Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968 through May 14, 1973 over the NBC network. It replaced The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in this time slot (Mondays 8:00 PM).

The title Laugh-In came out of events of the 60's hippie culture, "love-ins" or "be-ins" (terms that are in turn derived from technique of a "sit-in" common in protests associated with civil rights and anti-war demonstrations of the time).

Hosted by the comedy team of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (Rowan played the exasperated straight man, Martin the horny, dumb guy), the show was characterized by a rapid-fire series of gags and sketches; many of them carried sexual innuendo, others were politically charged, and most were just silly.

A typical episode's format

  • Shortly after the beginning of the show was a scene called "The Cocktail Party", with all cast members plus assorted surprise celebrities dancing in a swinging 1960s party atmosphere, in between delivering one- and two-line jokes (this was later spoofed as the "At the Dance" sketch on The Muppet Show).
  • "The Mod, Mod World" segment, with sketches based around a common theme, would be interspersed with footage of some of the female castmembers go-go dancing in bikinis, their bodies painted with gags. (This was usually done by Goldie Hawn, Judy Carne and Chelsea Brown; Ruth Buzzi and Jo Anne Worley popped up rarely, as did frequent guest star Pamela Austin. In the '69-'70 season, the chore was handled briefly by new castmembers Teresa Graves and Pamela Rodgers before the go-go dancing became the sole domain of uncredited extras.) Sometimes the segment was not called "Mod, Mod World," but the girls dancing showed that it was that segment.
  • The Farkle Family, a couple with a lot of kids - all of whom had flaming red hair and freckles just like the next-door neighbor (Ferd Berfle; played by Dick Martin). Father Frank never questioned this fact when Ferd visited the Farkles. Most "plots" were cheap excuses to force the cast into horrendous tongue-twisters. Flicker Farkle, the youngest (played by Buzzi), had no lines except screaming "Hiiii!!!"
  • "Laugh-In Looks at the News," a parody of a network newscast (introduced by a completely un-news-like song and dance number) commenting on current events, "News of the Past" which lampooned historical events, and a segment on "News of the Future," predicting unlikely or bizarre future news stories to comic effect. (Rowan actually nailed some, mentioning "President Ronald Reagan" in a story from "1988, 20 years from now," eliciting laughter from the audience. Another prediction—that the Berlin Wall would be destroyed in 1989—likewise came true, although the follow up gag that it would be "quickly replaced by a moat full of alligators" did not.) The news segment was reminiscent of NBC's earlier That Was The Week That Was and in turn was echoed a few years later by Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" segments. Saturday Night creator Lorne Michaels started his career as a writer for Laugh-In.
  • The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate award, noting dubious achievements by the government or famous people.
  • Judy Carne was often tricked into saying "Sock it to me," which then led to her being doused with water or otherwise assaulted. "Sock it to me" became a catch phrase for the show. During the September 16, 1968, episode, Richard Nixon, who was running for President, appeared for a few seconds and asked the question, "Sock it to me?" An invitation was extended to Nixon's opponent, Hubert H. Humphrey, but he declined. According to George Schlatter, the show's creator, "Humphrey later said that not doing it may have cost him the election."
  • At the end of every show, Dan Rowan turned to his co-host and said, "It's time to say good-night, Dick," to which Martin replied, "Good-night, Dick" (varying a bit from the old George Burns and Gracie Allen radio show). The show then featured various cast members opening panels in a psychedelically painted 'joke wall' and telling short jokes to one another. As the show drew to a close and the general applause died down, the sound of one person clapping continued even as the screen turned blank.

