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Essentials in
History
Barbershop TV Appearances
Find out who graced the tv airwaves through the years.
Updated: 9/8/2006 9:40:55 AM
Comedy/Drama
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Originally aired 01/15/1966, rebroadcast 07/09/1966; ABC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Episode 425, “Sheik Of Araby!”
Ozzie and Harriet volunteer to entertain an Arabian prince and one of his wives. A small party is planned, but the entire neighborhood shows up. When the sheik fails to arrive, the Nelsons come up with a last minute substitute. The Foothill Four (Norman E. Bone, bass: Vince LaCasella, baritone; Dean Pruitt, tenor; and Bob Scott, lead) appear in this episode. They sing four numbers: “I want a Girl,” “Mandy,” “Last Night on the Back Porch,” and “The Sheik of Araby,” where they are accompanied by Ozzie on the banjo.
The Andy Griffith Show
1966; Episode: The Barbershop Quartet
The Mayberry Four is going for its third win in three years in the town’s quartet contest. The lead character (Howard) came down with a cold. Andy sings bass. Andy recruits a member from the jail. The tenor in the quartet is played by Burt Mustin of the Reseda Chapter (now Valleyaires); he has since passed away. The show segment is about the quartet and the contest even winning the trophy with Barbershop Quartet Championship on the loving cup. Comedy-->Harmony-->Fun!
Beverly Hills 90210
Date?; FOX: 1 hour evening drama. Quartet sings "You Gotta Have Heart" for a pediatric fund-raising telethon. (?) (Quartet = ?)
Blossom
1992; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom; Episode "Of Mice And Men". Dapper Dans stroll by in a quick cameo singing "For Me And My Gal" as Blossom discovers her boyfriend enjoying Disneyland with another girl. (Quartet: Mike Economou, tenor; Shelby Grimm, lead; Dan Jordan, bari; Jim Campbell, bass)
Ferris Bueller
Date?; FOX: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Ferris hires the 139th Street Quartet as part of an elaborate apology to his girlfriend Sloane Peterson. They perform a lunchtime picnic serenade: "Sloane is my gal, my Christmas every day, my Sloan Peterson, my Sloane Peterson". (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; John Sherburn, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Car 54 Where Are You?
Date?; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Quartet of cast members & guests sings=?.
Cheers
- 1986; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. 139th Street Quartet sings show's opening theme song and is featured at the start of the episode. They enter singing "Heart of My Heart", and after an argument, the bass quits. Regular series character Norm (George Wendt) then confesses his lifelong dream has been to sing in a barbershop quartet. He sings sings a few bars of "Good Night Ladies" with the quartet, but turns down their offer to join up, as his dream has now been fulfilled. (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; Larry Wright, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
- November 2, 1989. 139th Street Quartet sings "Wait Til The Sun Shines, Nellie". The quartet, hired as part of the pub's centennial celebration, is a running gag throughout the episode. They try to sing the song at crucial plot points, only to be shushed by various cast members each time. (Quartet: Doug Anerson, tenor; John Sherburn, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Fantastic Max
Date?; Network?: 1/2 hour morning cartoon. 139th Street Quartet sings [song = ?] as the voices of "The Four Kings" quartet, composed of the four kings in a deck of playing cards. (Quartet: Doug Anerson, tenor; Larry Wright, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
The Flintstones
1963, ABC: ½-hour evening animated sitcom. Fred Flintstone, our stone-age hero, and his quartet (Fred, best pal Barney Rubble, ?? and ?? two gravel pit co-workers) enter the Soft Soap Amateur Show. Unfortunately, Barney can only sing in the shower. The quartet appears in a bathtub, singing=?. Real quartet = ?
Frasier
October 1, 1998; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Frasier, who recently lost his job as a radio psychologist, becomes even more depressed when he realizes his class reunion is again coming at a low point in his life. To stress this, twice during the episode he refers to the ignominy of ending previous reunions sitting with 'the chess club barbershop quartet'. In the end, he goes to the reunion and, of course, ends the evening with "The Checkmates" singing 'Coney Island Baby'. (Quartet: three studio singers and series star Kelsey Grammer as 'Frasier Crane'.)
Friends
January 16, 1997; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Rachel lands a new job and her boyfriend Ross fears that she will leave him for her new, charming co-worker Mark. Ross begins to send Rachel love tokens at work, and along with love letters, flowers, and stuffed animals, sends a barbershop quartet to proclaim his love and warn Mark off her. The quartet makes another appearance at the close of the show when Rachel sends them to Ross to say she loves him and to stop acting like an idiot. [A studio quartet (?) sings specialty songs tailored to the script.]
Fourth Floor Show
June 1995; E! Entertainment Television: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. On the series pilot, Metropolis sings backup to host Vance DeGeneris on "Wind Beneath My Wings" (as the "Fourth Floor Singers").
