Do you know what I really miss, especially at this time of the year?

[luvflorida]

The good ole' variety shows from the 60s and 70s. Now I know I'm showing my age here, but I grew up with The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Smothers Brothers, Sonny and Cher, etc.

I especially loved the Christmas variety shows every December. I loved watching the family get-togethers on the Lawrence Welk Show, Andy Williams Show, Bing Crosby, and others.

Anyone remember the King Family? That was one of my very favorite holiday shows! I remember one year getting in to a fight with my younger brother because he wanted to watch something else at the same time that the King Family's Christmas special was going to be on. This was at a time when we only had one television in the house.

The old variety shows could be silly at times, and you never knew what to expect, but I always found them entertaining. And the Christmas ones always gave me a good, heart-warming feeling.

I also remember watching the Merv Griffin Show and Mike Douglas Show.

Anyone else remember watching (and enjoying!) these shows?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I used to love those shows. Sometimes I'll look up clips on You Tube, and wil sit there and laugh as I watch them.

We used to watch all of those Christmas shows, plus John Denver Christmas, etc.

 

[ckay87]

I remember Dinah Shore, Donny and Marie, Hee Haw (LOL!)....hmmm....American Bandstand....how about Solid Gold?

I always think the popularity of today's talent shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars kind of demonstrates how we still kind of like to see variety-type shows. NOT saying it's the same thing, but it IS fun to see singing and dancing on tv, isn't it?

 

[puffkin]

I am too young to remember a lot of those, but I do miss some Christmas type shows. I was just telling DH this the other night. I had recorded the Carrie Underwood Holiday Special last week when we were away and I saved it to watch while I was wrapping presents this week. I don't really listen to Carrie's music (not a country fan) but I liked her on Idol and thought it would be good. Well, she sang I believe 1 Christmas type song and Dolly sang 1 and both were in the last 10 minutes of a 2 hour special. I was so disappointed Even the Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey one from a few years back was lightyears better. I miss those type of shows.

 

[luvthatduke]

My mom & I just talked about this last night!
I guess I'm among the generation of the OP,
& I do miss those variety shows.
My son has loved Lawrence Welk since he was 3 (he's 6 now),
and if we're home on the weekends my DH will
see if it's on for him.
We never watched it but our son saw DH flipping
by it one day & asked him to stop,
and DS fell in love with the music & dancing.
Last year I picked up a DVD that has something like
8 half hour shows on it - all black & white Christmas specials.
Our son LOVES it - he wants to watch it ever night!
It has Jack Benny, Ozzie & Harriet, and lots more.
They're not really variety shows on that one,
more like Christmas episodes of the old shows,
but it's the closest thing I've found so far.
I also picked up (in the dollar bin) a Martin & Lewis
collection on one DVD, and DS thinks it's awesome!
We're all singing the "Bacha Me" song along with
Rosemary Clooney

 

[MerMom60_94]

I totally agree with you. I used to love watching and listening to Andy Williams and his guests, or Bing Crosby and it was all themed around Christmas. I don't get why they can't have something like that today. I would love to see a comeback of variety shows.

I loved Smothers Brothers. Remember Yo-yo man? He had YO!!

 

[DancingBear]

I don't think anyone mentioned:
Dean Martin
Flip Wilson
Howard Cosell!

Gee I'm getting old.

 

[luvflorida]

I remember Dinah Shore, Donny and Marie, Hee Haw (LOL!)....hmmm....American Bandstand....how about Solid Gold?

Oh yeah, I loved Dinah Shore, Donny and Marie and American Bandstand. Never really got into Hee Haw and I don't remember Solid Gold, though.

My kids (the two oldest, anyway) grew up watching Pee Wee's Playhouse. Actually, I quite enjoyed it, too. We have Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special on DVD and watch it every year. It's really funny (if you like his sense of humor, which we all do!) and it's funny to see all the celebrities that he had on his special and how they've changed since then.

 

[nancys]

I saw the Smothers Brothers live in concert 3 or 4 years ago. Tommy still has YO! Seriously, he is amazing! They still present a good show!

 

[Missy1961]

The good ole' variety shows from the 60s and 70s. Now I know I'm showing my age here, but I grew up with The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Smothers Brothers, Sonny and Cher, etc.

I especially loved the Christmas variety shows every December. I loved watching the family get-togethers on the Lawrence Welk Show, Andy Williams Show, Bing Crosby, and others.

Anyone remember the King Family? That was one of my very favorite holiday shows! I remember one year getting in to a fight with my younger brother because he wanted to watch something else at the same time that the King Family's Christmas special was going to be on. This was at a time when we only had one television in the house.

