Ford Festival Time (musical variety, starring James Melton)

    [aka: "The James Melton Show";
     aka: "The Ford Festival"]

    (NBC Primetime, 1951 - 1952)

    [this series was a continuation of and replacement for 
    "The Ford Star Revue" which had been hosted by Jack Haley;

     The new host, James Melton, was an acclaimed tenor vocalist
     who had starred in early musical films of the 1930s, and sang
     with the Chicago and New York Metropolitan Opera companies;

     Although his name may not be as familiar as Mario Lanza or
     Ezio Pinza who came later, Melton was a fairly well-known
     vocalist of the 1950s, having previously appeared on many
     radio series including "The Ford Sunday Evening Hour";
     Melton had also been "the singing host" of "Harvest of Stars" 
     on NBC with the orchestra conducted by Dr. Frank Black;

     When "Ford Festival Time" began, each show had a light
     story line around which musical numbers were hung; but
     that device of a plot was weak, so soon producers dropped
     the idea in favor of a straight musical variety approach;

     But even this tried-and-true format failed to capture many
     viewers, so Melton's series only lasted one season...]

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Theme 1: "Ford Festival Time"

    [lyricist Lewis Allan (birth name Abel Meeropol) was best 
     known for his stirring 1942 patriotic song recorded by 
     Frank Sinatra called "The House I Live In", in which every 
     chorus ended with the line "...That's America To Me", which
     was made into an Academy Award-Winning short film in 1945]

     Composers: music by Dr. Frank J. Black (not-affiliated) and
                lyric by Lewis Allan (ASCAP)
               [professional name of Abel Meeropol]

     1978 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 1978
                      ASCAP Index of Performed Compositions]

     2001 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 2001
                      ASCAP ACE Repertoire Index]

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recording:

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Theme 2: "Festival"

     Composers: music by David H. Broekman (ASCAP) and
                lyric by Lewis Allan (ASCAP)
               [professional name of Abel Meeropol]

     1978 Publisher: General Music Pub. Co. Inc. (ASCAP)

     2001 Publisher: Colgems-EMI Music (ASCAP)
                        a div. of EMI Music Publishing
                        of New York, NY

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recording:

---

Commercial Theme: "Ford Jingle"

    [aka: "Detroit Put The World On Its Wheels"]

     Composers: music by Dr. Frank J. Black (not-affiliated) and
                lyric by Lewis Allan (ASCAP)
               [professional name of Abel Meeropol]
 
     1978 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 1978
                      ASCAP Index of Performed Compositions]

     2001 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 2001
                      ASCAP ACE Repertoire Index]

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recording:

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