General Hospital
August 2 & 5, 1985; ABC: 1 hour daytime soap. Yerfadder's Mustache sings "Lida Rose" & "some other songs". Quartet appears as entertainment at Gay '90s theme wedding of two main series characters Jimmie Lee and Celia (Steve Bond and Sherilyn Wolter). Heard and/or seen on screen for over 30 minutes.
Andy Griffith Show
September 26, 1966; CBS: 1/2 hour evening sitcom; Episode 191: "The Barbershop Quartet". The Mayberry Quartet's tenor, 'Howard Sprague', falls prey to throat problems just before the annual Sheriff's Department Quartet Contest. A substitute is found in jailed thief 'Jeff Nelson'. Jeff escapes out the dressing room window while changing into his costume, but returns in the nick of time for the quartet to sing "Beautiful Isle of Make Believe" and win the contest for the third year in a row. (Quartet: Andy Griffith, Burt Mustin, 'Wally', and 'Jeff Nelson')
Happy Days
Date?; ABC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Quartet (=?) sings "Coney Island Baby" (cast members sing, or lipsynch to another quartet?)
Home Improvement
September 29, 1998; ABC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Dapper Dans appear in the season premiere as "The Flannels", auditioning to sell a line of tools on series star 'Tim Taylor's show-within-a-show, "Tool Time", with a special jingle. They are dressed as imitations of 'Al Borland' (Tim's right-hand man and the true handyman) in jeans, flannel shirts, work boots, and false beards. (Quartet: Tim Reeder, tenor; Shelby Grimm, lead; Bill Lewis, bari; Jim Campbell, bass)
The Jetsons
Date?; Network?: 1/2 hour morning cartoon. 139th Street Quartet sings "Goodbye, My Outer Orbit Baby" as the voices of George Jetson's quartet, engaged to provide the entertainment at the local flower show. (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; Larry Wright, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Matlock
1995; Network?: 1 hour evening drama. Quartet = ? appears in the last show of the series. Atlanta-based lawyer Matlock postpones plans to attend his class reunion when his associate is framed for murder, but solves the case in time to attend and sing the tag of "Bye Bye Blues" with the quartet, a few seconds of which we hear at the end of the show.
Night Court
Date?; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. 139th Street Quartet, as Becker, Weston, Rogers, and Williams, are brought before judge Harry Stone for performing in a public place without a permit. They plead "guilty" in song, are given a suspended fine sung by Judge Stone: "They admit their guilt/ they tell no lies/but oh/ how they can harmonize" and exit singing "I'm Just Wild About Harry". (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; Larry Wright, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Nurses
Date?; NBC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. 139th Street Quartet is enlisted by a series regular to provide romantic background music for his marriage proposal. Throught the episode, 3/4 of the quartet follow him around the hospital as he searches for his intended, Geena, singing bits of "Honey, Baby, Mine", "Buffalo Gal", "I Dream of Geena", "Hot Time in the Old Town". They are reunited with their fourth member, now with his leg in a cast and in a wheelchair, for "Farewell, Geena" (sung to melody of "Goodnight Ladies") at the end of the episode. (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; Dan Jordan, lead; Pete Neushul, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Our House
Date?; NBC: 1 hour drama. Off Shore Four is hired by grandfather 'Gus Witherspoon' (Wilford Brimley) to sing "Sweet Sixteen" for granddaughter 'Kris' (Shanen Doherty) birthday.
Petticoat Junction
- January 20, 1968; CBS: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. Quartet (=?) sings=?. (Burt Mustin one of quartet?)
- March 30, 1968; Episode: "Kate Comes Home". Quartet (Burt Mustin with ???) sings "So Glad You're Home, Kate Bradford" and "Everyone Loves You". ("Everyone" was adapted from "Somebody Loves You", arranged by Charlie Merrill, a past president of the Society.)
The Simpsons
September 30, 1993; FOX: 1/2 hour evening animated sitcom; Episode: "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" (season premiere). Dapper Dans sing "Coney Island Baby" and "Baby On Board" as the quartet formed by Homer Simpson (consisting of Homer, high school prinicpal Seymour Skinner, quikie-mart manager Apu, and police chief Wiggums, who is replaced by town drunk Barney Gumble). The episode focuses on the quartet's career as the "B Sharps", parodying the Beatles' rise and break-up. (Quartet: Mike Economou, tenor; Shelby Grimm, lead; Dan Jordan, bari; Jim Campbell, bass)
That Was The Week That Was
1984; ABC: 1/2 hour evening sitcom. The New Tradition appears in the series pilot in a skit about smog killing trees. The quartet, dressed as giant foam trees, sings a parody of the poem "Trees" with Anne Bancroft. (Quartet: John Sherburn, tenor; Dan Jordan, lead; Bob Gray Jr, bari; with Jim Kline filling in at bass)
KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park
1978; Mad scientist (Anthony Zerbe) tries to create the perfect musical group in order to control the minds of American youth. A rock group (KISS) tries to stop his foul and evil plan. Great Stage Robbery is one of the early experimental creations. Sing=?
