Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)
| Donny & Marie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Sid & Marty Krofft |
| Starring |
Donny Osmond Marie Osmond |
| Composer(s) | Earl Brown Bob Rozario (music arrangements and conducting) Claude Williamson (additional arrangements) Tommy Oliver |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | January 23, 1976 – January 19, 1979 |
Donny & Marie is an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show starred brother-and-sister pop duo Donny and Marie Osmond. Donny had first become popular singing in a music group with his brothers, The Osmonds, and Marie was one of the youngest singers to reach #1 on the Billboard Country Music charts (with "Paper Roses", in 1973).
The siblings were offered a weekly show by ABC-TV President Fred Silverman after he saw the duo co-host a week on The Mike Douglas Show which followed their series of popular remakes of oldies, such as "I'm Leaving It All Up to You", "Morning Side of the Mountain" and "Make the World Go Away". Donny and Marie (18 and 16 years old, respectively, when the program premiered) were the youngest entertainers in TV history to host their own variety show. A year later, The Keane Brothers would break this record.
Donny & Marie was a Friday night show that consisted of an ice skating number intro, comedy skits, followed by songs performed by the duo. The most famous song performed on the show was "I'm a Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll", which formed the basis of a weekly segment (the "Concert Spot") in which Marie ("a little bit country") would trade off singing a country music song with Donny ("I'm a little bit rock and roll") singing a rock and roll song. Each episode concluded with a musical finale and a cascade of balloons from the ceiling, matched to the colors of the sets and costumes. Donny and Marie would then sing their trademark closing song which was written by Alan Osmond, "May Tomorrow Be a Perfect Day". Occasionally, the show would feature roughly 15-minute musical adaptations of famous feature films, such as Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz, with a mix of original cast members and celebrity guest stars (Paul Lynde was a regular in these sketches).
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