| The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour | |
|---|---|
 Sonny Bono andCher in an Egyptian soap opera skit onThe Sonny and Cher Show, 1977 | |
| Genre | Variety |
| Directed by | Art Fisher |
| Starring | Sonny and Cher |
| Theme music composer | Sonny Bono |
| Opening theme | "The Beat Goes On" |
| Ending theme | "I Got You Babe" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 67[1] |
| Production | |
| Producers | Chris Bearde Allan Blye |
| Running time | 52 minutes original air time[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | August 1, 1971 (1971-08-01) – May 29, 1974 (1974-05-29) |
| Related | |
| The Sonny and Cher Show (1976–1977) | |
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an Americanvariety show starring American pop singersSonny Bono andCher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran onCBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was cancelled in May 1974, due to the couple's divorce, but the duo reunited in 1976 for the similarly formattedThe Sonny and Cher Show (a title sporadically used during the run of theComedy Hour), which ran for two seasons, ending August 29, 1977.[3]
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was preceded by a one-off television special titledThe Sonny & Cher Nitty Gritty Hour. Commissioned by the Canadian networkCTV, it was recorded in 1970 and aired on May 31, 1971, at 8:30 p.m. onChannel 9 in Toronto. The special featured guest appearances bySandy Baron,Suzanne Charney,Billy Van, Jerelyn Homer, psychologist Dr.Joyce Brothers and Andrea Davidson of theNational Ballet of Canada.The Sonny & Cher Nitty Gritty Hour was produced by Ernest D. Glucksman, directed by Tim Kiley and executive produced by Philip Wedge. The writing team included Sandy Baron,Neal Marshall and Dennis Klein.[4]
The program combined musical performances with comedic sketches, focusing on themes of relationships and gender dynamics. Sonny and Cher performed "We've Only Just Begun" and humorously portrayed their professional partnership. A recurring "battle of the sexes" theme featured sketches on topics such as in-laws and household dynamics. Cher performed "Alfie" in a solo number exploring modern women's conflicts, illustrated through contrasting dance styles—one representing innocence, the other experience—culminating in Cher dancing in underwear, symbolizing her struggle between traditional and contemporary values. The special also presented portrayals of historical couples such asSamson andDelilah,Christopher Columbus andQueen Isabella, andJulius Caesar andCleopatra. Other segments included "I'm Getting Married", a comedy sketch with Billy Van and Sandy Baron, and an advice feature with Dr. Joyce Brothers providing relationship insights.[4]
Although sometimes described as apilot to CBS'sThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, theNitty Gritty Hour was originally produced and broadcast exclusively in Canada.[4] In 2015, choreographerDavid Winters claimed he initially conceived Sonny and Cher's television format, envisioning a comedy-music blend with playful insults between Sonny and Cher. According to Winters, he developed the concept as a TV special and pilot, aiming for anABC summer series, but the network chose theSmothers Brothers instead. He alleged that CBS later copied the idea, hired new producers and writers, and signed Sonny and Cher for their own series,The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which became a major hit. Despite feeling wronged, Winters said he refrained from legal action to avoid conflicts with a major network but remained convinced his idea was the foundation of the successful CBS show.[5]
By 1971,Sonny & Cher had stopped producing hit singles as a duet act.Cher's first feature film,Chastity, was not a success, and the duo decided to sing and tell jokes in nightclubs across the country. CBS head of programmingFred Silverman saw them one evening and offered them their own show.The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was originally supposed to be a summer replacement series, but high ratings gave Silverman sufficient reason to bring it back later that year, with a permanent spot on the schedule. The show was taped atCBS Television City inHollywood.
The show was a top-20 hit in the ratings for its entire run. Each episode opened with the show's theme song, which segued into the first few notes of "The Beat Goes On". Every episode,Sonny exchanged banter with Cher, allowing Cher to put down Sonny in a sarcastic, yet comic manner. Comedy skits followed, mixed with musical numbers. At the end of each episode, Sonny and Cher sang their hit "I Got You Babe" to the audience.
Many regular cast members appeared in sketches. Some notables includeTeri Garr,Murray Langston (who later found brief fame as "The Unknown Comic" onThe Gong Show), andSteve Martin (who also served as one of the show's writers). Regulars included:
Among the many guests who appeared onThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour wereCarol Burnett,George Burns,Glen Campbell,Tony Curtis,Bobby Darin,Phyllis Diller,Merv Griffin,the Jackson 5,Jerry Lee Lewis,Ronald Reagan,Burt Reynolds,The Righteous Brothers,Dinah Shore,Sally Struthers,the Supremes,[6]Chuck Berry, andDick Clark.[7]
The show was scheduled to return for a fourth season in October 1974, but Sonny and Cher separated that fall, resulting in the cancellation of the show.
In 2004, selected episodes fromThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour were released in a three-disc set calledThe Sonny & Cher Ultimate Collection: The Best of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Sonny and Cher Show on Region 1DVD.
In 1974, Sonny and Cher agreed to end the show, as they were separating from each other. Their timeslot was given toTony Orlando and Dawn the next fall. They both starred in separate variety shows over the next two years. Sonny Bono's 1974 variety series,The Sonny Comedy Revue, led off the ABC Sunday-night lineup, but lasted just 13 episodes. While it retained the creative team behindThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Bono's solo effort was largely a victim of the show's weak time slot and the established hits it faced on NBC and CBS. Initially, when Cher was reported as appearing in her own show on CBS,TV Guide predicted that Sonny's show would be the greater success.
