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The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' is an American television comedy, comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was scheduled against the major NBC television series ''Bonanza'', with content that appealed to contemporary youth viewership with daring political satire humor and significant popular music performers such as Buffalo Springfield, Pete Seeger, The Beatles (band), The Beatles, and the Who. Despite this success, continual conflicts with network executives over content led to the show being abruptly pulled from the schedule in violation of the Smothers' contract in 1969. History The evolution of The Comedy Hour was unique to a medium that was fearful of change. The show debuted in the winter of 1967 as a slightly "hip" version of the typical comedy-variety show of its era. But within weeks it rapidly evolved into a program that exte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Variety Show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compère (master of ceremonies) or host. The variety format made its way from the Victorian era stage in Britain and America to radio and then television. Variety shows were a staple of English language television from the late 1940s into the 1980s. While the format is still widespread in some parts of the world, such as in the United Kingdom with the '' Royal Variety Performance'', the Philippines with ''Eat Bulaga!'' and '' It's Showtime'', and South Korea with '' Running Man'', the proliferation of multichannel television and evolving viewer tastes have affected the popularity of variety shows in the United States. Despite this, their influence has still had a major effect on late night television whose late-night talk shows and NBC's vari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Political Satire
Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satire is usually distinguished from political protest or political dissent, as it does not necessarily carry an agenda nor seek to influence the political process. While occasionally it may, it more commonly aims simply to provide entertainment. By its very nature, it rarely offers a constructive view in itself; when it is used as part of protest or dissent, it tends to simply establish the error of matters rather than provide solutions. Because of the exaggerated manner of these parodies, satirical news shows can more effectively sway their audiences to believe specific ideas by overemphasizing the flaws of the critiqued subject. This can be very harmful to the reputation of public figures or organizations since the satire frames them in a com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leigh French
Leigh French (born July 14, 1945) is an American actress. Early life French was born in Ashland, Kentucky. Career In her early career as a regular on ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' of the late-1960s, French portrayed a hippie named Goldie O'Keefe. The character was originally introduced, in an ostensible studio-audience interview segment, as Goldie Keif; both "Goldie" and "Keif" were slang terms for marijuana at the time. Reportedly, the slight name change to O'Keefe when she became a semi-regular was at the television network's insistence. Her segment of the show was called "Share a Little Tea with Goldie". At the time, "sharing tea" was a popular euphemism for getting high on marijuana. Following suit, her segment consisted largely of "helpful" household advice loaded with sex- and drug-related double entendres. French played a similar character, a San Francisco hippie type named Cobalt-Blue, in a 1968 episode ("Tag, You're It") of the ''I Spy'' series. She and Rob R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Einstein
Stewart Robert Einstein (November 20, 1942January 2, 2019) was an American actor, comedy writer, and producer. He created and performed the satirical stuntman character Super Dave Osborne, and was also known for his roles as Marty Funkhouser in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and Larry Middleman on ''Arrested Development''. Einstein got his start on several television variety shows, including ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' and ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour''. Einstein won two Emmy Awards as a writer and was nominated four other times. He also won a CableACE Award for acting as Super Dave, along with five other nominations. Einstein was the son of radio comedian Harry Einstein, and the older brother of fellow actor and comedian Albert Brooks. Background Einstein was born in 1942 in Los Angeles, to Jewish parents. His parents were the comic Harry Einstein, best known for playing the character Parkyakarkus on radio and in the movies, and the actress-singer Thelma Leeds. On October ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perennial Candidate
A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost to register as a candidate. Definition A number of modern articles related to electoral politics or elections have identified those who have run for elected office and lost two to three times, and then decide to mount a campaign again as perennial candidates. However, some articles have listed a number of notable exceptions. Some who have had their campaign applications rejected by their country's electoral authority multiple times have also been labelled as perennial candidates. Reason for running It has been noted that some perennial candidates take part in an election with the aim of winning, and some do have ideas to convey on the campaign trail, regardless of their chance for winning. Others have names similar to known candidate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lorenzo Music
