# Would a 1970's style Variety show work again? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633 "2018-12-05T20:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/21 "2018-12-06T03:35:47Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > wasn’t the gong show idea started as a parody of variety shows ? > I know in the 80s there was this juggler who was something of a stand up comedian who was on a lot of “specials” and talk shows > > his shtick was hed tell the jokes while juggling various things his "coupe de gra " was hed juggle an apple bowling ball and a raw egg sometimes there would be more things thrown in … but hed eat the apple as it came around and right at the end hed “accidently” eat the egg for laughs depending on the show the whole process would be 5-to 15 minuites > youd need a lot more like him to fill an hour show Whut. Tha. Living. Fuck?? Is this in the US?? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/22 "2018-12-06T03:41:27Z")
yep it was and he didn’t “eat” the egg it was more like hed bite one end so the raw egg would run out the side so youd see the yolk falling to the floor on camera as he had a comical shocked look on his face ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/23 "2018-12-06T03:42:18Z")
[QUOTE=lingyi;21361668 More a reality show than variety, The Mask Singer coming next year to the U.S. is based on the Korean King of Mask[ed] Singer where celebrities and singers wear elaborate masks and costumes to hide their identity as they go head to head. [/QUOTE] 😃 . That sounds like the old fashioned ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. :D… I don’t know as there are enough celebrities and singers, wearing elaborate masks and costumes, to put on a ‘show’ that would last more than 6 episodes. I don’t know any of these Ariana Grands or CardiBs, or care about any Kartrashians, the audience for this would have to be 30 and under. And they don’t watch tv!.. How humiliating would it have to be to have REAL celebrities involved in such things,I don’t think any would sign up for it unless they were desperate. :D…Of course, I could be ALL. WRONG. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/24 "2018-12-06T04:39:11Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > yep it was and he didn’t “eat” the egg it was more like hed bite one end so the raw egg would run out the side so youd see the yolk falling to the floor on camera as he had a comical shocked look on his face Michael Davis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRrfAzdpW8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRrfAzdpW8). He didn’t do it in this clip, he does a great Stan Laurel impression. Here’s a clip where from his TV special where he juggles an axe, a knife and a cleaver (the punchlines are great and I won’t spoil it). I think he juggles chainsaws, a standard now, but new back then. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/25 "2018-12-06T05:00:51Z")
There’s a spinoff of one of the last variety shows still on the air. It’s The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. I thought that show, and In Living Color, were pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/26 "2018-12-06T05:03:04Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > 😃 . That sounds like the old fashioned ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. :D… I don’t know as there are enough celebrities and singers, wearing elaborate masks and costumes, to put on a ‘show’ that would last more than 6 episodes. I don’t know any of these Ariana Grands or CardiBs, or care about any Kartrashians, the audience for this would have to be 30 and under. And they don’t watch tv!.. How humiliating would it have to be to have REAL celebrities involved in such things,I don’t think any would sign up for it unless they were desperate. :D…Of course, I could be ALL. WRONG. According to Wikipedia it’s scheduled for 10 episodes starting January 2019. The Korean version has all types of celebrities, well known or not, actors/actresses, sports figures, etc., young or old, known to be able to sing or not. Even Ryan Reynolds appeared as a challenger. The competition isn’t limited to like age either. Some of the biggest surprises are when KPop singers do ballads against older contestants and completely shock the audience. And possibly the biggest surprise for Korean audiences (other than Ryan Reynolds) was a former KPop group singer (Sun Ye from Wonder Girls) who completely disappeared in 2013 (she married and moved to Haiti with her husband to do humanitarian work) appeared on the show and announced her return to show business. I do agree though, that the likelihood of the show being a big success in the U.S. is pretty slim because most singers and groups are expected to actually be able to sing and play, and unless they really kill in a style completely different style, they won’t have as big an impact. Whereas in Korea (and Asia in general), a big focus is on the dance choreography, especially in large (5+ member). ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/27 "2018-12-06T05:10:46Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I’d consider AGT a variety show. It’s a sub-category of variety show. Its ancestors aren’t so much Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin but Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/28 "2018-12-06T05:14:42Z")
