Description
From DP:
Dating Ellington's appearance on Scott Music Hall with hostess Patti Page is problematic:
- Nielsen reports Ellington appeared February 5 (Thursday) on the show.
- New Desor, Timner V and Vail II date the appearance February 15, and Stratemann gives both February 5 (p.678) and February 15 (p.348) (Sunday).
- A search of online newspaper archives tv schedules for January and February and online trade publications turned up nothing to indicate he appeared in any Scott Music Hall episode.
- Assuming the recordings exist, they may be from a delayed telecast made using a kinescope (film) copy of the show.
- The discographies and Stratemann say Scott Music Hall was also known as "The Patti Page Show," but this seems to have been the name of her radio show in early 1953.
Scott Music Hall debuted Oct. 8, 1952, airing at 8:30 p.m. EST on alternate Wednesday evenings through June 1953, and it became weekly for the summer.
- Ross Reports on Television Production, Programming, Talent 1952-10-05:
'Wed(8) NBC - 8:30-9pm alt weeks; DEBUT; Scott Music Hall; from WNBT(NY) to the net; Sponsor - Scott Paper Co thru J Walter Thompson; ... Patti Page, Frank Fontaine and Mary Ellen Terry will be regular members of new half-hour musical revue...'
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Bob Lanigan, Brooklyn Eagle, writing about the producer, said the show was seen on Channel 4 on alternate Wednesdays.
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Dave Blackmer, Capital Journal:
'Patti Page, the singing rage of NBC-TV's Scott Music Hall, set up housekeeping for herself for the first time when she signed to star in the Music Hall alternate Wednesday night series...'
(emphasis added)
- The January and February Radio TV Mirror TV program highlights confirm the show was on alternating Wednesdays.
- By June 1953, Ross said it aired live on 22 stations and by kinescope on 18 more.
Palmquist conclusion:
Based on Ross, the show was telecast live on alternate Wednesday evenings. Any other airings will have been by kinescope.
The show did not air between Duke's return to New York in January and February 4, nor again until February 18, so it seems most likely Ellington's appearance was February 4. Further research is warranted both to confirm the episode Ellington was in and to determine if the episode aired live or was pre-recorded.
I think the Patti Page / Scott Music Hall music aired live February 4 although it may have been pre-recorded on film earlier that day or on an earlier day.
Further research is warranted both to confirm the episode Ellington was in and to determine if the episode aired live or was pre-recorded.
The show aired alternate Wednesday evenings; Feb. 15 was a Sunday.
Stratemann has both Feb. 5 and 15; most discogs seem to like Feb 15. Either way, the discogs are probably from someone making a tape during a telecast; the show was kinescoped and aired in various markets on various days of the week up to two weeks after the network live telecast.