The announcer was Chick Hearn who would not only become the longtime play by play voice of the Lakers but also the host of Bowling for Dollars

Loved this video. Al Thompson had great form and rolled some beautiful balls. I can see why he was a member of the PBA

Originally telecast on January 16, 1961 ("Friday is Inauguration Day", Berle notes at 1:51- that's when John Kennedy officially became President).

Loved the comedic show of this match.

This is killer thanks 4 the vid.................................

Yay for Model A's!

Diana Dors was married to Richard Dawson (who you see in the audience on this clip). Dawson, of course, went on to fame in the US for his work on the TV series Hogan's Heroes as well as the Match Game, and later as host of Family Feud.

20:43 - Hard to tell whether the pin fell naturally or the rake got it, but the applause seems to indicate an obvious strike just before the rake swept. Those Brunswick A pinsetters moved fast in those days. Most were slowed down with different sized belt and pulley systems later on to both prevent wear and for safety reasons. Prior to pinsetters there was no time limit for the pin to fall but I believe the A/A2 manual indicates it's supposed to give about 3 seconds (which the updated speed ratio later did for sure). This is still probably the most widely used pinsetter and even new bowling center owners if they know what they're doing opt to use them despite their not having been manufactured in 40 years. It's easy to tell this machine by the shield covering the deck that drops the pins; often times it will even have a Brunswick logo (though replaced shields may not). More likely than not nowadays these machines will have been updated to run much slower than is seen here.

Those bowling pros really make it look easy---so does Milton! Though largely forgotten today, Milton Berle was one of the most versatile of comics, as well as a good dramatic actor, as most great comedians of that era were. Most of us wouldn't associate bowling alleys as an especially desirable venue for humor & certainly not for a professional comedian like Berle. In fact, I thought maybe he'd jokingly deride his appearance on such a show, admitting he knew it was a comedown. To his credit, he didn't, giving an exuberant performance of relentlessly funny jokes, something at which he was a master, conveying confidence in his material but delivered in a relaxed, totally natural manner. I don't see his hosting this show as a comedown, though I believe other comedians of the day ribbed him about it good-naturedly. Comedown or not, the man was earning a fortune. NBC wanted to pay-off their exclusive, lifetime contract with Berle. Despite the enormous paychecks, the great comic was bored with inactivity, the natural showman in him dying for an outlet. After Milton's contract commitments with NBC were over, he made guest appearances on numerous TV variety shows & specials during the rest of the 60's, never failing to offer witty repartee, always hilarious in sketches & delightful in half-hour guest shots on fully plotted-out sitcoms. Of course, he did full-fledged monologues, too, when acting as host of programs like The Hollywood Palace & such. "Jackpot Bowling" aired at an odd time, I believe---late Sun. nights, after Bonanza & Dinah Shore, I think, airing at 10:30 or 10:45, I'm unsure. The program began as a 15-minute filler at first, later going to half-an-hour. Network schedules, all 3 of them, were very different back then. Of course, I never saw the show. To think how long ago this was---1961---& how young we were---with the entire decade of the 60's before us. Ah, me.....

thanks

Isn't it amazing how they could get a big star like "Mr. Tuesday night" Milton Berle to host a television bowling show.

If anyone has the 15 minute version of Jackpot Bowling, can you please post them. Mel Allen was the host of the series.

So cool

Amazing how some of those half-hits carried. Some of those looked like weak tens or even five-pin leaves but blew right out. Must have been 3.2's. Can you imagine a two-hander back then?

the late great chick hearn did the play by play for jackpot bowling. He also hosted Bowling for Dollars in the 1970s

Holy crap those cigar add's

@22:10, is this Richard's 1st TV appearance?

It’s odd that they bowl across two pairs, instead of sticking on one pair. I guess it was done for TV to keep the ball return out of the way.

Love to know the weight of those pins. For 1961, they jump like they're awfully light.

I have to know - where did they find the people for the studio audience of TV bowling?

What alley is this?

Whose idea was this program? I wonder if Uncle Miltie ever thought he'd be cracking jokes in a bowling center. (Chick Hearn made a funny when he said you could hear a pin drop.)

$30,000 was a LOT of money in 1961.

20:25

how old was he

25:00 LOL

How old was he

bowling AND blunts im in.

Need the rules

That bra is a machine gun billy.

WHO IS THE ANNOUNCER

jfk was sworn at this time

Al Thompson, at age 22, looks a bit too old to be called a youngster and a boy.

I know they were great in their time but Berle and Hope never even made me laugh.

Uncle Milty must of been hard up for cash if he hosted this kind of show. 🤣🤣🤣