Aired on April 28, 1966, this one-hour special featuring Tony Bennett at the peak of his (first) career was sponsored by Singer Sewing Machines and NBC and is–in my opinion–the best television musical special ever made. In addition to Tony the starry supporting cast includes Buddy Rich, Paul Horne, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hackett and some of the most wonderful stage settings a singer ever could hope to perform on.Indeed, their loopy, aerodynamically slick looks epitomize the mid-century era this was captured during but they go beyond that really; there’s a sensuous, Gaudi-esque vibe to the design of the show that inspires the camera staging to be much more fluid and graceful than in a normal, more pedestrian TV special. Indeed, there is nothing normal about how the show is staged and shot–it’s impeccable timing, precision and grace is at times jaw-dropping (the camera movement almost feels drone-like), though it never interferes of course with the main attraction, enhancing Tony’s performance rather than distracting from it. This is the work of director Dwight Hemion, a major specialist in musical television presentations who clearly didn’t regard his work as a journeyman job. The show incorporates a filmed segment, shot in San Francisco and featuring a lot of moony shots of Tony walking around being soulful. But even this junk doesn’t detract from the specialness of this special of all specials. Enjoy and more on Dwight Hemion tomorrow…