Wikipedia

The Las Vegas Show

The Las Vegas Show was an American late night television program broadcast during the month of May 1967 on the United Network. Hosted by comedian Bill Dana, The Las Vegas Show was intended to be the flagship of a planned fourth television network, but was the only program the network ever transmitted. As United's affiliates largely scheduled the program to air at different times, the length of the program also varied between 90 or 120 minutes. The Las Vegas Show was cancelled solely due to the financial failure of the United Network after one month, with 23 episodes broadcast and two unaired episodes.

The Las Vegas Show
KOB-TV ad for The Las Vegas Show[1]
GenreLate-night talk show
Developed byDavid Sontag[2]
Written by
Directed byWin Opie[3]
Presented byBill Dana
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes23 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producerDavid Sontag[4]
Producers
  • Jerry Goldstein
  • Howard Leeds[3]
Production locations
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time90[5] or 120 minutes[6]
Original release
NetworkUnited Network
ReleaseMay 1 (1967-05-01) –
June 1, 1967 (1967-06-01)

Overview edit

Main article: United Network

When entrepreneur Daniel H. Overmyer and former ABC president Oliver Treyz announced the creation of the Overmyer Network on July 12, 1966, plans were immediately drafted for eight straight hours of nightly programming, with a late-night program as the centerpiece, originating from Las Vegas.[7] Overmyer's planned chain of UHF stations, including WDHO-TV in Toledo, Ohio, were to have been owned-and-operated stations, with New York City's WPIX-TV and Los Angeles's KHJ-TV signed as flagships.[7][8] Due to a financial crunch in Overmyer's other businesses, he sold off majority control of the planned network in early March 1967 to a 14-person investor syndicate, which renamed it the United Network; the launch date for the late-night show was accordingly moved to May 1, 1967.[9][10]

Production edit

David Sontag was named as the show's executive producer; Sontag previously served as ABC's executive producer for specials and head of talent, and developed Shindig!.[4][2] Bill Dana, a former writer for Steve Allen and a comedian best known for his José Jiménez character,[4][11] was named as host of the program by late March.[12] Dana signed a 13-week contract with United and was paid $8,000 per week.[13][14] The show differed from NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson by having a regular repertory group of comedians and actors,[4] no table, desk and couch arrangement for show guests, and pre-recorded interviews,[15] all filmed live to tape[12] weeknights at 9:30 p.m. local time.[2] Sontag aimed the show for a younger audience than Tonight, whose audience was estimated to be 40 and older.[4]

The program was the first of its kind to be telecast from Las Vegas.[2] Originating at the Hotel Hacienda on the Las Vegas Strip, show regulars included Ann Elder, Pete Barbutti, Danny Meahan, Jo Anne Worley, Cully Richards and orchestra leader Jack Sheldon.[4][16] A previously unused showroom in the Hacienda was converted into a 300-seat studio[2] with the audience sitting at tables with access to free soft drinks; additional remote broadcast capability allowed the show to transmit from up to nine other hotels in the city.[11][15] Writers for the show included Jack Hanrahan, Howard Leeds, Bernie Kukoff and Jeff Harris.[3] Master tapes were transported to Acme Film Laboratories in Los Angeles[2] prior to transmission over leased AT&T Bell System network lines.[6]

Broadcast edit

The United Network's carriage nationwide varied significantly. Up to 123 stations signed with the network by December 1966 specifically to carry Las Vegas,[17][18] but multiple stations either dropped out or failed to sign on the air when Las Vegas debuted on May 1, 1967;[a] this included Overmyer's unbuilt KEMO-TV (channel 20),[19] which was sold to American Viscose Corporation along with Overmyer's other unbuilt stations.[20][21] Thus, the show never aired in San Francisco.[16] Knoxville, Tennessee, ABC affiliate WTVK-TV (channel 26) could not use ABC's network lines to receive Las Vegas when The Joey Bishop Show debuted two weeks earlier.[22]

