephen Foster.[1]

Not to be confused with The Eddy Arnold Show.

Eddy Arnold Time
The Gordonaires, Betty Johnson, and Eddy Arnold as themselves in the episode, "Sunday at Home"
Genre	Musical
Written by	Ben Park
Directed by	Ben Park
Starring	Eddy Arnold Betty Johnson The Gordonaires
Opening theme	"Bouquet of Roses"
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Joe Csida
Producer(s)	Ben Park
Production location(s)	Kling Studios, Chicago
Cinematography	Robert Sable Haskell Wexler
Editor(s)	Richard Hertel
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes (26 minutes excluding ads)
Production company(s)	Csida-Grean Associates Eddy Arnold Enterprises
Distributor	Walter Schwimmer, Inc.
Release
Original network	First-run syndication
Picture format	Black-and-white 35mm film
Audio format	Monaural Optical
Original release	January 1, 1955 (1955-01-01) – October 1957 (1957-10)

Production and cast

Produced, directed and written by Chicago NBC veteran Ben Park, the series featured Betty Johnson, who usually played Arnold's romantic interest; and in supporting roles, the Jordanaires, using the name Gordonaires. A promotional booklet for the program explained that the group used the name Jordanaires "only for their recordings."[1] The more complete explanation is that it legally protected the producers in case the group, which owned the name Jordanaires, left the program prematurely. For this show, the group was composed of Hoyt Hawkins, Hugh Jarett, Neal Matthews, Jr. and Gordon Stoker. Guitarist Hank Garland and Roy Wiggins (steel guitar) also made occasional appearances. A young Ed Asner appeared in one episode.[2]

The producers termed the program, filmed at Kling Studios in Chicago, Illinois, a TV filmusical. Production began in October 1954; it was among the earliest syndicated American TV programs. Although popular in some small markets, it suffered from uninspired performances and storylines, a poor soundtrack and inadequate marketing.[3]

In 1959, episodes were edited together with segments from The Old American Barn Dance and Jimmy Dean's Town and Country Time (a local Washington, D.C. program) and syndicated by producer Bernard L. Schubert under the title, Your Musical Jamboree.[2]

Episodes (22 of 26)

"Poor Lonesome Cowboys" "The Bayou Baby and the Traveling Salesman" "At the Logging Camp" "On a Picnic" "The Deacon's Hoedown" "At a Canteen" "The 'Come as You Are' Party" "The Birthday Party Rehearsal" "Sunday at Home" "The Last of the Bad Men" "An Old Fashioned Melodrama" "Gamblers, Gunmen and Sasparilla"

"Discovery in a Pet Shop" "Wedding Day" "At the Church Social" "The Stephen Foster Story" "Reminiscing in a Record Shop" "'Round the Merry-go-round" "The Pioneers Head West" "Dr. Eddy's Medicine Show" "Found: Two Lost Lovers" "At the Country Store" "The Cornhusking Bee" "The Railroaders' Surprise"

Notes

1. Eddy Arnold Time © 1955, Trinity Music, Inc., New York, N.Y.
2. Gallen, Ira. "The Old American Barn Dance". Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
3. Streissguth, Michael (1997). Eddy Arnold: Pioneer of the Nashville Sound. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-864719-X. p. 139

References

• Eddy Arnold Time © 1955, Trinity Music, Inc., New York, N.Y.
• Gallen, Ira. "The Old American Barn Dance". Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
• McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
• Streissguth, Michael (1997). Eddy Arnold: Pioneer of the Nashville Sound. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-864719-X.

External links

• Public domain episode on Internet Archive