Laugh-In originally aired as a one-time special on September 9, 1967, and was such a success that it was brought back as a series, replacing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on Mondays at 8 pm (ET). The title of the show was a play on the "love-ins" or "be-ins" of the 1960s hippie culture, terms that were, in turn, derived from "sit-ins", common in protests associated with civil rights and antiwar demonstrations of the time. In 2002, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was ranked number 42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The show was characterized by a rapid-fire series of gags and sketches, many of which conveyed sexual innuendo or were politically charged. The co-hosts continued the exasperated straight man (Rowan) and "dumb" guy (Martin) act which they had established as nightclub comics.
Episodes
Each episode followed a somewhat similar format, often including recurring sketches. The show started with a short dialogue between Rowan and Martin. Shortly afterward, Rowan would intone: "C'mon Dick, let's go to the party". This live to tape segment comprised all cast members and occasional surprise celebrities dancing before a 1960s "mod" party backdrop, delivering one- and two-line jokes interspersed with a few bars of dance music (later adopted on The Muppet Show, which had a recurring segment that was similar to "The Cocktail Party" with absurd moments from characters). The show then proceeded through rapid-fire comedy bits, taped segments, and recurring sketches. The "Rompus Room" cocktail party was similar in format to the "Word Dance" segments of A Thurber Carnival.
At the end of every show, Rowan turned to his co-host and said, "Say good night, Dick", to which Martin replied, "Good night, Dick!". The show then featured cast members' opening panels in a psychedelically painted "joke wall" and telling jokes. As the show drew to a close and the applause died, executive producer George Schlatter's solitary clapping continued even as the screen turned blank and the production logo, network chimes, and NBC logo appeared. Although most episodes include most of the above segments, the arrangement of the segments was often interchanged. The show often featured guest stars. Sometimes, the guest had a prominent spot in the program, at other times the guest would pop in for short "quickies" (one- or two-line jokes) interspersed throughout the show - as was done most famously by Richard Nixon, when running for president.
Pilot and season 1
Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Larry Hovis, Arte Johnson, and Jo Anne Worley appeared in the pilot special from 1967. (Goldie Hawn joined for season 1 in 1968). Only the two hosts, announcer Gary Owens, and Buzzi, Carne, Gibson, and Johnson, were in all 14 episodes of season one. Eileen Brennan, Hovis, and Roddy Maude-Roxby left after the first season.
Seasons 2 & 3
The second season had a handful of new people, including Alan Sues, Dave Madden, and Chelsea Brown. All of the new cast members from season two left at the end of that season, except Alan Sues, who stayed on until 1972. At the end of the 1968–69 season, Carne chose not to renew her contract, although she did make appearances during 1969–1970.
The third season had several new people who only stayed on for that season, Teresa Graves, Jeremy Lloyd, Pamela Rodgers, and Byron Gilliam. Lily Tomlin joined in the middle of the season. Jo Anne Worley, Goldie Hawn, and Judy Carne left after the season.
Seasons 4, and 5
The 1970–71 season brought new additions to the cast include tall, lanky, sad-eyed Dennis Allen, who alternately played quietly zany characters and straight man for anybody's jokes; comic actress Ann Elder, who also contributed to scripts, tap dancer Barbara Sharma, who later appeared on Rhoda, and beefy Johnny Brown, who later played the superintendent Nathan "Buffalo Butt" Bookman on Good Times.
Arte Johnson, who created many memorable characters, insisted on star billing, apart from the rest of the cast. The producer mollified him, but had announcer Gary Owens read Johnson's credit as a separate sentence: "Starring Dan Rowan and Dick Martin! And Arte Johnson! With Ruth Buzzi ..." This maneuver gave Johnson star billing, but made it sound like he was still part of the ensemble cast. Johnson left the show after the 1970–71 season. Henry Gibson also departed after the 1970–71 season. Johnson and he were replaced by former Hogan's Heroes stars Richard Dawson and Larry Hovis, both of whom had appeared occasionally in the first season. However, the loss of Johnson's many popular characters caused ratings to drop further.
The show celebrated its 100th episode during the 1971–72 season, with Carne, Worley, Johnson, Gibson, Graves, and Tiny Tim all returning for the festivities. John Wayne was on hand for his first cameo appearance since 1968.
