The Ford 50th Anniversary Show 70 years old

The Merman and Martin sequences from television's first special.

The program was the first so-called "Television Spectacular". Ford presented the show without commercial interruption. It is believed to be the first time that Edward R. Murrow appeared on NBC in a professional capacity. Also, in 1953, it was necessary for Ford to buy time on two networks to ensure maximum coverage of US TV households - at the time, neither CBS nor NBC reached 100% of them. The famed 1953 television special celebrating the Ford Motor Company's 50th anniversary brought together two of the greatest leading ladies Broadway has ever known. The highlight of the program is Merman and Martin’s 13-minute duet medley, where they sing the songs that made them famous, plus much more. On their own, Merman sings “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “Mademoiselle from Armetières” and Martin performs a brilliantly comic routine about changes in fashion over the first half of the 20th century.

Credits

The Ford 50th Anniversary Show Cast

Name	Character
Ethel Merman She was 45, 76 years old when she died	as Herself
Mary Martin She was 39, 76 years old when she died	as Herself

The Ford 50th Anniversary Show Crew

Name	Department