There have been very few summer sensations on television, after all it's an ebb period of viewing with people otherwise busy having fun elsewhere. One series that ignited with the public during the hot months of 1971 was The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
All you need to know about why the show was a hit is in the opening 10 minutes of the first episode (a bad copy here from You Tube but it has never been released on DVD).
With a sassy routine they developed in nightclubs, suddenly two forgotten 1960s pop stars were the biggest thing on television. When the variety hour returned in 1972 ratings rose higher, remaining in the top ten until Sonny & Cher divorced in 1974.
I've never seen outtakes from the Sonny & Cher shows so this is a rarity, often times mistakes would be kept in the final tape to give the feeling of spontaneity. Like this example that starts after the song at 2:10 - producers ended up using this seemingly unusable flub on the show.
During the run of the two Sonny & Cher TV series Sonny Bono was popping pills that tended to make him giddy and confused, it was part of his charm for me. Notice how Cher covered her mouth when she laughed - she was a very self-concious about her crooked teeth, she had them fixed before going into the movies. Cher was really a good sport while Sonny dissembles here, after all she was married to another man (Greg Allman) by that point.
More Las Vegas Legends!
Biggest Queen Ever!
Some of the comic actors I love best are ones that chew the scenery and the guy who gets my vote for the biggest, gayest performances is England's Kenneth Williams who co-starred in dozens of the Carry On movies. From 1958–1978 sexual innuendo and juvenile humor were gleefully embraced by this gayer-than-gay performer.
This cheapo motion picture series was immensely popular with 2 or 3 being released a year, all starring the same core cast in a new setting - some of the best in the series include Carry On Camping (the gang goes camping), Carry On Nurse (the gang in a hospital setting), and Carry On Teacher (you get the idea). The entire esemble was wonderous, each in their own way, but Kenneth Williams takes the cake with his flamboyant, obliviously closeted homosexual roles.
From a chat show, here's how witty the comic was without a script:
Kenneth Williams passed away in 1988. Here's more on the tragic funnyman from a documentary about the Carry On series.
This cheapo motion picture series was immensely popular with 2 or 3 being released a year, all starring the same core cast in a new setting - some of the best in the series include Carry On Camping (the gang goes camping), Carry On Nurse (the gang in a hospital setting), and Carry On Teacher (you get the idea). The entire esemble was wonderous, each in their own way, but Kenneth Williams takes the cake with his flamboyant, obliviously closeted homosexual roles.
From a chat show, here's how witty the comic was without a script:
Kenneth Williams passed away in 1988. Here's more on the tragic funnyman from a documentary about the Carry On series.
The Sammy Davis Jr. Show
I was talking with Neil Daniels from the Dean Martin Fan Center about how I felt Sammy Davis, Jr. was the most talented of the Rat Pack and Neil agreed. Sammy had a troubled career, forced to marry a woman he didn't love, unable to be with the one he did love. The racist elements of society that plagued him. Neil brought up the point that Frank & Dean did a lot for race relations by publicly embracing Sammy and that's undoubtedly true.
Sammy had a couple of TV series, one was a primetime variety hour that he couldn't contractually appear on for the first few weeks. No really, he had a contract with ABC that forbade his appearance on another network for so many months; when NBC gave him an hour slot in the first week of January 1966 Sammy had to wait until February 11th before he could appear on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Guest hosts, including Johnny Carson, Sean Connery, and Judy Garland kept the timeslot lukewarm until Sammy could take the reins of a show in ratings free fall. Richard Burton & Liz Taylor guested on Sammy's premiere episode but cancellation came shortly thereafter.
Here's a a bit with Sammy and Richard Burton and his wife Elizabeth Taylor:
In this wild segment from The Sammy Davis Jr. Show Sammy coaxes The Supremes and The Andrews Sisters to switch songs. It almost works!
Sammy's other series of note was a 90 minute weekly talk show called Sammy & Company from 1975-1977, a production that split their time between New York, LA and Las Vegas. Another way the show distinguished itself was in featuring African-American artists that the other nighttime talkers ignored - like Marlena Shaw and The Chi-Lites. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Miss Marlena Shaw by all means jump over to You Tube (embedding is disabled) and check her out in her prime. More on her later.
Back to Sammy - here's why I believe he holds the crown as the greatest male musical entertainer of my lifetime, one of his best numbers - Who Can I Turn To.
Sammy had a couple of TV series, one was a primetime variety hour that he couldn't contractually appear on for the first few weeks. No really, he had a contract with ABC that forbade his appearance on another network for so many months; when NBC gave him an hour slot in the first week of January 1966 Sammy had to wait until February 11th before he could appear on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Guest hosts, including Johnny Carson, Sean Connery, and Judy Garland kept the timeslot lukewarm until Sammy could take the reins of a show in ratings free fall. Richard Burton & Liz Taylor guested on Sammy's premiere episode but cancellation came shortly thereafter.
Here's a a bit with Sammy and Richard Burton and his wife Elizabeth Taylor:
In this wild segment from The Sammy Davis Jr. Show Sammy coaxes The Supremes and The Andrews Sisters to switch songs. It almost works!
