When it comes to wacky, you can't do much better than Paul Lynde. And he really out did himself in 1976 with this television special. It's one of those shows you just have to see to believe. The plot, if you can call it that, finds Paul on Halloween night with his maid (Margaret Hamilton) contemplating the holiday and how much it irks him. He discovers on this, of all nights, that his maid is actually a witch when she takes him to her sister's (Witchiepoo from H.R. Pufnstuf) castle. He promises to keep quiet about it if they grant him three wishes. This leads to sketches of Paul as a trucker, and a sheik. The last wish takes them to a disco, where Paul meets the band Kiss.
This series is wrong on so many levels, but reaches the heights of wrongness in the clip above featuring the whole cast (which also includes Roz "Pinky Tuscadero" Kelly, Betty White, Tim Conway, Billy Barty and Donny and Marie Osmond) dancing to Disco Baby (to the tune of Disco Lady). The clip was uploaded by frenchjr25. The special is now available on DVD and I highly recommend it for the wonderful train wreck it is.
Obscurity factor: 6 (on DVD, known in some circles as a camp classic, largely unknown by the general public)
I can highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of this blog. In fact, I can highly recommend this to anyone on this earth! It is all that Ben says it is and more. I bought the DVD a few years ago when it was released, and have stunned many friends with it. It can honestly be said that they don't make 'em like this anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think I remember Frank DeCaro talking about this special a couple of years ago. Looks funny. Hope to see all if it one day :)
ReplyDeleteIt's completely off the hook. You can find it on Netflix, though you have to get in line for it at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteOh, I bought this sucker several years ago. Thanks for the reminder...I must pull it "out of the closet." It's the only other time that Hamilton donned her "Oz" persona...and to see her with Witchiepoo???? Priceless!! This thing will definitely elicit some appropriate Halloween "groans". I recommend following up with an episode of "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour"...there's one episode with clowns that is particularly disturbing...not to mention a duet with Greg and Mrs. Brady, that is basically a love song. Treats!!!
ReplyDeleteI'll join the others here in saying this is really a one-of-a-kind treat, even in the realm of odd 1970s TV moments like "Jeff and Pink Lady." Everyone owes it to him or her self to get this on DVD while it's still available. It's even better to watch when it's not Halloween.
ReplyDeleteWatching this will definitely trigger acid flashbacks. It's a pretty rare convergence of forces that produces this one-of-a-kind weirdness! I'm thinking part of the reason this looks so wrong to us adults is that this may have been designed to appeal to kids, or at least what a bunch of network executives thought would appeal to them at the time.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting point. It is rather cartoonish...
ReplyDeleteActually, Leighton, Margaret Hamilton did appear once in Wicked Witch costume on "Sesame Street" in the mid-70s. (Sometimes I hate what I know.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that information on Hamilton. Perhaps I'll be able to find the "Street" segment via Google.
ReplyDeleteI dunno - Lynde was a camp factory for years, and yet appealed to mainstream America quite easily. My parents thought that he was hilarious, and no, they had no clue what he was talking about, half the time. (Granted they did NOT watch this special - I remember seeing the original airing minus adults.) I honestly don't think that this was intended as a children's special, but I'll try to find a link to some background information on the production.
OK, I Googled the Hamilton appearance on "Sesame Street" - it occurred earlier the same year, in February. Apparently, it scared a lot of kids, and the show received numerous complaints...they did not repeat the episode, some say. The appearance even included a sly reference to her Maxwell House commercials.
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