Pontiac Star Parade 1959

This is a couple of excerpts from an early NBC colour special Pontiac Star Parade (aka Gene Kelly Show) from 1959. This footage was plucked from NBC's 50th anniversary special from 1976.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• pontiac
• star
• parade
• gene
• kelly
• show
• 1959
• nbc
• color
• colour

[tomservo56954]

Was it difficult to identify this as "Pontiac Star Theater" just from the date and the stars?

[oldtvhistory]

@tomservo56954 I had no idea what show it was until someone told me when I uploaded this a few years back on my old channel

[MrAlexprm]

I AM PRETTY SURE THEY ARE IMAGES OF A RCA TK 41

[CenaTv2]

NZ didn't even have television till a year later in july 1960 and the yanks are already broadcasting a few of their programs in color!.

Sadly us Kiwi and the aussies didn't get color at all untill 1975. There were a few color tests in 1973 and some of the olympics were broadcast in color in 1974, but it shows how much NZ sucks tv wise.

[fromthesidelines]

This originally aired on NBC [virtually the ONLY network telecasting color shows back then] on November 21, 1959. Gene's other guests on this "PONTIAC STAR PARADE" special were Carol Lawrence and Donald O'Connor. Kelly, in fact, performed a similar "challenge dance" with Julie Andrews on his November 1965 NBC special.

[trivialtony]

May be way off but have to think this entire show exists in the vault somewhere between the Steve Allen and Fred Astaire early color shows you see on YouTube.

[mca1218]

So you think YOU can dance?

Spectacular piece of TV history: a rare color videotape from only the second year of the medium (that WASN'T erased over and is now more than 50 years old), and a rare capture of two cinematic legends whose dance fame was not only primarily on film, but actually preceded the "Dancing With The Stars" genre of economical, reality-esque television. Cannot thank you enough.

[AngelskaSings]

I love those two Irish boys!

[sierria64]

BOTH GREAT DANCERS , BUT GENE IS IN A MORE POLOSHED STYLE