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Rowan & Martin's Laugh In - General Discussion

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in Rowan & Martin's Laugh In

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Blergh

Blergh

I often wondered what it would have been like had Miss Ernestine Tomlin and Edith Ann been able to appear together in a skit- without trick photography? Too bad I don't recall either one appearing with Gladys Ormphby (Ruth Buzzi's uber-spinster prototype)!

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OhioSongbird

OhioSongbird

(edited)

I love Tyrone B. Horney.  Arte Johnson just killed in everything.

Jump into the fray folks!  The political humor (this was the Nixon years) rings so true today.....

Edited by OhioSongbird
...proper grammar are good....
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Blergh

Blergh

Oh, yes! Arte Johnson was VERRRY intewesting re his characters and when Tyrone and Gladys got together it was always lots of fun (though not for either of them due to Gladys being shocked and Tyrone getting whacked with her purse for his efforts).  I've often wondered why Mr. Johnson did very little after this because this show demonstrated how much of a creative genius he was (especially since the performers had to develop memorable characters who literally had only seconds to make their mark before the next segment started).

    Let's also salute the late Judy Carne who was believable as the swinging 'mod' co-ed as well as the temperamental 'Judy Doll' who more than took care of 'mashers' (and it was hilarious seeing her as a robot wife to Arte Johnson's robot husband).

   Goldie Hawn sure proved to be 'dumb as a fox' as Miss Carne once put it.

   Then, Joanne Worley was quite the character but it seems that was mainly because SHE herself is a character!

Ironically, even though Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were the show's stars (and they made sure the audience never forgot it), IMO, they weren't as funny as the rest of the cast even though each of them had their moments (e.g. when Mr. Martin played the boozing drunk flirting with Ruth Buzzi's bar belle character).

   Thankfully, Mr. Martin was able to make a good second career for himself as a director after this and would live to 86 despite the fact that he'd had to make due with a collapsed lung since his teens (which, in retrospect, makes it all the more appalling that his partner Dan Rowan chain smoked next to him without the slightest consideration).

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SVNBob

SVNBob

Dick Martin's best character on the show probably had to be...Dick Martin.  He was basically doing the same shtick as Goldie, but with added horndog on top.  This is best evidenced in the one episode when Johnny Carson guest hosted in Dick's place.  And he put on the Dick character.

And of course there was the entire cast portraying the Farkel family, with Dick as neighbor Ferd Berford.

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Blergh

Blergh

"Look THAT up in your Funk & Wagnall's"- ah   the days when when sounding something close to profanity was ALL that was needed for a good laugh! Not to mention, in those pre-Net days, that was a good way to factually and definitively settle definitions and queries!

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OhioSongbird

OhioSongbird

Oh yes!!  I totally forgot to mention the Farkels.  Hilarious......

It is really cool how many went on to good careers.  Goldie, Lily, Henry, Arte (I have seen him in old TV shows like Rockford Files, etc) Others to a lesser degree.

Joanne Worley was a little over the top for my taste.

The guest stars they got was an amazing list.  Even Pres. Nixon after the fun they poked at him every week.  Can you imagine Trump doing anything like that?

I think not......

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Blergh

Blergh

Milburn,

 

 That was true as long as the show itself was fresh. Alas, by the last year when virtually the whole original cast, save The Stars (R&M), Gary Owens and Ruth Buzzi departed en masse,  they just seemed to symbolize how tired the whole thing had become. They were having Alan Sues dress up as JoAnne Worley to make Boris jokes. Lame.

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smittykins

smittykins

One of my favorites was actually a serious moment.  During the 1968 Christmas episode, Dick asks Dan, "You know what would make this the perfect Christmas?"

Dan:  "What's that?"

Dick:  "Keep Bob Hope in Hollywood and let the troops visit him."

Damn onions...

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spiderpig

spiderpig

2 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Wasn't there something also about a Maltese Bippy? Or did I just dream that one night?

There was!  It was a 1969 feature film with Rowan & Martin.

Gee, you guys are smart!  Who needs Funk & Wagnall's?  Just come here and somebody will have an answer.

:-)

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lambertman

lambertman

I am mostly jealous of those who have Decades as I've always wanted to see the 6th season (which didn't air on Nick at NIte or Trio) that they're reportedly airing now...although the clips that Sarah Kennedy posted on YouTube weren't that great. How's it holding up?

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txhorns79

txhorns79

(edited)

I've been watching the sixth season on Decades.  It really is not that great, and it feels like a lot of the last season regulars are simply meant as copies of more popular originals.  For example, they have a blonde actress named Sarah Kennedy who might as well be called "Holdie Gawn."  She looks just like Goldie and she and another brunette performer do the same "giggly" shtick that Goldie did.  I guess what was cute in 1967 or 68 just seems tired by 1973.  And I can't even discuss the ventriloquist, adding children as regular cast members or the Beautiful Downtown Beauties, who are the Laugh In equivalent of the women who introduce prizes on the Price is Right.  There are some decent sketches and performers, but the excitement and daring is gone.         

Edited by txhorns79
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SVNBob

SVNBob

5 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

And I can't even discuss the ventriloquist,

That's the (relatively) famous Wille Tyler with Lester.  This was the big break for the act, which led to a lot of other appearances, including the gig for hosting ABC's Weekend Special, before ABC created O.G. Readmore.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

Quote

I'm watching on Decades as I type.  Love that channel.  Totally agree on the last season being lame.  It was over.

I do have to say that during the fourth and fifth seasons, I absolutely cracked up at Alan Sues dressed in drag doing his Joanne Worley impression.  He totally nailed it. 

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