Big Chuck’s Variety Show Vault: “The Donny and Marie Show” (VIDEO)

This is the first of which will be a recurring Sunday feature on our website.  We all loved the old variety shows of our youth.  There were dozens of them.  Not any more.

Well, every Sunday we will take a look at one of them right here on our website.

"The Donny and Marie Show" ran on ABC-TV from 1976 to 1979.  The young stars were already big names in the music world.  Donny and his brothers were consistent hit makers and Marie had scored a historic #1 country single of her own ("Paper Roses").  Their natural ebullience and "kids next door" personalities made them a natural for the wider television audiences.

The show was a variety of skits , music and guest stars.  Comedian Paul Lynde was a semi-regular on the show.  Oddly enough, the show usually opened up with an ice skating routine!  The show had a big production budget and famed "designer to the stars" Bob Mackie did all of Marie's costumes.

Donny was 18 and Marie was 16 when the show debuted and went on to become a Friday night staple.  It made the two stars the youngest entertainers to that date to host their own show.

Here is a clip from "The Donny and Marie Show" from Big Chuck's Variety Show Vault!  Wait until you see who their guest is!!