Lately, I’ve been thinking about mimes. The rope pull into crazy fast winds. The trapped in the box thing. Mimes make me think of my childhood. I was a huge product of the variety show. For those of you too young to remember, the variety show was a mixture of music, dance and skits. Kind of like Saturday Night Live, but funny. It was usually hosted by a television star, musician, or a strange straight man with no actual talent of his own. To most of you Ed Sullivan would come to mind. But, that was way before my time. I am from the golden age of variety shows, the 70’s. These shows featured amazingly talented performers, gowns by Bob Mackie, special guests that were exciting and featured up and coming stars. I lived for these shows and I watched them all.
Here are three of them that I couldn’t miss growing up and they aren’t who you think:
Tony Orlando and Dawn. Now we first have to discuss that “Dawn”, was in fact, two women. Not sure why it wasn’t called Tony Orlando and the Dawns, but it wasn’t. And the women, the Dawns… their names weren’t Dawn. Isn’t that weird? Why wasn’t it called Tony Orlando, Thelma and the Dumb One? Still, they were the best par t of the show. Tony always played the semi square guy, while the girls…especially Thelma Hopkins, were the funny ones. She would sass him and, as you’ll see in one of the other shows I loved, I loved a woman with sass. Anyway, Tie a Yellow Ribbon and Knock Three Times, I had both of them on 45’s. Oh and we mustn’t forget how much Tony looked like Freddie Prinze, that started my love affair with the Latin’s…but, that is a different blog.
Sonny and Cher. First off, young Cher was gorgeous. It was before any surgeon had gone to town on her face. Before she married the young guy and danced around on a battle ship in her onesie. She was a Gypsy, a Tramp, a Thief! A Half-Breed, that was all sass and attitude, she gave Sonny the hardest time. You know I think the sass thing was because I was major I Love Lucy watcher. Lucy never sassed back and Ricky was mean to her, he deserved a good tongue thrashing. Edith certainly didn’t have a comeback to Archie’s rants. But, Cher was the smart one, the one who had the upper hand. She constantly put Sonny in his place, ruining his plans and good humor. Plus, she was tons more talented than Sonny and that seemed to be ok with him. Unlike Rickie, he wasn’t threatened that his wife wanted to be in show business.
Lastly, Shields and Yarnell. This wacky show was hosted by mimes. See, it all makes sense now doesn’t it? I don’t think they ever spoke… which makes sense, since they were mimes with a TV. show. They did all of their skits as mimes. Amazing they could fill a half an hour with silence, isn’t it? I just thought this one was so cool, cause I had never seen anything like it. They were the Mummenschanz of America. Well, not quite. They weren’t that weird. They never did the show in sheets. They were usually always people or robots or dolls. Believable things. The robot thing, you should you tube it. Amazing to any 6 or 7 year old.
Oh sure, I could go on about The Captain and Tennille show or The Mandrell Sisters or Donnie and Marie. But, I got to wind this up. Mimes can bring back all sorts of memories.