Memorable castmembers/guests and their running gags

  • Arte Johnson portrayed a number of recurring characters, including:
    • Wolfgang, the Nazi soldier, commenting on the previous gag by saying "Verrry interesting", sometimes with additional comments such as "...but schtupit!" He would close each show by talking to Lucille Ball and the cast of Gunsmoke — both airing opposite Laugh-In on CBS; as well as whatever was airing on ABC.
    • Tyrone F. Horneigh, the dirty old man coming on to Gladys Ormphby, seated on a park bench, who inevitably hit him with her purse. Both the Horneigh and Ormphby characters returned in the "Nitwits" segments of the 1977 animated television show "Baggy Pants and the Nitwits".
    • Rosmenko, the Eastern European Man, who stood stiffly and nervously in an ill-fitting suit while commenting on differences between America and "The Old Country," such as "Here in America, is very good, everyone watch television. In Old Country, television watches you!" This predated a similar schtick by Yakov Smirnoff.
    • Rabbi Shankar (a pun on Ravi Shankar), an Indian guru dressed in a Nehru jacket dispensing pseudo-mystical Eastern wisdom laden with bad puns.
    • A man in a yellow raincoat riding a tricycle, crashing, and falling over.
  • Los Angeles disc jockey Gary Owens standing with his hand cupped over his ear, giving announcements, often with little relation to the rest of the show.
  • Ruth Buzzi in many roles, including:
    • Gladys Ormphby, a drab, though relatively young, spinster who was the eternal target of Johnson's Tyrone; when Arte Johnson left the series, Gladys retreated into recurring daydreams, often involving marriages to historical figures, including Christopher Columbus and Benjamin Franklin (both played by Alan Sues).
    • Mrs. Swizzle, a seedy barfly (used frequently in the first season, paired with her husband, Mr. Swizzle, played by Dick Martin).
    • Busy Buzzi, a Hedda Hopper/Louella Parsons style gossip columnist.
  • Henry Gibson
    • "The Poet", holding a flower and reading offbeat poems, he pronounced his name, Henrik Ibsen)
    • "The Parson" (who offered ecclesiastical quips and, in 1970, officiated at a near-marriage for Tyrone and Gladys).
  • Henny Youngman telling one-liner jokes for no apparent reason. (Often, any corny one-liners would be followed by the line, "Oh, that Henny Youngman!")
Lily Tomlin in a Laugh-In publicity photo.
  • Lily Tomlin as the obnoxious telephone operator "Ernestine" ("'Fair'? Sir, we don't have to be fair. We're the phone company."), as a child named "Edith Ann" ("And that's the truth. Pbbbt!"), and as "tasteful" society matron Mrs. Earbore. (Tomlin also famously performed Ernestine for Saturday Night Live, and Edith Ann on children's shows such as The Electric Company.)
  • Alan Sues as "Big Al", a clueless and fey sports anchor who loved ringing his bell, which he called his "tinkle", and as hungover children's show host "Uncle Al the Kiddie's Pal"
  • Goldie Hawn was the giggling dumb blonde who would innocently say many times: "I forgot the question."
  • Jo Anne Worley would sometimes sing songs showing how loud her operatic voice was, but mostly would detect "chicken jokes." Many times, during the Cocktail Parties, she talked about her boyfriend Boris (who was a married man).
  • Flip Wilson, whose frequent character, the cross-dressing "Geraldine," originated the phrase "What you see is what you get."
  • Dan Rowan, as General Bull Right, a right-wing representative of the military establishment and outlet for political humor.

Memorable moments and catchphrases

The show gave considerable publicity to singer Tiny Tim, an unusual-looking man with long dark hair who sang in a falsetto voice while accompanying himself on ukulele. Thanks to his appearances on the show, he achieved a hit single with his piercing version of the vintage 1920s song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Tiny Tim was later married on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to a woman known as Miss Vicki.

Other musical moments came in the first season with some of the first music videos ever seen on TV, with cast members appearing in film clips set to the music of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Bee Gees, The Temptations, the Strawberry Alarm Clock and the First Edition.

Cast members Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn later became noted film stars. Henry Gibson later starred in the Robert Altman film Nashville (which also featured Tomlin). Dave Madden, whose trademark on the show was to throw a handful of confetti while keeping a deadpan expression at the punch line of a joke, later played the role of Reuben Kincaid in the television sitcom The Partridge Family. Richard Dawson, who previously had a regular part in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes, went on to his defining role as host of the U.S. television game show Family Feud. Larry Hovis, who also was a regular on Hogan's Heroes, was a regular for the first and the fifth seasons. Teresa Graves parlayed her one season on the show into the title role of the police drama Get Christie Love!

Besides those mentioned above, the show created numerous popular catch phrases:

  • "I didn't know that." (Dick Martin's occasional response as to what will happen on an episode)
  • "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall's"
  • "Go to your room"
  • "Uncle Al had a lot of medicine last night" (famous line by Uncle Al, the Kiddies' Pal, played by Alan Sues)
  • "You bet your sweet bippy"
  • "Here come da' judge!" (reprising a bit first made famous by comedian Pigmeat Markham and continued by frequent guest star Sammy Davis, Jr.)
  • "'Ello, 'ello! NBC, beautiful downtown Burbank" (the response to the calls received by a switchboard operator played by Judy Carne). When it went to syndication in 1983 both the NBC logo that was featured in the segment and the network's name in the catch phrase was edited out.
  • "One ringy-dingy...two ringy-dingies..." (Ernestine's responses to the rings that would occur while she was waiting for someone to pick up the receiver on the other end of the phone lines)
  • "A gracious good afternoon. This is Miss Tomlin of the telephone company. Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?" (Ernestine's greeting to people who she would call)
  • "I just wanna swing!" (Gladys Ormphby's catchphrase)
  • "Is that a chicken joke?" (Jo Anne Worley's outraged cry, a takeoff on the Polish jokes of the day)
  • "Here comes the big finish, folks!" (usually before the last of a series of guest stars' bad puns)
  • "Sock it to me!"
  • "Verrry interesting...but stupid"

Merchandise tie-ins and spin-offs

There was also a Laugh-In Magazine published for about two years; it was similar to MAD Magazine. A comic strip was also seen in newspapers and published in paperback form. The show had its own Topps trading-card set issued, including "Joke Wall" cards which had perforations to allow a 'door' to open, displaying a joke punchline on the reverse.

