Episode 27: That's Entertainment! TV Variety Shows of the 70s
SHOW NOTES
In this episode, Amy discusses the 70s variety shows that were so popular on the television airwaves. While they might have a reputation for being lighthearted and even a bit corny, they seemed to be just what many Americans in the 70s were in the mood for in the wake of assassinations, Watergate, and the war in Vietnam. This is despite the fact that sitcoms actually became edgier. Looking back at the era, we can also see that the variety shows of the 70s give us a glimpse into the entertainment, fashion, sports, and politics of the decade, making them an important part of 70s history. As the 70s came to an end, the variety show did, too. Seventies icons, The Bee Gees, closed out the 70s with a 90-minute concert special on NBC on November 21, 1979, which served as a bridge between the variety shows of the 70s and the music videos of the 1980s.
PLAYLIST
Blowin’ in the Wind by Stevie Wonder and Glen Campbell (1969)
I Got You Babe (Live) by Sonny and Cher (1976)
Dark Lady by Cher (1974)
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence (1973)
One Bad Apple by The Osmonds (1970)
Deep Purple by Donny and Marie (1975)
Jive Talkin’ by The Bee Gees (1975)
SOURCES
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Bernie20Kosar. “Draft Dodger Rag—Smothers Brothers and George Segal.” YouTube. December 25, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DnYRJhHks
Buck, Jerry. “Ran Our Lives with an Iron Fist.” The Courier (Waterloo, IA). August 18, 1974.
Burnett, Carol. In Such Good Company. New York: Three RIvers Press. 2016
Cyclops. “Cyclops Views the Sonny and Cher Show.” Life. September 17, 1971.
Eskridge, Sara K. "“There Goes Old Gomer”: Rural Comedy, Public Persona, and the Wavering Line Between Fiction and Reality." Southern Cultures 20, no. 4 (2014): 44-57. Accessed May 15, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/26217564.
Folsom, Robert. “The Rural Purge: The Year CBS Killed Everything with a Tree In It.” The Socionomist. October 2013. https://www.socionomics.net/2013/10/the-rural-purge-the-year-cbs-killed-everything-with-a-tree-in-it/
Lloyd, Jack. “Donny Osmond: Times They Are A’Changin.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 17, 1972.
“Media Versus the Federal Government.” Britannica.
Paulson, Dave. “A Songwriter’s Rejection was Turned into Donny and Marie’s Signature Song.” The Tennessean. February 9, 2018. https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2018/02/09/songwriters-rejection-turned-into-donny-and-maries-signature-song/316169002/
Rocca, Mo. “The Rural Purge: Death of the Country Broadcast System.” Art 19. Podcast. December 6, 2019. https://art19.com/shows/mobituaries/episodes/46e3313f-03e5-4376-ab8a-6074dceedc97
The Old TV News Coach. “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Story.” August 29, 2017. https://westtennesseetoday.com/2017/08/29/the-glen-campbell-goodtime-hour-story/
Tramel, Jimmie. “Q & A with Donny Osmond.” Tulsa World. December 16, 2015. https://tulsaworld.com/entertainment/music/q-and-a-with-donny-osmond-60-albums-purple-socks-and-rivalry-with-jacksons/article_baa8ef1e-de21-50d0-85ce-263039f38a79.html
TV Shows. “Sonny & Cher, I Got You Babe (1976).” YouTube. November 15, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DijpK4nHMmI