My favorite network, TCM, featured music documentaries all weekend, beginning with The T.A.M.I. show. Right now, TCM is featuring the four-hour Director's Cut, Woodstock.
This must have stirred a reader's memory -- reminding the reader of a great scene in a network sitcom back in 1975. I completely missed it.
From 1975, on The Odd Couple:
For many (most?) of us, we remember Roy Clark as the co-host of Hee Haw, along with Buck Owens, on network television, CBS, from 1969 - 1971. I remember it well watching it during my last year of high school, but probably not watching it during my first year in college.
But look at this. In 1975, Hee Haw, a CBS production, was now in syndication. But The Odd Couple was an ABC sitcom. I can't connect the dots but one would assume there was a reason for such "product" placement on ABC for a CBS product.
Having said all that my favorite rendition of Malagueña was by Robert Rodriguez and Chingon.
By the way, how good was Roy Clark? See this post.
Roy Clark was a master and highly under appreciated. I think the HeeHaw hayseed stereotype image was what folks remember.
ReplyDeleteWatching that clip Randall and Klugman are both locked in watching the skill.
The live audience obviously liked it as well.
And- Roy could play a bar of soap and make it sound good! He was that good
I never realized how good he was until I read the social media comments regarding this video clip. I don't know if the "Hee Haw" image helped him or hurt him but it was probably impossible for him to get television exposure any other way. The one-hour song and dance prime-time variety shows were dime a dozen, and very few were all that successful.
DeleteHaving said that, "Hee Haw" introduced Roy Clark to a lot of folks who otherwise might not have paid much attention.
I still get a kick out of the fact he was on ABC in this video clip but "The Odd Couple" was a CBS product, though by this time "Hee Haw" was in syndication and this may have simply been a way to remind folks that it was still airing.