Written by Sid Frank Original language(s) English Final episode date 15 May 1951 Genre Satire | Directed by Barnaby Smith Country of origin United States First episode date 6 March 1951 Language English | |
Starring Bea ArthurReginald BeaneCharlotte RaeGordon DilworthPhil HannaHolly Harris Similar Amanda's, The Seven Lively Arts, The Mary Tyler Moore Ho, aka Pablo, Caesar's Hour |
Once Upon a Tune is a weekly half-hour American television series that aired on the DuMont Television Network, premiering on March 6, 1951, and running to May 15, 1951.
The series presented original musical productions which were often satirical and tongue-in-cheek adaptations of either classic fairy tales or contemporary Broadway musicals. Bea Arthur made her TV debut on this series.
Episode status
The Paley Center for Media holds kinescope copies of three episodes – one spoofing "Three Little Pigs", one spoofing "Rapunzel", and the third on a 57-minute kinescope film reel. (This latter reel also contains an episode of Mr. Dynamite, a TV series or pilot based on an earlier Hollywood movie of the same name based on a Dashiell Hammett story.)
According to Edie Adams, an actress who worked at DuMont for several years, much of the network's programming archive was destroyed in the 1970s.