The Ford Show

Television series

The Ford Show

Tennessee Ernie Ford asks his guest star, Charles Laughton, to read a poem from the "brown paper bag" poet, Fred Wobbly.

Also known as|

* The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
* The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show

Genre| Variety
Written by| Norman Lear[1]
Roland Kibbee[1]
Directed by| Bud Yorkin
Starring| Tennessee Ernie Ford
Composer| Harry Geller's Orchestra
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 5
No. of episodes| 121
Production
Producer| Bud Yorkin
Camera setup| Multi-camera
Running time| 25 minutes
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| October 4, 1956 (1956-10-04) –
June 29, 1961 (1961-06-29)

The Ford Show (also known as The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show) was an American variety program starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired on NBC on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956, to June 29, 1961.[2] The show was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, whose founders shared a last name with the host but had no known relation.[3]

Beginning in September 1958, the show was telecast in color, and was broadcast from NBC Studios at 3000 W. Alameda Avenue in Burbank, California.[4] It was also one of the first places that showed Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts characters in animated form, which was directed by Bill Melendez, and became one of the most popular segments of his show.[5][3][6][7]

## Selected guest stars[edit]

* Ben Alexander
* Cliff Arquette
* Lloyd Bridges
* Sally Brophy
* Terry Burnham[8]
* Allen Case
* Hoagy Carmichael
* Andy Devine
* Robert Horton
* Lee Marvin
* Darren McGavin
* Tom Nolan
* John Payne
* Cesar Romero
* Roger Smith
* Mickey Spillane
* Craig Stevens
* Guy Williams
* Charles Laughton
* Jo Stafford
* Shari Lewis

* Jo Stafford in 1946, who was working on The Ford Show at the time, was a favorite of servicemen. She went to the dock to meet the Queen Mary to welcome the men back to the U.S., where they nicknamed her "GI Jo".

* Photo of Shari Lewis and her puppets Lamb Chop and Charlie Horse from The Ford Show in 1960.

## Production notes[edit]

The Ford Show was produced and directed by Bud Yorkin.[9] Television icon Norman Lear was also a writer on The Ford Show,[1] though he has claimed that Roland Kibbee was in fact the show's main writer and that he merely wrote the opening monologues.[10][1] Lear has also stated that both Yorkin and Kibbee were in charge on the show's production.[10] The program was officially named not for the host, but for the show's sponsor, the Ford Motor Company.[11]

## See also[edit]

* For other TV series sponsored by Ford Motor Company, see Ford Television Theatre, Ford Startime, Ford Festival, and Ford Star Jubilee

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Gray, Tim (October 30, 2015). "Norman Lear Looks Back on Early Days as TV Comedy Writer". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
2. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. pp. 425–426. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
3. ^ a b "The Ford Show/Tennessee Ernie Ford Show". classictvhits.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
4. ^ "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings". www.classictvhits.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
5. ^ "Ladies and Gentlemen: Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
6. ^ "Amazing Grace: Forty Treasured Hymns". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
7. ^ "Biography: Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
8. ^ "Pig-Tailed Blonde Has Role as Lana Turner's Daughter". Long Beach Independent-Press-Telegram. March 1, 1959. p. A11. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
9. ^ Alex McNeil, Total Television, pp. 824–825
10. ^ a b Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Norman Lear talks about the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show , which Lear wrote for in the beginning o..." YouTube.
11. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2003). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. New York: Random House. p. 425\. ISBN 0-345-45542-8. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2010.

## External links[edit]

* The Ford Show at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Ford Motor Company

Divisions/
Marques|

| Current|

* Ford
* Lincoln

|

Discontinued|

* Comet (1960–61)
* Continental (1956–59)
* Edsel (1956–59)
* Fordson (1917–64)
* Frontenac (1960)
* Mercury (1938–2011)
* Merkur (1985–89)
* Meteor (1949–76)
* Monarch (1946–61)
* Thames (1939–65)

Subsidiaries|

| Current|

* Automotive Components Holdings
* Changan Ford (China)
* Australia
* Argentina
* Brazil
* Canada
* Credit
* Europe
* France
* Germany
* Ireland
* Italia
* Romania
* United Kingdom
* New Zealand
* Ford Performance
* Philippines
* Quick Lane
* Southern Africa

|

Former|

* Aston Martin
* Chariot
* Cosworth
* Ford Aerospace
* FPV
* Ford India
* Ford Japan
* Ford Team RS
* Hertz Corporation
* Jaguar
* Daimler Company
* Kwik-Fit
* Land Rover
* New Holland Agriculture
* Premier Automotive Group
* Special Vehicle Operations
* Special Vehicle Team
* Spin
* Th!nk
* Troller
* Visteon
* Volvo

Joint ventures and
shareholdings|

| Current|

* AutoAlliance International (50%)
* AutoAlliance Thailand
* Changan Ford (50%)
* Ford Lio Ho
* Ford Otosan (41%)
* Ford Vietnam (60%)
* Jiangling Motors (32%)

|

Former|

* Argo AI (42%)
* AutoLatina (Argentina/Brazil)
* Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (49.9%)
* Changan Ford Mazda (China)
* Ford Sollers (Russia)
* Ford Union (Belaurs)
* Getrag Ford Transmissions (50%)
* Matford (France)
* Samcor (South Africa)
* Troller (Brazil)

Facilities and
products|

* Ford World Headquarters
* Detroit Corktown campus properties
* Michigan Central Station
* Roosevelt Warehouse
* Engines
* Factories
* Motorcraft
* Mercon
* Platforms
* Proving grounds
* Transmissions
* Vehicles

People|

* Designers
* Ford Family
* Henry Ford (Founder)
* William Clay Ford Jr. (Executive Chairman)
* Jim Farley (CEO)
* List of CEOs

Other|

* Big Three
* Dodge v. Ford Motor Co.
* Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co.
* Fordlândia
* Ford Field
* The Ford Show
* Ford v Ferrari
* History
* Kinetic Design
* New Edge
* Pay on production
* United States Council for Automotive Research

* Category
* Commons

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