Gerald David "Lorenzo" Music (May 2, 1937 – August 4, 2001) was an American actor, composer, musician, performer, writer and producer. Music began his career in the 1960s with his wife, Henrietta, forming the comedy duo Gerald and His Hen. He then became a writer and a regular performer on the controversial CBS variety show ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour''. In the 1970s, Music co-created the sitcom '' The Bob Newhart Show'' with David Davis and composed its theme music with his wife. He also wrote episodes for ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and '' Rhoda'', and got a major voiceover role for playing the unseen, but often heard, Carlton the Doorman in ''Rhoda''. Music gained fame in the 1980s for voicing Jim Davis' comic strip character Garfield in twelve animated specials, and later an animated series, video games, and commercials. His distinctive drawling voice of Garfield was later emulated by other actors following his death in 2001. Early life and career Gerald Davi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Reiner
Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael Stivic, Mike "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performance that earned him two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Comedy Series, Primetime Emmy Awards. His other acting credits include ''Throw Momma from the Train'' (1987), ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), ''Bullets Over Broadway'' (1994), ''The First Wives Club'' (1996), ''Primary Colors (film), Primary Colors'' (1998), ''EDtv'' (1999), ''Everyone's Hero'' (2006), and ''The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film), The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013). Reiner made his directorial film debut with heavy metal mockumentary ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984). He then earned acclaim directing the romantic comedy ''The Sure Thing'' (1985), coming of age drama ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Novello
Don Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, film director and producer. He appeared on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' as the character Father Guido Sarducci from 1978 to 1980 and 1985 to 1986. He appeared as Sarducci in television shows '' Married... with Children'', ''Blossom'', ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'', ''Unhappily Ever After'', ''Square Pegs'', ''The Colbert Report'' and most recently on '' The Late Show'' in 2025, as well as in the 1980 film '' Gilda Live'' and the 1995 film '' Casper''. He is the voice of Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini in the franchise of '' Atlantis: The Lost Empire''. Early life Novello was born on January 1, 1943, in Ashtabula, Ohio, the son of Eleanor Eileen Novello (née Finnerty), a nurse, and Augustine Joseph Novello, a physician. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Novello's family moved to Lorain, Ohio, when he was a child. In 1961, he graduated from Lorain High School. He subsequently enrolled into the U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Steve Martin, many accolades, including five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for eight Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. Martin received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2005, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Honorary Academy Award in 2013 and an AFI Life Achievement Award in 2015. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest Stand-up comedy, stand-up comics. Martin first came to public notice as a writer for ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969, and later as a frequent host on ''Saturday Night Live''. He became one of the most popular Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Stafford
James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", " My Girl Bill", and " Wildwood Weed", Stafford headlined at his own theater in Branson, Missouri, from 1990 to 2020. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ, and harmonica. Early years Stafford was raised in Winter Haven, Florida. In high school, he played in a band called the Legends, along with friends Bobby Braddock, Kent LaVoie (also known as Lobo) and Gram Parsons (of the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers). Career Recording history Stafford's first chart hit was "Swamp Witch", produced by Lobo, which cracked the U.S. top 40 in July 1973. On March 2, 1974, his biggest hit, " Spiders & Snakes", peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 14 in the BBC Top 50 in the UK, selling over two million copies, earning a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Jack Benny Program
''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 1961 Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series, and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy. Throughout his career, Jack Benny played the same character: A pompous, vain, and stingy man who played the violin badly but was convinced of his own talent. Although technically the star of his show, Benny was constantly the butt of jokes from his cast members, including Mary Livingstone (Sayde Marks Benny, his real-life wife); Phil Harris, his band leader; Kenny Baker or Dennis Day, his tenors; Don Wilson, his portly announcer; and Rochester Van Jones ( Eddie Anderson), his African American valet. As radio historian John Dunning explains, "Unlike Bob Hope, Jack Benny didn't ''tell'' jokes. On his show, Jack ''was' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Who
The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall Stack, Marshall stack, large public address systems, the use of synthesizers, Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's Guitar feedback, feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by many hard rock, punk rock, punk, power pop and mod (subculture), mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Who evolved from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod (subculture), mod movements, featuring auto-destructive art by Instrument destruction, destr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
