"HEY!! Patti Page and The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra are at the Armory! Let's go to Town!"
Let's Go To Town was a variety show sponsored by the National Guard, and it is generally regarded to have been used for public relations and recruitment. The host of the majority of the below programs is the hyper-enthusiastic Mason Adams, who appears in the persona of "Corporal Eddie Carter of the National Guard. The episodes included the music of Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, andSammy Kaye and His Orchestra and performances by the biggest stars of the day, including Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney, Les Paul, and Mary Ford. The titles of the episodes are titles of famous songs song therein.
The show, broadcast from The Armory, also included information about veterans' benefits, and the benefits and joys of the National Guard. The sexy song stylings of Patti Page would at least create favorable associations in the mind of most young men.
The episode "Cross Over the Bridge" (1954) featured Ms. Page performing that song as well as the sultry "Steam Heat"; "Lucky in Love" (Let's Go to Town, Episode 73) featured Mindy Carson and Ray Anthony and his Orchestra singing, in addition to the title song, "Little Things Mean A Lot"; "What a Dream" stars Patti Page and "the Fabulous Dorseys."
For more well-done military-sponsored music programs, see also the jazzy series of The Navy Swings and the Air Force recruitment show, A Serenade in Blue and the program, Guard Sessions. Additional military music programs include: Battle Stations, Theater of Hits, and US Navy Shows. See also: Voice of the Army.
|