Season 6
For the show's final season (1972–73), Rowan and Martin assumed the executive producer roles from George Schlatter (known on-air as "CFG", which stood for "Crazy Fucking George"), and Ed Friendly. Except for holdovers Dawson, Owens, Buzzi, Dennis Allen, and only occasional appearances from Tomlin, a new cast was brought in. This final season featured comedian Patti Deutsch, folksy singer-comedian Jud Strunk, ventriloquist act Willie Tyler & Lester, and giddy Goldie Hawn lookalike Sarah Kennedy. These last shows never aired in the edited half-hour rerun syndicated (through Lorimar Productions) to local stations in 1983 and later on Nick at Nite in 1987, although they were included when the program was rerun on the Decades cable television channel in 2017.
Of over three dozen entertainers to join the cast, only Rowan, Martin, Owens, and Buzzi were there from beginning to end, although Owens was not in the 1967 pilot and Buzzi missed two first-season episodes.
Post Laugh-In
Tomlin and Hawn later became noted film stars: Hawn won an Academy Award while still a member of the cast; Tomlin was later nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1975 for Nashville. Henry Gibson later co-starred in the Robert Altman film Nashville and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Ruth Buzzi became a regular on Sesame Street and starred in a Canadian-inspired version of Laugh-In called Whatever Turns You On, which itself was the basis for You Can't Do That On Television. Dave Madden, whose trademark was to throw confetti (representing an unspoken impure thought) while keeping a dour expression at the punchline of a joke, played Reuben Kincaid on the television sitcom The Partridge Family. Richard Dawson, who previously had a regular supporting role on the sitcom Hogan's Heroes, went on to success on the game shows Match Game and Family Feud. Larry Hovis, also a regular on Hogan's Heroes, appeared on Laugh-In during the first and the fifth seasons and later was a regular on the game show "Liar's Club". Teresa Graves parlayed her season on the show into the title role of the police drama Get Christie Love! Arte Johnson hosted a short-lived game show called "Knockout" & with Buzzi reprised their characters Gladys & Tyrone for the Saturday morning cartoon "The Nitwits". Alan Sues appeared as Peter Pan in a series of popular peanut butter ads. Jeremy Lloyd returned to England & co-created the hugely popular "Are You Being Served?"
Cast tenures
All seasons: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Gary Owens, and Ruth Buzzi
Season 1 (1968): Eileen Brennan, Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Larry Hovis, Arte Johnson, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Jo Anne Worley
Season 2 (1968–69): Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall ("the Fun Couple"), Chelsea Brown, Dave Madden, Pigmeat Markham, Dick "Sweet Brother" Whittington, Byron Gilliam (uncredited)
Season 3 (1969–70): Judy Carne, Henry Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, Lily Tomlin, Byron Gilliam, Teresa Graves, Jeremy Lloyd, Pamela Rodgers, Stu Gilliam, Johnny Brown
Season 4 (1970–71): Henry Gibson, Arte Johnson, Alan Sues, Lily Tomlin, Johnny Brown, Dennis Allen, Ann Elder, Nancie Phillips, Barbara Sharma, Harvey Jason, Richard Dawson
Season 5 (1971–72): Lily Tomlin, Larry Hovis, Alan Sues, Byron Gilliam (dancer only), Johnny Brown, Dennis Allen, Ann Elder, Barbara Sharma, Richard Dawson
Season 6 (1972–73): Lily Tomlin, Dennis Allen, Richard Dawson, Moosie Drier, Tod Bass, Brian Bressler, Patti Deutsch, Lisa Farringer, Sarah Kennedy, Jud Strunk, Willie Tyler, Donna Jean Young
The writers for Laugh-In were: Digby Wolfe and Paul Keyes, Allan Manings and Hugh Wedlock, Jr., Phil Hahn and Jack Hanrahan, Marc London and David Panich, Chris Bearde (credited as Chris Beard), Coslough Johnson (Arte Johnson's younger brother), Jim Mulligan and Jack Mendelsohn, Dave Cox, Jim Carlson, Lorne Michaels and Hart Pomerantz, John Carsey, Gene Farmer, John Rappaport and Stephen Spears, Jeremy Lloyd, Jack Douglas, Jim Abell and Chet Dowling, Barry Took, E. Jack Kaplan, Larry Siegel and Jack S. Margolis, Don Reo and Allan Katz, Jack Wohl and Richard Goren (also credited as Rowby Greeber and Rowby Goren), Gene Perret and Bill Richmond, and Bob Howard. Script supervisors for Laugh-In included Digby Wolfe (season 1), Phil Hahn and Jack Hanrahan (season 2), Allan Manings (season 3), Marc London and David Panich (seasons 3-6), and Jim Mulligan (season 6).
