Puttin' on the Hits
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''Puttin' on the Hits'' is an American syndicated music/variety competition show that was hosted and written by
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. The show featured amateur acts
lip-synching Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
to popular songs. The show aired on weekends from 1984 to 1988. The show's title is a reference (and spoof) to
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...
's 1929 song &
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's 1983 cover '' Puttin' on the Ritz''.


Description

The show grew out of lip synching contests developed by William "Randy" Wood, who by 1982 had realized that his contests had grown so popular nationally that he needed to stage them on a broader scale. The planning process eventually grew into ''Puttin' on the Hits'' with
Chris Bearde Chris Bearde (June 18, 1936 – April 23, 2017) was a British-born comedy writer, producer and director best known for his work as a writer on ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' and for co-writing and producing television specials for Elvis Presley, ...
and
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...
serving as executive producers. Clark's son, Richard A. Clark, produced with Wood serving as the consulting producer.
MCA Television NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUnive ...
served as distributor. ''Puttin' on the Hits'' was taped in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
at
Universal City Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
. Contestants would often dress up in costumes and use props to make their act more outrageous. This varied from a seemingly severed head singing "I Ain't Got Nobody" to an Aretha Franklin drag act using couch cushions for breasts. Other acts were more conservative and placed emphasis on performance. The competition was conducted as many other televised performance contests (e.g. ''
Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
'') were. Each act was judged by a panel of celebrity judges based on their originality, appearance & lip-sync abilities. The judges could award a maximum of ten points per category, and their score totals were combined to give an act a total score of up to ninety points. In the event of a tie, the judges made a final decision to determine each winner. Each season was conducted as a tournament. Winners of a preliminary round received $1,000. Winning in the semifinal round was worth $5,000 to an act. At the end of the season, the winners of the semifinals competed in a grand championship final with $25,000 going to the winning act. Each contestant was given complimentary gifts and a videotape of their performance. Following the conclusion of the fourth season's tournament, the three previous season champions were invited back to compete once more against the winner of that season. The winning act won an additional $25,000. ''Puttin' on the Hits'' has been credited with launching the career of the group
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, and Jazzmun, a drag performer who can be seen in many contemporary television shows. Kato Kaelin was another notable contestant, appearing during the show's third season performing Steppenwolf's "
Born to Be Wild "Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first performed by the band Steppenwolf. The song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is most notably featured in the 1969 f ...
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Kids' version

A short-lived spinoff called ''Puttin' on the Kids'' hosted by Michael Young also aired in the 1986–87 television season, also distributed in syndication. Celebrity judges awarded
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s to two weekly winners.


See also

* ''Great Pretenders'' * '' Lip Service'' * '' Lip Sync Battle''


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, tt0346377 1980s American music television series 1984 American television series debuts 1988 American television series endings First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Singing talent shows Television series by Universal Television Television series by Dick Clark Productions