For Your Batty Consideration: Sonny and Cher (Season 11, Episode 9)

The listeners spoke again, choosing Sonny and Cher as their variety show pick. We talked about the pair's chemistry and the guest appearances of Tina Turner and David Steinberg. Don't forget Shields and Yarnell! Please tell us you didn't forget Shields and Yarnell! Do you think Mike and I have similar chemistry to Sonny and Cher?

Our podcast episode

Show notes and YT playlist

Anonymous Batty insider says: "The interesting battle here will be in the Song category and maybe the as oneself category, as this show will be going up against the Star-Spangled Celebration. Not sure how strong the show is overall, but if there's one thing I've learned from being in this business, it's that you should never count out Cher."

BOTNS worlds collide: Sonny & Cher & Chuck & Howard!

One of the episodes on The Ultimate Sonny and Cher Collection DVD set features the star of our most recent podcast, Chuck Connors, along with the stars of the previous installment's leads (Sonny and Cher, natch). Not only does Connors interact with Cher in this third-season opener from 1973, he interacts even more with another special guest. You guessed it, he sings with Howard Cosell. Chuck is on the right in this cap below:

OK, I don't know how much they actually sing, but they are acting like they are singing, and that's enough for me. This segment is a general store setting with a running song interrupted by quick jokes. I wish I could remember some of them. I'm still reeling from the sight of Howard and Chuck singing.

Earlier the two men appear in an extended "Lady Luck" sequence, with Howard blackmailing Chuck and Cher for their illicit relationship.

At the end of that, they appear to be singing and dancing, too, but at least they are in the back and there is so much else going on that you can pretend not to see them.

In the "Window on the World" segment, you get to see Howard and Chuck tell a few jokes and exchange barbs with each other. Cosell pretends to paintbrush the actor at the end!

But do you really want to know what THIS is?

If all that isn't enough for you, earlier on in that "Lady Luck" sequence, another old BOTNS friend appears as a bartender:

YouTube Spotlight: Cher as Fitness Icon

Before the Oscar for Moonstruck revitalized her acting career, Cher was perhaps most prominent in a series of fitness gym commercials, like this one we included in this week's Sonny and Cher playlist:

That was far from the only ad, nor even the only club. Cher also starred in many more ads like this:

For a while, Cher was arguably a bigger fitness icon than a music icon, let alone a screen icon!

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 11-9: Sonny and Cher

*Thanks to our listeners for voting in our variety show poll and choosing Sonny and Cher!

*Below is the official video playlist for this episode, and it's packed with promos, commercials, comedy, music, bloopers, and more! You will even see some of the material from the episode we discuss on the pod. Just click below!

*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

*The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour aired on CBS from August 1971 to May 1974. It spawned The Sonny Comedy Revue (ABC, 13 episodes) and Cher (CBS, about a season and a half before Cher ended it to relaunch the show with Sonny). Then they had one more run together with CBS' The Sonny and Cher Show.

*The original version launched as a Summer show in 1971 Sundays at 8:30, moved to Wednesdays at 8:00 in 1972, and came back in 1976 as a Friday 9:00 show. It ended its run in Summer 1977 Mondays at 10:00.

*Sonny Bono became mayor of Palm Springs in 1988 and a U.S. Congressman in 1995.

*ABC had a "This Is the Place to Be" campaign in the early Seventies:

*The "official" listed heights of the couple are 5'7" for Cher and 5'5" for Sonny.

*Shields and Yarnell had their own variety show (didn't everyone?) on CBS at this time. They did the robot mime on many other shows, including The Muppet Show.

*David Steinberg's self-titled Canadian show aired this season, too, premiering on CTV and running in syndication in the USA/

*Props to the Tina Turner website I consulted for info on her performances.

*We have a lot more to go in Season 11, but we will see you in Season 12 for Donny and Marie!

Ep. 11-9: Sonny and Cher

In our second listener poll episode of the season, we look at a seventies variety show forma, and Sonny and Cher beat out Donny and Marie and Captain & Tennille for top honors. We discuss an episode from the post-divorce iteration of the show, featuring guests David Steinberg, Shields and Yarnell, and the great Tina Turner! Witty banter, comedy, mime, and music. The only things missing are puppets and...comedy. We kid! 

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #varietyshow #sonnyandcher #cher #tinaturner #davidsteinberg #shieldsandyarnell #mime

 

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...