Season: 2 (The Sonny & Cher Show)
Episode: 34
Guest(s): No guests
CBS Air Date: March 18, 1977
Also aired: Never re-aired
This episode never re-aired and many fans believed it simply never really existed or if it did, it was a rerun of old clips. Jay has confirmed with the original TV Guide and audio that it is a legitimate episode with some new content. TV Guide describes the episode as one where Sonny & Cher spoof themselves with “The Sonny & Cher Awards Show” showing highlights and lowlights of the past season. So it kind of is a rerun of clips to some extent with a framing device.
Opening Song: “The Beat Goes On”
Sonny & Cher (1967)
Opening Banter: Sonny says, “Well Cher, tonight’s the night” and Cher responds, “Not with me, it isn’t.” This little joke goes all the way back to their early 1970s nightclub act. Sonny says, “You know what I’m talking about. I was talking about giving away something special.” Cher retorts, “So was I.”
Sonny says, “Tonight, we’re giving away awards to all the people that make it possible for Cher and I to do the show together.” Cher responds, “except our lawyers.”
Sonny says, “Tonight, we’re going to do an awards show making fun of us.”
Because this was basically a clips show, the running joke is that none of the winners could attend to accept and so Ted Zeigler accepts all the awards on everyone’s behalf.
The Overacting Award
There are eight nominees (clips of stars from previous episodes). Ted Zeigler accepts for the winner.
Recognition of the Little People
Cher says, “speaking of the little people who never win awards, I have one for you Sonny” and she hands him the “coveted Groping Award” (the audience laughs at whatever she hands them) and “the award given for the most needless use of the word ‘anyway’ in a continuing series” and they play numerous clips where Sonny says ‘anyway.’
(I could win that award, myself. I was just thinking this week that the word anyway is my more useful word for story ramblers.)
“Hey Marge, Who the -bleep- Is That?” Award
They honor the costume and make-up people. They then show guest stars in make-up and costumes and Sonny asks the audience if they can guess who they are. Again, Ted Zeigler accepts on the winner’s behalf. Sonny asks Ted, “are you really known as the man with 1,000 faces?” Ted says, “yes.” Sonny says, “Then, I was wondering why you picked that one.” Ted responds, “Laugh now, but tomorrow I’ll be Bert Parks and you will still be you.” Ouch.
Chastity’s Nepotism Award
The nominees are Marlo Thomas, Jane Fonda and Chastity Bono. “And the winner is….Chastity Bono!” and they show clips of Chastity shown from previous episodes.
Cher Solo: “The Thanksgiving Weiner”
A comedic, made-up song paying tribute to the song writing staff.
Writer’s Award
Sonny says this part is special to him because it’s given to the writers who do the same thing over and over and over again, “they write things that endanger my life.” And then they show various clips of Sonny’s physical comedy: falls, explosions and punches.
For Cher’s Dress Designer Bob Mackie
Or as Sonny calls it, the “Lets spend all the money dressing up Cher and putting Sonny in a barrel Award.” The cast sings a tribute to Bob Mackie called “Bob Mackie, We’re Lucky To Have You.” They were.
The Roll ‘Em! Award
A tribute to Italian director Vente Nove showing clips of him saying “Roll ’em, Luigi…..the film, Luigi….the film!”
(I just said that last night as I passed Luigi’s restaurant so this is my favorite award.)
The Fred Astaire “You Can Sleep Easy Tonight” Award
Cher says, “the next award is for dancing and it goes to Sonny, “Twinkle Toes Bono,” who really knows how to move.”
Sonny says, “that’s right. I moved out of Cher’s house in an hour and a half.” (Ha.) They show clips of Sonny’s dancing. Ted Zeigler accepts on Sonny’s behalf.
The Humility Award
Given to the actor who is most often humiliated on The Sonny & Cher Show. Sonny doesn’t know how he couldn’t have won this one but the winner is Ted Ziegler. The announcer says Ted Ziegler couldn’t attend tonight but that his friend Henry Kissinger is here to accept the award. Ted Zeigler comes out as Henry Kissinger to accept.
Sonny says, “Ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s time that we all give a nice round of applause to the most talented sketch performer on television.” The crowd gives a big applause. Ted Zeigler thinks they’re applauding him but Sonny says, “Not you, Ted. Harvey Korman.”
A Salute to Ourselves
Sonny says, “it’s a salute to ourselves and our brilliant, creative minds that make this show possible, all 41 of our staff.”
Cher says, “right, a number that also equals the number of their combined IQs.” (Eeek!)
They then show a clip that was taped for an earlier episode but never shown. It was when they taped the episode for after the Presidential election of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. They taped the segment two days before the election, not knowing who would win. So they did an opening monologues for a Ford or a Carter win. They show the monologue taped in the case Gerald Ford won.
Concert Segment (Video)
They talk about the hungry years with Harold Batiste. They talked about how Cher loved The Byrds and about her recording their Bob Dylan song “All I Really Want To Do,” how Cher sang both the high and low octaves and listeners thought it was a guy singing those low octave parts. They also talk about the Martoni’s restaurant incident where they were asked to leave because of their clothes and then Sonny recorded the song “Laugh At Me.”
They come onstage re-enacting the beginning of the show, but wearing their old 1960s-era outfits. Cher is wearing a bangs-wig with the little wings she once had, a green sweater and fur vest like on the cover of their debut LP Look at Us. Sonny wears a bobbed wig, fur vest and paisley shirt. it looks like Cher has on huge bell bottoms and Sonny’s sporting furry boots.
They sing three of their hits:
- “All I Really Want To Do” (Sonny & Cher) – Some of the lyrics get changed again (track or trace you, race or something-that-rhymes-with-race you)
- “Laugh At Me” (Sonny) – Sonny always starts singing this song with his hand flat out.
- “I Got You Babe” – This was probably the last time they sang this song on one of their own shows. They would sing it a few times again as guests on talk shows in 1979 and 1987. Cher plays with Sonny’s hair this time. Sonny makes fun of Cher flipping her hair.
Sonny says he wants to show a sincere thanks for all the names you’re about to see in the credits. They both say “Goodnight, God bless” & walk off the stage.”
Thanks to Jay for the extended run-down on this rare episode. His thoughts about this last show, “It hit me that of the 67 episodes of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and the 34 episodes of The Sonny & Cher Show, there was only one cast member that was there for the first in 1971 to this last one in 1977, Ted Ziegler.”
Jay also notes that it’s been said that Sonny & Cher didn’t know they were going to be cancelled after Season 2. But this episode’s tributes indicate they very likely did.
Highlights: I would agree the staff tributes kind of indicate Sonny & Cher knew this was going to be their swan-song episode. Thanks to Jay for clearing up the mystery of this episode. Not only does it exist, but it’s a very important episode. There have never been any meet-up tribute shows for any of the Sonny & Cher shows like there have been for The Carol Burnett Show and so we have never seen Sonny or Cher officially thank their cast and crew in public. I sometimes feared they didn’t appreciate the contributions of staff, crew and cast, but this final episode proves that they did, at least during this final show.
The final CBS Airing of a Sonny & Cher variety show was not this episode. Episode #26 re-aired again on August29, 1977.
By the end of the run, Cher had performed approximately 630 musical numbers across a total of 130 shows, which averages to about 4.85 songs per show. Her performances in the comedy segments furthered women’s emancipation (practically subliminally) in the 1970s far more than the shows ever get credit for.
And despite the show’s flaws and the unrelenting tabloid attachment to the dramas of their personal lives, the shows they made were unforgettable.
