Carol Burnett, Charles Grodin & Teri Garr in Fresno (1986)

The runaway success of series like Dallas and Dynasty inspired this miniseries spoof in the mid 80's. Starring Carol Burnett as Charlotte Kensington, the matriarch of a rasin dynasty in the city of the same name, the show follows the lives of the Kensingtons and their arch rival, Tyler Cane (Dabney Coleman) as they struggle for ascendency in the business of rasins. The intrigue and drama involve Charlotte's mercenary son Cane Kensington (Grodin) and his bitter wife Talon (Garr) as well as a perpetually shirtless ranch hand named Torch (Gregory Harrison). Will the failing Kensington empire survive or will Tyler Cane succeed in trouncing them?

This miniseries walked a very fine line between parody and sincerity, and consequently was misunderstood by certain segments of the viewing public less attuned to irony. It was met with mixed reactions that lead network executives to present the encore airing with a rather unfortunate laugh track. The shows have never been released on DVD commercially, but can be found in unofficial versions. Above are a few clips from the series, including the opening credits, uploaded to YouTube by AztecaTheater.

Obscurity factor: 5 (has cult status among a small group of fans, forgotten by most, not on DVD, hard to find)

Steve Martin, Buck Henry & Teri Garr in The Absent Minded Waiter (1980)

This wacky short was used in Steve Martin's live comedy act. Watch as a couple receives the worst service ever, with the best payoff.

This short was nominated for an Academy Award and was included in a VHS release of Steve Martin's work, but has yet to make it to DVD in any form. It's available on YouTube, uploaded by thewilfs1.

Obscurity factor: 8 (known to Martin fans, but not generally well known otherwise, on YouTube)