For this fifth anniversary program, members of the production crew
either present secrets or perform.
Eddie Mendelsohn, the studio supervisor: “I
auditioned Bing Crosby and told him he couldn’t sing” (1924)
In 1921 (Garry says it was 1924), Mendelsohn was stage manager
for the Music Box Revue, a show featuring songs by Irving Berlin. He told Bing his
voice wasn’t strong enough to carry in the theater. Mendelsohn also produced and served as stage
manager for several Broadway productions of the 1930s, during which time he
also had to fire such stars as Humphrey Bogart and Van Johnson.
Harvey Vincent, a CBS usher, performs
“You’re Just In Love” with Jayne.
We learn at the end that Steve Allen
has been playing the piano for them.
Lon Masterson, the lighting board operator,
performs magic with Bill, and later walks through fire.
Masterson was a stagehand for many
Broadway theaters and had a second career as a magician and hypnotist. He would eventually venture out of the safety of studio work and become a full-time performer. He would also make a couple of return trips to his old stomping grounds (E489, E531).
Production staff and crew members from the fifth anniversary program include (l-r): Tommy Jerman, Joseph Papp. Lee Tannen, Roger Peterson, Garry Moore, Eddie Mendelsohn, Jayne Meadows, Peter Blake, three men we can't identify, Steve Allen, Lon Masterson, Allan Sherman (leaning in), Judy Crichton, Max Greenfield, Harvey Vincent and John G Fuller
Usher Peter Blake, cameraman Lee Tannen and
researcher Roger Peterson perform (in turn) a dance routine, and then join Faye
in a second dance number.
Tannen had a couple of Broadway
credits before this. Peterson would go
on to become a production manager and producer for many Goodson-Todman game
shows.
Stage Manager Joseph Papp performs a scene
from Julius Caesar, introduced by Henry.
Even while serving as stage manager on
this and several CBS shows, Papp has already launched his Shakespeare in the
Park series, as well as what would become The Public Theater. Both would eventually make him one of the best-known
producers in New York. Papp's nearly four-minute soliloquy as Mark Antony here is electrifying.
CBS electrician Tommy Jerman performs an aria.
At the end, Garry and the panel are joined on stage by some of the top staff members to perform “Ain’t We Got Fun” with adapted lyrics. ("When the panel's on the channel/Ain't we got fun?") The staffers seen include executive producer Gil Fates, producer Allan Sherman and production staff members Chester Feldman, John G Fuller, Adraia Koe, Roger Peterson and an unbilled Judy Crichton.
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