Sammy's other series of note was a 90 minute weekly talk show called Sammy & Company from 1975-1977, a production that split their time between New York, LA and Las Vegas. Another way the show distinguished itself was in featuring African-American artists that the other nighttime talkers ignored - like Marlena Shaw and The Chi-Lites. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Miss Marlena Shaw by all means jump over to You Tube (embedding is disabled) and check her out in her prime. More on her later.
Back to Sammy - here's why I believe he holds the crown as the greatest male musical entertainer of my lifetime, one of his best numbers - Who Can I Turn To.
Zombcom: When a Much Loved Sitcom Returned From the Dead
When Netflix revived Arrested Development it reminded me of a time in the 1970s when a beloved sitcom was resuscitated... barely.
Make Room For Granddaddy was one of the rare times a long-running television program returned to primetime - Make Room For Daddy aka The Danny Thomas Show ran for 11 years, 1953-1964, first on ABC then on CBS.
The success that Make Room For Daddy had on CBS no doubt helped persuade ABC to greenlight a sitcom starring Thomas' daughter Marlo, an unknown actress. That Girl debuted in 1966 and, even though it never finished in the top 25, it was a comparative hit for a network in dire need of a popular program.
Danny Thomas produced two Make Room For Daddy reunion shows with the original cast, he was the first to do so. In 1969 the second one-hour special Make Room For Granddaddy aired on CBS, picking up the story of the Williams family 5 years later. It earned boffo ratings so CBS again happily offered Danny Thomas a weekly slot for the updated production. Thomas agreed but ultimately decided against it when he saw the lousy timeslot CBS had in mind.
As before, the success of That Girl had to factor into ABC's decision to pick up Make Room For Granddaddy for the fall of 1970. The original cast all returned including Marjorie Lord as wife Kathy and Angela Cartwright as daughter Linda. Rusty Hamer as son Rusty was rarely seen and a new redheaded grandchild living in the Williams household was added for the cute factor. Secondary characters played by Sid Melton and Hans Conried were occasionally seen along with new regular Rosie Greer as Danny Williams' new pianist.
Big time guest stars like Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope turned up most weeks which gave the series a Here's Lucy feel, that sitcom was a top ten hit on CBS.
Despite a primo timeslot, airing between Courtship of Eddie's Father and Room 222, Make Room For Granddaddy was a flop and was pulled before the end of the season.
Here's the fall preview, Sid Melton does the voice-over:
And here's the episode with Lucy, hard to see but notice the 'modern' graphics in the theme song, very 1970 ABC.
Make Room For Granddaddy was one of the rare times a long-running television program returned to primetime - Make Room For Daddy aka The Danny Thomas Show ran for 11 years, 1953-1964, first on ABC then on CBS.
The success that Make Room For Daddy had on CBS no doubt helped persuade ABC to greenlight a sitcom starring Thomas' daughter Marlo, an unknown actress. That Girl debuted in 1966 and, even though it never finished in the top 25, it was a comparative hit for a network in dire need of a popular program.
Danny Thomas produced two Make Room For Daddy reunion shows with the original cast, he was the first to do so. In 1969 the second one-hour special Make Room For Granddaddy aired on CBS, picking up the story of the Williams family 5 years later. It earned boffo ratings so CBS again happily offered Danny Thomas a weekly slot for the updated production. Thomas agreed but ultimately decided against it when he saw the lousy timeslot CBS had in mind.
As before, the success of That Girl had to factor into ABC's decision to pick up Make Room For Granddaddy for the fall of 1970. The original cast all returned including Marjorie Lord as wife Kathy and Angela Cartwright as daughter Linda. Rusty Hamer as son Rusty was rarely seen and a new redheaded grandchild living in the Williams household was added for the cute factor. Secondary characters played by Sid Melton and Hans Conried were occasionally seen along with new regular Rosie Greer as Danny Williams' new pianist.
Big time guest stars like Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope turned up most weeks which gave the series a Here's Lucy feel, that sitcom was a top ten hit on CBS.
Despite a primo timeslot, airing between Courtship of Eddie's Father and Room 222, Make Room For Granddaddy was a flop and was pulled before the end of the season.
Here's the fall preview, Sid Melton does the voice-over:
And here's the episode with Lucy, hard to see but notice the 'modern' graphics in the theme song, very 1970 ABC.
Vince Neil Throws Himself at the Mercy of the Television
Damn, I used to know Vince Neil when he was a skinny kid in spandex prancing up Santa Monica Boulevard to pick up the posters for his new band Motley Crue. I can't even recognize the bloated middled aged accountant with a plastic hip that he's become.
Stars often tape public service announcements for TV. They do it for different reasons, some altruistic, some of a more skin saving nature. Here incorrigible rocker Vince Neil, urged New Yorkers not to drink and drive. Let me guess - he got picked up for DUI in that state.
