I often wonder if today's TV personalities will be remembered. Probably not when the Nostalgic Rambler can recall many very talented stars who once dominated entertainment but are now distant memory.
Take Gisele MacKenzie for example. She was a singing sensation for years as she guested on everyone's TV show, from Ed Sullivan to Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Comedian Jack Benny was in awe of Gisele, not only for her singing talents but her violin abilities. He showcased her on one of his shows which led to her long term gig on "Your Hit Parade." Several years later she headlined her own "Gisele MacKenzie Show." Click here or here. Here is a clip of her with pianist Roger Willams (see the recent blog I did on this great piano man). Oddly enough these shows are now on Youtube through a friend of Gisele's who said MacKenzie had her whole series on film, archived and in her garage getting ruined by the California heat!
After seeing her on a Jack Benny rerun several years ago, I found one of her RCA record lps (pic above--dontcha love those earrings?) in a thrift shop. Collector's Choice released a cd of her recordings which is about the only collection available and highly recommended.
Gisele was a Canadian but eventually obtained her American citizenship. She died in 2003 but apparently was still working theater and concerts in her later years.
As you can see from the pics, she was on the cover of TV Guide, kids used to play with her paper cutout dolls, and she was seen by millions every week. Nice to bring her back in the spotlight this time on the Nostalgic Rambler Blog.
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