We all know why variety shows became extinct by the end of the seventies; they drowned in a wave of cheese, utterly failing to adapt to the new directions in music and comedy. But did it have to be so? Whether it was the frentic pace of Laugh-In to the fearless music bookings of Johnny Cash, quite a few variety shows in the late 60s were at the cutting edge. Why then did 70s variety shows pretend the big changes in music and comedy weren't happening, and did any of them at least try to adapt?
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Why couldn't variety shows adapt in the 70s?
- Thread starter installLSC
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One big issue was cost. If you're talking about shows like Laugh In, Carol Burnett, or Barbara Mandrell, they were very expensive to do. They needed writers, a full orchestra, lots of performance fees to pay, lots of technical people to pay. Just way too expensive to do, at a time when TV was getting cheaper to do. The variety shows were done in LA. The dramas could be shot someplace cheaper. It always comes down to money.
Well, there was Saturday Night Live.
Of course, today there's only Saturday Night Live.
Of course, today there's only Saturday Night Live.
The Ed Sullivan style variety show, with everyone from plate spinners and the Metropolitan Opera to The Doors couldn't possibly have worked past the 70s, let alone today. I can't even picture what "Ed"'s show would look like today.
They called them "variety" shows because the content was varied. (Variety: noun. the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity, sameness, or monotony.)
There were three networks back then and usually only one TV in the house. People often sat down and watch together. Nobody liked everything on The Ed Sullivan Show but people were willing to sit still for the dancing bear, the Russian ballet or the guy who made a puppet out of his hand in order to see the Beatles. The audience has changed. It's used to having more choices and being able to make individual choices. TV is no longer than national campfire. And the audience attention span is short and people won't sit still for what they don't want.
The Carol Burnett Show was essentially a sketch comedy show, like SNL. Unlike SNL they couldn't keep replacing people and keep the show fresh. The show was on the downhill run after Harvey Korman left.
Most variety shows had fairly short runs. Four or five years was typical. Dean Martin (nine seasons) and Carol Burnett (11 seasons) ran longer than most. Sullivan was the exception at 22 seasons, and one of the few shows in which the host did not perform (the other was the short-lived Saturday Night Live with Howard Cossell).
All of this coincides with the rise for format radio is the 70s. Prior to this, some radio stations played all genres of music, from Buck Owens to The Beatles. By the 70s, there were radio stations that specialized in particular genres, and that started the Balkanization of music taste that we see today. By the 90s, MTV was finding it difficult to combine boy bands, rap, and rock in its presentation, so it dropped music completely and went more towards reality TV shows aimed at a young audience.
Music was not an important part of many variety shows - sometimes not any part. Many writers distinguish music-variety shows (usually hosted by a singer) from comedy-variety shows (usually hosted by a comedian). On programs like "Your Show of Shows," "The Jackie Gleason Show," "The Texaco Star Theater" starring Milton Berle, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," and "The Carol Burnett Show" (among others) there could be the occasional musical guest but music was - at most - a minor part of the show. Music on SNL today, with two music segments each week, is more prominent than in the "golden age" comedy-variety shows. Of course, music was a major part of music-variety programs like "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show" and "The Perry Como Show." A few shows emphasized both music and comedy like "The Danny Kaye Show," "The Gary Moore Show" and "The Dean Martin Show."
Late night shows, like "The Tonight Show" are often categorized as talk-variety shows with interview segments and stand-up acts, not usually seen on classic prime time variety shows.
Late night shows, like "The Tonight Show" are often categorized as talk-variety shows with interview segments and stand-up acts, not usually seen on classic prime time variety shows.
By 1970 and 1971, the rock acts like The Doors and other long-hair, hippie types were chasing the 45 plus crowd away as much as the old-hat plate spinners. Sullivan probably went five years beyond the show's logical end because CBS didn't have anything better for Sunday night, just like Fox kept American Idol around. Both were declining near the end but still making acceptable ratings and revenues.
Even on the comedic shows you mentioned, music was still tailored for a general audience. Most adults truly liked whatever was presented and kids just expected it, so it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment, even for them.
The Sullivan Show was doing well through the late 60s against formidable competition: Disney on NBC (against Sullivan's first half hour) and "The FBI" on ABC. Sullivan didn't win his time slot after the 67-68 second but still was in the top 30. What really did Ed in was Nielsen started reported demographics and that killed a lot of shows at CBS and the other two networks. In the late 60s, Ed was plagued by a succession of weak lead-in shows. If CBS had kept "The Smothers Brothers" on following Ed, they might have helped pull his show up with younger, hipper demos. But Fred Silverman had no patience with long-running shows skewing older and rural.
Another factor: For much of his run, the show had a sponsor (Lincoln-Mercury). Sponsors often liked being associated with a given show and could keep it on despite ratings. By the late 60s, Ed had spot advertisers who bought on the numbers and had no investment in the show.
After My Favorite Martian was cancelled in 1966, these were Ed's lead-in shows for the remainder of his run:
1966-67: It's About Time
1967-69: Gentle Ben
1969-70: To Rome With Love
1970-71: Hogan's Heroes (in its last year)
The star of "It's About Time"(a comedy set in the stone age)was Joe E. Ross, who was on "Car 54, Where Are You". I saw him at a comedy club in the late 70s, walked up to his table and told him I enjoyed that show. He replied, "Oh, you're the one!"
The star of "It's About Time"(a comedy set in the stone age)was Joe E. Ross, who was on "Car 54, Where Are You". I saw him at a comedy club in the late 70s, walked up to his table and told him I enjoyed that show. He replied, "Oh, you're the one!"
The show actually flopped twice. First, an accident sends two astronauts in a capsule through the time barrier back to the stone age . That wasn't working. So, mid-season they fixed the capsule and took off with the cave people stowed away back to present day. That didn't work either.
It seems to me that show had Imogene Coca, which should have been enough. Think how well she did as a dead body on top of the car in "Vacation".
Even if CBS & Silverman had wanted Ed Sullivan to continue the show and even if somehow the show did get the younger demos The Ed Sullivan Show was doomed anyway because of Ed's rapidly declining health in the early 70s which led to Ed's death in 1974.. Years ago I heard an interview with Lucie Arnaz. According to her when both her and Lucille Ball had made an appearance with Sullivan during the Here's Lucy days and even then they knew the man was dying. I seem to remember reading someplace where Barry Williams had mentioned that when he and the other Brady kids did the Sullivan show ( or was it a special ?? )..they too knew that Ed Sullivan was dying.
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The news reports of his death say he died (on 10/13/74) of esophageal cancer that had only been diagnosed a month earlier. His son-in-law was quoted as saying he had never been told he had the disease.
A while back I read a TV Guide article from 1971 about the Sullivan show cancellation, and it said Sullivan would do several specials a year on CBS. It also claimed Sullivan was for this reason was pretty accepting of his cancellation. Is this true, and how many of the specials actually aired?
Sounds like the same deal CNN made with Larry King.
I'm not sure the Carol Burnett Show was considered variety. To me, it was a comedy show. Did they ever have a musical act?
Though, I would give Carol credit for providing one of the last, if not the last, comedy skit program that scored decent ratings. They also understood the "live" look complete with crack-ups, however non-live it actually was! Just brilliant tv, without a question, despite how it was edited.
Though, I would give Carol credit for providing one of the last, if not the last, comedy skit program that scored decent ratings. They also understood the "live" look complete with crack-ups, however non-live it actually was! Just brilliant tv, without a question, despite how it was edited.
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