Starting in early 1975, Cher also returned to network television with her solo variety show, entitledCher, which also aired on CBS. It did well during its abbreviated run and was renewed for the 1975–76 season. During the second season, though, Cher herself decided to end the show to work with Sonny again. Although Sonny's show had most of the cast and crew from the comedy hour (except the musical director) and was expected to be the bigger hit, Cher's show easily became the greater success, both in the ratings and by fan response.[8] Due to contracts, Cher was unable to perform many of her sketches and characters from the comedy hour on her show; Sonny had them on his show, instead.
Among the many guests who appeared on theCher show wereBette Midler,Elton John,Pat Boone,David Bowie,Ray Charles,Steve Martin,The Jackson 5,Ike & Tina Turner,Dion,Wayne Newton,Linda Ronstadt,Flip Wilson,Lily Tomlin,Frankie Valli,Tatum O'Neal,[9]Raquel Welch,Wayne Rogers,[10] andLabelle.[11]
In February 1976, with the bitterness of their divorce behind them, the couple reunited forThe Sonny and Cher Show. This incarnation of the series was produced by veteran musical variety-show writers,Frank Peppiatt andJohn Aylesworth. It was basically the same format as their first variety series, but with different writers to create new sketches and songs. A new logo – a stylized hand withfingers crossed – symbolized their working relationship.
The duo's opening conversations were markedly more subdued and made low-key references to the couple's divorce, as well as Cher's subsequent marriage toGregg Allman. (During production, Cher was pregnant with and eventually bore Allman's son,Elijah). Some jokes would become awkward; in one opening segment Cher gave Sonny a compliment, and Sonny jokingly replied "That's not what you said in the courtroom!" Nonetheless, the revived series garnered enough ratings to be renewed for a second season. By this time, however, thevariety show genre was already in steep decline, andSonny and Cher was one of the few successful programs of the genre remaining on the air. The show's final season, which aired as amid-season replacement in the winter of 1977, was moved to theFriday night death slot, with the last episodesburned off in a late-evening Monday nighttime slot not typically used for comedy or variety series that summer.
The cast of regulars includedComedy Hour alumsTed Zeigler and Billy Van,Gailard Sartain (on loan from Peppiatt and Aylesworth's other seriesHee Haw), announcerJack Harrell (who later gained fame as the longtime announcer for the original version ofThe People's Court), and mime duoShields and Yarnell. Billy Van left the show during season 1.
Some of the guests who appeared onThe Sonny and Cher Show includedFrankie Avalon,Muhammad Ali,Raymond Burr,Ruth Buzzi,Charo,John Davidson,Barbara Eden,Neil Sedaka,Farrah Fawcett,Bob Hope,Don Knotts,Jerry Lewis,Tony Orlando,The Osmonds,Debbie Reynolds,The Smothers Brothers,Tina Turner,Twiggy,The Jacksons, andBetty White.[12]
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour taped its opening and closing segments in front of a live studio audience. The Sonny & Cher "concert" segment was also taped in front of the same audience, as were some of the segments featuring musical guest stars—as these typically were taped after the closing segment was completed. Due to blocking, costuming, and other staging and production requirements, most of the comedy segments were taped without an audience, with a laugh track added in postproduction.[13]
| Season | Time slot (ET) | Rank | Rating[14] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | Sunday at 8:30-9:30 pm | Not in the Top 30 | |
| 1971–72 | Monday at 10:00-11:00 pm | 27 | 20.2 |
| 1972–73 | Friday at 8:00-9:00 pm(September 1972 - December 1972) Wednesday at 8:00-9:00 pm(December 1972 - May 1974) | Not in the Top 30 | |
| 1973–74 | 7 | 23.3(Tied withKojak) | |
| Season | Time slot (ET) | Rank | Rating[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Sunday at 8:00-9:00 pm | 23 | 21.2 |
| 1976–77 | Friday at 9:00-10:00 pm(January 1977 - March 1977) Monday at 10:00-11:00 pm(May 1977 - August 1977) | Not in the Top 30 | |
The series earned oneEmmy award out of 22 nominations for Art Fisher for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music in 1972. Fisher also received Emmy nominations for his work in 1973 and 1974, as did Tim Kiley as director for the series in 1976. Other Emmy nominations were for Outstanding Variety Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974; Outstanding New Series in 1972; Outstanding Single Program - Variety or Music in 1972; Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety for Bob Arnott, Chris Bearde, Allan Blye,George Burditt,Bob Einstein, Phil Hahn, Coslough Johnson andPaul Wayne in 1972 and 1974 (Steve Martin also was nominated in the category in 1972 and Jim Mulligan was in 1974); Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design forBob Mackie and Ret Turner in 1972, 1974 and 1977; Outstanding Achievement in Music, Lyrics and Special Material for Earl Brown in 1972 and 1973; Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction for James E. Dale in 1972 and forMarty Paich in 1974; Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for John R. Beam in 1973; Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction for technical director Charles Franklin and cameramen Gorman Erickson, Jack Jennings, Tom McConnell, Barney Neeley and Richard Nelson in 1973; and Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts for Rena Leuschner for hairdressing in 1974.[16]
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour also earned Golden Globe nominations in 1973 and 1974 for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and a win for Cher for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical.[17]
Reruns of the series were seen onTV Land at the time of its launch in April 1996, with both the 1971–74 series and the 1976–77 series being treated as one; however, only about 65 of the original 100 episodes were aired. TV Land then edited the shows down to 30-minute episodes from the original hour, and ultimately discontinued broadcasting the series in 2000. From 2016 to 2020,getTV broadcast several episodes of both the 1971–74 and 1976–77 series, including some which had never aired on TV Land. In addition,getTV also carried the seriesCher under a separate contract.[18]
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