There was also a short-lived spin-off program hosted by Gary Owens called, Letters to Laugh-In, in which a few cast members would read and rate jokes sent to them by the general public.

The comedy film The Maltese Bippy featured several actors from the series.

Cast comings and goings

The show was #1 in the ratings for the 1968–69 and '69–70 seasons. At the end of '68–69, Judy Carne chose not to renew her contract as she wanted to pursue other projects, though she did make occasional appearances during '69–70; producer George Schlatter blamed her for breaking up the "family." The show also survived the departures of Goldie Hawn, and Jo Anne Worley to remain a top-20 show in '70–71. New faces in the 1970–71 season (joining Tomlin, who first appeared late in the previous season) included tap dancer Barbara Sharma, who would later appear on Rhoda, and Johnny Brown, who later gained fame as the superintendent 'Bookman' on Good Times. Arte Johnson and Henry Gibson would depart after the 1970–71 season, replaced by Dawson and Larry Hovis, both of whom had also appeared occasionally in the first season. However, the loss of Johnson's many characters caused ratings to drop farther.

The show celebrated episode #100 in the '71–72 season; Carne, Worley, Johnson, Gibson, Graves and Tiny Tim returned for the festivities. John Wayne was also on-hand for his first cameo appearance since 1968.

For the show's final season (1972-73), Rowan and Martin assumed the Executive Producer roles from George Schlatter (known on-air as "CFG", which stood for "Crazy F***ing George") and Ed Friendly; a mostly new supporting cast (save holdovers Dawson, Owens, Buzzi and only occasional appearances from Tomlin) was brought in, but the viewers didn't respond and the show was cancelled. This final season, which included future Match Game panelist Patti Deutsch and ventriloquist Willie Tyler of Willie Tyler and Lester fame, never aired in the edited half-hour rerun package that was syndicated to local stations in 1983 and later aired on Nick at Nite. The cable network Trio started airing the show in its original one-hour form in the early 2000s, but only the pilot and the first 69 episodes (extending to the fourth episode of the 1970–71 season) were included in Trio's package. Two "Best-of" DVD packages are also available; disappointingly, they only contain six episodes each.

Of the over three dozen entertainers to grace the cast, only Rowan, Martin, Owens and Buzzi were there from beginning to end (although Owens wasn't in the 1967 pilot and Buzzi missed two first-season episodes.)

In 1977 Schlatter and NBC briefly revived the property as a series of specials with an entirely new cast. Among the new folks was a then-unknown Robin Williams — whose starring role on ABC's Mork & Mindy one season later prompted NBC to rerun the specials as a summer series in 1979.

See also: Farkle, Alan Sues, Jo Anne Worley.

Regular Performers (with season numbers, where known)

Regular guests

More Celebrities Who Have Guest-Starred

Series Writers

George Schlatter, Lorne Michaels, Phil Hahn, Jim Mulligan, Jack Hanrahan, Gene Farmer, Jim Abell, Bill Richmond, Don Reo, Allan Katz, Jack Wohl, Larry Siegel, John Rappaport, Allan Manings, Jack Margolis, Bob Howard, John Jay Carsey, Richard Goren, Chris Bearde, Chet Dowling, David Panich, Marc London, Paul Keyes, Jack Kaplan, Stephen Spears, Hugh Wedlock Jr., Coslough Johnson, Hart Pomerantz, Barry Took, Digby Wolfe

Musical Direction and Production Numbers

The musical director for Laugh-In was composer-lyricist Billy Barnes, who wrote all of the original musical production numbers in the show. Barnes is the creator of the famous Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950's and 60's, and composer of such popular hits as "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair" recorded by Barbra Streisand and the jazz standard "Something Cool" recorded by June Christie.

Trivia

Former President of the United States Richard Nixon made an appearance, as stated above. This was the basis of a $1 million question on the modern-day game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. John Carpenter breezed through 14 out of 15 questions correctly without using a single lifeline. On the $1M question, he used his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call his father and tell him that he was about to win $1M US. Carpenter was the first Who Wants to be a Millionaire? winner not only in the United States, but internationally as well (the show originated in Great Britain).

See also

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