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Donny and Marie was a variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to May 1979. Marie was a solo variety series on NBC in 1981 starring Marie. They joined together again to cohost Donny & Marie (also known by other names), a daytime talk show from 1998 to 2000.
Donny and Marie
This show starred brother and sister pop duo Donny and Marie Osmond. The former had first become popular singing in a music group with his brothers (The Osmonds), and his sister was one of the youngest singers to reach #1 on the Billboard Country Music charts (with "Paper Roses", in 1973). The duo were given the show after their series of popular remakes of oldies, such as "I'm Leaving It (All) Up To You," "Morning Side Of The Mountain," and "Make The World Go Away".
Like most variety shows of its time, it consisted mainly comedic skits, followed by songs performed by the duo. The most famous song performed on the show was "I'm A Little Bit Country," in which Marie was a 'little bit country', while Donny was a 'little bit rock-n-roll'. Every show concluded with a musical finale and a cascade of balloons from the ceiling, matched to the colors of the sets and costumes. Donny and Marie would then sing their trademark closing song that began, "May tomorrow be the perfect day..."
Originally, the show was created by Sid & Marty Krofft and videotaped in Los Angeles, but creative control of the show was given to the Osmonds after a long battle, and Donny & Marie was moved to the Osmonds' own production center in Orem, Utah in 1978. The show's popularity declined after it was revealed that teen heartthrob Donny was dating (and eventually married) fellow Utahn Debbie Glenn, therefore taking him 'off the market' of eligible bachelors. According to an edition of the VH1 series Behind the Music, many female viewers started to tune out at this point.
The show was retitled The Osmond Family Show in 1979.
This show has been the subject of parody in such popular comedy programs as Saturday Night Live and Family Guy.
Partial list of guests
listed alphabetically- Jack Albertson
- Paul Anka
- Desi Arnaz
- Pearl Bailey
- Lucille Ball
- Edgar Bergen
- Milton Berle
- Chuck Berry
- The Brady Bunch
- Gary Burghoff
- George Burns
- Raymond Burr
- Ruth Buzzi
- Cyd Charisse
- Charo
- Chubby Checker
- Roy Clark
- Bert Convy
- Bo Diddley
- Barbara Eden
- Dale Evans
- Chad Everett
- Farrah Fawcett
- Andy Gibb
- George Gobel
- Arthur Godfrey
- Lorne Greene
- Andy Griffith
- Buddy Hackett
- Merle Haggard
- The Harlem Globetrotters
- Billie Hayes
- Robert Hegyes
- Sherman Hemsley
- Florence Henderson
- Bob Hope
- Rick Hurst
- Sonny James
- Gabe Kaplan
- KC & the Sunshine Band
- Roz Kelly
- Bruce Kimmel
- Evil Knievel
- Ted Knight
- Don Knotts
- Cheryl Ladd
- Michael Landon
- Jerry Lewis
- Hal Linden
- Art Linkletter
- Rich Little
- Paul Lynde
- Lee Majors
- Tony Martin
- Anne Meara
- Jim Nabors
- Olivia Newton-John
- Minnie Pearl
- Billy Preston
- Vincent Price
- Charley Pride
- Carl Reiner
- Little Richard
- Roy Rogers
- Esther Rolle
- Nipsey Russell
- Isabel Sanford
- Kate Smith
- Keely Smith
- Sonny & Cher
- Connie Stevens
- McLean Stevenson
- Loretta Swit
- Rip Taylor
- Tina Turner
- Karen Valentine
- Jimmie Walker
- Andy Williams
- Cindy Williams
- Paul Williams
Marie
In 1981, Marie would have her solo variety series on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), simply called Marie.
Donny And Marie
They joined together again in 1998 to co-host Donny & Marie (also known as The Donny and Marie Hour or The Donny and Marie Show), a talk/entertainment show that ran for two seasons.
External links
- Internet Movie Database entries for Variety Show and Talk Show
- World of Krofft: Krofft Kollectibles Museum
1970s TV shows in the United States | ABC network shows | Variety television series | Television talk shows | Syndicated television series | 1990s TV shows in the United States | 2000s TV shows in the United States | Brady Bunch | Sony Pictures Television shows
"Donny & Marie"