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5 unusual facts about The Colgate Comedy Hour


Jay Lawrence

A well in demand television actor in Hollywood, Lawrence's acting career spanned from 1950 to 1979, and he would appear in both dramatic, variety show and sitcom projects such as The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), the original TV Dragnet program in 2 appearances in 1995 and 1959, Get Smart (1968), and Mayberry R.F.D. (1968).

Keefe Brasselle

In 1953, Braselle hosted an episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour with comedian/dancer Dick Wesson as a promotional tie-in for the film.

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Notable guest stars who went on to find success in entertainment included Vera Miles, costar of Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho, Bob Fosse, later a noted choreographer and director who won multiple Tonys and an Academy Award for his work, and even a child-age Christopher Walken, who became an Oscar-winning actor and screen star, appeared alongside Jerry Lewis in a sketch (albeit under his given name, Ronald).

The program evolved from NBC's first TV variety showcase, Four Star Revue, sponsored by Motorola.

William Asher

In addition to Our Miss Brooks and I Love Lucy, Asher directed episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour, Make Room for Daddy, The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Patty Duke Show, Gidget, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Alice.


G. Emerson Cole

In those days television shows were produced live and some of the programs he worked on included The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Jackie Gleason Show, Life Begins At 80, Ford Star Time, Omnibus, Captain Video, and The Gale Storm Show.

Peter Donald

Donald was the host of two early television series, The Ad-Libbers (1951) and Masquerade Party (1954-1956), and he made numerous TV guest appearances as a comedian (The Colgate Comedy Hour, The NBC Comedy Hour) and panelist (Pantomime Quiz, What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth).


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