On August 1, 1971 CBS aired the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Glenn Campbell and Johnny Cash were on their way out but this pop music duo were about to have one of the biggest hits of the early 70’s. Now I had never heard of them till they got this show. They did have a couple of hits with the songs The Beat Goes On and I’ve Got You Babe. Of course those were the opening and closing theme songs to the show. Apparently in the 1970’s all you needed to get your own show was a hit song. The two were married to each other and were pretty good actors in the comedy sketches. Cher of course proved to be very good as she won an Oscar years later for her acting in the movie Moonstruck. Before he was on the Smothers Brothers and Johnny Cash Steve Martin was a regular on Sonny and Cher from 1972 to 1973. Terri Garr was also a regular cast member from 1973 to 1974. Cher showed off her excellent vocals and Sonny, well at least he was funny and a good songwriter. One of their most popular segments was called Vamp. Sonny played a piano player and Cher the singer. She sang a song that bridged the comedy segments that she starred in as famous women in history. Another favorite part was the opening with Cher making fun of Sonny. It didn’t matter really because we knew underneath it all that they loved each other. (At least we thought so.) I also remember a segment when a couple of the guest that week did a take on Batman and Robin. Bruce and Dick change clothes to fight crime when they see the Bat signal. Robin jumped out the window. Batman yelled to him “Robin! Superman flies! We use ropes!” It was funny at the time. I guess you had to see it. The closing had them with their daughter Chastity in their arms as they sang the closing theme I’ve Got You Babe. Sometimes they had her in the opening. One that they used her on was a Halloween episode. Instead of coming out to talk to the audience it opened with them taking their daughter trick or treating. The house they went to was scary looking and who answered the door? It was that week’s guest Jerry Lewis dressed as an odd looking butler. I don’t remember much after that but the feeling I remember is that it was one of their best episodes.
In the last year their marital problems made the papers and it was announced that they were not going to stay with the show. Sonny tried with his own show on ABC and Cher with her own solo show on CBS. While Cher’s lasted longer neither one got the ratings that their networks wanted and both were not renewed for a second season.
In 1976 they reconciled professionally on CBS with the Sonny and Cher Show. However, the show failed as the happily married couple element was missing. The whole world knew they were divorced and Cher was married to Greg Allman and just gave birth to Greg’s son. When ever Cher put Sonny down it was not funny anymore as you thought that she just might mean it.
The first series ran from August 1, 1971 to May of 1974. The second series ran from February 1976 to August 29, 1977. As we all know Sonny did remarry and after trying for an acting career he entered politics. He was a successful politician and died tragically in a skiing accident.
The above TV Guide I remember from my "career" with TV Guide. It was for the date of March 18, 1972. I also rememer them making the cover of TV Guide less then a month after the series was canceled in 1974 and the last episode aired. What show can say they made the Cover of TV guide and they weren't even on the air at that time? Very few.
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