Variety Shows: Shields and Yarnell

After spending the first half of a decade getting pop artist to host variety shows where else could the TV networks go to get someone to host a show? Why street mimes of course. Robert Shields was a street mime in San Francisco who took a lot of abuse but his unyielding spirit helped him to rise up and become one of the city’s top tourist attractions. Dancer/ actress Lorene Yarnell saw him and joined his act. Later the two got married. On June 13, 1977 CBS aired the first episode of their variety series Shields and Yarnell. Joanna Cassidy and Ted Zeigler were regulars on the series with music provided by the Norman Maney Orchestra. The mixture of comedy, mime and dancing made the show an instant hit as nothing like this had been seen on television for quite sometime. One of their more popular sketches was called Clinkers. It was about two robots adjusting to their new life in the suburbs.
The show got picked up as a mid season replacement after its summer run was over. In January of 1978 the new series began. The regulars on the show had changed and were now played by Gailard Sartain and Flip Reade. The future seemed bright for this new variety series. However, there was one thing these mimes had not counted on. Laverne and Shirley was their time slot competition. The 1950’s based sit-com was one of the top rated shows that year and in two months they caused the end of Shields and Yarnell’s television career. The last episode aired on March 28, 1978. I may be wrong but I believe this was the last variety series produced in prime time. The two eventually divorced. They do get back together professionally from time to time to do a tour.
I had fun doing this series on variety shows. I had planned to end it with Donny and Marie but suddenly remembered this series and just had to say something about it.