Musical direction and production numbers
The musical director for Laugh-In was Ian Bernard. He wrote the opening theme music, plus the infamous "What's the news across the nation" number. He wrote all the musical "play-ons" that introduced comedy sketches like Lily Tomlin's character, Edith Ann, the little girl who sat in a giant rocking chair, and Arte Johnson's old man who always got hit with a purse. He also appeared in many of the cocktail scenes where he directed the band as they stopped and started between jokes. Composer-lyricist Billy Barnes wrote all of the original musical production numbers in the show. Barnes was the creator of the famous Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950s and 1960s, and composed such popular hits as "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair", recorded by Barbra Streisand and the jazz standard "Something Cool" recorded by June Christy.
Post-production
The show was recorded at NBC's Burbank facility using two-inch quadruplex videotape. Since computer-controlled online editing had not been invented at the time, post-productionvideo editing of the montage was achieved by the error-prone method of visualizing the recorded track with ferrofluid and cutting it with a razor blade or guillotine cutter and splicing with video tape, in a manner similar to film editing. This had the incidental benefit of ensuring that the master tape would be preserved, since a spliced tape could not be recycled for further use. Laugh-In editor Arthur Schneider won an Emmy Award in 1968 for his pioneering use of the "jump cut" – the unique editing style in which a sudden cut from one shot to another was made without a fade-out.
When the series was restored for airing by the Trio Cable Network in 1996, the aforementioned edits became problematic for the editors, as the adhesive used on the source tape had deteriorated during 20+ years of storage, making many of the visual elements at the edit points unusable. This was corrected in digital re-editing by removing the problematic video at the edit point and then slowing down the video image just before the edit point; time-expanding the slowed-down section long enough to allot enough time to seamlessly reinsert the audio portion from the removed portion of video.
Sketches
Frequently recurring Laugh-In sketches included:
Judy Carne was often tricked into saying "Sock it to me", which led to her being doused with water or otherwise assaulted. ("It may be rice wine to you, but it's still sake to me!")
"The Mod, Mod World" segment, with its own signature tune, comprised brief sketches on a theme interspersed with film footage of female cast members go-go dancing in bikinis, their bodies painted with punchy phrases and pithy wordplay. The dancers were usually Goldie Hawn, Judy Carne, and Chelsea Brown; and occasionally Ruth Buzzi and Jo Anne Worley, as well as frequent guest Pamela Austin. In the 1969–1970 season, the chore was handled briefly by new cast members Teresa Graves and Pamela Rodgers, before the go-go dancing became the domain of uncredited extras. Beginning with the 1969–1970 season, a cast member would occasionally say a one-liner, as well, while the dancing took place.
The Farkel Family, a couple with many children — all of whom have flaming red hair and freckles like "good friend and trusty neighbor" Ferd Berfel (played by Dick Martin). Head of the family Frank Farkel (Rowan) never questioned this fact when Ferd visited. Most plots were excuses to force the cast into alliterative tongue-twisters ("That's a fine-looking Farkel flinger you found there, Frank"). Bespectacled baby daughter Flicker Farkel (played by Buzzi) had no lines, except screaming "Hiiii!" while lifting up her legs to show her long underwear. Two of the children were twins named Simon and Gar Farkel, played by cast members of different races — originally Goldie Hawn and Chelsea Brown, later Pamela Rodgers and Teresa Graves. This sketch was a variation on the milkman joke, as it pertained to why the children looked like Berfel.