More about King of Mask singer. The celebrity panel is a mix of young and old, with one old man (don’t know his name) generally clueless about anyone under 50, which lends more creedence to the winner really being the best singer. The winner is determined by the celebrity panel and the audience, a total of 99 votes. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/29 "2018-12-06T05:21:18Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Michael Davis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRrfAzdpW8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRrfAzdpW8). He didn’t do it in this clip, he does a great Stan Laurel impression. Here’s a clip where from his TV special where he juggles an axe, a knife and a cleaver (the punchlines are great and I won’t spoil it). I think he juggles chainsaws, a standard now, but new back then. Oops, here’s the link to the clip from his special [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7VuA7tCINw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7VuA7tCINw) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/30 "2018-12-06T06:48:13Z")
I wonder if kbs’s “gag reel” would work over here ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/31 "2018-12-06T07:41:38Z")
I think AGT and Youtube have killed off traditional variety (which are as stated above, based on vaudeville) shows. Anyone with real talent probably won’t want to debut on a variety show when there’s a chance of big money and a big contract. And back then, the variety show was often the only opportunity to see your favorite singer or band. When Elvis and The Beatles (not together…before someone points that out \) appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, people stayed tuned for the whole program because there was no guarantee when they would perform. And there was no recording for later or reruns. Also, the range of what’s acceptable was narrower and the target demographic was wider. Yes, they censored Elvis’ hips and criticized The Beatles haircuts, but there was something for everyone from the little kids to grandma and grandpa. Everyone could watch together. Now it’s, the kids watch one thing on their tablets, Mom and Dad watch something else on their computer, and Grandma and Grandpa watch something else on the TV. The market share is too small to make having quality acts and guests profitable. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/32 "2018-12-06T12:36:17Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Not to diss anyone, but I see only two or three on that list who might compare to a Flip Wilson or Carol Burnett. Some of them I’ve never heard of before, and I doubt most will have the staying power of a Dean Martin or Red Skelton. And those who have already made it big in music or whatever field are probably bringing in too much money to even consider the grind of a weekly variety show. I think this a world you pretty much have to be born into, or at least believe you were. I thought I only threw one obscure name on the list, but that’s besides the point. You’ve cherry picked some of the biggest names for variety shows, [there were dozens of these things going back to the 50s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_variety_television_series). On the one end of the spectrum, Dean Martin started his while still starring in movies. Carol Burnett was basically only really known for the Garry Moore Show. It was a pretty savvy TV exec that Green Lit letting a second banana star in her own show. Flip Wilson was pretty popular at the time, still give points to that exec also for green lighting his show. It was the first time a Variety show starring an African American got popular. They also hedge their bets by keeping production costs pretty low. I watched maybe 10 episodes in the last year or so and this had to be a very inexpensive show to produce. I’m sure that helped a lot. Red Skelton show ran for 2 decades from almost the beginning of commercial TV. Probably the perfect Variety Show star for the time. Danny Kaye had a show, you would think that was a great fit, not so much. Lasted 3 or 4 years, but never a big hit and largely forgotten. I don’t think the format will work well today, but not for lack of talent. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/33 "2018-12-06T12:50:05Z")
Variety shows are still a staple of UK Saturday night television, although the format has evolved and there’s a lot of interaction with the public involved now. Shows like \*\*Saturday Night Takeaway \*\*(before Ant went off the rails) and **Michael McIntyre’s Big Show** still pull in big audiences for the evening family-oriented timeslot. And up to about 2001, Michael Barrymore was the king of light entertainment with his variety show format. Would these work in America? I believe they recently tried to bring the “Takeaway” format to the US but they stuck the show in a late Tuesday timeslot which was incredibly stupid. What are the big ratings draws in the Saturday evening (say 6pm-8pm) timeslots now? