Stan Kenton

A brief history of Stan Kenton's musical career from taxi-dance gigs to his successful big band orchestra.

Stan Kenton and His Orchestra perform "Southern Scandal."

Innovative jazz band leader Stan Kenton performs live in this 1977 concert at the Leisure Lounge in Ontario, Canada. Kenton broke away from traditional big band jazz by focusing on emotion and harmonies instead of swing styles. Filmed two years before his death, this show features Kenton and his band entertaining the audience with standards, including "Send in the Clowns," "Inner Crisis," "Body & Soul," "Love for Sale" and "Artistry in Rhythm."

Short film featuring band leader Stan Kenton and vocalist Anita O'Day.

Stan Kenton and his Orchestra perform "This Love of Mine" with Cyd Charisse and other dancers

Helen Huntley and Stan Kenton and His Orchestra perform "Jammin' in the Panoram."

A country girl, wanting to break into show-business, comes to New York City and, by her actions, manages to restore the optimism of a jaded and disillusioned nightclub owner. Eventually, she marries the manager of one of the man's nightclubs.

R.C.M. Soundie

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.

Music 55

Playboy's Penthouse is an American variety/talk television show hosted by Playboy founder and then-editor/publisher Hugh Hefner. It was first broadcast on October 24, 1959 and ran in syndication for slightly more than one year with a second season starting on September 9, 1961 with Jack E. Leonard, Anita O'Day, Buddy Greco, and George Wein.

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.