The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV (44 page)

In his study of human sexuality, Dr. Alfred Kinsey concluded that most people do not identify themselves as exclusively heterosexual or homosexual, but rather occupy a space somewhere in between. To illustrate, Dr. Kinsey devised a scale ranging from 0 to 6, with 0 equalling “exclusively hetereosexual” and 6 equalling “exclusively homosexual.”

Although it’s not exactly what Dr. Kinsey had in mind, his 0-6 scale can also serve as a valuable instrument to measure the gay appeal of comedy-variety and sketch comedy shows. By “gay appeal,” I mean the level at which a show, if it does at all, speaks to a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender audience.

On the basis of the following scale, here is the Kinsey rating of ten of the most memorable sketch comedy and variety shows, in chronological order, from the 1950s to today:

The Judy Garland Show
(CBS-TV), 1963-1964

America’s number one gay icon starred in this short-lived Sunday night variety show that went through several producers and format changes before CBS axed it after 26 episodes. But a certain segment of the male population (and their mothers) who were not watching
Bonanza
on NBC did tune in for one reason only — to hear Ms. Garland sing. And sing she did. Some of the show’s most memorable moments were Judy singing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in honor of the late John F. Kennedy; and her duets with fellow gay icon Ethel Merman and icon-in-training, Barbra Streisand, who teamed with Ethel and Judy for a rousing rendition of “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

KINSEY RATING
=
6

 

 

The Carol Burnett Show
(CBS-TV), 1967-1979

We were so glad to have this time each week together with Carol and company. Her parodies of daytime soap operas (
As the Stomach Turns),
and classic films (like
Mildred Fierce
and
Went With the Wind,
in which Burnett’s Scarlett O’Hara enters wearing a dress made out of drapes, complete with the curtain rod still attached), are classics. Over the years, the show boasted an incredible roster of guest stars, including such Hollywood and Broadway legends as Gloria Swanson, Rita Hayworth, Ethel Merman, and Martha Raye. But the talented Ms. Burnett was reason enough to tune in each week.
KINSEY RATING = 5

 

 

Rowan
&
Martin
’
s Laugh
-
In
(NBC-TV), 1968-1973

Sock-it-to-me! is one of several catch phrases (along with “You bet your bippy” and “Here come de judge!”) coined on this comedy-variety series which combined topical satire, camp, silly jokes, and physical comedy.
Laugh
-
In
had a high gay appeal because everything about the show was over the top: the bright-colored sets, the outrageous costumes, and its loud and very funny ensemble of players, which included Joanne Worley, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Barbara Sharma, Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, and Alan Sues. Sues, in particular, brought his brand of sissy humor to gay-coded characters like “Uncle Al — The Kiddie’s Pal” and “Big Al” the sportscaster (who twinkled his bell after every item). At the time, Sues and his characters were unique because rather than being the butt of jokes, they were the ones cracking them.
KINSEY RATING = 4

 

 

Saturday Night Live
(NBC-TV), 1975-

This long-running comedy-variety series resurrected live television and gave us all an acceptable reason to be home (or in front of a television) at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. When the series premiered in October 1975, it was irreverent, fresh, and funny. Over the years, the quality has been inconsistent due to many changes in the show’s writing staff (who seemed to have trouble completing a sketch) and performers. The characters and sketches with explicitly gay content (see list below) are never as strong as those infused with a gay sensibility, such as the hyperactive Judy Miller (Gilda Radner), the singing Sweeny sisters (Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks), Nancy Reagan (Terry Sweeny), and the Church Lady (Dana Carvey), to name a few. Although the sketches continue to be hit-and-miss, the overall quality of the show has definitely improved over the past few years.
KINSEY RATING
=
3

 

 

Donny and Marie
(ABC-TV), 1976-1979

Marie is a little bit country. Donny is a little bit rock ’n roll. But there was something a little bit gay about this one hour comedy-variety series starring TV’s best known brother and sister team. Perhaps it had something to do with the show’s writing team, which included the
Hollywood Squares’s
funny man Bruce Vilanch, or the regular appearances by center
Square
alumni, Paul Lynde. The sketches often involved elaborate costumes (Donny dressed as Humphrey Bogart played to Milton Berle’s Katharine Hepburn in a parody of
The African Queen).
One of the most lavish and memorable production numbers was a
Star Wars
musical parody featuring guest stars R2D2, CP30, and Chewbacca; Donny and Marie as a singing Luke and Leia; comedian Redd Foxx as Okey Ben Pinocchio; and Lynde as an Imperial Officer, who, with the Ice Vanities dressed as Stormtroopers standing behind him, warbles
“What’s your course? Where the force can you be? Come back to me.”
KINSEY RATING
=
4

