Ed
Sullivan's Toast of the Town The Television Appearances of Lana Turner
In between film assignments, Lana Turner occasionally took the time to make an appearance on the small screen. Here is a fairly complete list of Lana's TV appearances from the early 1950's until the mid 1980's.*
Ed
Sullivan's Toast of the Town
(February 14, 1954, CBS)
An hour long tribute to help celebrate MGM's 30th anniversary. Lana made a live appearance on the show along with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Anne Blythe. Fred Astaire, Ann Miller and countless others. Lana performed the "Madame Crematon" number that Judy Garland had performed in 1946's Ziegfeld Follies.
Comments: Anyone who has seen the movie Ziegfeld Follies and is familiar with Judy Garland's rendition of the "Madame Crematon" number will be pleasantly surprised with Lana's version. Lana delightfully makes fun of her image as the man killing vamp and while she doesn't exactly sing her heart out, she dances and "talks" along with the music as only a seasoned performer can. She was living in Europe at this time and had darkened her hair for the two films she had made there, Betrayed and The Flame and the Flesh. Try to get your hands on this one if you can.
The 26th Annual Academy Awards Presentation
(March 25, 1954, NBC)
Lana and then hubby, Lex Barker, presented the winning Oscar for cinematography to Burnett Guffey for From Here to Eternity (black and white) and to Loyal Griggs for Shane (color).
Colgate Variety Hour
(November 27, 1955, NBC)
Lana received a "Modern Screen" award as "the star who has appeared on the most fan magazine covers". Other winners present were John Wayne, Claudette Colbert and Rock Hudson among others.
The 28th Annual Motion Picture Academy Awards Nominations Show
(February 18, 1956, NBC)
A ninety minute special announcing the Oscar nominations for best actress, best actor and best picture etc, of 1956. Lana was among the list of "hosts" and "hostesses" who introduced the nominees.
Climax!- The Louella Parsons Story
(February 29, 1956, CBS)
The life story of newspaper columnist, Louella Parsons, as portrayed by actress, Patricia Neal. Lana was a special guest star on the program, along with Gracie Allen, Eve Arden, Jack Benny and others.
The Bob Hope Chevy Show
(March 10, 1957, NBC)
NBC advertised this as Lana Turner's TV debut (!), as it was the most exposure she had had on the small screen thus far. In the first half of the program, Lana was featured in an Enoch Arden sketch with Bob Hope and Wally Cox as the men in her life. Later, she got to do a song and dance number with Hope.
Comments: Lana is hysterically funny in the first sketch as a wife whose husband disappeared after their wedding night seven years before, only to return on the night that she had wed another. Bob Hope and Lana have a terrific chemistry together and more than once Lana almost cracks up with laughter. Once again Lana makes fun of her public image and seems relaxed and happy to be there. Wally Cox is hilarious in his own right and the thought of he and Lana being husband and wife is even funnier.
Lana does a wonderful song and dance routine with Hope at the end of the show. She DOES get to sing this time and while her voice is passable at best, she dances circles (though not literally!) around Bob Hope. Once again she is happy, relaxed and gets to show off her uncanny sense of rhythm. She almost steals the show with her hammy, solo, dance routine.
The 30th Annual Academy Awards Presentations
(March 26, 1958, NBC)
Lana was on hand at the 30th annual event in order to present a best supporting actor Oscar to Red Buttons for "Sayonara"...and because she was nominated for her performance as Constance MacKenzie in Peyton Place (she lost to Joanne Woodward for The Three Faces of Eve).
What's My Line?
(March 22, 1959, CBS)
While on a promotional tour for her latest film, Imitation of Life, Lana made an appearance as the "mystery guest" on this program.
The Dinah
Shore Show
(April 19, 1959, NBC)
Lana got to put on her dancin' shoes again in this program, which featured singer Kay Starr. The highlight of the program was a sister act between Turner, Shore and Starr, in which they performed popular sister acts of the past.
The Milton Berle Special
(October 11, 1959, NBC)
Lana, who's singing voice was forever being overdubbed by MGM, got to sing yet again in this NBC-TV special. She got to sing "Just Turn Me Loose on Broadway" and "Taking a Chance on Love (!) by herself, while with Peter Lawford she sang "You'll Never Get Away" and with Berle, Lawford and Danny Thomas, she was featured in "The Insulters", a skit spoofing stars and TV shows.
The Bob Hope Christmas Show
(January 16, 1963, NBC)
Filmed highlights of Hope's 1962, overseas Christmas tour. Lana was one of the stars who participated as did, Janis Paige and Anita Bryant to name a few.
What's My Line?
