Footlight Varieties
Directed byHal Yates
Doran Cox (assistant)
Screenplay byHal Yates
Felix Adler
Produced byGeorge Bilson
StarringJack Paar
Leon Errol
CinematographyJ. Roy Hunt
Frank Redman
Jack MacKenzie
G. W. Bitzer
Arthur Marvin
Edited byEdward W. Williams
Jay Whittredge
Music byConstantin Bakaleinikoff
Production
company
Release date
  • March 21, 1951 (1951-03-21) (US)[1]
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Footlight Varieties is the third of four titles in the RKO series of variety films, combining previously filmed shorts with new musical numbers, plus monologues by master of ceremonies Jack Paar. The new footage was directed by Hal Yates and written by Yates and Felix Adler.

In addition to Paar, the new footage includes performances by The Sportsmen quartet, Liberace, Jerry Murad's Harmonicats, Red Buttons, Grace Hartman, flamenco dancer Inesita, and comic trick photography by Weegee. The older sequences are taken from the Leon Errol two-reel comedy He Forgot to Remember, a Flicker Flashbacks silent-movie revival (with new narration by Paar), a Frankie Carle musical short (Carle Comes Calling), and a production number with eccentric dancers Buster West and Melissa Mason (from Radio City Revels)

Footlight Varieties was followed by the fourth and final film in the "musical revue" series, Merry Mirthquakes, which received a limited release in 1953. Liberace appeared in new footage showcasing his piano performances, and he introduced three RKO comedy shorts.

Plot summary

Cast

Reception

Variety gave the picture a good review, complimenting both Jack Paar's hosting abilities, as well as the production value by George Bilson.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Footlight Varieties: Detail View". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Film Reviews: Footlight Varieties". Variety. March 28, 1951. p. 16. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
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