Broadway Open House

TV Series
1950–1952

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Television's first late night entertainment broadcast, presented live from New York. The show featured comedy, music, and a raucous audience every weekday night.Television's first late night entertainment broadcast, presented live from New York. The show featured comedy, music, and a raucous audience every weekday night.Television's first late night entertainment broadcast, presented live from New York. The show featured comedy, music, and a raucous audience every weekday night.

Creator
- Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

YOUR RATING

Creator
- Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.
Stars

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Episodes46

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1 Season2 years

Photos

Trivia
The original host, surrealist nightclub comedian and pianist Don Hornsby, was diagnosed with polio a week before the debut. He died less than a week later.

Connections
Featured in 50 Years of NBC Late Night (2001)

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

In 1950 this was worth watching.

I saw Broadway Open House at least several times back in the day, when I was 9. Even at that age Dagmar, of the large chest, made an impression. (Faye Emerson around the same time was a TV sensation with her "plunging neckline" dresses. But I digress). The occasion for this comment is my recent viewing of some old kinescopes of the show. It is barely tolerable now, but with a little imagination I can see why it would have been popular in 1950. It was slightly racy, had a lot of (phoney?) ad-libbing, and Jerry's impish personality was perfect for a ten inch screen. I don't hold with the school of criticism that enjoys something and then puts it down years later for being old-fashioned or otherwise not up to current standards. Unfortunately, Dagmar became the star attraction and drove Lester to despair. There's a little about this in The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.