THE ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK SHOW (1969-1970) – No, it wasn’t a Meeting of Minds type of educational program depicting the long-ago German composer Engelbert Humperdinck interacting with other historical figures. Although I would have watched a show like that! (But I’m kind of weird.)
This project starred the Euro-Vegas crooner who also used the name Engelbert Humperdinck, presumably on a dare or something. (I’m kidding.) Picture the comedy series Viva Variety played straight – that’s the aesthetic of The Engelbert Humperdinck Show.
Each episode Engelbert welcomed equally non-threatening and bland entertainers for an hour of music and comedy the way grandma and grandpa used to love. I’m not seriously attacking the show, just pointing out how tastes change over the decades.
THE EPISODES:
PILOT (Dec 2nd, 1969) – The Dinckster shared the stage with Barbara Eden, Jose Feliciano, Dionne Warwick and his entertainment doppelganger Tom Jones. The Mike Sammes Singers, the Jack Parnell Orchestra and the Paddy Stone Dancers were on hand as well. This episode was rebroadcast on December 26th.
EPISODE ONE (Jan 21st, 1970) – E-Bert’s guests this time were Tony Bennett, Leslie Uggams, Donald O’Connor and Ed Bishop from UFO. The Irving Davies Dancers joined the Mike Sammes Singers and the Jack Parnell Orchestra as the figurative house entertainers.
Mr. Humperdinck sang Marry Me, The Best Things in Life are Free, When I Fall in Love and Winter World of Love. Bennett did MacArthur Park (I swear!), What the World Needs Now and For Once in My Life.
Uggams sang Come Together and Free Again, while O’Connor belted out The Joker is Me and Look at that Face plus did a World War One Flying Ace comedy sketch with laugh meister Engelbert.
EPISODE TWO (Jan 28th) – This time around, the Humpster welcomed Elke Sommer, Arte Johnson, Georgia Brown and Roger Miller plus the usual house entertainers. And our host started rendering his name like he was a walking ad for erectile dysfunction.
Engelbert sang Day by Day, For Your Eyes Only and Spanish Eyes while Brown did Strike Up the Band and Sommer sang & danced to Any Place I Hang My Hat. Johnson did Top Hat, White Tie & Tails and Miller sang Dang Me. The comedy centerpiece had everyone performing in a parody of The Forsyte Saga. E-Bert and Elke also did a sketch as newlyweds.
EPISODE THREE (Feb 4th) – The guests were Gina Lollobrigida, Lou Rawls, Kaye Ballard and Roger Whittaker. Rawls sang Ol’ Man River & On a Clear Day, Whittaker performed Durham Town and Lollobrigida danced the Tango and the Charleston.
The comedy stylings of Engelbert Humperdinck saw him send up Rudolph Valentino in parodies of silent movies, co-starring Ballard and Lollobrigida. Plus he sang Isn’t It a Lovely Day?
EPISODE FOUR (Feb 11th) – E-Hump played host to Joel Grey, Lena Horne, Trish Noble and the group Vanity Fare. Our star sang What is This Thing Called Love? and shared New-Fangled Tango with Lena.
Horne did A Flower is a Lovely Thing, From This Moment On, and a medley of her hits. Grey performed Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and fragments of songs from Fiddler on the Roof. Vanity Fare sang Early in the Morning.
EPISODE FIVE (Feb 18th) – The guests this week were Phil Silvers, Paul Anka, Millicent Martin and Dana Vallery. Engledinck sang Quando, Quando and You’ve Still Got a Place in My Heart.
Anka did Watch What Happens, Martin did When I Die, and Vallery did Get in Line, Girl. Silvers sang All I Need is the Girl plus a burlesque sketch in which he performed Lady of the Evening and Ten Wicked Girls.
EPISODE SIX (Feb 25th) – Humperbert shared the stage with Milton Berle, Carmen McRae, Nyree Dawn Porter and Oliver. Despite Oliver being from Hair, Engelbert sang Aquarius and Let the Sunshine In. He also did For Once in My Life.
McRae sang The Music That Makes Me Dance, Oliver sang Jean, and Porter soloed with When in Rome and shared Let’s Do It with E-bert and Berle. For laughs, Milton coached Humperdinck on Comedy the Berle Way.
EPISODE SEVEN (Mar 4th) – Ray Charles, Jerry Lewis, Marilyn Michaels and Lulu were this week’s guests. Engelbert appeared as the Monster to Lewis’ Dr. Frankenstein.
Charles belted out Makin’ Whoopee, Lulu sang Feelin’ Alright, and Michaels did sendups of the singing styles of Barbra Streisand, Ethel Merman and Judy Garland. Lewis and the Hump did a sketch about lawyers and the volatile Jerry supposedly mouthed the words “fuck that” while singing Hoss Flat Blues.
EPISODE EIGHT (Mar 11th) – Don Knotts, O.C. Smith, Malcolm Roberts, Caterina Valente and the Edwin Hawkins Singers appeared. Engeldinck sang Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head and joined Roberts and Valente for Johnny One Note.
