Disclaimer: This is all from my dim memory, I’m not diving into Wikipedia to fact check this stuff, at least not yet.
Back in the ’70s before “reality tv” became the go-to way to save money on programming, there was the Variety Show.
Arguably the most successful, or perhaps most memorable was the Sonny and Cher show.
Variety shows were fairly cheap to produce: you had a set, you booked musical guests, your headliner was either a comedian, or a singer, and you filled the rest of the space with comedy sketches. Perfect confection to whip up for the Summer season before new shows would debut in the fall, a nice respite from re-runs.
So, the Sonny and Cher show, which I think was called the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, was a prime time show that got pretty popular. It proved so popular in its summer replacement spot that it got promoted to the fall schedule.
Variety shows generally had plenty of appeal to all ages, and Sonny and Cher proved to be adept at both the comedy part and the musical part. Cher’s Bob Mackie outfits were an additional selling point. It was a surprisingly hip show for CBS, who had badly fumbled the Smothers Brothers.
I don’t remember a single sketch or even what songs they sung, just that it was entertaining, and my parents would also watch it.
After Sonny and Cher’s marriage came to an end, the show also ended, along with most of Sonny’s career in entertainment. Cher was already racking up hit records as ‘Cher’ and Sonny ran for Mayor of Palm Springs, then Congress. There were solo shows for both, with Sonny’s show lasting just 13 weeks, Cher’s being somewhat successful, and then the two reuniting for a new show.
But networks were definitely excited about this formula, and tried many variations:
- Tony Orlando and Dawn (Sonny with 2 Chers)
- Shields and Yarnell (Sonny and Cher, but they’re mimes)
- Donny and Marie (Sonny and Cher, but they’re siblings)
- Starland Vocal Band (2 Sonnys, 2 Chers)
Other variety shows from the ’70s include the Tom Jones show, which my mom would protest about. “He’s not all that.” She would make this observation religiously every weekend. That one was kind of a gem — there are numerous You Tube clips of Tom Jones jamming with the other musical guests. Like CSNY and Janis Joplin. I’m sure there are others, but in both cases, what starts out as a cheesy forced duet with the show host ends up with Tom Jones going balls-out with his vocals and making the guests work to keep up.
So, maybe instead of these horrible quasi-game show non-scripted series, we should be bringing back the variety show. The Sabrina Carpenter Hour would be adorable and kick-ass, for example.
Heck, a revival of Hee-Haw with authentic country and bluegrass artists would be an improvement over much of what’s on tv now. Just make it the kind of show Willie and Steve Earle wouldn’t be embarrassed to appear on.
Apple TV+ or Netflix, are you listening? Disney could probably pull this off as well, but ABC gave us Donny and Marie, I’m not sure what you’d get from them.