"The Judge", originally portrayed by British comic Roddy Maude-Roxby, was a stuffy magistrate with a black robe and powdered wig. Each "Judge" sketch featured an unfortunate defendant brought before the court. Guest star Flip Wilson introduced the sketch with "Here come de judge!", the venerable catchphrase of black nightclub comedian Pigmeat Markham. Markham was surprised that his trademark had been appropriated, and he petitioned producer George Schlatter to let him play the Judge himself. Schlatter complied and Markham sat atop the bench for one season. The sketches were briefly retired until another guest star, Sammy Davis, Jr., donned the judicial robe and wig. Davis immediately made the Judge his own, using a drawling dialect reminiscent of "Kingfish" Tim Moore, and enthusiastically playing every courtroom scene broadly. Davis even introduced his own sketches, strutting across a bare stage in Judge regalia and chanting in couplets ("If your lawyer's sleepin', better give him a nudge! Everybody look alive, 'cause here come de judge! Here come de judge!" — followed by a cutaway of the entire cast announcing "Order in the courtroom — here come de judge!").
"Laugh-In Looks at the News" was a parody of network news, introduced by an unjournalistic song and dance chorus line including the female cast members, and often a female guest celebrity (or on one occasion, Don Rickles in a tutu). It comments on current events. The segment often included "News of the Past" which lampooned historical events, and "News of the Future", predicting unlikely or bizarre future stories to comic effect. Rowan actually nailed some, mentioning "President Ronald Reagan" in a story from "1988, 20 years from now", as well as a future item "from 1989", the fall of the Berlin Wall (replaced by East Germany with "a moat full of alligators"). The news segment is reminiscent of BBC's earlier That Was the Week That Was and in turn, was echoed a few years later by Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" segments. Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels was a Laugh-In writer early in his career.
"New Talent Time" introduced oddball variety acts. The most famous of these performers was Tiny Tim. Comedian Paul Gilbert, father of actress Melissa Gilbert, appears as inept "French" juggler "Paul Gilbert" (pronounced "jheel-bare" in the French manner). Comic Art Metrano appears as "The Great Metrano", a so-called magician who had no skill at all. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy appears once in 1968. Laugh-In writer Chris Bearde liked the "New Talent" concept and later developed it into The Gong Show.
"The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award" saluted actual dubious achievements by the government or famous people, such as the announcement of a new Veterans Administration hospital to be erected in Southern California shortly after another such facility was destroyed in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The trophy is a gilded hand mounted on a trophy base. Its index finger adorned with two small wings rotated in a "Whoopee!" circular motion. "The flying, fickle finger of fate" was already a familiar catchphrase on the show (Dan Rowan used the phrase when ushering "new talent" such as Tiny Tim on stage).
Henny Youngman appeared to tell one-liner jokes for apparently no reason. Often, corny one-liners were followed by the line, "Oh, that Henny Youngman!"
"Quickies" were a series of rapid-fire sketches.
Opening NBC logo — the Laramie Peacock became animated by sneezing at the end, causing its feathers to fly off.
Characters
Dan Rowan, in addition to hosting, appears as a character known as General Bull Right, a far-right-wing representative of the military establishment and outlet for political humor.
Announcer Gary Owens regularly stands in an old-time radio studio with his hand cupped over his ear, making announcements, often with little relation to the rest of the show, such as (in an overly-dramatic voice), "Earlier that evening..."
Arte Johnson:
Wolfgang the German soldier – Wolfgang commented on the previous gag by saying "Verrry interesting", sometimes with comments such as "...but shtupid!" He eventually closed each show by talking to Lucille Ball, as well as the cast of Gunsmoke — both airing opposite Laugh-In on CBS; as well as whatever was on ABC. Johnson later repeated the line while playing Nazi-themed supervillain Virman Vundabar on an episode of Justice League Unlimited. Johnson also reprised his Wolfgang character for a series of small introductory skits with a plant on 3-2-1-Contact, during the "Growth/Decay" week.
Tyrone F. Horneigh (pronounced "hor-NIGH", presumably to satisfy the censors) was a dirty old man coming on to Gladys Ormphby (Ruth Buzzi) seated on a park bench, who almost invariably clobbers him with her purse. (Both Tyrone and Gladys became animated characters in the "Nitwits" segments of the 1977 animated television show, Baggy Pants and the Nitwits.) A sample exchange:Tyrone: Do you believe in the hereafter?Gladys: Of course I do!Tyrone: Good. Then you know what I'm here after!
