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Operation: Entertainment

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Operation: Entertainment
GenreMusic
Comedy
Created byChuck Barris
StarringVarious
Narrated byJohnny Jacobs
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes31
Production
ProducersChuck Barris
Bill Carruthers
Production locationVarious
Running time52 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 5, 1968 (1968-01-05) –
January 24, 1969 (1969-01-24)

Operation: Entertainment was an American musical comedy television program that was directly aimed at past and present veterans of the military.[citation needed]

The show was produced and created by producer and game show host Chuck Barris along with Bill Carruthers.[1][2] It was first televised on ABC on January 5, 1968. Louis Armstrong was a performer on the pilot episode.[3] Each week, the show was filmed at a different military base and had a different host. The show's regulars were Jim Lange, the Terry Gibbs Band, and the Operation: Entertainment girls.[4] (Sivi Alberg, Darien Daniels, Marina Gahne and Eileen O'Neill). The show was announced by Johnny Jacobs.[citation needed]

The series aired a total of 31 episodes, 52 minutes in length each which were broadcast between January 5, 1968 – January 24, 1969.[5]

The show's pilot music used a Terry Gibb's tune called "Pretty Blue Eyes". During the show's series, the closing theme was a Cole Porter tune called "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", performed live with the Terry Gibbs Dream Band.[6]

Jack Shea was the director, and Ruth Goldberg was the talent coordinator.[7]

Episodes

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The premiere episode featured Vikki Carr, the Lennon Sisters, and The Checkmates Ltd. at Camp Pendleton, California.[7]

Flip Wilson was host for the April 5, 1968, episode.[8]

The September 27, 1968, episode had Martha Raye, Phil Harris, Slappy White, and Nancy Ames.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Archive of American Television Interview with Chuck Barris
  2. ^ "Vote for Bob Crane". vote4bobcrane.blogspot.com. November 12, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  3. ^ "The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong". dippermouth.blogspot.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  4. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 627. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  5. ^ "Archival Television Audio, Inc. – Operation: Entertainment". www.atvaudio.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Ginell, Carl; Gibbs, Terry (2003). Good Vibes: A Life in Jazz (1st ed.). Lanham, MD, USA 20706: Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 246. ISBN 0-8108-4586-5. Retrieved September 21, 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ^ a b Hall, Claude (January 30, 1968). "'Entertainment' on ABC Is Just That". Billboard. p. 24. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Radio-TV". Jet. April 11, 1968. p. 66. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Tucker, David C. (2016). Martha Raye: Film and Television Clown. McFarland. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-4766-2427-3. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
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