The Edwin Hawkins Singers did I Believe and Oh Happy Day, while Valente performed What the World Needs Now and Fascinating Rhythm. Don Knotts SANG What Have I Got? and did a comedy bit about unknown inventors.
EPISODE NINE (Mar 18th) – Joining our star this week were Ken Berry, Kaye Stevens, Georgia Brown and Tommy Roe. Engelbert did Old West and gangster comedy sketches with Berry and sang On a Wonderful Day Like Today.
Stevens did God Bless the Child, Berry did Yankee Doodle Dandy, Brown did Just Leave Everything To Me, and Roe shared Stir It Up and Serve It with Humperdinck.
EPISODE TEN (Mar 25th) – Brasil 66, Jo Anne Worley, Joel Grey, Sergio Mendes and Lana Cantrell were the guests. Dinckerhump sang Falling in Love with Love, Wandering Star and Take a Letter, Maria.
Believe it or not, Joel Grey did Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and With a Little Help from My Friends. Mendes and Brasil 66 performed Norwegian Wood and Easy to be Hard because their minds were clearly in the gutter (I’m kidding!) while Cantrell sang My Life. Worley did I Love You, Engelbert and shared Do You Love Me? with him.
EPISODE ELEVEN (Apr 1st) – The guests were Jack Benny, Bobby Van, Shani Wallis and Clodagh Rodgers herself. Our host shared That’s the Way it Was in Vaudeville with Van.
Wallis sang Down with Love and Yesterday I Heard Rain, while Rodgers did Wolf. Jack Benny, Engelbert and Bobby Van did a Midnight Cowboy parody titled Midnight Cowhand.
EPISODE TWELVE (Apr 8th) – Connie Stevens, Jack Jones, Louis Nye and Harry Secombe appeared. I have had no luck yet finding further details about this particular episode.
EPISODE THIRTEEN (Apr 15th) – The guests were the Four Tops, Elke Sommer and Carl Ballantine.
The Humpster sang Bridge Over Troubled Water and This Guy’s in Love with You. The Four Tops did It’s All in the Game and Sommer shared Our Love is Here to Stay with our host.
EPISODE FOURTEEN (Apr 22nd) – Dusty Springfield, Jonathan Winters and Buddy Greco guest starred.
Engeldinck actually sang Light My Fire, Both Sides Now and Foolish Heart. Dusty shared Ain’t No Mountain High Enough with E-Bert. Winters and the others did spoofs of famous musicals.
EPISODE FIFTEEN (Apr 29th) – Our Dick Gautier-looking host welcomed Juliet Prowse, Jack Wild, Blue Mink and Jack E. Leonard. He also sang What Now My Love, A Taste of Honey and We Kiss in a Shadow.
Prowse performed Tomorrow Never Knows, Wild did Standing on the Corner and Blue Mink sang I Can Feel It Baby and Good Morning Freedom. Leonard, Wild and Humperdinck did a sketch about vaudeville.
EPISODE SIXTEEN (May 13th) – The guests were Liberace, Fay McKay and Allan Drake.
Engelbert sang Release Me, Cabaret and There’s No You. Liberace did Mixed Emotions.
EPISODE SEVENTEEN (May 27th) – Shirley Bassey, Vince Edwards, Stiller & Meara and Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen were the guests on this last show of the series.
The Dinckster sang If I Had a Hammer, Green River and If Ever I Should Leave You. Bassey belted out The Joker and Sea and Sand, while Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen did Up a Lazy River and So Do I. Edwards sang Mirage and shared Girl Talk with our host.
FOR MORE FORGOTTEN TELEVISION CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/category/forgotten-television/
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Logged, thank you sir!
Wonderful. Good morning and happiness Edward. Good luck dear. 💞🙏🏽
Thank you! I appreciate it! I wish you the same!
Balladeer,
You note that this post centers around “the Euro-Vegas crooner who also used the name Engelbert Humperdinck, presumably on a dare or something;” however, I seem to remember reading (either in a newspaper or my oma’s TV Guide) that Humperdink was born to a rather simple name. When he took on the same manager as Tom Jones (originally Thomas Jones Woodward), the manager insisted that Humperdink change his name.
Now that l look it up, Biography says that Humperdink was born Arnold George Dorsey in India. (Reading futher in the Biography article seems to back up the old TV Guide article.)
Thanks, I saw that, too, but like I said I was just kidding about the “dare.” I couldn’t pass up the tiny joke.
Those times were wonderful, and they remain in my memory. I recall how excited we were about both rivals, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck when we learned they would meet in a show.
Although back then in Iran, they didn’t show as many of the two- somewhat more Tom Jones than Humperdinck, as I read in your article. However, it is an excellent post. Thank you for bringing me back to that beautiful period.
Thank you for sharing those memories! I’m glad this post brought them back to you, friend!