Piotr Rosmenko, the Eastern European Man, stands stiffly and nervously in an ill-fitting suit while commenting on differences between America and "the old country", such as "Here in America, is very good, everyone watch television. In old country, television watches you!" This type of joke has come to be known as the Russian reversal. Occasionally, guest star Sammy Davis, Jr., teamed with Johnson as "The Rosmenko Twins".
Rabbi Shankar (a pun on Ravi Shankar) was an Indian guru who dresses in a Nehru jacket dispensing pseudomystical Eastern wisdom laden with bad puns. He held up two fingers in a peace sign whenever he spoke.
An unnamed character in yellow raincoat and hat, riding a tricycle and then falling over, was frequently used between sketches.
Ruth Buzzi:
Gladys Ormphby – A drab, relatively young spinster, she is the eternal target of Arte Johnson's Tyrone; when Johnson left the series, Gladys retreated into recurring daydreams, often involving marriages to historical figures, including Christopher Columbus and Benjamin Franklin (both played by Alan Sues). She typically hit people repeatedly with her purse. The character was recreated, along with Tyrone, in Baggy Pants and the Nitwits. Buzzi also performed as Gladys on Sesame Street and The Dean Martin Show, most notably in the Celebrity Roasts.
Doris Swizzle – A seedy barfly, she is paired with her husband, Leonard Swizzle, played by Dick Martin.
Busy Buzzi – A cold and heartless old-style Hedda Hopper-type Hollywood gossip columnist
Henry Gibson:
The Poet held an oversized flower and read offbeat poems. He pronounced his name "Henrik Ibsen".
The Parson – A character who makes ecclesiastical quips, in 1970, he officiated at a near-marriage for Tyrone and Gladys.
Goldie Hawn is best known as the giggling "dumb blonde", stumbling over her lines, especially when she introduced Dan's "News of the Future". In the earliest episodes, she recited her dialogue sensibly and in her own voice, but as the series progressed, she adopted a Dumb Dora character with a higher-pitched giggle and a vacant expression, which endeared her to viewers.
Lily Tomlin:
Ernestine/Miss Tomlin – An obnoxious telephone operator, she has no concern for her customers ("'Fair'? Sir, we don't have to be fair. We're the phone company."). Tomlin later performed Ernestine on Saturday Night Live and Happy New Year, America Lily played the Ernestine character for a comedy album called This Is A Recording. (at the suggestion of Schlatter, Enestine started dialing with her middle finger, sometimes quickly flipping the 'bird' to the camera afterwards. Censors never caught on - "We know she's doing SOMETHING, we just can't put our finger on it!", Schlatter recalled)
Edith Ann – A child, she ends each of her short monologues with: "And that's the truth", followed by "Pbbbt!" . Tomlin performs her skits in an oversized rocking chair that makes her appear small. Tomlin later performed Edith Ann on children's shows such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company.
Mrs. Earbore (the "tasteful lady") – A prim society matron, Mrs. Earbore expressed quiet disapproval about a tasteless joke or remark, and then rose from her chair with her legs spread, and sometimes got doused with a bucket of water.
Suzie Sorority of the Silent Majority - clueless hippie college student who ended each bit with "Rah!". Later, in her stand-up the "Silent Majority" part was dropped & Suzie became more brash & outspoken, yet still clueless - Sorority President from Hell.
The Excited Babbler - would greet guest stars with long-winded run-on sentences which would go off on many different tangents, constantly interspersing the words "like" and "you know?" ("Oh Mr. Torme, like, I'm just so excited to, like, finally meet you, you know! Like, you know, it's just like, you know....")
Judy Carne had two characters known for their robotic speech and movement:
Mrs. Robot in "Robot Theater" – A female companion to Arte Johnson's "Mr. Robot", both are equally inept and a satire of Shields and Yarnell (popular mimes of the period) who performed a routine as a robotic couple called "The Clinkers".
The talking Judy Doll; she is usually played with by Arte Johnson, who never heeded her warning: "Touch my little body, and I hit you!"
The Sock-it-to-me girl
Jo Anne Worley sometimes sings off-the-wall songs using her loud operatic voice, but is better remembered for her mock outrage at "chicken jokes" and her melodic outcry of "Bo-ring!".
Alan Sues:
Big Al – A clueless and fey sports anchor, he loves ringing his "Featurette" bell, which he calls his "tinkle".
