Showing posts with label variety show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label variety show. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2012

Truth Behind the Sitcoms 2 (2000) (TV)

Snarky lies and backstabbing is to be expected when too many fight for what is most times a single spotlight. Might actually be interesting if we cared about any of these people. Of the three, George and Wheezy are the only to hold my interest. Decent production with many insights. Featured in this episode are "One Day at a Time", "The Jeffersons" and "Happy Days".

Truth Behind the Sitcoms 2 (2000) (TV)
Cast: Assorted, Mark Thompson

Friday, July 16, 2010

Dave Thomas Comedy Show, The (1990) TV Series

Summer variety show consisting of comedy sketches featuring SCTV writer Dave Thomas and many other SCTV and SNL regulars.






The Dave Thomas Comedy Show (1990) TV Series
Cast: Dave Thomas, Anson Downes, Julie Fulton, Teresa Ganzel, Don Lake, Fran Ryan, David Wiley

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

NBC All Star Hour, The (1983) (TV)

This is all the weirdness of a contrived fake award-ish show mixed with the year that was 1983. The best by far is the great Nell Carter, who sings a hokey company song to diva perfection. Nell Carter was the best, we love you Nell.



The NBC All Star Hour (1983) (TV)
Hosts: Michael J. Fox, Betty Thomas

Thursday, April 15, 2010

NBC Super Special All-Star Comedy Hour (1993) (TV)

Cavalcade of young comedians from the early 90s.









NBC Super Special All-Star Comedy Hour (1993) (TV)
Hosts: Paul Reiser, Bill Cosby

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Memories... Then and Now (1990) TV series

Syndicated program of nostalgia and other features focusing on days gone by.









AVAILABLE EPISODES
Moon Landing
1990

Patty Hearst, Sonny & Cher
1990

Grace Kelly, National Anthem
1990

Easy Rider
1991

Memories... Then and Now (1990) TV series
Hosts: Chuck Scarborough, Kathryn Kinley

New Show, The (1984) TV series

Sketch comedy show, similar to Saturday Night Live.










AVAILABLE EPISODES
Season 1, Episode 2
Carrie Fisher, Paul Simon
13 January 1984

The New Show (1984) TV series
Cast: Assorted

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Geraldo (1987) TV series 1987-1998

Sensational (not in a good way) talk show from the late 20th century.










AVAILABLE EPISODES
Male Sexual Dysfunction
1988

Geraldo (1987) TV series 1987-1998
Host: Geraldo Rivera

Monday, March 29, 2010

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983) (TV)

Hosted by Richard Pryor. A high point is the Jackson Brothers all performing together. I don't know who wanted to see Stuart Leslie Goddard (Adam Ant) sing the Motown classic, "Where Did Our Love Go?" but I doubt it was anyone in the audience from their tone. Don't let it get in the way of your enjoyment. 

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983) (TV)
Performers: Adam Ant, Nick Ashford, Cindy Birdsong, Dick Clark, José Feliciano, Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, Howard Hesseman, Michael Jackson, Rick James, Eddie Kendricks, Lawrence Payton, Richard Pryor, Martha Reeves, Tim Reid, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Valerie Simpson, Levi Stubbs, Junior Walker, Mary Wells, Billy Dee Williams, Mary Wilson, Stevie Wonder

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Buddy Holly & The Crickets - A Tribute (1988) (TV)

Hosted by Kris Kristofferson on the 28th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death at the age of 22. Performers include; Kris Kristofferson and The Borderlords, Marshall Crenshaw, The Crickets, Duane Eddy, Joe Ely, John Fogerty, Waylon Jennings, The Jordanaires, Buddy Knox, Don McLean, Carl Perkins, Brian Setzer, Billy Swan, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and Bobby Vee. The performances are intimate and excellent. Good stuff.

Buddy Holly & The Crickets - A Tribute (1988) (TV)
Cast: Kris Kristofferson and The Borderlords, Marshall Crenshaw, The Crickets, Duane Eddy, Joe Ely, John Fogerty, Waylon Jennings, The Jordanaires, Buddy Knox, Don McLean, Carl Perkins, Brian Setzer, Billy Swan, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Bobby Vee

Happy Birthday Hollywood (1987) (TV)

As you can see from the opening frame, this is not titled "Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood" as listed elsewhere, it's simply "Happy Birthday Hollywood" as anyone who had actually seen the production could attest.

