Dagmar's Canteen (TV series)

Dagmar's Canteen was an American variety television series that was broadcast on NBC, first as a single 45-minute episode on November 30, 1951, then as a series of 15-minute episodes from March 22, 1952, until June 14, 1952.[1][2]

Dagmar's Canteen was broadcast from 12:15 a.m. Eastern Time until 12:45 a.m. ET, on Saturdays, starring Dagmar as the hostess of a canteen for military personnel She conducted interviews, sang and danced. A weekly feature was the reading of plays that Dagmar had written, with military people and members of the cast joining her.[3] Each episode also featured a guest star selected from the armed forces.[4]

Besides Dagmar, the 1951 episode featured Ray Malone, comic actor Sid Goode, bandleader Milton Delugg, and Jeanne Lewis (Dagmar's sister). Tim Herbert replaced Sid Goode when the regular series began the next spring.[3] Milton DeLugg led the orchestra.[5] Guest performers who appeared on the show included Joey Faye,[6] Robert Scheerer,[7] and Tim Herbert.[8]

One of NBC's largest TV studios was converted into a canteen for each episode. The facility was set up with sandwiches, soft drinks, hostesses, dancing, tables, and chairs to accommodate 200 men and women from the military.[9]

Hal Friedman was the producer, and Alan Neuman was the director. Lou Meltzer and Allan Walker were the writers.[10] The program was sustaining.[11]

  1. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 192. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ "Dagmar's Canteen (TV Series 1951– ) - Episode list - IMDb". IMDB.
  3. ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 226. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  4. ^ Stretch, Bud (March 22, 1952). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 9. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. ^ "Video Highlights". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 26, 1952. p. 13. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Lentz, Harris M. III (2019). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2018. McFarland. p. 337. ISBN 978-1-4766-7033-1. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Panitt, Merrill (March 25, 1952). "Heavier Dagmar Returns, But Fizzles". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 28. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Wood, Mary (March 18, 1952). "Dagmar's Canteen". The Cincinnati Post. p. 6. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Dagmar's Canteen" (PDF). Billboard. April 5, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dagmar's 'Canteen' On NBC-TV in Mar". Billboard. January 19, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2022.