DVDs Bring Classic Donny and Marie Back to the Small Screen

Long time fans and even a new generation of Osmond fans were not surprised that Marie Osmond did so well on “Dancing with the Stars.” Great talent, hard work, and determination in the face of hardships and crisis are what we have come to expect from Marie, Donnie, and the entire Osmond clan over the years. This was evident in all the Osmond children even from the youngest of age, and Donny and Marie have credited their parents for instilling this in them many times in interviews.
The Osmond family celebrates a momentous achievement this year along with throngs of fans young and old with fifty years of entertainment that has been forever captured on TV, film and now on DVD’s so that generations from now can watch and be entertained just as we have been all these years by the mega-talented Donny and Marie Osmond.
Donny and Marie were clean-cut kids, with strong, religious, caring parents that kept all of the Osmond children well grounded. But they were a little bit Country and a little bit Rock and Roll, and very “cool” as far as kids were concerned. The Donnie and Marie show was a variety show originally aired on ABC from 1976-1979.
Donny and Marie had already made names for themselves in the music industry prior to the airing of their variety show. Donny and his brothers sang together as The Osmonds. While Marie had a #1 hit song on the billboard charts, (one of the youngest singers to achieve this) titled Paper Roses in 1973.
The Donny and Marie show had songs of course, but also comedy skits, a skating bit, and always a spectacular finale before Donny and Marie would close the show with a song that became special to many of us that tuned into their show every week. That song was “May Tomorrow be a Perfect Day.”
Donny and Marie are certainly the embodiment of true classic television stars. But they have also been able to maintain their popularity even as the face of television has changed so much since the late 70’s. The tapings of the Donny and Marie variety show could have been hidden away in forgotten vaults along with other classic TV shows like I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffin Show, Happy Days, The Carol Burnet Show, and other truly wonderfully entertaining classic TV shows.
Thankfully, someone had the foresight to bring these classic TV shows out from their dark vaults and run them again for a new generation of kids to fall in love with and an older generation to enjoy the shows that were such a part of the culture of our time back then. There is something comforting about re-living the experiences of our youth as we watch reruns of our favorite classic TV shows. It is nice too, sharing these fond favorites with children and grandchildren and discovering that there is no gender gap when it comes to enjoying wholesome classic television shows together. You can see many favorite classic TV shows aired on networks devoted to broadcasting classic TV, which have large audiences of every age.
DVDs have become a popular medium for watching movies and special episode series of our favorite television shows. You don’t need a television schedule to mark special broadcast dates on the calendar because with DVDs, you are in control of when you watch them. Keeping up with changing times, many of our favorite classic tv shows are now being digitally re-mastered onto DVDs for crisp, clear picture and sound formats to allow us to relive the magic those classic television shows created for us then and continue to as we watch them again.
The Donny and Marie Variety Show is now available on DVD and the Osmonds have been creating magic, entertainment, and a fascination with everything Osmond for fifty years. One secret to their longevity is the absolute humbleness they display even with the celebrity stature they have gained over the years. They have also always been very open in sharing not just their successes and triumphs but the hardships as well. For instance, Donny and Marie openly share sadness about two of the elder Osmond brothers being deaf, and how hard it must be for them to be a part of a singing family and not be able to hear the singing. Donny and Marie and the Osmond family showed strength and determination, even in crisis and hard times. There strength as a family became even clearer this past year when Donny, Marie and 125 other Osmonds appeared on the Oprah show just days after their father, George Osmond, died.
I don’t see the star over Donny and Marie Osmond ever fading. I hope your family buys or receives a Donny and Marie Show DVD this year. You will surely be inspired and entertained.
~ Ben Anton, 2008

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Donny & Marie Show: The Clothes That Made The Show

