Comedian and former vaudevillian Ed Wynn was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the first shows broadcast live from Hollywood,[1] and transmitted via kinescope to New York.
The show included the commercial television debuts of Robert Clary, Dinah Shore, The Three Stooges, Hattie McDaniel, Buster Keaton, Leon Errol, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
[3] The Ed Wynn Show was also one of the first television series to use the kinescope process in an effort to preserve episodes for later distribution.
Some notable guest stars included Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Frances Langford, The Charlivels, Eve Arden, Celeste Holm, Hattie McDaniel, Buddy Ebsen, Garry Moore, The Modernaires, Mitzi Green, Robert Clary, Gloria Swanson, William Frawley, Joe E. Brown, Charles Laughton, Vera Vague, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Peggy Lee, Buster Keaton,[4] Dinah Shore, The Three Stooges,[5] Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz[6] made their television debuts on The Ed Wynn Show.
KTTV, Channel 11 (Except 6/8/1950 Thursday 9:00-9:30 pm) WCBS-TV, Channel 2 Although the series was not popular with television audiences, The Ed Wynn Show did receive a George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Entertainment for the year 1949[7] and a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Live Show for the year 1950.