This whole thing is absolutely fabulous start to finish. As I watched, keeping an eye for special frames to capture, there were at least 40 different places that would have been appropriate. Too much work, so I settled on just one. It would have been 15 frames just to get the cast roll call! Almost everyone is here;

Debbie Allen, June Allyson, Bea Arthur, Edward Asner, Lucille Ball, Gene Barry, Drew Barrymore, Hinton Battle, Shari Belafonte, Sandahl Bergman, Tom Bosley, Morgan Brittany, Charles Bronson, Gregg Burge, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Lynda Carter, Cyd Charisse, James Coburn, Dabney Coleman, Mike Connors, Bert Convy, Don Correia, Arlene Dahl, Tony Danza, Sammy Davis Jr., Angie Dickinson, Nancy Dussault, Clint Eastwood, Barbara Eden, Morgan Fairchild, Alice Faye, Bonnie Franklin, Mary Frann, Gil Gerard, Lillian Gish, Whoopi Goldberg, Louis Gossett Jr., Robert Goulet, Gregory Harrison, Mary Hart, Florence Henderson, Katharine Hepburn, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Jill Ireland, Van Johnson, Shirley Jones, Ruby Keeler, Sally Kellerman, Jayne Kennedy, Stepfanie Kramer, Patti LaBelle, Dorothy Lamour, Burt Lancaster, Michele Lee, Janet Leigh, Shari Lewis, Gloria Loring, Lorna Luft, Tony Martin, Marlee Matlin, Marilyn McCoo, Roddy McDowall, Ann Miller, Donna Mills, Liza Minnelli, Roger Moore, Joe Namath, Donald O'Connor, Maureen O'Sullivan, Gregory Peck, Nia Peeples, Bernadette Peters, Jane Powell, Stefanie Powers, Luise Rainer, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lou Rawls, Lee Roy Reams, Burt Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds, Alfonso Ribeiro, John Ritter, Jason Robards, Ginger Rogers, Cesar Romero, Eva Marie Saint, Tracy Scoggins, William Shatner, Ally Sheedy, Jaclyn Smith, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, James Stewart, Jill St. John, Susan Sullivan, Loretta Swit, Alan Thicke, Lana Turner, Joan Van Ark, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Wagner, Dee Wallace, Betty White, Jesse White, Esther Williams, Treat Williams, Henry Winkler, Jane Wyman, and Loretta Young.

Audacious musical numbers, a terrific opening medley featuring Liza herself and a huge group-sing of (what else?) "Hooray For Hollywood" with the likes of Chuck Bronson, Burt Lancaster and James Coburn among MANY others. 

Happy Birthday Hollywood (1987) (TV)
Cast: Almost everybody who was alive in 1987

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

We the People 200: The Constitutional Parade (1987) (TV)

Companion piece to "We the People 200: The Constitutional Gala". This is the accompanying parade and continued celebration. Too packed with goodness to accurately describe, suffice it to say, "Fantastic".


We the People 200: The Constitutional Parade (1987) (TV)
Cast: The American People

We the People 200: The Constitutional Gala (1987) (TV)

Television special that salutes the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787 in comedy and song. This should be mandatory viewing in our public schools. Indescribably fantastic.


We the People 200: The Constitutional Gala (1987) (TV)
Host: Walter Cronkite

Saturday, March 20, 2010

How'd They Do That? (1992) TV series

Variety show with an obvious title, hosted by TV stud Pat O'Brien and the indelible Dorothy Lucey. As unlikely as this hosting duo may appear it was actually a lot of fun. One particular episode from March 1993 had; a profile of pre-Idol Paula Abdul and her green-screen Pepsi commercial, two guys who do computerized water shows, a group that legally beat the Virginia State Lottery, a profile of the beating of Reginald Denny during the Rodney King riots and how he was rescued, a human calculator guy, and an uplifting story of a makeup artist who uses her unique skills in a unique way. And that was just one episode!

How'd They Do That? (1992) (TV series)
Hosts: Dorothy Lucey, Pat O'Brien