The majority of United's affiliates were composed of existing "Big Three" affiliates, many of them with CBS as that network declined to launch a late-night show of their own.[18] United affiliates with primary NBC affiliations either delayed Las Vegas to the late afternoon,[1] aired it after Tonight[23] or only on the weekends.[24] Flagship WPIX aired Las Vegas on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:30 p.m., and Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 9 p.m.[25] WGN-TV in Chicago aired the show at 12:35 a.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10:15 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays.[15][26] The Las Vegas Show was ultimately carried on 106 television stations[27] but the affiliate base was regarded as "irregular"[26] and "erratic".[28]

An additional 32 television stations based in Latin America also reportedly signed up to carry the program.[5]

Guests edit

Guests that appeared on The Las Vegas Show included the following:

Reception edit

Critical reviews edit

Las Vegas was met with mixed reviews from critics. Jack Gould of The New York Times felt the debut episode to be "thin and strained" and said, "[t]o come up with 10 hours of variety a week is a staggering requirement that will require far more imagination, preparation and probably greater financial expenditure... the whole had the stamp of somewhat old-fashioned vaudeville."[6] A later review by Gould called the show "indifferent variety, wanting in pace, cohesion and personality" and the remote broadcasts as "... disjointed and suggested a poor man's 'Hollywood Palace'."[36] Scripps-Howard's Harriet Van Horne noted that, while Las Vegas's premiere on WPIX topped Tonight, Joey Bishop and The Merv Griffin Show, all three shows were outdrawn in the ratings by WCBS-TV's airing of The Incredible Shrinking Man.[37] Dick Gray of the Atlanta Journal said Dana "... leaves me less than excited" but praised his show business knowledge and felt the show could be a success if production values were upgraded.[38]

Robert Goldsborough of the Chicago Tribune was more receptive to Dana's "hesitant" on-air persona and saw the "endless parade of top talent moving steadily thru the gambling mecca" of Las Vegas as an asset, but was critical of the show's frequent commercial breaks.[39] Variety viewed the excessive ads as detrimental to "a surprisingly posh program", saying they "made the Vegas end of [the show] seem mere wraparound for a Madison Ave. blurb festival ... as a kind of parallel McLuhanism, '[the] money is the message.'"[3] Hal Humphrey of the Los Angeles Times concurred, saying, "The Las Vegas Show wasn't a show at all. It was a supermarket, and I've been in supermarkets where the box boys tell funnier jokes than were heard here Monday night."[40] Hank Grant of The Hollywood Reporter praised Las Vegas as "... a potpourri that threatened to boil over with too much talent"[41] while Kay Gardella of the New York Daily News called it "... a late-night jackpot ... [that] promises to be everything a TV late show should be."[42]

Ratings edit

Las Vegas initially premiered to strong ratings, particularly in New York and Los Angeles,[37][43][44] but experience a significant decline over the course of May 1967.[45] Published reports showed Las Vegas ultimately falling to a fraction of a point nationally[46][45] and at last place in New York with a 1 rating compared to Tonight's 12 rating, Merv Griffin's 6 rating and Joey Bishop's 3 rating.[47] Bill Dana asserted the show had around 2.6 million viewers in some surveys, making it "perfectly sound" on cost-per-thousand measurements.[48]

Cancellation edit

United quickly lost money throughout May 1967 despite initial promise of Las Vegas being able to lure advertising during the first week.[49] The timing for the launch was poor, coming at both the end of the traditional television season and in the last quarter for traditional advertising budget cycles.[46][48] Direct response advertising was noticeable during the Memorial Day broadcast.[50] In the last few days, Oliver Treyz made a direct on-camera appeal for potential sponsors, emphasizing the advertising rates for Las Vegas were a fraction of Tonight on NBC.[46][50] The fees to use the AT&T Bell System lines also proved to be far too expensive with a monthly advance fee of $400,000.[51]

After an executive board vote, the United Network shut down on Thursday, June 1, 1967. Network president Oliver Treyz set a telegram to all 106 affiliates that United "ceased its interconnected program operations".[13][46] Production staff was told following the previous night's taping that Las Vegas "would stop taping for awhile".[45] Two additional shows had been pre-recorded for broadcast,[45][46] which did not happen as affiliates were pressed into finding replacement programming within a matter of hours.[50]

