The Ford Show

The Ford Show
Tennessee Ernie Ford asks his guest star, Charles Laughton, to read a poem from the "brown paper bag" poet, Fred Wobbly.
Also known as
  • The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
  • The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
GenreVariety
Written byNorman Lear
Roland Kibbee
Directed byBud Yorkin
StarringTennessee Ernie Ford
ComposerHarry Geller's Orchestra
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes121
Production
ProducerBud Yorkin
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time25 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 4, 1956 (1956-10-04) 
June 29, 1961 (1961-06-29)

The Ford Show (also known as The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show) is an American variety program starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired on NBC on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956, to June 29, 1961. The show was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, whose founders shared a last name with the host but had no known relation.

Beginning in September 1958, the show was telecast in color, and was broadcast from NBC Studios in Burbank, California. It was also one of the first places that showed Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts characters in animated form, which was directed by Bill Melendez, and became one of the most popular segments of his show.