The Gabby Hayes Show

The Gabby Hayes Show

Hayes in 1953.
Directed by Vincent J. Donehue
Starring George "Gabby" Hayes
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 4
Production
Running time 15 minutes (1950-1954); 30 minutes (1956)
Broadcast
Original channel NBC (1950-1954)
ABC (1956)
Picture format Black and white (1950-1954; 1956)
Original run December 11, 1950 – July 14, 1956

The Gabby Hayes Show is a general purpose western television series in which the film star and Roy Rogers confidant, George "Gabby" Hayes (1885–1969), narrated each episode, showed clips from old westerns, or told tall tales for a primarily children's audience. The first Hayes program ran on NBC at 5:15 p.m. Eastern for fifteen minutes three times per week and preceded the puppet series, Howdy Doody. It aired from December 11, 1950, to January 1, 1954. The second version was a half-hour broadcast on Saturday mornings, carried for only thirteen weeks from May 12 to July 14, 1956, on ABC.[1]

The show was sponsored by Quaker Oats' puffed cereals, which were "shot from guns". As was common at the time, the host delivered the commercial. This often included Hayes firing a small cannon loaded with the cereal at the camera, while warning the viewers to "Watch out for your televisionary sets!"

The floor manager for the show was Fred Rogers (of children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ) until 1953 when he left NBC to start working in public television.

Selected episodes from 1956

Selected episodes and guest stars from archival footage include:

Wright King appeared on the program in 19501951 in the roles of both bandit Sam Bass and the youthful Mark Twain.[3]

In 1953, the 15-minute episodes of The Gabby Hayes Show were nominated for an Emmy Award for children's programming.[4] Hayes retired after the close of the 1956 series.

References

  1. Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 311
  2. "Episode List of The Gabby Hayes Show (1956)". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
  3. "Credits for Wright King". IMDB. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
  4. "Awards for The Gabby Hayes Show (1953)". IMDB. Retrieved February 28, 2009.

External links

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