Bea Arthur, Others 'Celebrate' NBC's 60th Anniversary With Forced Melodic Cheer

[Primetimer]

Based on the set design, they're all in heaven. Based on the facial expressions, they're all in hell.

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[Certainly Ken]

Terrible. Just terrible.

[Dave in Chicago]

I am not a crackpot: network TV needs more promotional nonsense like this. We don't get fall preview specials anymore, minimal crossover events, no "Circus of the Stars"... If the worst the cast of "Scorpion" has to put up with is occasional time served on "Hollywood Game Night", their contracts don't have enough clauses.

[RealityCowgirl]

I wonder which network exec they insulted to end up with featured roles in that abomination - and what gods I offended to now have that stuck in my brain.

"We're a family..."

:)

Edited January 25, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[AndySmith]

Oh my Godzilla. That was actually kind of awesome. In a horrible, bad acid trip kind of way.

Sarah, you really need to nominate this for KODTTM.

[Trip]

You know what I needed today without even realizing it? A horrible pastiche of a "Dreamgirls" number partly sung by Mrs. Garrett.

[Dave in Chicago]

Just think: if they'd done a 61st anniversary, we might have been gifted with a contribution from the "Rags to Riches" girls. Something from "Les Miz"?

[Actionmage]

The upside, most of those folks were known to be good to excellent Broadway performers, so could sing and dance. The downside? They were expected to spin gold out of this straw, and it wasn't very good straw to start with, even for an anniversary show.

 

I did enjoy the house set. I enjoyed the eensy amount of banter between Marla Gibbs and Nell Carter more. I wonder if Soleil Moon Frye even remembers taping this. I hope she remembers the women she worked with; they were pretty cool.

[marceline]

For one brief shining moment Nell Carter did a duet with Bea Arthur. I forgive all.

[StatMom]

Here's my theory: the special was short by about two minutes, so they made the ladies sing it... realllll slooooooow. Such odd staging, too.

I love Nell Carter's singing voice, but what was with her pronunciation of "family"? Feeemahlee?

[clarkbar]

Well. That was . . . uncomfortable.

[Jeffurry]

OMG, I think I watched this at the time, especially because I watched all of those shows. This may have been my first ever hatewatch, or at least conflictedwatch.

[marceline]

Maybe NBC should do this again now with the actors doing a song from "Hamilton."

[Dave in Chicago]

David Sims on twitter just posted this:

The NBC tradition lives!

[legaleagle53]

Maybe NBC should do this again now with the actors doing a song from "Hamilton."

 

Well, the network does have its 100th anniversary coming up in 2026, you know.  Prepare yourselves now and be afraid, very afraid!

Edited January 26, 2016 by legaleagle53

[marceline]

David Sims on twitter just posted this:

The NBC tradition lives!

 

I remember that video. I won't lie, I loved it. Of course I'm a theatre fan so any homage to Broadway is fine with me.

[SnideAsides]

Who cares? Nell Carter's weary "even a saccharine show must go on" affect is instructive re: professionalism (and re: carefully reading the fine print in your contract), plus it's a window into an interesting time in broadcast TV, when I think we were approaching the end of the major nets' ability to put on this kind of show and expect anyone to tolerate it.

Oh, no. Australian television was still doing the "let's get all our stars to do a choreographed routine" thing in their promos well into the 2000s.

[Blakeston]

Here's my theory: the special was short by about two minutes, so they made the ladies sing it... realllll slooooooow. Such odd staging, too.

I love Nell Carter's singing voice, but what was with her pronunciation of "family"? Feeemahlee?

I thought she was going to say "female" or "femur."

[Cherpumple]

And who put Marla Gibbs in Rusty's Italian-shopping-montage outfit from National Lampoon's European Vacation?

I can't stop laughing at this line. It's so true!

[adam807]

I love them both but Charlotte Rae and Bea Arthur singing a song from "Dreamgirls" should be in the dictionary next to "White people, am I right?"

[mmecorday]

Gah, I remember when networks used to air stuff like this. For some reason the one I remember most is the fall TV preview the year that the TV series "V" debuted back in the early 80s because the alien space ship landed on the stage and all the actors were instructed to look scared.

[link417]

I don't understand how that 60th celebration song isn't already PTV's theme song.

[Jimson Weed]

On 9/18/2017 at 8:29 AM, adam807 said:

I love them both but Charlotte Rae and Bea Arthur singing a song from "Dreamgirls" should be in the dictionary next to "White people, am I right?"

White people created Dreamgirls (book, lyrics, music, direction).