(February 27, 1966, CBS)
Lana made another surprise appearance as the "mystery guest". This time she came aboard to promote her latest film, Madame X.
The 38th Annual Academy Awards Presentations
(April 18, 1966, ABC)
Lana and James Garner co-presented the Oscar for best achievement in costume design to Julie Harris for Darling (black and white) and Phyllis Dalton for Doctor Zhivago (color).
The Smothers Brothers Show
(March 15, 1967, CBS)
Lana and actor Robert Morse joined the Brothers for a series of blackouts and a spoof of TV viewer tests. One very funny sketch had Casanova (Tom Smothers) wooing the glamorous "Lady X" (Lana).
The Carol Burnett Show
(January 6, 1968, CBS)
Accompanied by the Earnest Flatt Dancers, Lana sang and danced in a lavish production number built around the ballad "Greensleeves". In the show's second half , she was involved in a comedy skit that had Frank Gorshin portraying Bluebeard with Carol Burnett as his very nervous thirteenth wife and Lana as his mistress.
The First Annual Academy of Professional Sports Awards Show
(February 14, 1968, NBC)
In this TV awards show, Lana, a horse owner herself, presented the Jockey of the Year Award to Willie Shoemaker.
The Survivors
(Fall 1969, ABC)
Lana Turner's only turn on network television turned out to be a disaster, both critically and ratings wise, despite the fact that ABC promoted the Hell out of it. Lana played the character of Tracy Carlyle Hastings, the matriarch of a rich and dysfunctional family. The problem with the series, she later said, was that cast and crew never knew who was producing and directing on what day. Lana was embarrassed and devastated over the failure of the series and it prevented her from taking future guest spots on television.
Survivors Photo Gallery
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour
(September 12, 1970, CBS)
Lana had some very funny moments in the first half as a hammy actress who won't get off of the stage, while in the second half she and Dan Rowan were a married couple who hire a drunken detective named Danny Draft (Conway) to solve a murder.
The Johnny Carson Show
(May 17, 1972, NBC)
Lana's first late-night talk show appearance. Mickey Rooney and singer Vicki Carr were also guests. Lana was reportedly so insulted by Carson's behavior during the show, that she walked out before her segment was over (he asked her to throw an ashtray in order to show how "temperamental" she could be. When she politely refused, Carson, thinking he was funny, threw the ashtray behind his head, while the audience applauded. Lana, always the lady, stood up, shook Johnny's hand, blew some kisses to the audience and walked off of the stage. She never appeared on The Tonight Show again.)
The David Frost Show
(May 18, 1972, Syndicated)
In what was probably the best interview Lana ever gave, she unknowingly took up the whole hour, bumping off the others guests. She talked about the star system at MGM, the films she loved, the films she hated and even her mistakes in marriage.
The Mike
Douglas Show
(July 12, 1972, CBS)
An interview done in Philadelphia with "Lana's favorite afternoon talk show host". Comedian Marty Allen and columnist Shirley Eder (who was Lana's good friend) were also present.
The Mike Douglas Show
(May 7, 1975, CBS)
Lana made a return visit to Mike Douglas' to talk about the recent Tribute to Lana Turner at New York's Town Hall. Douglas' other guests included singer John Davidson, comics George Carlin and Joan Rivers and publicist-author John Springer.
The Russell Harty Show
(September 5, 1975 for British Television Stations)
Shown exclusively in Great Britain, this one hour special was devoted entirely to Lana who flew to London to appear on the show. In addition to a very lengthy interview, the show presented clips from the most famous Turner movies.
Peyton Place Revisited
(September 26, 1975, ABC)
A look at the Peyton Place phenomenon, from the novel by Grace Metallious through the movie and the television series. Lana is seen but not heard as she described a film clip involving herself and actress Diane Varsi.
Falcon Crest
(1982-1983 Season, ABC)
In one of her last performances on television, Lana played the character of Jacqueline Perault, Chase's (Robert Foxworth's) mother and a big time trouble maker. Her character on the series would be written out after only a season, probably due to tensions between Lana and actress Jane Wyman.
Circus of
the Stars #10 (1985, ABC)
Lana came out of retirement to perform a magic act in this made for TV circus.
The Love Boat
(May 4, 1985, ABC)
In Lana Turner's last television role, she played a lonely grandmother who searches for love aboard the famous cruise ship.
Note From Liza: Most of the info on this page is from The Films of Lana Turner by Lou Valentino (pages 268-272). Tonight Show and The Survivors info is from Always Lana by Taylor Pero and Jeff Rovin (Carson info on pages 148-149, Survivors info on pages 81-84)