Donny and Marie

I was in LOVE with Donny when I was about 7 years old. I am not afraid to admit it, I am still a Donny and Marie fan. I got the new DVD set which has 4 vintage episodes of the Donny and Marie Show, and the bonus Christmas special. I have watched it three times already. Granted, I watched with my six year old, and she keeps making me replay it. She's now singing "Everybody Dance," "I'm a little bit country..." and doing lots of prat falls and Captain Purple imitations. There are guest appearances by Ruth Buzzy, Bob Hope, Paul Lynd and more. Just great fun. If you would like to take a trip back to the glorious 70s, this is a must see.

"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.

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.

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.

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.)