Coke Time

I am not quite old enough to remember Eddie Fisher on Coke Time but I do have a lot of his Coke Time videos and DVDs. I remember watching him on his hour long show on NBC when I was a teenager. I know that his popularity was cut short by the advent of rock and roll and his affair and eventual marriage to Elizabeth Taylor. But I still think he had a wonderful voice and I love listening to him. It would be great to see more of his Coke Time shows put out on video, and I know a lot of other fans would enjoy that too. I am sure the young people of today do not know who Eddie Fisher is, but there are still some of us out there who do remember him and the joy he brought to our lives with his wonderful talent. Listening to Eddie Fisher sing can still "Bring Back the Thrill" for me.

NBC presented a fifteen-minute program of music at 6:30 week nights, featuring on Wednesdays and Fridays Eddie Fisher and on Tuesdays and Thursdays Dinah Shore as a prelude to John Cameron Swayze's "Camel News Caravan," which also lasted fifteen minutes. At the time, Eddie was one of the most popular singers in the nation. His theme was, "May I Sing To You." Freddy Robbins was host and would introduce the guests which included many of the top entertainers of the day. Eddie had hit after hit in those days and he sang them on his show. His big ones were "Oh! My Papa," "I'm Walking Behind You," and the Eddie Arnold standard, "Anytime." This show was designed mainly for Eddie's legion of fans. Popular music has changed so drastically since "Coke Time" that few of the younger generations would enjoy the program today. Eddie, himself, found his music out of date as rock 'n' roll took over in 1956. Though he attempted to adjust with songs such as "Dungaree Doll," he never again had a nation-wide best seller. He found temporary romance with Liz Taylor, but, alas, that too was fleeting. Richard Burton was waiting in the wings.

I wish someone would release all of these great shows. Eddie had such a great voice and many great guest stars on these shows. Eddie usually sang 4-5 songs and his guest sang one song. Sometimes Eddie sang some Al Jolson songs and many standards. I showed some Coke Times to a group of teenagers recently and they loved Eddie. Some said they never knew someone had a voice like Eddies. If someone would put out a complete set of all the Coke Times there are many fans of Eddie that would buy it. There is a group on Facebook that is dedicated to fans of Eddie and there are some musical clips of Eddie singing from his Coke Time Shows and other shows.