The Ford 50th Anniversary Show (1953): reparto, argumento y streaming

Released in 1953, The Ford 50th Anniversary Show is a comedia and música film directed by Jerome Robbins, running about 120 minutes. “The Merman and Martin sequences from television's first special.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. The program was the first so-called "Television Spectacular". Ford presented the show without commercial interruption. It is believed to be the first time that Edward R. Murrow appeared on NBC in a professional capacity. Also, in 1953, it was necessary for Ford to buy time on two networks to ensure maximum coverage of US TV households - at the time, neither CBS nor NBC reached 100% of them. The famed 1953 television special celebrating the Ford Motor Company's 50th anniversary brought together two of the greatest leading ladies Broadway has ever known. The highlight of the program is Merman and Martin’s 13-minute duet medley, where they sing the songs that made them famous, plus much more. On their own, Merman sings “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “Mademoiselle from Armetières” and Martin performs a brilliantly comic routine about changes in fashion over the first half of the 20th century.

Who’s in it. The Ford 50th Anniversary Show stars Mary Martin as Herself and Ethel Merman as Herself.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, The Ford 50th Anniversary Show sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Ford 50th Anniversary Show page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Ford 50th Anniversary Show tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parásitos, La vida es bella and El club de la lucha.