"The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" (1971) TV series 1971-1974

Writer:

Jack Hanrahan (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

1 August 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot Keywords:

Variety | Singer Acting | Sketch Comedy | Married Couple | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 22 nominations

Cast

Sonny Bono	...	Himself / ... (63 episodes, 1971-1974)
Cher	...	Herself / ... (59 episodes, 1971-1974)
Ted Zeigler	...	Various Characters / ... (59 episodes, 1971-1974)
Peter Cullen	...	Various Characters / ... (59 episodes, 1971-1974)
Freeman King	...	Various Characters / ... (59 episodes, 1971-1974)
Murray Langston	...	Various Characters / ... (59 episodes, 1971-1974)
Teri Garr	...	Various Characters / ... (58 episodes, 1971-1974)
Jimmy Dale	...	Himself - Bandleader (41 episodes, 1971-1973)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (1971-1974)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Company:

Blye-Bearde Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Behind the Music: Cher (#2.25)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour Theme

One of TV's most unlikely couples

Whoever thought that an Italian that worked for a radio station would fall in love with a young girl that had the talent, but not the nerve?

Sonny and Cher met as teenagers, and Sonny saw immense singing talent from Cher, but there was a problem. Cher was terrified of performing in public. However, she had no problem singing infront of Sonny. So, the logical solution was that Sonny unwittingly became her duet partner.

Sonny had written several songs just for Cher to sing, but being a straight music act didn't work. No one paid any attention until they were trading one liners with each other between numbers... and they knew they were on to something. Sonny and Cher combined written material with on the fly ad-libs, and no one knew which was which.

They grew tired of traveling and doing Vegas gigs, and they got the offer to do a variety show. Everyone knew Sonny couldn't sing, and as it turns out, he's not the best actor in the world either... but no matter, Sonny and Cher were still hilarious. The flubs and ad-libs in the skits were often much funnier than the written material, and other greats like Carol Burnett were doing pretty much the same thing.

Sonny's lack of talent, and Cher's "smart mouth" (as Cher said Sonny would often quip she has) just worked very well. Sonny would often try to have an intelligent conversation with Cher, but leave it to Cher to find a hole in his logic and bring him back down again.

Chastity was a very little girl, but was surprisingly intelligent. At the end of some shows, Sonny and Cher would bring out Chastity and they'd do an impromptu bit. One of the most memorable was when Sonny was standing on a trap door, and at the top of the show, Cher pulled a rope that sent Sonny through the trap door. Chastity wanted to try it, as long as "daddy didn't get hurt". Sonny teases her daughter saying she's a "bad girl" if she pulls the rope, and of course, she pulls on it.

As much fun as they had together in their professional career, Sonny and Cher's personal life suffered. Cher wanted more freedom to do her own thing, and after announcing they were separating, the show was cancelled.