THE PAT BOONE CHEVY SHOWROOM
Boone also invited numerous African American singers.
In 1957 Pat Boone began hosting his own ABC television series, The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom. The half-hour variety show aired from October 3, 1957 to June 23, 1960, featuring the young star [at the time the youngest person to host his own network variety program] and a host of top-name guest stars. Among the entertainers who joined Boone were Italian actress and opera singer Anna Maria Alberghetti in the premiere episode, and Shirley Jones in the second episode.
Many of Boone's guests were Rock 'n Roll singers, such as Bobby Rydell, Fabian, and Connie Francis, but Country and Western stars Fed Foley, Roy Rogers, and The Sons of the Pioneers also performed. Boone also invited numerous African American singers to his program, including Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis and The Mills Brothers.
Other guests included Edie Adams, Eddie Albert, Steve Allen, Don Ameche, The Ames Brothers, Frankie Avalon, Gertrude Berg, Tony Bennett, Polly Bergen, Teresa Brewer, Edd Byrnes, Pat Carroll, Jeannie Carson, Jackie Copper, Gary Crosby, Danny & The Juniors, Jimmy Dean, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Celeste Holm, Rocky Graziano, Tab Hunter, Stubby Kaye, Steve Lawrence, Peggy Lee, Shari Lewis, Gina Lollobrigida, Gordon MacRae, Gisele MacKenzie, The McGuire Sisters, Dick Van Dyke, Julius LaRosa, Louis Nye, Maureen O'Hara, Janis Paige, Cliff Richard, Ginger Rogers, George Shearing, Dinah Shore, Jo Stafford, Gale Storm, Mel Tormé, and David Wayne.