(Quartet: Mike Senter, Tim McDonald, Jim Thompson, Bob Summer)
Talk/Variety
Amazing America
November 1994; Highly Enterprises Inc. for Japanese TV. Each segment focuses on life of a New York resident. This one is on Paul Santino, a customs inspector at JFK airport, who is also a member of a barbershop quartet. Segment follows Paul at work and rehearsal and performace with his quartet.
America's Funniest Home Videos
1991; ABC: 1/2 hour evening comedy shorts. Vintage Blend sings the show's theme song while on helium in a segment appropriately titled "Barbershop On Helium".
America's Funniest People
Date?; ABC 1/2 hour evening comedy shorts. Yerfadder's Mustache.
Perry Como Show
1958; NBC: 1 hour evening variety. Buffalo Bills appear in sketch, sing=?, then sing "If You Were the Only Girl in the World" with Perry Como.
Phil Donahue
Date?; Syndicated: 1 hour daytime talk. Side Street Ramblers, Grandma's Boys appear.
Mike Douglas Show
August 1979; Syndicated: 1 hour daytime talk. Grandma's Boys sing their "Football Hero" package dressed in their letter sweaters at show on location at Navy Pier in Chicago.
Mickey Finn Show
1966; NBC: variety (summer replacement series). Dapper Dans of Disneyland appeared as regulars during summer of '66 (and later?). [note: this group later left Disneyland and became plain old "Dapper Dans"].
Lawrence Welk Show
1954; varietyLads of Enchantment1957 International Champs sang on the Lawrence Welk TV show, June 1957 after winning the 1957 International quartet contest in Los Angeles.
Jackie Gleason Show
Date: (period between 1966-1970); CBS: 1 hour evening variety. Suntones various appearances?
Arthur Godfrey Show
Date?; CBS: 1 hour evening variety. [Godfrey had two shows: Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts from '48-'57; and Arthur Godfrey and Friends from '49-'56, which became the Arthur Godfrey Show and continued from '56-'59.] Buffalo Bills various appearances.
Late Show with David Letterman
February 17, 1995; CBS: 1 hour evening talk. Westchester-Aires sing ten phrases that comprise the evening's top ten list: "Top Ten Things That Sound Better When Sung By A Barbershop Quartet".
September 20, 1996. Westchester-Aires sing ten phrases that comprise the evening's top ten list: "Top Ten Things That Sound Better When Sung By A Barbershop Quartet". This reprise, with a new set of ten things, was part of a special commercial-free show. It is also one of the only (if not the only) times a group has been called back to do another Top Ten List gig.
March 25, 1998. Westchester-Aires appear in a running gag for the evening's show as Dave's 'new springtime idea to freshen the show': the quartet will substitute for the regular announcer. They sing the introduction for the show, and one of the Top Ten List items, but other bits they were scheduled to sing throughout the show were cut due to time constraints.
MAD TV
May 17, 1997; FOX: 1 hour evening variety. The show opener features four male cast members, dressed in 'classic barbershop' striped coats and straw hats, as the "Gangsta Shop Quartet" in a 'commercial' for their latest album. The look and sound are close harmony, but the lyrics deal with gang-oriented street issues.
Mike and Mattie Show
Date?; Syndicated: daytime talk. Nightlife appears as four gas station attendants, sing=?
Paula Poundstone Show
October, 1993; ABC: evening variety (pilot episode). Sound Investors sing "Coney Island Baby/We All Fall" medley.
Real People
November 1979; NBC: evening variety. Brotherhood appears on special "reunion" show (a 13-second clip of the quartet at the Minneapolis convention had been used on a previous show) and sing a tag for the lead-in to a commercial break.
Tomorrow Show
December 1979; Syndicated NBC: 1 hour evening talk. Grandma's Boys are interviewed by host Tom Snyder and discuss barbershop history and experiences as a champion quartet. Sing "You Gotta Be A Football Hero" in their letter sweaters.
