Cavalcade of Stars

(1949-1952)

60 minutes

Television / Series / Variety / Comedy / Musical

Cast: Jackie Gleason, Jerry Lester and Jack Carter

Jackie Gleason's first variety series was aired on the DuMont Network under the title Cavalcade of Stars. The show 's first host was Jack Carter, who was followed by Jerry Lester. After Lester quit the show in June 1950, Gleason stepped into Cavalcade on July 15, 1950, and became an immediate sensation. The show was broadcast live, in front of a theater audience, and offered the same kind of vaudevillian entertainment common to early-TV revues. In 1952, CBS offered Gleason a much higher salary, which DuMont could not match. The series was retitled The Jackie Gleason Show and premiered on September 20, 1952.

Cavalcade of Stars - 1

Cavalcade of Stars - 2

Cavalcade of Stars - 3

Cavalcade of Stars - 4

Cavalcade of Stars - Jackie Gleason in the Honeymooners