If you were to make a list of something so trifling, you'd note summer replacement variety shows in 1966 were dominated by the "Kraft Summer Music Hall," hosted by John Davidson and featuring - as the house comics - the young, clean-cut George Carlin and Richard Pryor. I'm not kidding. Both of 'em, just starting out.
"Mickie Finn's" was in there, too, hosted by Fred Finn and his wife, a banjo-playing blond bombshell named Mickie. They owned what must have been a fun nightclub in San Diego, and went from this short-lived show to a Vegas act. The whole thing was done up as a recreation of their club, had a Gay-'90s theme and featured the rolling stock company of variety-show guest stars of the mid-'60s (Vic Damone, Ed Ames, etc.). This bunch would gravitate from this to "Dean Martin", "Andy Williams" and the "Hollywood Palace". ...Pretty much wherever mics were live and audiences at body temperature. "Careful! That's Edie Gorme's sink!" The centerpiece was the tinkling saloon-style piano of Fred Finn and his wife's feverish strumming. She never spoke - ever. She... just... smiled and strummed, strummed and smiled. There's a YouTube excerpt from a 1981 Merv Griffin Show that pretty much sums up Finn's frenetic - and not bad - Las Vegas act. But Mickie's not there. Wonder what ever happened to her...
Also, this wasn't clinically a "summer replacement", since it debuted in April to replace a dying sitcom that had the unfortunate fate of being slotted against ABC's "Peyton Place"; ABC had a strong Thursday that year, with "Batman", as well. If this show had anything going for it, it was as lead-in to NBC's moderately successful tongue-in-cheek western, "Laredo".
"Mickey Finn's" was a true '60s summer memory - filmy, but fun.
