Remember...1938 (1955)

The 1955 NBC TV special Remember...1938 would be worth seeing again (if indeed a kinescope exists) if only for its once-in-a-lifetime cast. Put together by Herbert Bayard Swope Jr. as a nostalgic tribute to the last year before WWII, the Sunday-afternoon special was hosted by comedian Groucho Marx. Recalling and recreating the big events of 1938 were Ethel Barrymore, performing a scene from her stage hit Whiteoaks; pianist Oscar Levant, offering a medley of the year's top tunes; newscaster H.V. Kaltenborn, recapping the world events of the year; and sportscaster Ted Husing, articulating a rundown of 1938's athletic events. Also on hand were comic Jonathan Winters in a sketch, and singer Sue Carson, who imitated the year's popular singers. Rounded off with a clip from a vintage Deanna Durbin musical film, Remember...1938 was the sort of remarkable entertainment fare that was par for the course in the golden age of live television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi