Andy Williams Show

By Marshall Fine

Now the king of Branson, Missouri, Andy Williams ruled the TV airwaves in the early 1960s, and this compendium of musical numbers culled from the show's archives features some surprisingly astute musical moments. Among others, Williams performs with Bobby Darin, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Of course the catch is that to see all of these stars at the peak of their powers, you have to watch them performing with Williams.

This will allow you to marvel at how it was that an inveterate WASP, who looked like a clean-cut insurance salesman and sounded like a white-bread Perry Como (if that was possible), became a huge star in the 1960s. It will also give you a glimpse at examples of the now long-gone TV variety format of yesteryear, in which an easy-going host welcomed guest stars weekly to sing pop songs of the day and do skits (catch Judy Garland teaching Andy how to apply clown makeup in pantomime).

During its nine year run on NBC (1962-1971), "The Andy Williams Show" was enjoyed by millions of people around the world and won three Emmys for "Best Variety Series."

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