Television 1 (49-59)

Updated:- June 22, 2007

1)	SUGAR HILL TIMES
		Musical Variety Show, CBS
		Sept 1949 : 3 one-hour shows
		First called Uptown Jubilee, then Harlem Jubilee, and finally Sugar Hill Times
		Oct 1949 : 2 half-hour shows
		Both under the Sugar Hill Times banner
	Co-stars:	Willie Brant, Timmie Rogers, The Jubileers, Don Redman and His Orchestra
	Belafonte:	A Regular on program. No record of songs performed.
	Background:	Sugar Hill Times was one of network television’s first attempts at showcasing
		black talent. All performers in the live weekly show were blacks.
	Source:	"The Complete Directory to Primetime National & Cable TV,
		1946-Present, 6th Edition".
	Notes:-
	These 5 shows are presently lumped together as we have no program information.

3)	TOAST OF THE TOWN (THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW)
		Category:	Music Show
		Network:	CBS
		Date:	Oct 11, 1953
		Belafonte sings:	Scarlet Ribbons, Matilda
		Background:
		From 1948 until 1955, "The Ed Sullivan Show" was known as
		"Toast Of The Town." On Oct 11, 1953 Harry Belafonte made
		his very first appearance on the show following the Tony Award
		for Almanac. He was sometimes referred to as a "regular", and
		other times called a "most frequent guest." We have verified 5
		appearances (1953, '54, '55, '56 & '62).

4)	THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW (TOAST OF THE TOWN)
		Category:	Music Show
		Network:	CBS
		Date:	Sept 26, 1954
		Belafonte sings:	Hold 'Em Joe, Mark Twain
		Outline:	Belafonte's 2nd appearance.

5)	THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW (TOAST OF THE TOWN)
		Category:	Music Show
		Network:	CBS
		Date:	April 24, 1955
		Belafonte sings:	Water Boy, Melba Massey (Lemme Go, Melda Marcy?)
		Outline:	Belafonte's 3rd appearance.

6)	THREE FOR TONIGHT
		Category:	Music and Dance Special
		Network:	NBC
		Date:	June 22, 1955
		Producers:	Paul Gregory & Charles Laughton

	Staged, Directed:	Gower Champion	Arrangements:	Nathan Scott
	Directed for TV:	Bill Colleran	Gowns:	Beatrice Carlisle
	Lyrics, Spec Mtl:	Robert Wells	Set Designer:	Richard Jackson
	Original Music:	Walter Schumann	Technical Director:	Hal Warner
	TV Adaptation:	William Nichols	Lighting Director:	Sal Bonsignore
	Conducted by:	Richard Pribor	Set Decorator:	Gene Callahan
	Guitarist for Mr. B:	Millard Thomas	Costumes:	Bill Griffin
	Co-stars:	Marge & Gower Champion, The Voices Of Walter Schumann
	Belafonte sings:	Sylvie, Matilda, Noah, Take My Mother Home,
		When The Saints Go Marching In (as old English madrigal and traditional)
	Outline:	A selection of numbers from the Broadway musical play of the same name.
		See "Theatre" for the complete Broadway show.
	Duration:	60 minutes

8)	THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR: "HOLIDAY IN TRINIDAD"
		Category:	Music Show
		Network:	NBC
		Date:	Oct 2, 1955
		Co-stars:	Mel Allen, Martha Scott, The Dodgers Baseball Team
		Belafonte sings:	Banana Boat (Day-O), The Jack-Ass Song,
		Come Back Liza, Hosanna
	Update:	See Guest Book entry for July 25, 2002.

10)	WINNER BY DECISION
		Category:
		Venue:	Filmed from "The General Electric Theatre"
		Network:	CBS
		Date:	Dec 1955
		Director:	William Attaway
		Co-stars:	Ethel Waters
		Belafonte:

11)	THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW

	Category:	Music Show
	Network:	CBS
	Date:	June 24, 1956
	Belafonte sings:	Take My Mother Home, Jamaica Farewell
	Special Occasion:	8th anniversary, Belafonte's 4th appearance.

12)	THE NAT KING COLE SHOW

	Category:	Music Show
	Network:	NBC
	Date:	Aug 6, 1957
	Belafonte sings:	Did You Hear About Jerry?, Scarlet Ribbons,
		Island In The Sun (with Nat), Send For Me (with Nat, brief),
		Mama Look At Boo-Boo (with Nat)
	Sketches:	Straighten Up And Fly Right (Nat, intro only),
		Swabbing the Deck (Nat & Harry - see photo),
		Nature Boy (Nat, intro only),
		Drama School Graduation (Nat & Harry),
		Drum and Piano Set (Nat & Harry)
	Background:	The "Nat King Cole Show" premiered in 1956 and went off the air in 1958.
	Anthology Video:	The Nat King Cole Collection, Volume 3
		Released in the Pal format by Castle Music Pictures in 1989 it brings
		together footage from shows that aired from 1956 to 1958. Fortunately it
		takes in all of the Belafonte segments.
		Other artists featured:
		Nat King Cole, Johnny Mercer, Mahalia Jackson, Nelson Riddle,
		Van Horne Singers, Cheerleaders

13)	THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW

	Category:	Music Show
	Network:	NBC
	Date:	Nov 9, 1958
	Guests:	Harry Belafonte, Johnny Carson, Martha Raye, Belafonte Singers
	Martha Raye:	It’s A Good Day From Morning Til Night, My Funny Valentine
	Johnny Carson:	Poker game sketch - mimics Brett Maverick, Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan.
	Raye, Don Knotts:	Sketch
	Belafonte:	Darling Cora, Hush Little Baby, Man Smart (Woman Smarter),
		God Bless The Child – small combo including Millard Thomas on guitar
		When The Saints Go Marching In – first as old English madrigal, then
		traditional, with Harry throwing in a little Louis Armstrong "gravelly" ...
		just for good measure.
	Outline:	Belafonte is given a landmark 20 minute uninterrupted segment.
	Background:	The "Steve Allen Show" ran from 1956 to 1961.
	Anthology Video:	Man Smart appears on "Steve Allen's Golden Age Of Comedy" video.
		It was released by Media Home Entertainment in 1987 and draws from film
		footage for shows aired over the period from 1956 to 1961.
		It features the following acts: Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Mel Brooks,
		Abbott and Costello, Jimmy Durante, Carl Reiner, Henry Fonda, Tony
		Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Don Knotts, John Byner, Bill Dana, Louis Nye,
		Tom Poston, Esther Williams, The Muppets
	Synopsis:	Steve Allen's early shows captured all the wit and spontaneous hilarity of
		live-broadcast TV. It's a laughter-filled look at the pioneering of the late-night
		TV high jinks that blazed a path for such later comedy hits as Saturday
		Night Live.
	Runtime:	49 minutes

14)	CHRISTMAS WITH BELAFONTE
		Category:	Music Spectacular
		Network:	BBC (U.K.)
		Date:	Dec 24, 1958
		Belafonte sings:
		The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Silent Night, The Son Of Mary,
		I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, The Gifts They Gave,
		Mary's Boy Child, Where The Little Jesus Sleeps,
		A Star In The East, Christmas Is Coming,
		Jehovah, The Lord Will Provide, Mary, Mary