She was a little bit country. He was a little bit rock and roll. Together, they were a whole lot of ridiculous. And somehow, through the magic of over-the-top musical numbers, phenomenal guest stars, and painfully kitschy acting skills, Donny and Marie Osmond captured the attention and hearts of the entire nation. While The Donny and Marie Show of the late seventies only lasted a handful of seasons, their outrageous prime-time antics have made a lasting impression on TV viewers of any generation.
The Donny & Marie Show was created by SId and Marty Krofft, the famed creators of other such offbeat television programs as H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost. It aired from January 1976 to May 1979 as a weekly on ABC and featured such famous guest stars as Redd Fox, Lucile Ball, Betty White, Jerry Lewis, and Milton Berle. The format usually consisted of an elaborate opening act followed by a series of comedy sketches and an even more elaborate closing musical number. But for all the campy scripts and synchronized dance routines, the real stars of the Donny & Marie Show were, without a doubt, the costumes.
The 1977 Christmas special episode is a great example of Donny and Marie's ability to balance cutesy-poo costumes on that thin line between adorable and nauseating. Donny kept it simple; dressing in a matching white knit sweater and slacks combo with a red, white and green striped scarf, he wasn't afraid to say to the world, "Hi! I'm Donny Osmond! I taste like spearmint!" Marie made bolder choices in her winter finest with what looks to be a one-piece body suit but, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a sweater and stretch pants that are just slightly different shades of green. What makes this episode so memorable costume-wise is the fact that the entire Osmond family was featured --Mother, Father, the small army of twenty-eight that is the rest of their immediate family-- and they all match. I'm not sure who was in charge of coordinating outfits for that episode, but my hat certainly is off.
Another interesting costume extravaganza was the episode in which Marie celebrated her 18th birthday. In this episode, Marie and Donny sing their familiar weekly number, "I'm A Little BIt Country, I'm A Little Bit Rock-and-Roll", but this time -- gasp! -- they switch lyrics! That's right! And what kind of dramatic turn events would it be without ridiculous costumes. Both Donny and Marie sport matching silver outfits. Donny has a faux-western theme going on, while Marie looks like she just got back from touring with David Bowie. Marie also has an enormous new hairdo or, as Donny refers to it, a "hair don't."
Donny and Marie didn't stop at matching scarves and silver jumpsuits, though. In one episode, Donny portrays a superhero character known as Captain Purple, wearing an oversized purple muscle suit and wig and, as his mild-mannered alter-ego, a flannel suit. Not to be outdone, Marie suits up herself as Gnidder Neleh (Helen Redding spelled backward) in an equally campy red-orange mini-skirt and wig.
Star Wars being the cultural phenomenon that it was, it only made sense that Donny and Marie would have to do a parody of it. Donny plays Luke and Marie plays Leia with such guest stars as Redd Fox, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Lynde, and a few of the Osmond brothers. The costumes were polished, Osmond-style variations of the originals; unfortunately, C-3PO ends up stealing the show.
The best costumes of the entire series, however, belong to the famous Wizard of Oz episode. Marie plays Dorothy in a red checkered dress and pigtails, Donny is a Willy Wonka-esque Wizard in a yellow-green, curly wig and sparkling fez hat, and Paul Lynde is a downright terrifying Wicked Witch of the West in full green face paint, black gown and gruesome fingernails. Additional victims...err, guests...of this episode include Lucille Ball as the Tin Man, Paul Williams as the Cowardly Lion and Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow. The entire production is technicolor bizarre; the epitome of classic Donny and Marie.
While the show did indeed host a laundry list of Hollywood greats, the real stars weren't the people on the stage but the clothes on the people. From platform shoes and bellbottoms to capes and ice skates, Donny and Marie weren't afraid to let their clothes pick up where their own talent left off. And while some may find The Donny & Marie Show silly and outdated, one thing is for sure; there hasn't been anything like it on television since. Wardrobe-wise, that is.
~Ben Anton, 2008

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Classic 1970s TV: The shows that made the family tune in

Imagine a family, all sitting around the TV, possibly the only TV in the house. Dad is holding the remote control, which everyone refers to as “the clicker.” The remote has only two functions. One of the functions turns the TV off and on. The other changes the channels, all 7 or 8 of them, with a click of a button. Now try to imagine what that family is watching. Are you imagining them watching one of the classic TV shows from the 1970’s?
In the 1970s most families had one, maybe two televisions in the house, and the second television was usually stashed away in mom and dad’s room where they could watch the classic shows that the kids couldn’t watch yet like Maude or Soap. The televisions in the house might have even shown the programs in black and white.
What kept families glued to these televisions that had only a handful of channels, an ancient clicker, and frequently no color? The classic TV shows from the 1970s, of course. There were so many family-friendly shows in a variety of genres.
For families that enjoyed comedies, the 1970s had some of the most memorable sitcoms. The families in the ‘70’s learned all about families in the 1950’s by watching the wildly popular Happy Days and its equally popular spin off Laverne and Shirley. Happy Days also launched the career of comedian Robin Williams who went on to star in another spin off of the show – Mork and Mindy.
Other family friendly classic television shows of the 1970’s include The Partridge Family (with teen hearth throb David Cassidy), the show that introduced us to John Travolta, Welcome Back Kotter, One Day at a Time, Chico and the Man, The Odd Couple, Good Times, WKRP in Cincinnati, What’s Happening, Three’s Company and The Jeffersons.
Families with older children enjoyed comedies with a social conscience like All in the Family, Maude, Barney Miller or Mash. These classic 1970s sitcoms dealt with the social issues of the day in poignant yet comedic way.
Families also had several variety shows to choose from for their viewing pleasure. Classic variety shows such as The Donny and Marie Show and The Sonny and Cher Show had music, comedy sketches and popular guest stars each week. The Carol Burnett Show brought together some of the 1970’s funniest comedians each week and The Muppet Show combined the genius of Jim Henson’s fantastic creations with musical and comedy guest stars sharing the stage with Kermit, Miss Piggy and Animal.
There were plenty of one hour family dramas, too. Eight is Enough, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons were just a few of the classic television dramas that brought families together in front of the television each week.
There was also room for crime fighting and action heroes in the classic 1970s TV shows. The world learned what bionics was in The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin off The Bionic Woman. Each week families would tune in to see how Lee Majors and Jamie Sommers would use their bionic eyes and ears. CHiPs gave us a glimpse into the life of California Highway Patrol officers. Starsky and Hutch chased bad buys in their hot rod and BJ and the Bear tracked down bad guys in an 18 wheeler.
Two other classic television shows from that era that can’t be defined by any of these other genres were The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. These shows were the place for the stars of yesteryear and the stars of the current era to make guest appearances, several at a time. For years, families stayed home on Saturday nights just to see who would get off the plane onto the island or turn up Julie the Cruise Director’s guest list.
In today’s modern times, there are hundreds of channels on each of the four or more TV sets in most homes. Yet, there seems to never be anything to watch, especially something that the whole family can enjoy together. Many of these classic TV shows from the 1970’s are now on DVD and can be bought or rented either online or at a store. Why not consider getting a classic TV DVD for your family this Friday night instead of the usually family movie?
~Ben Anton, 2007

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