Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's a segment of Dinah! as aired on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City, in which ventriloquist Kenny Byrd appears with his bird, Mr. Byrd.
Includes:
Hostess Dinah Shore (flanked by guests Mike Farrell and Karen Grassle to her right, and Bob Barker and Caren Kaye to her left) introduces Kenny who, she says, is currently the opening act for Ben Vereen
He arrives on the stage with a bag in which he's trying to get a sleeping Mr. Byrd up, and after a long struggle succeeds. Over the course of the routine, he implores the bird to sing his favorite song, Mr. Byrd has a personal question that can't wait till after the show, what color is each of them, then the feathered friend sings a song about chickens and laying eggs, as well as about a garden with eggplant and a gum tree. The clip ends as his act proper does and he's about to head off to speak with Dinah and the guests and do some more puppet schtick on the couch.
This aired on local New York TV on Monday, September 25th 1978 within the 10:00am to 11:30am (Eastern) timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
Here's a segment of Dinah! as aired on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City, in which ventriloquist Kenny Byrd appears with his bird, Mr. Byrd.
Includes:
Hostess Dinah Shore (flanked by guests Mike Farrell and Karen Grassle to her right, and Bob Barker and Caren Kaye to her left) introduces Kenny who, she says, is currently the opening act for Ben Vereen
He arrives on the stage with a bag in which he's trying to get a sleeping Mr. Byrd up, and after a long struggle succeeds. Over the course of the routine, he implores the bird to sing his favorite song, Mr. Byrd has a personal question that can't wait till after the show, what color is each of them, then the feathered friend sings a song about chickens and laying eggs, as well as about a garden with eggplant and a gum tree. The clip ends as his act proper does and he's about to head off to speak with Dinah and the guests and do some more puppet schtick on the couch.
This aired on local New York TV on Monday, September 25th 1978 within the 10:00am to 11:30am (Eastern) timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
