Donny and Marie

"Donny & Marie" was one of the last variety shows on the air. The variety show format on TV gained popularity in the early 1960's, and was highly successful until the late '70s. A typical episode was a combination of jokes, skits, dance routines, and musical performances. As with any show of this type, some episodes were stronger than others, depending on the guests.

Variety was format that allowed many aging Hollywood greats, such as Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, and George Burns amongst many others, to perform for their fans on an albeit infrequent basis. Sadly, nearly all of the big name guest stars of the variety show format have passed away.

"Donny & Marie" was truly a family-friendly show. Looking back, it was definitely a wholesome program, one we remember fondly and wished that we would see more of today.

Donny and Marie Osmond were the first brother and sister to host a variety show. Critics picked on the duo the whole time they were on the air. It wasn't great art, but it was fun, wholesome entertainment for an hour on Friday nights. Donny and Marie, like all variety shows, was expensive to put on every week, and that, along with changing tastes, eventually drove the show off the airwaves. Sometimes Nick-At-Nite will show reruns of it.

When Donny and Marie premiered they had the full backing of the studio. With big name guest stars like Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, and Bing Crosby. As time went on ABC began using the Donny and Marie Show as nothing more than an hour long advertisement for other ABC shows currently on the air. Charlie's Angels cast, Happy Days cast, Mork and Mindy cast, Eight is Enough cast, Check out the first cast lists and later cast lists.

They were just kids so they couldn't even fight the grown-ups on a level footing. Bringing the show to Utah was an attempt to wrest back control over the guest list and bring in the big drawing names again. Didn't work, as punishment, ABC moved the show opposite the highest rated show on TV at the time; Sixty Minutes. Then complaining about "poor ratings" they canceled the show. They did a remarkable job for being the youngest people to host a musical variety show. With all those adults telling them what to do.

The very first time this show aired I was NOT a fan of the Osmonds. Someone gave me an Osmond record for my birthday and I sorta smiled and half-heartedly said "Thanks". I secretly rolled my eyes and thought "How lame" (or whatever the equivalent of that phrase was back in the 70's). However, the show grew on me and after a while I was hooked. From then on, every Friday night at 7:00 you could find me in front of the TV drinking in the music, the comedy, the goofy skits, I loved it all. I couldn't wait till next week. If only VCRs were easily affordable back then, I'd have taped every show. Too bad the world has become a more complex and sadder place where silly slapstick and good time music are no longer appreciated.

Call me a devil's advocate if you must, but I for one had the time of my life growing up watching this show. To me, the Osmonds were, are, and shall always be, the best entertainers on the planet. (I emphasize the word "entertainment" over "music" in this case.) So the music wasn't always the best. So the jokes were often lame. So "squeaky-clean" wasn't everybody's thing. THAT DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HATES THE SHOW! As far as my family and I were concerned, "squeaky clean" was in. We never had to worry about the show being offensive or risqué. Choosing "Donny & Marie" on weekends was a no-brainer. No matter how silly or over-the-top things got, it took us out of ourselves and made us forget our troubles for one hour every week. I don't recall any episode that failed to entertain us, particularly me. I enjoyed the humor, the songs, the guest stars, the Krofft puppets, even the cross-references to other period shows.

Compared to today's lame-brained comic fare, this series is truly a lost gem that deserves rediscovery. (As I recall, one night in 1993, Nick at Nite did air a New Year's Eve episode of the show, but they aired it only once. Maybe they thought no one was watching. They were wrong. I was.) If Nick at Nite, TV Land, or even Goodlife TV won't put it back on the air, at least put it out on DVD. I rank this show right up there with other classic variety shows like "Lawrence Welk,""Ed Sullivan," "Sha-Na-Na," "Carol Burnett & Friends," Flip Wilson," and "Tony Orlando & Dawn." (Believe it or not, "Sonny & Cher" never appealed much to me. Maybe it was the music, or Cher's outrageous choice of wardrobe. I don't know.)

Suffice to say, there's no point in adding to Donny's socio-phobia. Not everybody got the Captain Purple jokes. But you did good by my family. Take a bow! This show absolutely deserves more credit than it's been given. (If YOU don't like it, please go puke in the bathroom.)