Uncle Al, the Kiddies' Pal – A short-tempered host of a children's show, he usually goes on the air with a hangover: "Oh, kiddies, Uncle Al had a lot of medicine last night."
Jo Anne Worley - One of the very few times a Laugh-In cast member imitated a fellow cast member, Sues posed in Worley's makeup and wardrobe and imitated her clarion-call "Bo-ring!"
Boomer – A self-absorbed "jock" bragging about his athletic exploits
Ambiguously gay saloon patron - while the tough guys ordered whiskey, he would saunter up to the bar and order a Daiquiri or fruit punch
Dave Madden as a milk-drinking, confetti-throwing sad sack
Barbara Sharma as the tap dancing meter-maid who tickets anything from trees to baby carriages. She often praises Vice President Spiro Agnew.
Richard Dawson appears as Hawkins the Butler, who always started his piece by asking "Permission to...?" and proceeded to fall over.
Flip Wilson would appear as his character "Geraldine", originating the catchphrases "What you see is what you get" and "The devil made me do it". Geraldine often used them to excuse her quirky behavior.
Jeremy Lloyd
Sophisticated British gentleman
Odd 2 1/2 ft tall character (Lloyd would contort himself & shuffle around)
Johnny Brown - walking up to Orson Welles and saying "The Shadow do!"
Memorable moments
The first season featured some of the first music videos seen on network TV, with cast members appearing in films set to the music of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Bee Gees, the Temptations, the Strawberry Alarm Clock, and the First Edition.
The show gave prominence to singer Tiny Tim, a gawky man with long, dark hair, a prominent nose, and a cheap suit. During the "New Talent Time" segment, he sang in falsetto while accompanying himself on a ukulele. Dick Martin often was shown alongside Tiny Tim, reacting to the performance. Future new-talent bits had Martin warily asking Rowan, "You're not gonna bring back Tiny Tim, are you?" Tiny Tim was really Herbert Khaury, a serious scholar of Tin Pan Alley tunes who hit upon this strangely humorous characterization.
Due to appearances on the show, he recorded a falsetto version of the 1920s song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" which became a top-40 hit. Tiny Tim was later married on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to Victoria Budinger, who was known as Miss Vicki.
During the September 16, 1968, episode, Richard Nixon, running for president, appeared for a few seconds with a disbelieving vocal inflection, asking "Sock it to me?" Nixon was not doused or assaulted. An invitation was extended to Nixon's opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, but he declined. According to George Schlatter, the show's creator, "Humphrey later said that not doing it may have cost him the election", and "[Nixon] said the rest of his life that appearing on Laugh-In is what got him elected. And I believe that. And I've had to live with that." In an episode of the ill-fated 1977 revival, a Nixon impersonator says "I invited the American people to sock-it-to-me..... you can stop now".
Special guest-star Ringo Starr of The Beatles introduced a third-season episode (3:23, January 27, 1970) and appeared as himself in a dozen comedy bits while also promoting his new film, The Magic Christian.
Catchphrases
In addition to those already mentioned, the show created numerous catchphrases:
A six-note pattern preceding a code-word or punchline to an off-color joke, such as "do-doo-doo-da-do-doo ... smack!" or "... family jewels!" (sometimes extended to 16 notes by repeating the GGGDEC pattern two more times before the code-word). This same musical phrase had been used as a "signature" at the end of many pieces played by Spike Jones and his City Slickers and on the theme song for the children's series You Can't Do That on Television.
"I didn't know that." (Dick Martin's occasional response to what happened on an episode)
"Easy for you to say!' (Dan Rowan's reply whenever Martin tripped on his tongue during a joke)
"Ohhh, I'll drink to that." (Martin's response to something Rowan said that he liked)
"I was wondering if you'd mind if I said something my aunt once said to me." Dick Martin always said this to interrupt Dan Rowan's announcements on what would happen during their next show; this phrase was followed by a story about a bizarre situation through which his aunt went.
"Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls! (a lesser-known set of reference books whose phonetically funny name helped both Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to poke fun at NBC censors)
"Go to your room."
"You bet your sweet bippy!"
"Beautiful downtown Burbank" (various actors/characters, referring tongue-in-cheek to the Los Angeles suburb in which the NBC studios (and thus the program) were located; the same term was frequently used by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).
