| The Frank Sinatra Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Music |
| Presented by | Frank Sinatra |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | New York City, New York, USA |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original airing | 7 October 1950 |
The Frank Sinatra Show (also known as Bulova Watch Time) is a CBS musical variety TV series which aired from 1950 to 1952. As with many variety shows of the time, The show was broadcast live and was recorded via kinescope. Some episodes were 30 minutes long while others were 60 minutes. As its title suggests, it was hosted by Frank Sinatra and sponsored by Bulova Watches. Sinatra would perform songs and skeches with his guests. The series is reportedly in the public domain.
In his book The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (2004), David Weinstein claims that the surprise popularity of the DuMont Television Network series Life Is Worth Living in 1952 was the final blow that led to the cancellation of The Frank Sinatra Show. He notes that controversy surrounding Sinatra's affair with Ava Gardner, along with several unpopular singles, had caused ratings to slip. Life Is Worth Living, which averaged about 10 million viewers at a time when there were four major television networks in the United States, eroded the ratings of the show even further, to the point that The Frank Sinatra Show finally left the airwaves.