Gisele MacKenzie: That's Amore - Hit Parade themes

Gisele MacKenzie gets a big tip from a Mafia Kingpin as she performs the Dean Martin hit "That's Amore" on Your Hit Parade March 6, 1954. As an extra treat you'll see the show's opening, and enjoy the famous "So Long for Awhile" theme led by Russell Arms and featuring the show's entire legenday cast: Gisele MacKenzie, Russell Arms, Dorothy Collins, Snooky Lanson, Raymond Scott (orch) and the dancers and Ray Charles singers.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gisele
• MacKenzie
• That's
• Amore
• Snooky
• Lanson
• Dorothy
• Collins
• Russell
• Arms
• Raymond
• Scott
• Ray
• Charles
• Hit
• Parade
• Dean
• Marti

[MrYellowlabs]

Seriously...how did Gisele NOT wind up being the biggest female superstar ever?

From the videos...it does appear that her "prime" years were relatively short. By the early 1960`s, the "spark" seemed to have gone out to a noticeable extent.

However, in viewing the 1952-57 videos...what an amazing combination of beauty, personality, and talent!!!

[VideosTimes2]

I think it was a matter of timing. Jack Benny urged to leave Hit Parade a couple years before she did. That would have put her solo TV show in the peak of TV singers, rather than 1958 when variety shows were drying up.  I think some of it is reflective of her management at the time. I also think Gisele was just too good with perfect pitch and her multi-talents! Her spark was ALWAYS there, you should have seen her in Hello Dolly, Mame, King & I, Molly Brown, Annie Get Your Gun, etc.

[phyzzique]

I loved Giselle MacKenzie as well. Whenever she would appear on the Jack Benny program, she would not only sing and act, but she performed violin exclusively on his show and nowhere else. It was so funny how they would try and out play one another. It was fun; nothing like that on TV now.

[VideosTimes2]

You OBVIOUSLY have very good taste.  However, although Gisele mainly played violin with Mr. Benny, she did play the 'fiddle' on her own TV show, and twice with Tennessee Ernie Ford on his TV shows.

[MrYellowlabs]

This woman was absolutely gorgeous!

GMK was well before my time, so these videos are quite an eye-opener for me.

I`ve never heard a lovelier voice, seen a better violinist, or witnessed such captivating charisma.

From 1952-57, she combined the beauty of Donna Reed with unlimited musical talent!

[VideosTimes2]

...and you have absolutely good eyes and ears!

[Gabrielle1128]

I love this song

[margotdarby]

That's not a Mafia kingpin. That's supposed to be Carmine de Sapio! Gosh, how you kids misread these things.

[jekiwe]

omg...where do you guys dig up this video on YT????? incredible and entertaining and i'm 64 (as of this weekend)...ty

[ftjax]

I was about 12 when this song was aired..I remember the old Motorola TV set !

[RatPatrole]

Gisele was born Gisele Lafleche in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She had a brother named George Lafleche who had his own TV show on CBC. (Canada.) 

[takoma5]

Giselle was fantastic, thx

[fromthesidelines]

Gisele left "YOUR HIT PARADE" after the 1956-'57 season, just before the show was "revamped", with different singers {Tommy Leonetti, Jill Corey, Virginia Gibson and Alan Copeland}. In the fall of '57, Jack Benny co-produced her weekly variety show that lasted one season, due to her being opposite CBS' "HAVE GUN- WILL TRAVEL".