The old variety shows could be silly at times, and you never knew what to expect, but I always found them entertaining. And the Christmas ones always gave me a good, heart-warming feeling.

I also remember watching the Merv Griffin Show and Mike Douglas Show.

Anyone else remember watching (and enjoying!) these shows?

I could have written this post! I loved the Carol Burnett show. To this day, I still remember the Gone with the Wind parody.....I think I hurt my self laughing.

And I watch Mike Douglas every day. Merv Griffin once in a while.

I think I read that one of the King Family died the other day. Have to go google.... yes....http://www.officialkingfamily.com/

 

[ckay87]

Solid Gold was a dance show....the Solid Gold dancers? I loved that show!

But I forgot about the best of the best....The Muppet Show!!! I could NOT wait to see who the special guest would be every time!

 

[Missy1961]

Solid Gold was a dance show....the Solid Gold dancers? I loved that show!

But I forgot about the best of the best....The Muppet Show!!! I could NOT wait to see who the special guest would be every time!

The Muppet Show was awesome!

 

[luvflorida]

My mom & I just talked about this last night!
I guess I'm among the generation of the OP,
& I do miss those variety shows.
My son has loved Lawrence Welk since he was 3 (he's 6 now),
and if we're home on the weekends my DH will
see if it's on for him.
We never watched it but our son saw DH flipping
by it one day & asked him to stop,
and DS fell in love with the music & dancing.
Last year I picked up a DVD that has something like
8 half hour shows on it - all black & white Christmas specials.
Our son LOVES it - he wants to watch it ever night!
It has Jack Benny, Ozzie & Harriet, and lots more.
They're not really variety shows on that one,
more like Christmas episodes of the old shows,
but it's the closest thing I've found so far.
I also picked up (in the dollar bin) a Martin & Lewis
collection on one DVD, and DS thinks it's awesome!
We're all singing the "Bacha Me" song along with
Rosemary Clooney

OMG! I thought we had the only "odd" kids! When my son was five years old, he couldn't wait for the mailman to bring the latest VHS tape of the "I Love Lucy" show! I ordered the entire collection when they first were made available on VHS, and one tape with three episodes on it was shipped every five or six weeks.

My fifteen month old grandson is mesmerized when I put on my Ed Sullivan DVD with the Beatles performing in '64. He'll also watch the other variety acts on the DVD.

ETA: luvthatduke: I hope you know that I'm not really calling your child "odd"!

 

[dapoteete]

Flip Wilson was my fave on right after Sonny & Cher.

I have a Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby special on DVD the I am saving for this weekend.

As a kid in the 70's, I loved all of those shows but mostly the Christmas specials.

 

[MerMom60_94]

What's sad to me is my DD who just turned 15 likes these shows when we run across reruns. I know the networks will say this generation doesn't get that humor and it's too simple but I think they are wrong. I think they underestimate people today, including the kids. I don't know if this is just a local thing, but PBS has been running a show on the musical acts that performed on the Ed Sullivan show.

 

[luvflorida]

I could have written this post! I loved the Carol Burnett show. To this day, I still remember the Gone with the Wind parody.....I think I hurt my self laughing.

And I watch Mike Douglas every day. Merv Griffin once in a while.

I think I read that one of the King Family died the other day. Have to go google.... yes....http://www.officialkingfamily.com/

Tim Conway as the old man shuffling around, and how he always cracked up Harvery Korman!

Yes, I read about the death of Yvonne King. I believe she was 89.

 

[luvflorida]

I don't think anyone mentioned:
Dean Martin
Flip Wilson
Howard Cosell!

Gee I'm getting old.

Oh yes! I forgot about Dean Martin and Flip Wilson!

 

[Nolcrest]

Just had this conversation the other day. Yes I LOVED all of those shows. It really was a special time to sit around the TV as a family and watch the shows. One TV back then and of course no video to record, so you made sure to watch.

Just last night I spent the better part of the evening watching old clips and songs on Youtube. On my Facebook I've been posting a clip of the day and it's all the old stuff that we just loved. Corny maybe but life was so much simpler then and we were probably alot happier.

 

[Missy1961]

Tim Conway as the old man shuffling around, and how he always cracked up Harvery Korman!

Yes, I read about the death of Yvonne King. I believe she was 89.

OT: your grandson is a cutie! I just love those pictures.

 

[Diznotyzed]

My husband and I were talking about this just last night as we were watching Justin Timberlake on the SNL Christmas clip show. He's so good when he hosts SNL we were thinking that's the closest we get to those old variety shows.

This year for our family's Thanksgiving talentless show we did a plate spinning act ala Ed Sullivan - although our plates were paper and tacked on to the sticks! We even played "The Sabre Dance" for our background music. We really remember a lot of those old shows.