"Donny and Marie" (1976) TV series 1976-1979

Writer:

Sandy Krinski (head writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

16 January 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Music

Plot:

Long running variety show, featuring the brother-sister singing duo of Donny and Marie Osmond. The first...

Plot Keywords:

Variety | Sister | Beautiful Woman | Brother | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Marie Osmond	...	Herself / ... (5 episodes, 1976-1977)
Bruce Kimmel	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1976-1977)
Donny Osmond	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 1976-1977)
Florence Henderson	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Mike Lookinland	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Maureen McCormick	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Susan Olsen	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976-1977)
Ruth Buzzi	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1976)
Cheryl Ladd	...	Herself (2 episodes, 1977-1978)
Paul Lynde	...	Himself (2 episodes, 1977)

Also Known As:

The Osmond Family Show

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Huntsville, Utah, USA

Company:

Krofft Entertainment

Trivia:

It was due to a popular appearance by a pair of actresses from the former series "The Brady Bunch" (1969) that led to the creation of the sitcom-musical variety hybrid "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1977).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' (2004) (TV)

NOT EVERYBODY hates this show! (Please puke in the bathroom.)

Call me a devil's advocate if you must, but I for one had the time of my life growing up watching this show. To me, the Osmonds were, are, and shall always be, the best entertainers on the planet. (I emphasize the word "entertainment" over "music" in this case.) So the music wasn't always the best. So the jokes were often lame. So "squeaky-clean" wasn't everybody's thing. THAT DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HATES THE SHOW! As far as my family and I were concerned, "squeaky clean" was in. We never had to worry about the show being offensive or risqué. Choosing "Donny & Marie" on weekends was a no-brainer. No matter how silly or over-the-top things got, it took us out of ourselves and made us forget our troubles for one hour every week. I don't recall any episode that failed to entertain us, particularly me. I enjoyed the humor, the songs, the guest stars, the Krofft puppets, even the cross-references to other period shows.

Compared to today's lame-brained comic fare, this series is truly a lost gem that deserves rediscovery. (As I recall, one night in 1993, Nick at Nite did air a New Year's Eve episode of the show, but they aired it only once. Maybe they thought no one was watching. They were wrong. I was.) If Nick at Nite, TV Land, or even Goodlife TV won't put it back on the air, at least put it out on DVD. I rank this show right up there with other classic variety shows like "Lawrence Welk,""Ed Sullivan," "Sha-Na-Na," "Carol Burnett & Friends," Flip Wilson," and "Tony Orlando & Dawn." (Believe it or not, "Sonny & Cher" never appealed much to me. Maybe it was the music, or Cher's outrageous choice of wardrobe. I don't know.)

Suffice to say, there's no point in adding to Donny's socio-phobia. Not everybody got the Captain Purple jokes. But you did good by my family. Take a bow! This show absolutely deserves more credit than it's been given. (If YOU don't like it, please go puke in the bathroom.)