Gisele and Iris

[Yhtapmys]

INSIDE TV
By EVE STARR
[Syndicated, Sept. 28, 1957]
STARR REPORT: Gisele MacKenzie is back in Hollywood where she first started to make a name for herself, and now she's got it made.
The girl who once figured to be getting a big break by playing the piano at a private press party at Ciro's six years ago now has a TV show of her own starting on the air Sept. 28 for NBC.
"It's probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to me," she says, "since my violin was stolen and I decided to be a singer. That was really because I'd never heard of a rich female violinist—and I figured if I had to work, I might as well make money while I was at it."
Up to her black bangs in work, Gisele is beginning to get the feeling she's on a perennial carousel that won't quit. "Finished 'Hit Parade,' worked in Las Vegas, did 'Annie Get Your Gun' at the Dallas State Fair, went to Europe, did spectaculars on TV over there, flew to Paris to buy some clothes and perfume, back to New York to close up my apartment, out to Hollywood to find a place to live and then, finally, started work preparing the show. Wow! And to think I'm the kid who likes the leisurely life. None of that for the next several months."
Gisele, who got her start in Hollywood by backing up Mario Lanza on his radio show, later moved over to the Bob Crosby show. When she was tabbed for "Hit Parade," Bob shook his head sadly and said he hated to see her go. "She'll get lost back there," he told me at the time. "Nothing ever happens to people who work 'Hit Parade.'"
So the only thing that happened to Gisele was being discovered as a comedienne by Jack Benny, who is the behind-the-scenes adviser on her new show. She also will have Charlie Isaacs as head writer (he's written for just about every big comic in the business and last year was producer of "Hey Jeannie"), as well as writers Hugh Wedlock and Howard Snyder, long associated with Benny himself, musical conductor Alex Stordahl and director Joe Landis (who produced the original Liberace TV film series).
Helping out in front of the cameras will be comedienne Iris Adrian, who will be on every week with Gisele.
I still can see Gisele sitting at that small piano in an upstairs room at Ciro's, playing and singing "Le Fiacre." She was nobody, yet she had an air of warm but forceful authority that clearly indicated that someday she would be somebody. Looks like that day has arrived.

Yhtapmys