Ed Sullivan Show
June 13, 1954; CBS: 1 hour evening variety (live broadcast). Orphans, new champions, were whisked away from the convention and flown to New York to appear on the live variety show. Sing "Wait Til the Sun Shines, Nellie". (Quartet: Bud Bigham, tenor; Bob Groom, lead; Pete Tyree, bari; Jay Bond, bass)
Andy Williams Show
Dates?; Network?: 1 hour evening variety; Osmond Brothers various appearances
Specials
Neil Diamond Christmas Special
1992; Network?: 1 hour evening show. 139th Street Quartet sings "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with Neil Diamond. (Quartet: Doug Anderson, tenor; Dan Jordan, lead; John Sherburn, bari; Jim Kline, bass)
Fourth Of July Spectacular
1993; ABC. Dapper Dans sing "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy" as they ride by on Disney's custom-made bicycle-built-for-four. (Quartet: Mike Economou, tenor; Shelby Grimm, lead; Dan Jordan, bari; Jim Campbell, bass)
Halloween Spooktacular
October 30, 1996; PBS: 1 hour evening special. Marquis sing "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati" on Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Halloween special, taped at Cincinnati's Music Hall on October 25-27. Shown nationally over local PBS stations on October 30. (Quartet: Dale Fetick, tenor; Randy Chisholm, lead; Paul Gilman, bari; Jay Hawkins, bass)
Keep America Singing
1968/1970?; Network?: 1 hour variety special? Gaslight Harmony Four sing 4-5 songs; also Four Statesmen and Sweet Adeline quartet/s. Shown around Fourth of July, possibly for several years.
Keep America Singing
1974; BBC: 1/2 hour special. A look at the 1974 convention in Kansas City, Missouri; similar to their previous SPEBSQSA: Most Happy Fellows special (see below).
Keep America Singing
August 1994; PBS: one-hour evening special. Acoustix, The Ritz, Rural Route 4, and the Southern Gateway Chorus sing a variety of songs. Hosted by Mitch Miller. Program was taped live at Cincinnati's Music Hall theater on January 9, 1994 and used in PBS pledge drives nationwide during August.
Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon
August 31, 1997; Syndicated: 24-hour telethon. Expanded Sound, in their standard big ol' biker costumes, sing their "Biker's Medley" parody of barbershop standards, and "My Old Harley", which is done to the tune of "Old Man River".
September 7, 1998. Expanded Sound reprise "Biker's Medley" and add "Restroom Door".
Live At Wolf Trap: A Gift of Music
July 6, 1994; PBS: one-hour evening special. Bank Street, Second Edition, and the Alexandria Harmonizers are among the artists performing in celebration of Wolf Trap's 20th anniversary concert and tribute to Catherine Filene Shouse (Wolf Trap's founder). Concert was taped live on June 8, 1991 at Wolf Trap Farm and televised July 6, 1994. [Note: Two one-hour shows were created from this 20th anniversary show. "A Gift of Music" contains the barbershop performances; "The World of Performance" is essentially classical.]
SPEBSQSA: Most Happy Fellows
1973; BBC: 1/2 hour special. A look at the 1973 convention in Portland, Oregon highlighting various aspects of barbershop, the Society, and convention activities. Focuses on the Pacificaires, who were hot prospects for the championship that year, having finished 2nd in '72. Includes brief interviews with barbershoppers and 'behind the scenes' stuff.
Voices In Harmony: Keep America Singing II
December 1996; PBS: 1 hour evening special. Gas House Gang and Marquis (with Sweet Adeline's Showtime quartet and Gem City Chorus) sing a variety of songs. Hosted by Mitch Miller. Program taped live at Cincinnati's Music Hall theater on July 21, 1996 and used in PBS pledge drives nationwide during December.
Wolf Trap Salutes Victor Borge
January 1, 1990; PBS: 1 hour evening special. The Alexandria Harmonizers (chorus) are among the artists performing in a tribute to Victor Borge, taped live at Wolf Trap Farm on June 8, 1989 and televised over PBS stations in January, 1990. [The show was first used during the January 1990 pledge drives on PBS stations, and has been rebroadcast as part of subsequent pledge drives by various stations.]
Commericals
Dr. Pepper
1996; Metropolis as four accountants trapped in an elevator singing the new Dr. Pepper theme.
Educational
File 7
1959; ABC: 1/2 hour segment; Episode: "Four For The Show". Series featuring various topics. Barbershop show features performances by the Pittsburghers, Gaynotes, and Chorus of the Chesapeake. The Oriole Four demonstrate the four parts of barbershop harmony.
The Ragtime Era
1960; ETV: 1/2 hour segment; Episode 4: "Those Real Singin' Songs". Hi-Chords sing and back Max Morath, host and performer, as he focuses on harmony songs of the 1890s-1920s in this episode. Shown on various ETV stations (forerunner of PBS) during the summer and fall.
(Unknown Title)
1984; PBS: 1/2 hour segment; Episode: "The Barbershop Quartet Profile". The New Tradition is featured in this segment that looks at barbershopping shows, contests, and social life. Produced by KCET Los Angeles. (Quartet: John Sherburn, tenor; Dan Jordan, lead; Bob Gray Jr, bari; John Miller, bass
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