I will not give this TV special a rating, as I saw it when it first debuted. This was nearly 40 years ago and I was 12--so my recollection is rather fuzzy. The problem is that I don't think it's available anywhere and I would LOVE to see it. It isn't that I remember this as being all that funny (after all, the Bob Hope specials by the 70s and 80s were a pretty dreary lot) but because of the amazing cast. The show is a who's who of the comedy greats (Groucho Marx, George Burns and Milton Berle for example), near greats and dreadfully unfunny guys (I won't go there, as some of these folks are still alive and it would be cruel to take pot shots at them). Additionally, a lot of unusual guest stars appear, such as Fred MacMurray, Rona Barrett, Don Knotts, Vince Price...and many, many more. The cast is truly amazing. What also stood out for me was how positively necrotic Groucho appeared. After all, he was quite old and died a couple years later. As a kid, I felt sad seeing him that way.
The plot is a murder mystery combined with the plot of "Jaws". I don't really recall if it was funny. I don't suspect it was. But it is worth finding for the many stars assembled in this odd TV special.