Second City Television
(HBO/CBS-TV), 1977-1981

This Canadian sketch comedy series, set in the studios of a fictional local television station, Channel 109, is a hilarious send-up of TV programs and commercials. The first rate cast — consisting of Joe Flaherty, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, and David Thomas — were in a league all of their own. Some of the highlights of Channel 109’s programming schedule included the cheesy
Monster Horror Chiller Theatre,
with news anchor Floyd Robertson, who doubles as host Count Floyd; the
Great White North
starring Bob and Doug MacKenzie (Thomas and Moranis); and
The Sammy Maudlin Show,
which featured guests like Lola Heatherton (O’Hara) and Lorna Minnelli (Martin).
KINSEY RATING
=
4

 

 

The Tracy Ullman Show
(Fox Network), 1987-1990
Tracy Takes On
(HBO), 1996-

Actress, singer, and comedian Tracey Ullman is the most talented and underrated performer on television. Her first series, perhaps best remembered for introducing America to
The Simpsons,
was a mixture of songs and sketches that capitalized on Ullman’s ability to transform herself into a wide-range of characters. One of the most memorable is Francesca, the spirited teenage daughter of a loving gay couple, David and William (Dan Castellaneta and Sam McMurray). Each episode of
Tracy Takes On
is devoted to a different topic (“Sex,” “Romance,” “Fantasy,” etc.). She portrays a series of rotating characters, which includes Trevor, a gay flight attendant, and Chris, the female lover of professional golfer Midge, played by co-star Julie Kavner. The writing is inventive, fresh, hip, and very funny.
KINSEY RATING
(TRACY ULLMAN SHOW
)
=
5

 

 

In Living Color
(Fox Network), 1990-1994

Television’s first black sketch comedy series, which boasted a talented, young cast (Jim Carrey, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier, T’Keyah “Crystal” Keymah, Damon Wayans, and series creator/producer/host, Keenan Ivory Wayans), took satirical pot shots at movies, TV shows, celebrities, and all imaginable stereotypes. At its best, the satire was hip, edgy, and right on target, though many felt the humor overstepped its boundaries. As is often the case with satire, it’s not always clear if we’re laughing
with
or
at
certain ethnic stereotypes, like the hard-working West Indian family who starred in the sitcom parody, “Hey Mon.”

Another controversial sketch was “Men On...” which featured Damon Wayans and Grier as Blaine and Antoine, a pair of swishy cultural critics who offered their opinions on such subjects as film, art, books, and football “from a male point of view.” If women were involved, the pair chanted “hated it” in unison. When a film, painting, or book involved or even alluded to hot, hunky men, it received a “two snaps up!” The saying caught on and became part of the vernacular, especially in gay circles. But not everyone was a fan of the flamboyant duo, particularly GLAAD, who tried to meet with the series producers in order to, in the words of executive director David Smith, “sensitize them to the defamation that these two characters represent.”
¹⁶²
GLAAD was also outraged over a December 1992 sketch about the Pink Brigade, the army’s first gay unit. Smith claimed the sketch reinforced “misconceptions about gay men” and “drew from every false stereotype imaginable.”
¹⁶³
In response, Fox explained “the series is a satire and part of the satire is making stereotypes look silly.”
¹⁶⁴
KINSEY RATING
=
3

 

 

Kids In The Hall
(RBO/CBS-TV), 1992-1995

Five talented comics from Canada (Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson) starred in this irreverent sketch comedy series. The name is derived from a line Jack Benny used (“This one is from one of the kids in the hall”) before telling a joke he heard from one of the young writers who stood in the hallway outside the studio. The Canadian kids had an off-the-wall sense of humor and relished in playing both male and female parts. Some of the most memorable characters are office workers Cathy Strupp (Thompson) and Kathie Lassiter (McCulloch); and gay bar patrons Smitty (McDonald), Butch (Thompson), and Riley (Foley); and gay bar owner Buddy Cole (Thompson), whose insightful monologues touched on such issues as racism, outing, love, gay marriage, and virtual sex. A truly hilarious and very gay-friendly series.
KINSEY RATING
=
5

• A gay channel free from the constraints of advertisers and the networks censors
could
offer more honest, and accurate portrayals of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people.

• A gay channel
could
tackle those current issues affecting gay people considered not important enough for the general audience.

• A gay channel
could
showcase programming, such as gay-themed documentaries and experimental work; independent and foreign features and shorts; and television series produced outside the United States that heretofore could only be caught on the film festival circuit.

• A gay channel
could
insure the prime time closet door will not only remain open, but permanently removed, hinges and all.