"'Ello, 'ello! NBC, beautiful downtown Burbank" (the response to calls received by a switchboard operator played by Judy Carne). When the series was syndicated in 1983, the NBC logo and the network's name were edited out.
"One ringy-dingy...two ringy-dingies..." (Ernestine's mimicking of the rings while she was waiting for someone to pick up the receiver on the other end of the telephone lines)
"A gracious good afternoon. This is Miss Tomlin of the telephone company. Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?" Ernestine's greeting to people whom she would call
"I just wanna swing!" Gladys Ormphby's catchphrase
"Is that a chicken joke?" Jo Anne Worley's outraged cry, a takeoff on Polish jokes
"Here comes the big finish, folk!" (usually before the last of a series of a star's bad puns)
"Sock it to me!" experienced its greatest exposure on Laugh-In although the phrase had been featured in songs such as Aretha Franklin's 1967 "Respect" and Mitch Ryder's 1966 "Sock It To Me, Baby!"
"I don't know. I've never been out with one!" (First introduced by guest star Marcel Marceau, this catch-all punchline was uttered by any guest star. Goldie: "Are you of the opposite sex?" Tiny Tim: "I don't know, Miss Goldie, I've never been out with one.")
"Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere."
"Now, that's a no-no!"
"If [so-and-so] married [what's-his-name], divorced him and married {etc.}" The purpose was to try to set up a tongue-twister, involving the last names of celebrities. Example: "If Rosemary Clooney married Regis Toomey, divorced him and married Mickey Rooney, divorced him and married Paul Muni, divorced him and remarried Regis Toomey, she'd be Rosemary Clooney Toomey Rooney Muni Toomey!" Sometimes, the punchline results would be take-offs of songs or plays or products: "If Kaye Ballard married former astronaut Wally Schirra, divorced him, married his brother, she'd be [singing "Que Sera, Sera"] Kaye Schirra Schirra."
"Morgul the Friendly Drelb" - a pink Abominable Snowman-like character that appeared in the first episode and bombed so badly, his name was used in various announcements by Gary Owens for the rest of the series (usually at the end of the opening cast list, right after Owens himself: "Yours truly, Gary Owens, and Morgul as the Friendly Drelb!") and credited as the author of a paperback collection of the show's sketches)
"That's the most beautiful thing I ever heard."
"Ring my chimes!"
"Want a Walnetto?" was a pick-up line Tyrone would try on Gladys, which always resulted in a purse drubbing.
"We have to stop meeting like this. My wife's getting suspicious" (or some other variant form of the phrase).
"Oh, THAT Henny Youngman!"
"GOTCHA"
"That's funny, he doesn't look Jewish"
"He was a much better person for that!" - as "Sock-it-to-me!" phased out, this became a go-to phrase for those sketches
"Here come da Judge"
"Verrry Interesting"
"And that's the truth - PFFFFT!"
"What do you get when you cross a ____ with a ____?"
Merchandise tie-ins and spin-offs
A humor magazine tie-in, Laugh-In Magazine, was published for one year (12 issues: October 1968 through October 1969—no issue was published December 1968), and a syndicated newspaper comic strip was drawn by Roy Doty and eventually collected for a paperback reprint.
The Laugh-In trading cards from Topps had a variety of items, such as a card with a caricature of Jo Anne Worley with a large open mouth. With a die-cut hole, the card became interactive; a finger could be inserted through the hole to simulate Worley's tongue. Little doors opened on Joke Wall cards to display punchlines.
On Letters to Laugh-In, a short-lived spin-off daytime show hosted by Gary Owens, cast members read jokes sent in by viewers, which were scored by applause meter. The eventual winning joke was read by actress Jill St. John: "What do you get when you cross an elephant with a jar of peanut butter? A 500 pound sandwich that sticks to the roof of your mouth!"
A cross-promotional episode of I Dream of Jeannie ("The Biggest Star in Hollywood", February 1969) features Judy Carne, Arte Johnson, Gary Owens, and producer George Schlatter playing themselves in a story about Jeannie being sought after to appear on Laugh-In.
In 1969, a Laugh-InView-Master packet was issued by General Aniline and Film (GAF); The packet featured 21 3D images from the show.
The horror spoof film The Maltese Bippy (1969) starring Dan Rowan and Dick Martin was loosely related to the series.
