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 TV DVDs Return Bob Hope to the Small Screen

“I’m so old, they’ve canceled my blood type” quipped Bob Hope, upon reaching the age of 100 in July 2003. Indeed, Bob Hope has been around throughout the 20th century, becoming immortal to so many generations by entertaining the masses with countless films, TV and radio shows and of course his appearances with the troops overseas.
Bob Hope was born on May 29, 1903 in Eltham, England although his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was four years old (“I left England at the age of four when I found out I couldn’t be king”). His first modest success in show business came in 1915 when he won a Charlie Chaplin imitation competition.
He began to work in vaudeville in the early 1920s and during the early 1930s was appearing on the stage in Broadway. His first film role was “The Big Broadcast” in 1938 in which he sang the song “Thanks for the Memory” in a duet with Shirley Ross. That song would become Bob Hope’s signature tune.
Bob Hope appeared in over 75 films throughout his career although he only won two honorary Oscars. He even joked about his lack of Oscar awards - “Oscar night at our house is called Passover!” He may not have won many Oscars but he enjoyed bringing his unique humor to the awards ceremony – he presented or co-presented them on a record 18 occasions up until 1977.
His most famous movies, of course remain the series of “road” movies that he made with Bing Crosby during the 1940s. He also starred in “The Paleface” along with Jane Russell which many consider his best film. Today, many of his classic movies are available on DVD or regularly shown on cable TV channels.
Hope took to TV fairly late in his career, not entirely convinced that the still fairly new medium would succeed. “Television – that’s where movies go when they die,” quipped Hope once. However, it was television that really made Bob Hope a star and a household name throughout the United States.
Easter Sunday 1950 was a memorable day. It was on that day that Bob Hope made his formal television debut. In addition to Hope’s appearance, the “Star Spangled Revue” featured other popular entertainers and stars of the day including Dinah Shore and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
The show’s formula was immediately successful and Bob Hope’s television shows remained successful for the next 40 years. NBC was his network of choice and Bob Hope appeared in many of the network’s Christmas and other holiday specials. His last TV special was in 1996 appearing alongside Tony Danza. Today these programs are rightly considered classic TV shows, television programs that translate for multiple generations.
Perhaps Bob Hope is most famous for his appearances with the troops, a gesture that almost certainly boosted morale far more than any appearance by the president. His first such appearance was in May 1941, when Bob Hope, along with various friends, appeared at March Field in California to entertain the airmen. The rest, as they say, is history. Bob Hope was soon christened “G.I. Bob” by the troops and went on to perform all over the world during the next 60 years. He has entertained troops and broadcast from Europe, the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. He nearly always appeared in army fatigues as a further gesture of support for the soldiers. Bob Hope has been honored five times by the United States Congress, has been made honorary mayor of Palm Springs and an honorary veteran. He also has several theaters, a battleship and an airport named in his honor and his love of golf lives on in one of the sport’s major events – the Bob Hope Classic.
But his biggest legacy is the wealth of entertainment he has given us over the years. And of course, his sharp wit; his one-liners and quotes are almost as well known as his TV shows and movies. As he accurately remarked once, “I’ve always been in the right place and time. Of course, I steered myself there.”
~Ben Anton, 2007

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