Jackie Gleason & Frankie Avalon - Live

(very rare) In the mid 1950's, one of the earliest (If not the first) known appearance of Frankie Avalon appearing with Jackie Gleason "live" on the Jackie Gleason Show performing "Tenderly". "AND AWAY WE GO"

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Jackie
• Gleason
• Show
• Frankie
• Avalon
• mid
• 50's
• trumpet
• Tenderly
• theme

[watchful38]

Our family got our first TV in 1952(B/W of course and a 17 inch screen.) The Jackie Gleason Show was one of our first great shows along with Ed Sullivan Show. From Canada. Buffalo, N.Y. always came in "snowy". Our twenty foot aerial was not tall enough I guess! The CBC had the "Big Revue"! Geeze! I remember the "Test Pattern" of those first days of T.V.

[ncatt]

@watchful38 I remember "watching" the test patterns and then the National Anthem . . . waiting for the daily programs to come on for the day around 6:00am.

Nothing else to do . . . at that time of the morning anyway!

[keca1430]

Gleason starts to say his name, Frankie, but Avalon is cut off at the end of this short clip.

[ncatt]

@keca1430 Strange, I heard that same thing!

Gee, maybe he WASN'T saying "AVALON"

[silkeforce]

Sounded just like Harry James!

[notrombones]

I had no idea Avalon was so good on trumpet.

Great tone.

Wow.

[sumame47]

@ncatt My parents had one of those wooden cabinet televisions that sat on the floor. When it went out, you would have the tv repairman come in, to fix it, or take it down to the repair shop. You actually had to get off of your butt to go and change the channel. I remember when the National Anthem would come on at the end of the day with the waving flag and then you'd hear the signal noise......those were the days (my kids thought everything was in black/white because old pics in black/white)

[cajanwitch60]

I had no idea Frankie could play the trumpet. I love brass. I probably didn't get to see this back then. But you can bet my Mom & Grand parents did. Thanks for putting this up. He's still very accomplished.

[rlgdguy]

This WAS Frankie Avalon and he was 12 at the time. He was discovered by Al Martino and brought to play for Mr. Gleason in person, who was a fan of trumpet music in particular. He heard him and had his writers write a script where he could do this, two weeks after they met. Frankie was classically trained in the trumpet and received a full scolarship to the Eastman School of Music. Frankie is on the Florence Henderson show right now and just told how it all started for him. Unbelievable talent!

[honeybee7700]

That is so awesome!

[sumame47]

This was a total surprise to me...and a great way to start off the day! Thanks!!!

[SleepingLionGuy]

Frankie Avalon appeared on Gleason's Show Saturday October 25, 1952. That date is confirmed via a blurb in The Billboard Magazine noting he was signed to a contract to the General Artists Corporation on the 30th. Allegedly 11 at the time, it would have gone through his parents. Avalon was born September 18, 1940 (or 1939 depending on the source). Avalon would come under the guidance of Ray Anthony and his manager the following year, which would lead to a recording contract with RCA's "X" label.

[JEMCO2008]

so cool what a lip I wonder if Frankie stills plays the horn