The Tim Conway Comedy Hour
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour is a variety/sketch comedy television show broadcast in the United States by CBS as part of its 1970 fall lineup on Sundays at 10:00 pm.
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy/variety |
Directed by | Bill Hobin |
Starring | Tim Conway McLean Stevenson Sally Struthers Art Metrano Bonnie Boland |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Producers | Bill Hobin Ron Clark Sam Bobrick[1] |
Production companies | Timkel Enterprises, Inc. |
Release | |
Original release | September 20 – December 13, 1970 |
Background
The Tim Conway Comedy Hour was one of several attempts to develop a starring vehicle for Tim Conway, who had been very popular as a sidekick in the 1962-1966 situation comedy McHale's Navy and two 1964 theatrical films spun off from it (McHale's Navy and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force) and in several Disney films but who had never had much success in developing an audience for programming in which he was the main star (see Rango). In fact, his previous show, the situation comedy The Tim Conway Show, had run for only 13 episodes in the spring of 1970, and had been cancelled almost at the same time that he agreed to host The Tim Conway Comedy Hour. Conway had two television flops in the same year.
Format
The show emphasized sketch comedy, musical production numbers and Conway's offbeat humor.[2] The show also featured an impressive list of guest stars: Lana Turner, David Janssen, Joan Crawford, Audrey Meadows, Carl Reiner, Janet Leigh, Tony Randall, Imogene Coca, Shelley Winters, Carol Burnett and Mickey Rooney.[3]
Cancellation
Despite Conway's best efforts, and those of the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and cast members such as Sally Struthers (soon to go on to the important supporting role of Gloria Bunker Stivic on the hit sitcom All in the Family), this program was cancelled after 13 weeks. This fate which was to befall Conway so frequently that at one point TV Guide ran a picture of his car sporting a California vanity license plate reading "13 WKS".
References
- "The Tim Conway Comedy Hour". ctva.biz. The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- "The Tim Conway Comedy Hour series regulars and episode guide". Ultimate70s.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.