On September 9, 1967, a one-time special was aired. It received great ratings, so NBC decided to make it a regular series. It debuted on January 22, 1968, and was a Monday night staple for five years.
It was a perfect example of the right thing at the right time. There was a tremendous amount of tension during those days, with more to come. 1968 would prove to be a year marked by assassination. Vietnam was requiring the lives of more and more young men. The Civil Rights movement was still being met with violent resistance. Mandatory busing of students to force integration was as welcome as a fart in an elevator.
America needed to laugh! And Laugh-In proved to be the ideal solution. It was #1 on the Nielsens for its first two years.
The fact is that the show was brilliance in writing and performance. Behind the scenes, Lorne Michaels and a host of other eventual contributors to Saturday Night Live put together material that was biting, timely, and below the censors' radar screens.
But the performers were what the public saw, and they saw one of the most talented groups of comedians and comediennes ever gathered in one TV show.
Routines included Arte Johnson's German soldier peering out from behind the foliage ("Verrrry interesting . . . but shtupid!"); the same performer riding his tricycle in a yellow raincoat, hitting obstacles, and falling down; and playing dirty old man Tyrone, who would be inevitably beaten into submission by Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby each time they met.
Henry Gibson would recite a silly poem while holding a huge artificial flower. He also played a coffee-sipping preacher at the cocktail party that aired each episode.
Judy Carne played the sock it to me girl who would be drenched with a bucket of water whenever she was tricked into uttering the famous line. She also played the Judy doll who would clobber any guy who touched her.
Lily Tomlin played snorting Ernestine the operator; Edith Ann, a little girl who sat in a huge chair and signed off with "and that's the truth" (followed by a rude farting sound from her mouth); and Mrs. Earbore, who would lecture the world on being tasteful, then spread her legs wide apart as she stood up.
The show featured many others, but I'm, getting tired of writing ;-).
Judy Carne was the first to move on, and as others followed, the show's popularity began to slip. By 1973, it was finished.
The stars went on to bigger things, in many cases. Goldie Hawn, who acted like a vacuum-head on the show, proved herself to be a savvy, Oscar winning actress who even accomplished that rarest of Hollywood feats: a long-lasting marriage to fellow actor Kurt Russell. Lily Tomlin likewise had a successful film career. Others found success in TV.
The show had repeated skits that were eagerly anticipated by audiences. The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate would be given for some dubious achievement in the news. It was later replaced by the Whoopie Award. It's a mod, mod world, with Goldie dancing in a bikini with wisecrack statements written all over her, aired each episode. Each show would close with cast members popping open doors in a brightly colored wall and spouting bad jokes while the credits rolled.
We also have several additions to our lingo thanks to Laugh-In. You bet your sweet bippy, sock it to me (Nixon may well have won the 1968 election by spouting the line on Laugh-In. Hubert Humphrey refused to go on the show), look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnall's, etc.
I could probably write a book about the show. This has barely given it justice, especially in light of those first two incredible seasons, when the original cast was still together.
Okay, I'm done. Say goodnight, Dick.
Comments (6)
Very well written post!
Yeah, Laugh-in was one of my favorites too. Only prob was I was 6-10
years old during the run, so a lot of the double entandres and in-jokes were over my head, but the rapid fire crazy editing and sight gags, and all out craziness, had all the kids hooked too...remember it always came on right before Monday Night football? From what little is available,
much of it still holds up. For me, the arte johnson stuff holds up the best..the oldman,
the jungle nazi at the end(very intereeesssteeing!...but,
shhhtuppid!),etc. was a riot, and he was funny on the Gong Show. Strangely enough, the Gong Show was the only program to have on a number of alumni from Laugh-in, including Joann whorley, Dick Martin, and others....
Posted by scott | July 21, 2007 4:14 PM
Posted on July 21, 2007 16:14
ickx uobgfv vwapbsmy hlpebaytn ajny phklbmc keblcos
Posted by pqywbf virwzkmg | September 4, 2007 9:15 PM
Posted on September 4, 2007 21:15
gjxbd plxuisa yblkuh unljk xpds gtjrl vxbmfd http://www.akpqb.hokq.com
Posted by iezlmcnjy dtjqbeixm | September 4, 2007 9:16 PM
Posted on September 4, 2007 21:16
I remember when NBC was first advertising for this show in maybe 68. Laugh-in was loved by me, who was 9 in early 68. Why did I love Laugh-in. Well, that fact it could be funny and entertaining to a 9 year old as well as adults, says something for it. It was full of cliché slogans like Sock it to me, Here come da judge, etc. You missed Dave Madden going on to do the Partridge Family. Eve Arden did a sitcom with 2 couple and their antics. I hated to see some like Judy Carne and later Goldie Hawn, who did get my attention as a boy.
I seem to remember some fast motion, sort of like what Benny Hill did. Some silent stuff. Great variety. Lots of characters. Why did it not last? Writers dried up maybe. Network might have tied their hands if they wanted to change. Networks loved goofy stuff like Sonny and Cher, which I did like as a kid. Donnie and Marie, which I did watch at times. But Laugh-in had more of and edge and satire. Networks hate that honest sort of stuff.
Even today, the Simpsons staff has all they can do to hold off Network execs from interfering. There is a lot of edge to them as well as South Park but Simpsons is better. But I watch/love both all the time. Then there was the grand-daddy, SNL and later MadTV. But I truly loved Laugh-in. While I am not prude about vulgarity, Laugh-in could be funny without it. Some use vulgarity and profanity as a substitute for comedy. Sometimes, some profanity is called for, but when it is used just to shock, it doesn’t work cause I heard it all before. I want comedy. Comedy had yet to experience the change that would later be brought by SNL.
Good comedy shows need lots of writers for input and I guess they didn’t want to put that much into it. They did have a captive audience with only 3 networks so they did not need to make anything that good. We had nothing else to watch. When I think of the best times, I think of Laugh-in. It was a great time period in many ways. Laugh-in was the best representation of it.
Posted by Scott I | April 27, 2009 12:10 AM
Posted on April 27, 2009 00:10
This was so sixties! It was funny and very colorful! Always had good celebrities and a good deversion from the violent times that were happening at the time! Goldie Hawn was also a Maryland resident at the time not to far away from us! Silver Spring! Those catch phrases still heard here and there! I liked the old man who always tried to flirt with Ruth Buzzie and she woulkd clobber him over the head with her purse and the old man would fall over! To funny!
Posted by Rivers End | May 29, 2009 10:20 PM
Posted on May 29, 2009 22:20
joanne worley. boy did she have a big mouth. lol. and alan sues. lol lol. i saw him in an episode of the twilight zone once called the masks.
Posted by vera | February 1, 2010 8:47 AM
Posted on February 1, 2010 08:47