The Entertainers
The Entertainers was an American variety show that aired on CBS from September 25, 1964 through March 27, 1965. The series, produced by Joe Hamilton, featured three stars, Hamilton's wife Carol Burnett, Catarina Valente, and Bob Newhart. In the first few months, all three sometimes appeared on an episode, at other times only two, and occasionally just one.
Each week the series presented comedy sketches and musical numbers performed by a regular repertory company and one or two guest stars (such as Boris Karloff and Chita Rivera). Initially it aired in a half-hour format on Friday night at 8:30pm ET/PT. (On November 13, 1964, the show abandoned its usual format to present a full-hour documentary about the Beatles' American tour.) In January 1965 it expanded to one hour and moved to Saturday night at 9:00pm ET/PT. Newhart and a few of the regular performers left the cast, and Burnett and Valente appeared as co-stars in every remaining episode.
Repertory company
- Tessie O'Shea
- Art Buchwald
- Don Crichton
- Ruth Buzzi
- John Davidson
- Dom DeLuise
- The Ernie Flatt Dancers
- The Peter Gennaro Dancers
Reference
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, Ballantine Books, 1988, p. 238 (ISBN 0-34535610-1)