Flamboyant pianist Liberace (real name: Wladziu Valentino Liberace) appeared frequently on television during the 1950s and 1960s.
His trademarks were always the same and always the butt of innumerable jokes: the outlandish and very expensive wardrobe, the wavy hair and perpetual pearly-tooth grin, and a florid piano style. Atop his Steinway was always perched an ornate candelabra (imitation Louis XIV).
Women (especially older ones) loved it, but the critics were not kind. Liberace didn’t mind, however, commenting that “I cried . . . all the way to the bank.”
Liberace’s first television exposure was on a local show in Los Angeles in 1951, followed by a 15-minute network summer series in 1952, which initially garnered higher ratings than I Love Lucy.
The following year, he began a syndicated series (filmed 1953-1955) that received extremely wide circulation and made him a great deal of money. These shows were rerun for years and are said to have aired on more stations than any network or syndicated show up to that time.
He was joined in his early shows by his violinist brother George, who led the (unseen) orchestra.
Wearing white shoes, white socks, white pants, white coat, white shirt, white tie, and white teeth, Lee (that’s what his friends called him) greeted his audience, the home viewer. He explained that his sponsor, a tuna fish packer, had given him lots of cases of the product, and if any of the mothers “out there in TV-land” had new tuna recipes, send them to his mother in the San Fernando Valley.
Later, there was an ABC daytime series in 1958-1959 and a network summer show in 1969, the latter a full hour in length.
The 1969 variety show originated in London (produced by England’s ATV) and featured two regulars – Richard Wattis and Georgina Moon – who portrayed Liberace’s butler and maid in a regular sketch sequence each week (pictured).
Women (especially older ones) loved it, but the critics were not kind. Liberace didn’t mind, however, commenting that “I cried . . . all the way to the bank.”
The 1969 variety show originated in London (produced by England’s ATV) and featured two regulars – Richard Wattis and Georgina Moon – who portrayed Liberace’s butler and maid in a regular sketch sequence each week (pictured).
