Donny & Marie (1976) Information

Donny & Marie is an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond. Donny had first become popular singing in a music group with his brothers, The Osmonds, and Marie was one of the youngest singers to reach #1 on the Billboard Country Music charts (with "Paper Roses", in 1973).

The siblings were offered a weekly show by ABC-TV President Fred Silverman after he saw the duo co-host a week on The Mike Douglas Show which followed their series of popular remakes of oldies, such as "I'm Leaving It (All) Up To You", "Morning Side Of The Mountain", "Deep Purple" and "Make The World Go Away". Donny and Marie (18 and 16 years old, respectively, when the program premiered) were the youngest entertainers in TV history to host their own variety show. A year later, The Keane Brothers would break this record.

Overview

Donny & Marie was a Friday night show that consisted mainly of an ice skating number intro, comedy skits, followed by songs performed by the duo. The most famous song performed on the show was "I'm A Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll", which formed the basis of a weekly segment (the "Concert Spot") in which Marie ("a little bit country") would trade off singing a country music song with Donny ("I'm a little bit rock and roll") singing a rock and roll song. Each episode concluded with a musical finale and a cascade of balloons from the ceiling, matched to the colors of the sets and costumes. Donny and Marie would then sing their trademark closing song which was written by Alan Osmond, "May Tomorrow Be a Perfect Day".

The show's popularity declined after it was revealed that teen heartthrob Donny was dating (and eventually married) fellow Utahn Debbie Glenn, therefore taking him 'off the market' of eligible bachelors. According to an edition of the VH1 series Behind the Music, many female viewers started to tune out at this point. The series also underwent a format change in the final season, eliminating segments such as the ice skaters and country/rock-n-roll segments in favor of more concert-style disco numbers. The show was also retitled The Osmond Family Show near the end, as the program increasingly featured members of Donny and Marie's family. The variety show genre as a whole, at the time, was in steep decline, and the success of Donny & Marie was somewhat of an aberration compared to the trends of television in the late 1970s (two of the last successful variety shows, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Carol Burnett Show, both left the air in 1977 and 1978 respectively).

The 1980"1981 TV season featured Marie with a Bob Mackie fashion make-over and starring in her own solo variety series on NBC called Marie, which was also produced at Silverman's behest and attempted to follow a similar format. It lasted one season.

Donny and Marie joined together again in 1998 to co-host Donny & Marie (also known as The Donny and Marie Hour and The Donny and Marie Show), a talk show that ran for two seasons.

Merchandising

• Donny & Marie dolls with an accompanying "TV Studio" play set were released in August 1976.
• A Donny & Marie wireless toy microphone (which transmitted to AM radio frequencies) was released in 1977.

Production notes

Originally, the show was created by Sid & Marty Krofft and videotaped in Los Angeles at KTLA Studios, but creative control of the show was given to the Osmonds after a long battle, and Donny & Marie was moved to the Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah in November 1977.

List of guest stars

A

• Jack Albertson
• Paul Anka
• Desi Arnaz

B

• Pearl Bailey
• Lucille Ball
• Kylene Barker
• Dirk Benedict
• Edgar Bergen
• Milton Berle
• Chuck Berry
• Debby Boone
• Gary Burghoff
• George Burns
• Raymond Burr
• Ruth Buzzi

C

• Cyd Charisse
• Charo
• Chubby Checker
• Roy Clark
• Robert Conrad
• Bert Convy
• Rita Coolidge

D

• Johnny Dark
• Bo Diddley

E

• Barbara Eden
• Dale Evans
• Chad Everett

F

• Farrah Fawcett
• Redd Foxx

G

• Andy Gibb
• George Gobel
• Arthur Godfrey
• Lorne Greene
• Andy Griffith

H

• Buddy Hackett
• The Harlem Globetrotters
• Billie Hayes
• Robert Hegyes
• Sherman Hemsley
• Florence Henderson
• Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
• Bob Hope
• Rick Hurst

I

J

• Sonny James

K

• Gabe Kaplan
• Roz Kelly
• Bruce Kimmel
• Christopher Knight
• Ted Knight
• Evel Knievel
• Don Knotts
• Kris Kristofferson

L

• Cheryl Ladd
• Michael Landon
• Lassie
• Jerry Lewis
• Hal Linden
• Art Linkletter
• Little Richard
• Rich Little
• Mike Lookinland
• Paul Lynde

M

• Gavin MacLeod
• Lee Majors
• Patty Maloney
• Tony Martin
• Maureen McCormick
• Anne Meara

N

• Jim Nabors
• Olivia Newton-John
• Chuck Norris

O

• Susan Olsen
• The Osmonds

P

• Ron Palillo
• Minnie Pearl
• Billy Preston
• Vincent Price
• Charley Pride

Q

R

• Robert Reed
• Carl Reiner
• Geri Reischl
• Roy Rogers
• Esther Rolle
• Nipsey Russell

S

• Isabel Sanford
• Jaclyn Smith
• Kate Smith
• Keely Smith
• Suzanne Somers
• Sonny & Cher
• Ken Stabler
• Connie Stevens
• McLean Stevenson
• Loretta Swit

T

• Fran Tarkenton
• Rip Taylor
• Fred Travalena
• Tina Turner

U

V

• Karen Valentine
• Dick Van Patton
• Ben Vereen

W

• Jimmie Walker
• Raquel Welch
• Betty White
• Andy Williams
• Barry Williams
• Cindy Williams
• Paul Williams

X

Y

• Robert Young

Z