Mohawk Showroom | |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | May 2, 1949 |
Mohawk Showroom is an American musical television program that debuted on NBC on May 2, 1949 [1] and ended on November 23, 1951. [2] It was sponsored by Mohawk Carpet Mills Inc. [3] In 1951, the program was one of several NBC-TV shows selected to be shown to United States military personnel overseas via kinescope recordings. [4] The same title was also used for a similar radio program in 1951.
Morton Downey and Roberta Quinlan initially shared hosting duties on the 15-minute program, [1] Carmen Mastren and The Chieftains provided music, and Bob Stanton was the announcer. [5] Downey starred on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Quinlan was the star on Tuesdays and Thursdays. [1] Because of the alternating hosts, the series was sometimes referred to as The Morton Downey Show and The Roberta Quinlan Show. [2]: 563 Downey left the show after the December 9, 1949, episode, and Quinlan became featured on each episode. [1] At some point the Tuesday and Thursday segments were dropped, with broadcasts continuing at 7:30 p. m. Eastern Time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. [6] Each of the program's episodes had a theme (such as marriage or graduation) to which all of its songs related. Commercials were also tailored to the theme as much as possible. [6]: 50
In September 1951, a review in the trade publication Billboard complimented Quinlan's performance and the show's visual presentation. It called the program "one of the really pleasant little musical quarter hours in television". [7]
Spurred by the success of its TV program, in the spring of 1951, Mohawk began a radio version, also titled Mohawk Showroom. Sponsor magazine reported, "The spot radio effort has grown partially out of the desire of dealers in non-TV markets for support like that furnished their brethren in TV territory via the Mohawk Showroom". [8] Quinlan starred in the radio version, which was 15 minutes long and ran three days per week. It initially ran for 13 weeks in 26 markets with plans for a second 13-week series in the fall of 1951 along with hopes for increasing the number of markets. [8]