Bill Dana, who blamed the failure of United on the reluctance of ownership to provide it financial sustenance, mused, "At least I set a record. I'm the first man in history to sink an entire network."[48] In a later interview, Dana said, "[i]t burns me when they say the Vegas show folded. It didn't. It was the network that folded and down went the show with it."[52] Historian Hal Erickson wrote that "The Las Vegas Show [was] the first series in history to leave the air because its network was cancelled."[53]

Notes edit

  1. ^ For more, see United Network § Affiliate stations.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Spend your afternoons in Las Vegas with the new United Network". Albuquerque Journal (Advertisement). May 2, 1967. p. A7. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Levin, Penny (May 7, 1967). "The Strip Gives Birth To a New TV Network". Las Vegas Review-Journal. pp. The Nevadan 4–5. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Television Reviews: The Las Vegas Show". Variety. Vol. 246, no. 11. May 3, 1967. p. 46. ProQuest 1032441420.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Humphrey, Hal (May 1, 1967). "High Stakes in Las Vegas Show". The Los Angeles Times. p. 30:IV. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "United tries its wings tonight: Ventures out of Las Vegas nest with 90-minute series to compete with Carson and Bishop". Broadcasting. Vol. 72, no. 18. May 1, 1967. p. 51.
  6. ^ a b c Gould, Jack (May 3, 1967). "TV Net Makes Bow With 2-Hour Show". Richmond Times-Dispatch. The New York Times. p. C15. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Bold venture in TV networking". Broadcasting. Vol. 71, no. 3. July 18, 1966. pp. 25–28. ProQuest 1014498334.
  8. ^ "Overmyer signs key Coast outlet". Broadcasting. Vol. 71, no. 14. October 3, 1966. p. 36.
  9. ^ Messina, Matt (March 6, 1967). "Overmyer TV Net Sold". Daily News. p. 25. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "New blood in new network". Broadcasting. Vol. 72, no. 11. March 13, 1967. pp. 23–26. ProQuest 1014504121.
  11. ^ a b Telleen, Carla (April 22, 1967). "TV Radio". The Dispatch. p. Showplace A-6. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Gardella, Kay (March 23, 1967). "Dana to Host Vegas Show". Daily News. p. 27C. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Gardella, Kay (June 2, 1967). "Las Vegas Show Axed". Daily News. p. 27C. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Peterson, Bettelou (April 5, 1967). "Debbie Reynolds Signs for 2 Shows". Detroit Free Press. p. 6D. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b c Wolfe, Sheila (April 20, 1967). "A New Battleground: Late Night TV Front". Chicago Tribune. p. 18:2. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b Du Brow, Rick (May 2, 1967). "TV Today: New Network Bows in Vegas". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. UPI. p. 25. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "ON claims 123 affiliates". Broadcasting. Vol. 71, no. 23. December 5, 1966. pp. 42, 44. ProQuest 1014505879.
  18. ^ a b Foster, Bob (December 5, 1966). "Screenings". The Times. San Mateo, California. p. 27. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Newton, Dwight (September 29, 1968). "How Non-Networks Fight Back". San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle. p. B5. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via GenealogyBank.
  20. ^ "Overmyer selling control of outlets". Broadcasting. Vol. 72, no. 14. April 3, 1967. p. 80. ProQuest 1014520519.
  21. ^ "Overmyer sale papers are signed". Broadcasting. Vol. 74, no. 4. January 22, 1968. pp. 37–38. ProQuest 1014510329.
  22. ^ Barrett, Bob (April 2, 1967). "'Tuned In': 'Las Vegas Show', New Net Dead Here". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. p. F-8. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Show at Vegas Bows Monday". The Sunday World-Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. April 30, 1967. p. Entertainment in the Midlands 15. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Want to Be a Star? Make Commericals [sic]". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. April 27, 1967. p. 10F. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Gardella, Kay (April 20, 1967). "CBS Series for Reasoner". Daily News. p. 31C. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b "Radio-Television: Split-Week 'Vegas' Vs. Webs". Variety. Vol. 246, no. 11. May 3, 1967. p. 35. ProQuest 1032463392.
