Mohawk Showroom is an American musical television program that debuted on NBC on May 2, 1949[1] and ended on November 23, 1951.[2] It was sponsored by Mohawk Carpet Mills Inc.[3] In 1951, the program was one of several NBC-TV shows selected to be shown to United States military personnel overseas via kinescope recordings.[4] The same title was also used for a similar radio program in 1951.

Overview

Morton Downey and Roberta Quinlan initially shared hosting duties on the 15-minute program,[1] Carmen Mastren and The Chieftains provided music, and Bob Stanton was the announcer.[5] Downey starred on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Quinlan was the star on Tuesdays and Thursdays.[1] Because of the alternating hosts, the series was sometimes referred to as The Morton Downey Show and The Roberta Quinlan Show.[2]: 563  Downey left the show after the December 9, 1949, episode, and Quinlan became featured on each episode.[1] At some point the Tuesday and Thursday segments were dropped, with broadcasts continuing at 7:30 p. m. Eastern Time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.[6] Each of the program's episodes had a theme (such as marriage or graduation) to which all of its songs related. Commercials were also tailored to the theme as much as possible.[6]: 50 

Critical reception

In September 1951, a review in the trade publication Billboard complimented Quinlan's performance and the show's visual presentation. It called the program "one of the really pleasant little musical quarter hours in television".[7]

Radio version

Spurred by the success of its TV program, in the spring of 1951, Mohawk began a radio version, also titled Mohawk Showroom. Sponsor magazine reported, "The spot radio effort has grown partially out of the desire of dealers in non-TV markets for support like that furnished their brethren in TV territory via the Mohawk Showroom".[8] Quinlan starred in the radio version, which was 15 minutes long and ran three days per week. It initially ran for 13 weeks in 26 markets with plans for a second 13-week series in the fall of 1951 along with hopes for increasing the number of markets.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Jim (10 January 2014). Musicmakers of Network Radio: 24 Entertainers, 1926-1962. McFarland. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7864-8962-6. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  2. 1 2 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. 701. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  3. ↑ "Sponsor warns" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 12, 1951. p. 58. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ "TV shows go 'over there'" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 17, 1951. p. 85. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 708. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. 1 2 "Mohawk uses a new broom" (PDF). Sponsor. September 11, 1950. pp. 28–29, 50. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Capsule Comment". Billboard. September 15, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "TV leads Mohawk to radio" (PDF). Sponsor. March 26, 1951. pp. 36, 64–65. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
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