Any interest in a Rowan and Martins Laugh In episode by episode thread

Hi,

I recently noticed that Amazon Prime have added all 6 series of Rowan and Martins Laugh In. I’ve always been fascinated by the unique pop art vaudeville aesthetic this show, despite being a UK resident born 7 years after it finished airing. I have resolved to watch every episode; I’m currently a fraction of the way through at series 1 episode 4.

I was wondering if there would be enough interest on this forum for an episode by episode thread? I’d just be posting capsule thoughts on each instalment as I go along, but the idea would be to provoke discussion and memories from those more familiar with the show and it’s context, esp those who saw it when it first aired. Please reply on this thread if it’s something you’d be interested in and if there’s enougb interest I’ll commence!

 

Count me in, aj!

 

I just started watching season one. I didn't get the jokes when I was 8 and I still don't get many of them because it has dated so badly but still it's an amazing look at a changing of the guard in TV and pop culture. And a welcome antidote to the heavy-handedness of the humorless P.C. culture of today.

 

I would definitely follow this thread but my contributions would be minimal. My wife was going to cancel her Prime subscription. Now I may have to stop her! One concern: Due to the nature of the show I'm not sure if individual episodes will really stand out, but I'm sure there are exceptions.

 

Is there a way that we can have a general discussion thread about all of this?

 

I never tire of seeing Dick Martin watch Tiny Tim perform "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." His look of sheer incredulity is priceless!

 

Sure!

 

I love how Dan Rowan takes a smoke break during Tiny Tim's performance.



Darryl

 

Absolutely. I have always loved the show.

 

I watched this show on regular TV.
One thing that might make a full discussion less worthy is the large political aspect much of the material was based on.
With a no politics rule on this forum the discussions might either be stifled, or simply deleted, based on the nature of the show material.

Either way, I think you should sock it to the forum and see what happens.

 

I loved that show!

 

I recently binge watched the entire 6 seasons...it was amazing that the main cast remembered today was just from the first 2.5 years. Once they made a major change to the cast and sets things went downhill fast. Since I'm old I still get most all of the references to people and events of the time. Then googling all the cast members and seeing how many had rather sad ends.

I didn't really laugh out loud much during the 6 seasons, but I was amused, interested and awash in nostalgia, and so I enjoyed the experience.

 

I tried to watch that show when it aired back in '68-'73 because it was unique and I liked comedy shows. Back then I REALLY wanted to laugh.

But I was around 10-13 years old and I kept having this nagging feeling every time I tuned in and saying to myself..."that was almost funny" over and over with all the zingers and one line jokes in that show. I never got a belly laugh out of that show.

And when my folks finally got a color TV the look of Rowan and Martin's alcohol fueled skin tone, a mixture of reddish sun tan, kinda' reminded me of some of my relatives who just had too much to drink during get togethers. I felt as a kid I was watching adults doing grown up things at a swinger's party (skin crawl) with grown up humor that had way too many inside "sexual" jokes. I mean what was up with all the "Sock it to me"?

Then SNL came on and I said that's what I'm talking about.

Now that I'm 59 I've watched some episodes on YouTube and I thought I'ld find it funnier now that I'm an adult. Nope.

Could someone please post a YouTube link to what you think is a very funny scene. Doesn't have to be an entire episode.

 

Ok folks, here goes.. I agree this thread could double as a general discussion thread. Don't expect my episode capsules to be particularly insightful, comprehensive or lengthy, they will just be meant to hopefully provoke discussion, highlight points of interest and keep the thread going: I think @Mister Charlie makes a very good point when he says the show is mainly remembered for the first 2 and a half seasons (the 60s basically) and the latter half of it's run not so much. I was shocked to discover when looking the show up on wiki that Goldie Hawn, Judy Carne and Jo-Anne Worley had all left (other than the odd cameo comeback) by the end of the 3rd season! I agree all with @GLENN that the show prob won't stand to be analysed on an episode by episode basis, but I'm gonna try anyway....