The General Motors Corporation produced a specially modified Pontiac GTO called "The Judge" to capitalize on the phrase's popularity. "The Judge" was available in 1969, 1970 and 1971.
In 1969, Sears, Roebuck and Company produced a 15-minute short, Freeze-In, which starred series regulars Judy Carne and Arte Johnson. Made to capitalize on the popularity of the series, the short was made for Sears salesmen to introduce the new Kenmore freezer campaign. A dancing, bikini-clad Carne provided the opening titles with tattoos on her body.
Between 2003 and 2004, Rhino Entertainment released two Best Of releases of the show, each containing six episodes.
Two LPs of material from the show were released: the first on Epic Records (FXS-15118, 1968); the second, entitled "Laugh-In '69", on Reprise Records (RS 6335, 1969).
Baskin-Robbins marketed a chocolate flavor variant named "Here Comes the Fudge" in tribute to the show's popularity and the courtroom skits.
Ratings
TV season, ranking, average viewers per episode
1967–1968: #21 (21.3)
1968–1969: #1 (31.8)
1969–1970: #1 (26.3)
1970–1971: #13 (22.4)
1971–1972: #22 (21.4)
1972–1973: Not in the Top 30
Revival
In 1977, Schlatter and NBC briefly revived the property as a series of specials – titled simply Laugh-In – with a new cast, including former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner. The standout was a then-unknown Robin Williams, whose starring role on ABC's Mork & Mindy one year later prompted NBC to rerun the specials as a summer series in 1979. Also featured were Wayland and Madame, as well as his other puppet, "Jiffy", former Barney Miller actress June Gable, and Good Times actor Ben Powers. Rowan and Martin, who owned part of the Laugh-In franchise, were not involved in this project. They sued Schlatter for using the format without their permission, and won a judgment of $4.6 million in 1980.
Awards and honors
Emmy Awards
Won:
1971: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music, Mark Warren (episode #4.7)
1970: Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement – Individuals, Goldie Hawn
1969: Special Classification Achievements – Individuals (Variety Performances), Arte Johnson
1968: Outstanding Musical or Variety Program, George Shlatter (for the September 9, 1967 special)
1968: Outstanding Musical or Variety Series, George Shlatter
1968: Outstanding Writing Achievement in Music or Variety, Chris Bearde, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Coslough Johnson, Paul Keyes, Marc London, Allan Manings, David Panich, Hugh Wedlock, Jr., Digby Wolfe
1969: Special Classification Achievements – Individuals (Variety Performances), Ruth Buzzi
1969: Special Classification Achievements – Individuals (Variety Performances), Goldie Hawn
Nominated:
1972: Outstanding Achievement by a Performer in Music or Variety, Ruth Buzzi
1972: Outstanding Achievement by a Performer in Music or Variety, Lily Tomlin
1978: Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, Bea Arthur
Golden Globe Award
Won:
1973: Best Supporting Actress – Television, Ruth Buzzi
1969: Best TV Show
Nominated:
1972: Best Supporting Actress – Television, Lily Tomlin
1971: Best Supporting Actor – Television, Henry Gibson
1970: Best TV Show – Musical/Comedy
1968: Best TV Show
International & U.S. re-broadcasts
The series was broadcast on BBC2 from January 1969 to 1974. Some episodes from seasons 1, 2 and 3 were retransmitted during late 1983 and early 1984. Early broadcasts had to be shown with a black border, as technology was not available to render the 525-line NTSC video recording as a full-screen 625-line PAL picture. This issue was fixed for later broadcasts.
CTV aired the series at the same time as the NBC run.
1983 saw the first 70 one-hour shows syndicated to broadcast stations. The pilot, season 1,2,3 and the first four episodes of season 4. Alternate recut half-hour shows were syndicated through Lorimar Productions to local stations in 1983 and later on Nick at Nite in 1987.
The cable network Trio started airing the show in its original one-hour form in the early 2000s, the same abbreviated 70 episode package was run.
In September 2016 the broadcast network Decades started airing the show twice a day, in its original one-hour format complete with the NBC Peacock opening & 'snake' closing. The entire 6 season run was in this broadcast supplied by "Proven Entertainment".
Two "Best-of" DVD packages are also available; they only contain six episodes each.
