Three Little Words: Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen and Red Skelton star in this musical biography based on the lives and career of one of the United States' greatest songwriting teams--Three Little Words. From the moment they meet, lyricist and vaudeville star Bert Kalmar (Astaire--Silk Stockings, Easter Parade, Top Hat) and piano player and song huckster Harry Ruby (Skelton--"The Red Skelton Show") are destined for great things. The two have nothing in common except, together, the ability to craft chart-topping songs and the lifelong friendship that grows between them. Now, through work, women, setbacks and success these two reach the heights of their profession and overcome a rift that threatens to divide them forever.
Born July 22,1924 in Detroit, Margaret Whiting began singing as a small child and, by the age of seven, signed with Johnny Mercer, the popular songwriter and founder of Capitol Records, for whom her father worked. She was a popular vocalist in the 1940s and 1950s, recording dozens of hits for Capitol Records, launched by her father and two partners. She was the first artist to be engaged by the label, where she began recording in 1942.
Every Sunday night for almost twenty-three years between 1948 and 1971, millions of Americans tuned in at 8 p.m. to watch a live variety show on CBS. The Ed Sullivan Show, with an assortment of acts ranging from stand-up comics to rock bands to bears riding on bicycles, was the most popular variety show of its time, despite being hosted by a man best known for his awkwardness in front of the camera. First called Toast of the Town, the show debuted on June 20, 1948, at 9 p.m. It later moved to its familiar, earlier time slot so that children could stay up to watch it. Its name was changed to The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. The show stayed on the air until May 30, 1971, and presented the best-known entertainers of its time.