Hitch your antenna to the stars: Early television and broadcast stardom

A 1955 print ad shows television fixture Jackie Gleason being upstaged by clothing from his signature "Jackie Gleason Originals" line by Manhattan Shirt Company. The ad plays off of Gleason's reputation as a showman-a persona he reminds us of by hamming it up in a Santa suit with his eyes bulging and hands pressed against his chest in an exaggerated expression of surprise-by suggesting that the star plays second fiddle to the very products he's endorsing. Gleason looks on with astonishment (or perhaps intrigue, or envy) as the CBS television camera, microphone, and arc lamp are directed not at him but instead at a selection of dress shirts, ties, pajamas, and handkerchiefs-some of which bear illustrated figures of Gleason in his signature "And away we go!" stance-that are placed front and center in the ad, shunting him off to the side.