This rare 1948 picture shows Cab with the Cab Jivers in studio: On the 30th, Stan Kenton would be the next guest. On March 28, 1948, Cab is invited to the Cavalcade of Bands (apparently, not the national famous TV show) telecast from WRAL-FM Raleigh, NC. In Down Beat magazine dated January 28, 1948, the column “Strictly Ad Lib” signed by The Square announces, “Cab Calloway was televised for the first time in his experience, early this month in Schenectady.” Whether or not the information is erroneous, I haven’t been able yet to find a trace of that television appearance. Whether the television audience will accept Negro actors as they are now being hailed on the Broadway stage is another question.”ĭespite those hopes, Cab had to wait for a while before being able to sing his hi-de-ho’s on screen with a more regular cadence.ġ948: changes in the band, on screen… and in American society Before a cold color-blind mike, producers have been encouraged to spot capable Negroes in starring roles. It’s taken a quarter of a century but the static of stereotypes is finally beginning to disappear over the airwaves.” Later in the article, ensues: “Biggest future test will come when television becomes a reality. In January 1946, Ebony article titled “Radio & Race” salutes the “growing up” of radio “in race relations. As sponsor, General Electric offers the answer: “In the post-war television era, you’ll be able to see Betty Hutton go through her jitterbug gyrations as she sings - Frank Sinatra at the mike - the full show put on by Cab Calloway, Louis Prima, Benny Goodman and the other spectacular band leaders - and many other big features.” Let’s just point out that Cab is the only African American artist listed here… But the decade of 1940 won’t be a golden path for him even if, among African American performers he rolled with the punches to get a spot in the American homes equipped with a TV set.Ī "bopper" Cab, photographed by William Gottlieb (1949) The magazine “Band Leaders” dated July 1945 opens a sponsored article titled “Television Topics” with this question. “What does television promise for band world fans?” He almost got his own show but the black and white screens still had issues having an African American artist as the main feature on a regular TV show. The forthcoming years will be hard for Cab, Duke, Count, Woody, Benny and many more! Cab quickly understands the power of television and struggles to get a spot on the small screen that is starting to get a room in many homes in the USA. But, starting 1948, Cab will progressively share his time among stage, radio, and TV studios.Īnd that’s the right time for Cab: in April 1948, he disbanded his orchestra, only keeping a small combo with him. Remember that at the end of 1947, his feature movie “Hi De Ho” is released in movie theaters. I haven’t found yet any other appearance for 1947. From then on, Cab will appear frequently on many TV shows and will participate in numerous telethons on TV until the late 1980’s. The show, probably shot in Chicago, was telecast on the CBS Network. Cab indeed performs on the debuting TV Show “Cavalcade of Bands” for the March of Dimes Telethon, along with bandleaders Jimmy Dorsey and Guy Lombardo. But Cab Calloway’s first known TV appearance is only dated a few weeks before, on Janubetween 11:30 pm and 1 am. “Recognized as a ‘natural’ for television, Cab has made several test performances before the television cameras” states The Macon News dated February 2, 1947. An August 1948 photo for the article "Television Films are Hollywood’s Latest Bid" (Chicago Defender)
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