Seven Lively Arts

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Seven Lively Arts was a Sunday afternoon anthology television series produced by CBS television and executive producer John Houseman. The title was taken from the influential book of same name written by the cultural critic Gilbert Seldes, in which he argued that the low arts (comics, vaudeville) deserved as much critical attention as the high arts (opera, literature).

Those interested in what was television's last (and only) show devoted to the arts, should consult: "KEITH BOTSFORD: The 'Seven Lively Arts': A Case-Study in Highbrow Television" in the Texas Quarterly, Winter 1959, V. II, no. 4. The author was an assistant producer on the show and, more specifically, worked with S.J. Perelman on the opening show, 'The Changing Ways of Love'.

The nine others finally produced (with producer, writer & director in brackets) were -- not in order: 'The Revivalists' (Goldman, McGifford, Northshield)on contemporary evangelism; 'Holllywood around the World' (Kinberg, Hyams, Ferber); probably the best in the series, 'The Blast in Centralia #5' (Kinberg, Mandel, Hill); 'Here is New York' (Northfield, White, Sharpe); 'The Nutcracker' (Tchaikovsky's ballet); 'The Education if Nick Adams', on early Hemingway stories; 'Profile of a Composer (Norman dello Joio), 'Gold Rush' (Agnes de Mille ballet); and 'The Sound of Jazz', a great success.

It was the first show to produce a full length television production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

Other episodes included:

• "The Sound Of Jazz"

• "This Is New York" - an essay about the city written by E.B. White and narrated by E.G. Marshall.