I said incorrigible because here's Vince extolling the virtues of sobriety in 2010, proud of his many years sober, free from the insidious grip of liquor and drugs. The week after this interview aired Vince was popped in Vegas for boozin' and usin'. You have to admire his shamelessness. And my callousness given my own past and present proclivities!
It used to be rock stars reveled in their drunken decadence, now they're going out of their way trying to convince us that they're sober when they aren't. I'm not sure that's progress.
Stars often tape public service announcements for TV. They do it for different reasons, some altruistic, some of a more skin saving nature. Here incorrigible rocker Vince Neil, urged New Yorkers not to drink and drive. Let me guess - he got picked up for DUI in that state.
I said incorrigible because here's Vince extolling the virtues of sobriety in 2010, proud of his many years sober, free from the insidious grip of liquor and drugs. The week after this interview aired Vince was popped in Vegas for boozin' and usin'. You have to admire his shamelessness. And my callousness given my own past and present proclivities!
It used to be rock stars reveled in their drunken decadence, now they're going out of their way trying to convince us that they're sober when they aren't. I'm not sure that's progress.
Meeting Marion Mack from The General
I met a movie star!Well, I've met lots of stars, I used to work in the business... but this was a silent movie star.
In 1973 Buster Keaton's masterpiece The General was re-released to art houses and was booked in my little city, Greensboro, NC, at the Janus Theaters in 1974.
As a teenager I that had never seen a Keaton film. My dad talked about enjoying them as a kid which prompted me to buy some 8mm shorts, so I had experienced those, but to see Keaton on the big screen was a surprise and thrill for both of us. (We were back to the theater the next weekend when they screened The Bank Dick.)
For the 1970s screenings a new print of The General had been struck by Raymond Rohauer who owned the original negative. In the early-1960s he brought Buster Keaton with him to some well-received revival screenings.
Keaton passed away in 1966 so for the 1970s revival Rohauer brought along Keaton's love interest in the film, Marion Mack. This screen beauty had been out of the acting side of the business since shortly after Keaton's comedy feature debuted in 1926, pursuing instead a writing career with her husband, B-movie producer Lewis Lewyn, before retiring in the 1960s. It took Rohauer years to finally track her down.
At that sparsely attended Sunday screening in Greensboro Ms. Mack was gracious and as charming as she could be. She seemed to truly relish the praise that came to her for what was a brilliant comedic performance. One of my favorite gags was when they were fleeing the Yankees and she discards a knotted piece of wood as not good enough for the fire, and I was happy to tell her that. She shared some stories from the set, we were fascinated to hear what Keaton was like in real life.
The General is arguably the finest and funniest silent films ever made. If you haven't seen it you should, it's probably the best filmed representation of the Civil War, nearly perfect in every sense.
It may sound odd given its current revered status but this project destroyed Keaton's career when it flopped at the box office and the critics savaged it. As a result, Keaton was never again able to make films the way he wanted, the results were catastrophic for him and his fans.
Here it is, one of the greatest motion pictures of all time:
Dirtiest Comedian of All Time!
It's been 5 years since underground comedy legend Rudy Ray Moore died at age 81; he greatly influenced modern rap and hip-hop artists with his hilariously filthy 'Dolemite' and 'Petey Wheatstraw' routines and movies. He was no Rooty Poot.
Here's another classic Rudy Ray Moore routine - Shine on The Great Titanic.
Here's a taste from his ice cool indie film Dolemite - 'The Signifying Monkey' - warning, the language in this clip is FILTHY!
Rudy Ray Moore was popular thanks to his 'party records' of the 1960s & 1970s, comedy LPs that were as blue as you could get. They had a word-of-mouth appeal, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, Pigmeat Markham and other comics were popular on the same LP and nightclub circuit around that same time.
The covers of Rudy Ray Moore's records are hilarious in and of themselves, with titles like Eat Out More Often (1970), Dolemite for President (1972), and Good-Ole Big Ones.
Moore produced and starred in several low budget motion pictures based on his most popular routines like The Human Tornado, Monkey Hustle, and Disco Godfather.
Here's another of Moore's dirty routines, 'Chestnuts', sampled on Dr. Dre's Deeez Nuuuts - track #6 on The Chronic. Again not safe for work... but why are you here at work to begin with?!?
Rudy Ray Moore was popular thanks to his 'party records' of the 1960s & 1970s, comedy LPs that were as blue as you could get. They had a word-of-mouth appeal, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, Pigmeat Markham and other comics were popular on the same LP and nightclub circuit around that same time.
The covers of Rudy Ray Moore's records are hilarious in and of themselves, with titles like Eat Out More Often (1970), Dolemite for President (1972), and Good-Ole Big Ones.
Moore produced and starred in several low budget motion pictures based on his most popular routines like The Human Tornado, Monkey Hustle, and Disco Godfather.
Here's another of Moore's dirty routines, 'Chestnuts', sampled on Dr. Dre's Deeez Nuuuts - track #6 on The Chronic. Again not safe for work... but why are you here at work to begin with?!?
Here's another classic Rudy Ray Moore routine - Shine on The Great Titanic.
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