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/34 "2018-12-06T16:08:18Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > There’s a spinoff of one of the last variety shows still on the air. It’s The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. I thought that show, and In Living Color, were pretty good. Maybe we should define “variety show” a little better. In Living Color was much like SNL, or even Chapelle’s Show, in that they’re all sketch comedy shows with a musical guest. They’re no more variety shows than say… The Graham Norton show, which is basically a celebrity talk show with a musical guest. My personal experience is pretty limited; I barely remember Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie from my early childhood (I think the last of those went off the air when I was six). The Carol Burnett Show was in re-runs for longer. I guess where I’m getting hung up is that as far as I can remember, they were basically sketch comedy shows with the same cast, along with a special guest, musical acts and maybe something like Jack Hanna showing up with animals. Very similar to SNL or maybe Jimmy Fallon minus the talk show part. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/35 "2018-12-06T16:32:03Z")
I’m surprised, with everyone listing stars who could pull it off, that nobody’s mentioned a star who’s still around who’s already done it twice: Kermit the Frog ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/36 "2018-12-06T16:41:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m surprised, with everyone listing stars who could pull it off, that nobody’s mentioned a star who’s still around who’s already done it twice: > > Kermit the Frog Oh, I mentioned in another thread, Disney is reviving the Muppet Show for its new streaming service. So I guess we’ll see how that works out. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/37 "2018-12-06T16:47:04Z")
Vaudeville, and the TV version of it in the 1950s and 1960s, benefited from the lack of universal entertainment in the style we know today. Who in the 2000’s, for example, hasn’t seen an elephant somewhere, on TV, movies, or Internet? But pre-1900, unless you lived next door to one, you probably never saw an elephant except at the zoo or a circus, i.e., rarely. Somewhat the same for dancers, comedians, and many other performers. Vaudeville brought the unusual to the masses and made it common. TV variety, even more so. Both died when information became more universal and easily obtainable. OTOH, many things come & go in cycles. Maybe we are due for a vaudeville revival? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/38 "2018-12-06T16:51:25Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Would these work in America? I believe they recently tried to bring the “Takeaway” format to the US but they stuck the show in a late Tuesday timeslot which was incredibly stupid. What are the big ratings draws in the Saturday evening (say 6pm-8pm) timeslots now? Saturday evenings are where shows go to die. If they can, the networks try to run some sports programming. If they can’t, they run their throwaway programs like 48 Hours or Dateline NBC. In case you don’t know, these two are essentially the same program: take some kind of murder (or other major crime story) that should take 5 minutes to report and present it as if it were some fictional crime drama, doing complete recaps of the show after each commercial, and stretch the story out to two hours (really!). I hate myself afterwards if I get sucked into watching one of these shows. They also use Saturday prime time to “burn off” episodes of shows that flopped in weekday prime time if they can’t completely cancel them. I notice this Saturday evening, CBS has Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer followed by 48 Hours; ABC has The Great American Baking Show Holiday Edition and the Alec Baldwin Show; NBC has Dateline NBC and a condensed rerun of an old episode of Saturday Night Live. In the US, putting a show on Tuesday night is hardly the kiss of death. Friday and Saturday nights are where no one watches and the networks don’t even really try. The one big Saturday prime time show was Sábado Gigante, a show that ran on Univsion, the Spanish-language network, for over 50 years. It ended in 2015. This was actually a variety show that appealed greatly to the Hispanic communities in the US. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/39 "2018-12-06T17:09:31Z")
Ellen Degeneres’s show is primarily a talk show, but she also finds people doing things on youtube and has them perform on her show, as well as skits and games and filmed comedy bits and live musical performances. Not sure you can get much closer than that. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633/40 "2018-12-06T17:20:49Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > What do you all think? Many great shows back then like Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan and others. > > Are there stars today who would have that much appeal? I think those have been split up into more specialized shows, I’m not sure that people appreciate “variety” in a single show as much anymore. There are SO much content out there now that if you want variety you can just watch a bunch of different shows. In that way, I think variety shows are a bit risky nowadays. The whole show has to be top notch, if any aspect is weak or unpopular, people will just watch something else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-1970s-style-variety-show-work-again/825633.md?page=3)