The Midnight Special (1972–1981)

"The Midnight Special" was a Friday night Pop Rock variety show on NBC TV that ran in the same weekly time slot of 12:30 AM to 2AM EST for 9 years (1972-1981). It was taped in front of a ... See full summary »

Stars:

Donna Summer, Wolfman Jack, Tina Turner

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Donna Summer	...	Herself (9 episodes, 1976-1981)
Wolfman Jack	...	Himself - Announcer (8 episodes, 1972-1979)
Tina Turner	...	Herself (8 episodes, 1973-1979)
Randy Jones	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Todd Rundgren	...	Himself (6 episodes, 1973-1979)
Ike Turner	...	Himself (6 episodes, 1973-1975)
KC & The Sunshine Band	...	Themselves (6 episodes, 1977-1979)
Herb Fame	...	Himself (6 episodes, 1979-1980)
Lou Rawls	...	Himself - Host (5 episodes, 1973-1977)
Linda Ronstadt	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1972-1975)
David Bowie	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1973-1981)
Gladys Knight	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1973-1980)
Billy Preston	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1973-1980)
The Spinners	...	Themselves (4 episodes, 1973-1980)
Eddie Levert	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1973-1978)
Walter Williams Sr.	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1973-1978)
Helen Reddy	...	Herself - Host (4 episodes, 1973-1976)
Olivia Newton-John	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1974-1980)
Leo Sayer	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1974-1980)
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1974-1976)
Dolly Parton	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1975-1979)
George Benson	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1977-1978)
Billy Davis Jr.	...	Himself - Host (4 episodes, 1977)
Marilyn McCoo	...	Herself - Host (4 episodes, 1977)
Linda Clifford	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
Peaches	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1979)

Storyline

"The Midnight Special" was a Friday night Pop Rock variety show on NBC TV that ran in the same weekly time slot of 12:30 AM to 2AM EST for 9 years (1972-1981). It was taped in front of a live studio audience at NBC Burbank Ca. Concert footage was included at times. During the shows'run there were, some reruns on Satrurday nights and 3 hr compilation specials. Wolfman Jack appeared each week as announcer and main host, with a different guest host each week. Pop Rock and comedy performers appeared on the show. In changing times, the show's time slot was later filled by "Friday Night Videos(1983), with the sudden popularity of the music video.

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Plot Keywords:

musical number | song | singing | singer | stand up comedy | 

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Genres:

Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 1972 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burt Sugarman Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The theme of the Pilot, first aired during the summer of 1972, was to encourage the youth that had reached 18 years to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The voting age had just been lowered to 18. The two biggest issues, at that time, were Watergate and the war in Vietnam.

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Connections

Featured in Almost Famous (2000)

User Reviews

GREATEST MUSIC SHOW OF ALL TIME

It's not really fair just reviewing the Andy Kaufman episode just because it's the only one ever released on video. The show was much more than an Andy Kaufman episode. It showcased the best that the music world had to offer in the 1970s and it's archives house some of the best performances of all time. It's really a shame that the owner, Paul Brownstein, does nothing with the tapes but just sell "clips" to corporations that sell disco albums on TV at hundreds of bucks a clip. Too bad the real fans won't ever be able to see the show again like it was presented. The same thing has happened to Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. It's only offered as "clips". I'm glad I have my own library of original tapings of the shows to watch over and over.