Look Ma, No Hans

With temperatures here in Los Angeles nearing the 100-degree mark, I thought this was a good time to post a video from yet another original, live TV musical from TV's Golden Age -- and yet another with impressive credentials.

The show is Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, done in 1958 for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.  Though the cast had some things about it that were notable for the time, it's the behind-the-scenes talents that leap out here and in a huge way.

The story was adapted by Frederick Knott, the renowned Broadway playwright whose credits include such non-Hans Brinker-like plays as Wait Until Dark and Dial M for Murder.  The songs were written by Hugh Martin, best known as the music composer of the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis, winning an Oscar for "The Trolley Song," and also co-writing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe."  And the production was co-directed by none other than Sidney Lumet (who would go on to direct such acclaimed films as Network, Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men) and legendary TV director George Schaeffer, whose credits include Inherit the Wind, Harvey, The Fantasticks and the six-part mini-series, Lincoln, and much more -- including seven Emmy Awards.

The cast starred Peggy King, who had a moderate career as a pop singer first on TV, and then a small career in movies, including Zero Hour!, which was the basis behind the spoof, Airplane!  and was in Jack and Beanstalk, which I posted here a couple weeks ago, starring Joel Grey.  )  Opposite her was Tab Hunter, who had a fairly successful career around that time -- he starred in the movie of Damn Yankees and had a big #1 hit with the song “Young Love.” Also in the cast were Basil Rathbone and, of all people, Dick Button.  He wasn't an actor, but  he was an Olympic Gold Medalist for men's figure skating (so, obviously a perfect stunt casting fit here), and you may recall was ABC's expert analyst for figure skating for decades -- and a terrific one.

Here are Peggy King and Tab Hunter in a scene leading into her singing, “I Happen to Love Him.”