  27. ^ "Fledgling United Network Set to Resume Broadcasts". Independent. Long Beach, California. Associated Press. July 3, 1967. p. B5. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 304. ISBN 0-07-010269-4.
  29. ^ "'Las Vegas' Show Debuts With Berle". Anaheim Bulletin. May 1, 1967. p. D3. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^
  31. ^
    • "Supercolor KWTV 9". The Daily Oklahoman (Advertisement). May 15, 1967. p. 22. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "10 KZTV: Tuesday, May 16". Corpus Christi Times (Advertisement). May 16, 1967. p. 6B. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Supercolor KWTV 9". The Daily Oklahoman (Advertisement). May 17, 1967. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "10 KZTV: Thursday, May 18". Corpus Christi Times (Advertisement). May 18, 1967. p. 8E. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "WBEN-TV Ch. 4 TV Features". The Buffalo News (Advertisement). May 19, 1967. p. 38:III. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^
  33. ^
  34. ^ "Local Comedy Team Booked With Bill Dana". Sunday News. May 28, 1967. p. 25. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "TV Key Previews". The Wichita Eagle. June 1, 1967. p. 7B. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Gould, Jack (May 8, 1967). "Talk Staging Comeback". The San Bernardino County Sun. The New York Times. p. B7. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ a b Van Horne, Harriet (May 4, 1967). "Battle for Ratings". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Scripps-Howard. p. 26. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Gray, Dick (May 10, 1967). "Dana Outdoing Bishop, Carson?". The Atlanta Journal. p. 68. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Goldsborough, Robert (May 4, 1967). "1st Dana Show Has Stand-Up Qualities". Chicago Tribune. p. 6:2B. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Humphrey, Hal (May 3, 1967). "TV Review: Network Bows in Las Vegas". The Los Angeles Times. p. 15:V. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Too Many Commercials, Says One: LV Show Gets Mixed Reaction". Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 7, 1967. p. 29. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  42. ^ Gardella, Kay (May 2, 1967). "Channel 11's Vegas Show Hits Late-Night Jackpot". Daily News. p. 47. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ Maskian, George (May 3, 1967). "Dana Beats Carson, Bishop". Daily News. p. 100. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "'Vegas' No. 1 in New York Preem". Variety. Vol. 246, no. 11. May 3, 1967. p. 37. ProQuest 1032448245.
  45. ^ a b c d Digilio, Don (June 1, 1967). "Network Kills Program: Vegas Show Gets 'Hook': Cash Woe Causes Failure". Las Vegas Review-Journal. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  46. ^ a b c d e "Late Night Las Vegas Show, Started May 1, Bites Dust". The Morning Record. Meriden, Connecticut. Associated Press. June 2, 1967. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  47. ^ Miller, Jack (May 18, 1967). "... talking TV". The Hamilton Spectator. p. 55. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ a b c Thomas, Bob (June 7, 1967). "Dana Clarifying Downfall of The Las Vegas Show". Nashua Telegraph. Associated Press. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "13 on UN's advertiser list: 80% of new network's schedule is sold out for Dana show's debut". Broadcasting. Vol. 72, no. 19. May 8, 1967. p. 58.
  50. ^ a b c "United network forced to quit". Broadcasting. Vol. 72, no. 23. June 5, 1967. pp. 34, 36, 41. ProQuest 1014496580.
  51. ^ Gould, Jack (June 2, 1967). "United TV Network Folds, Bill Dana Show Loses Out". The San Bernardino County Sun. The New York Times. p. C10. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ Freeman, Donald (November 24, 1967). "Bill Dana, Nee Jose Jimenez, On The Go". Anaheim Bulletin. Copley News Service. pp. D3, D5. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ Erickson, Hal (2001) [1989]. Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 150. ISBN 9780786411986.

External links edit

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