 

PILOT EPISODE: First broadcast 9th Sept 1967

Different titles and set from the main series. No joke wall! No Gary Owens! No Goldie! The set featuring blown up photos of mod it girls such as Peggy Moffit rather than the more psychey set up of the main series.

Barbara Feldon is in this episode: I don't think she ended up lasting beyond the first episode of the first season proper: however I find her an performance here very compelling as it combines striking beauty with great sense of brassy comedy, esp in the girl scout cookies routine that ended up being included on the first RAMLI LP. When I heard the LP I thought it was Jo Anne Worley doing that bit.

That's all I got for that!

 

Season 1 E1: Broadcast Jan 22nd 1968

Tiny Tim's debut. Gary Owens debut, no Goldie yet!

The highlight of this episode by far for me was the bizzare video for The Strawberry Alarm Clock's 'Tomorrow', featuring them dressed (in fact they were the first ever to dress as ) those yellow rain coat characters destroying a car. Great song, visual insanity.

 

Season 1 E2: Broadcast Jan 29th 1968

First 'Laugh In Looks at the News'. I love it's theme tune.

The First Edition star in another great film clip for 'Just Dropped in': it's this clip except in colour.

 

I remember that Strawberry Alarm Clock video! I was just a kid in elementary school but even at that age I was a budding music (and comedy) fan, so I was impressed and decided right away that Laugh In was a cool show.

 

Season 1 E3: Broadcast Feb 5th 1968.

Cher guests, and the first episode with Goldie Hawn fully part of the cast (she debuted in a brief cutaway in the last episode). So here we have an episode with 2 stars who are still very much contemporary figures 50 years on. This must have been one of (if not the first) of both Cher's appearances without Sonny, and in a comedic context. Her deadpan delivery instantly fits with the shows style and displays how she was able to transition to presenting her own comedy/variety show a few years later.

Goldie looks unbelievably ultra cute in the sailor suit get up everyone wears for the censorship song. There's a very telling moment in that sequence, where after Goldie's been hanging around on the periphery of the set looking like a bit of a spare part, Judy Carne leaves the stage and Goldie steps into her place! Symbolic much?

Side note: It wasn't until I read his entry on wiki that I got that the name Henry Gibson is supposed to be a phonetic play on Henrik Ibsen. Staring me in the face!

 

Season 1 E4: Broadcast Feb 12th 1968.

This is the famous episode that predicted a Ronald Reagan presidency 20 years hence!

There's a great video for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 'Buy For Me The Rain' featuring Pamela Austin and Roddy Maude-Roxby, that ends on a rather more serious note than 99% of fare appearing on this show:



Roddy Maude-Roxby looks really reminiscent Peter Cook throughout these shows.

The bizzare 'pill'costumes that Eileen Brennan, Goldie Hawn and Judy Carne are dressed in in the final musical number have to be seen to be believed! Pamela Austin completes the quartet in a slightly more normal-looking (but ultimately the most daring at the time in terms of what it represented) costume.

 

Season 1 E5: Broadcast Feb 19th 1968.

Kaye Ballard guests: she seems to be playing roles that Joanne Worley would normally have done.

This episode contains one of my all time favourite lines from Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby: 'Sometimes I just law in the dark and play Robery Goulet records till I could just SCREAM!'

I can never understand what the point or joke of Arte Johnsons' European folk singer character is supposed to be.

Peter Lawford's one-liner 'you don't have to be happy to be gay!' followed by a wink must have been pretty out there stuff in 1968.

 

Season 1 E6: Broadcast Feb 26th 1968.

Leonard Nimoy guests! Nancy Ames also guests. I'd never heard of her, but seems like a very multitalented lady . She looks stunning too. Nancy Ames - Wikipedia

I really like the Downtown Burbank song that Judy Carne and Connie Stevens do in this one.

Fantastic video for the Temptations 'Get Ready' in this episode, where they face off against Arte Johnsons German soldier character. A still from this sequence was later re-purposed to much more sombre effect for the cover of their LP 'I Wish I Would Rain'



Joanne Worley first announces her love for chickens!

(I'm ill with food poisoning today, hence me having time to watch 3 episodes!)

 

Let's take a moment to talk about this guy: