I don't have time to cover all the show in depth anymore but I can try to link to some of the online musical numbers with a few comments.
1/3/1972 Show
Opening duet: "Sooner or Later" is a song from The Grass Roots.
Cher's solo: "Come Rain or Shine" was recorded by everybody, including famously by Billie Holiday. Mr. Cher Scholar and I joked her wig looks like 1960s rich housewife hair or an unkempt Marlo Thomas. It's a really bad wig and the early solo spots are so shadowy.
Concert segment: "Mr. Tamborine Man/Joy to the World" (with Dinah Shore). One of Cher's many Bob Dylan covers, a hit by The Byrds and Three Dog Night. Sonny & Cher did this song twice on their shows. This is the not-so-hot version. See Cher's lovely 70s fringe knot swinging around.
2/6/1974 Show
Concert segment: "HiHeel Sneakers/Barefootin" ("Sneakers" is a Tommy Tucker song and "Barefootin" is a Robert Parker song. Sonny wears a hilarious Miami-themed cabano boy shirt (I call this a Barry Manilow shirt). Cher sports an afro ponytail. Good mike tossing by Cher.
Cher Solo: "Working Together" with Cher in that macramé head thing Groovy organ.
9/15/1972 Show
Opening Duet: "Let Me Down Easy" in white outfits with blue and green stripes. Don’t know who originally recorded this song but Dusty Springfield did a slow groovy cover in 1972 on the Dusty in London album. Cher also recorded it for her 1972 Foxy Lady album.
All the Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five material from the show, including "what are you gonna be when you grow up," "Looking Through My Window" and "Ben." Interesting look at the pre-teen Michael Jackson.
It annoyed me that the episode right before the U.S. election was the Ronald Reagan episode. Good bit of S&C self-deprecation here though and one of the best looks at the oddity that is the Bono Award.
Cher Solo: "Say it Isn’t So" in that famous fuchsia dress. Heavy Vaseline job here and we see Cher's belly button.
Years 1 – 9/26/1973 Show
This was the show immediately after the election. Although it's one of the unsatisfying "Years" episodes, it has some sketches to note:
- Early reality TV Chastity video while Cher sings "Chastity Sun" – my favorite picture from that is to the right, although who doesn't take pause at the prominent "It's a Girl" button shot.
- Concert Segment: Medley with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Bobby Vinton.
- The rock and roll diner segment, not online, is eerie in how it predicts Cher's contractual struggles with Sonny and her later rise to fame, complete with her future 1980s "look."
The Vamp Through Time
I've never watched these shows in sequential order, which would be good to do so I could see how segments and trends on the show evolve. For instance, it's interesting to note how the Vamp dress evolved over the course of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
- The simple blood red dress with long, curled hair,
- The shiny hot red dress with the curly wig and pinned heart,
- The later-day cross-hatch textured dress.
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