The Edsel Show

Ford would have had better luck in 1987 if they had a variety show where they sold the Yugo.

Why "THE EDSEL SHOW"? Ed Sullivan's sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, wanted to give the "Edsel" a BIG send-off; so they pre-empted his show on Sunday, October 13, 1957 at 8pm(et) to present THIS one instead. Rosie Clooney, in her autobiography "Girl Singer", told of meeting with several members of the Ford family while using one of the new Edsels during rehearsal, earlier that day. She tried to open a door, and the handle came off in her hand! She turned to them and said, "About your car..."

That's the same stage at CBS Television City where they tape "The Price Is Right", and where they taped "Match Game" and "The Carol Burnett Show"!

This was a one time special Ford aired on CBS in 1957 to introduce the fantastic new Edsel to America! Just 26 months later, Edsel production ceased, so I'm afraid there is no 2008 Edsel. Correct, Edsel passed away in 1943, four years before his father, Henry Ford.

I never knew there was an Edsel Show. I think it is a beautiful car, just like most cars of that time. Edsel was not a wimp, he was a very sick man trying to run a company and being hounded by his father for being lazy. He had serious cancer problems and died very young, before his father.

I remember Rosemary Clooney mentioning during an interview a couple of years before her death, "Who knows what we were thinking doing the Edsel Show. We all thought the car was a turkey. But work was work." (Of course, I'm paraphrasing liberally.)

The 1958 Edsel is by far one of the most wonderfully styled car of all time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design of the cars of the Nineteen Fifties.

I used to own an Edsel. It really was agood car, just goofy looking. It really was good looking in Raven Black and Torreador Red. It was brought out and an unfortunate time...in late 57 for the 58 model year and 58 turned out to be a recession year. Everyone had a down year in the car industry. I would rather own one today...

Stereo did not exist at this time either. Les Paul was just inventing the idea of a 2nd head on a tape recorder and AMPEX put it into production for his and other's usage at about this time. But certainly a videotape recorder with 2 track audio did not exist (it barely existed with one track audio)...

In what way was the Edsel "ahead of its time"? If anything, it wasn't radical ENOUGH. After all the hype and ballyhoo preceding the car's introduction, what we got was just another big, conventional American car, pretty much like a Ford or Mercury. Only its controversial styling set it apart, and that soon became the butt of jokes. As for Edsel Ford, I've heard he was a bit of a wimp. Maybe the man should have been named after the car, instead of the other way around!