So you know I reviewed Teri Garr’s book and basically said it was sketchy (as in merely a sketch of a tale). Then she goes and says something really juicy (and true) on Today THV regarding The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour joke-writing machine. Asked about the new musical version of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, Garr compares the jokes between Brooks’ movie and the jokes from her day job.
Garr says you can find "musical qualities to the phone book if you have the right writers." Garr says even though the humor in Young Frankenstein is juvenile, it seemed "like Shakespeare" compared to the jokes she was having to say on "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" at the same time in 1971. She says that was "cheap joke city."
Garr is so "hit and run" with her candor. Why not just spill it all out. It would be like therapy.
Why was the writing so bad? The Carol Burnett Show skits were so much better. My non-Cher-fan friends will watch the TV show DVDs and come right out and say what Cher-fan friends can’t bring themselves to say: the jokes suck rotten. They’re not even bad in a fun way.
The production values – bling! The costumes – bling! The songs – bling, bling! So why couldn’t a practical army of writers come up with better jokes? The only jokes worse than S&C Show jokes are Cher Show jokes.
And I’d like to ask Steve Martin why? Steve Martin was a writer on early S&C shows. Then he goes on to one of the smartest, most successful stand-up comedy careers ever. He could have written a brilliant show all by himself. Was he hoarding all the good stuff? Or were the egos in the writers’ room that humorless that they passed up his brilliant material? I just don’t get it. The mark is so far between that variety show and his soon-to-break material.
It’s unfortunate he wasn’t a bigger influence on the comedy quality because that show is mostly sketch-comedy, sprinkled with music. The weakness of the comedy will keep the show a kitsch/memory favorite (mostly due to the musical sequences) instead of a true classic like Carol Burnett.
Who knew? The Belefast Telegraph reports that "Dead Ringer For Love" is a song you can really work out to.
Leave a Reply