In 1978, someone at CBS decided it was the network's 50th anniversary — the birth year is arguable — and that it needed a big, splashy self-congratulatory special. They gathered together every major CBS star they could get…though Merv Griffin claimed that because he had outfoxed the network on a deal once, he was deliberately excluded. Since the Smothers Brothers were included, it's doubtful anyone placed holding a grudge over packing the show with celebs. The notable absences (like Jackie Gleason and Desi Arnaz, to name two biggies) were probably just a matter of unavailability. Given how many others they got, no one was really missed.
Here from that special are two clips which will delight those of you who just want to see familiar faces. This first is the end credits where they got everyone who was willing to stay late (not everyone was) out to ring the walkways of the CBS building at Beverly and Fairfax so the camera could pan them. If you want to try to identify them all, it may help you to note that with a few exceptions, they're all in alphabetical order, starting at the end of the alphabet with Demond Wilson and working their way towards "A," which appropriately enough puts Steve Allen in first position. Mary Tyler Moore and Walter Cronkite are out of sequence, apparently because they were the hosts of the special. Anyway, give it a look…
Earlier in the day, they taped a spot where every CBS star they could find walked out for a group shot. There are a few folks who were in the other clip who aren't in here and a lot who are in here but not in the above pan. Oh — and remember how yesterday I told you about the great announcer, Dick Tufeld? Well, the voice you'll hear is Dick Tufeld. (Dick's nickname, by the way, is Dick Tufeld Speaking. He did so many shows where at the end, he'd say, "This is Dick Tufeld speaking" that it became a running joke to address him as Mr. Speaking. When we had him in to do a voice on Garfield, I asked him if it was okay if we put him in the credits as Dick Tufeld Speaking. He loved the idea so we did.)
Anyway, here's the big walk-on, which runs close to eight minutes. Don't I find the best clips?