A LITTLE VARIETY: COMEDY-VARIETY AND SKETCH COMEDY SHOWS
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:
0
= “
As straight as it gets:”
Straight entertainment for heterosexuals and gay Republicans.
1
=
“A touch of pink:”
May contain an occasional, subtle gay moment that the majority of viewers are likely to miss.
2
= “
Don’t Ask
,
Don’t Tell:”
It’s gay. But don’t talk about it.
3
=
“AC-DC:”
It can go either way. You decide.
4
=
“Look, Mary
,
a show for us:
” The producers know there’s a gay audience out there, but the show is still mainstream enough for a general audience.
5
=
“Yep, it
’
s gay:”
That’s right, gay.
6
= “As gay as it gets.:”
Produced specifically for a gay audience.
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
“LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT!” GAYWORTHY SKETCHES
“SoHo Lesbians:” Liz (Gail Matthius) and Susan (guest host Deborah Harry) are lesbians living in Soho who receive a surprise visit from Susan’s clueless Aunt Pinky (Denny Dillon) and Uncle Leo (Gilbert Gottfried). February 14, 1981
“Signs of Homosexuality:” Mary Gross convinces Christine Ebersole that guest star James Coburn is gay. February 6, 1982
“Ménage-à-Trois:” Two couples fight over Carl (Eddie Murphy) because both pairs want him for a menage. April 14, 1984
“Pink Listing:” Satire on paranoia in Hollywood generated by the AIDS crisis with guest star Madonna as actress Melinda Zoomont, a closeted intravenous drug user, who must perform a love scene with Clint Weston, a closeted gay actor played by openly-gay cast member Terry Sweeny. November 9, 1985
“Gay Communist Gun Club:” Phil Hartman and guest host John Larroquette as Bob and John, who are gay, communists, and love guns. October 22, 1988
“It’s Pat:” The androgynous Pat gets a haircut from barber George Wendt. (Remember the opening theme song: “A lot of people ask, Who’s he? Or she?...Here comes Pat!”?) May 18, 1991
“Schmitt’s Gay:” House sitters Chris Farley and Adam Sandler’s gay fantasies come true in this beer commercial parody. September 28, 1991
“Lyle, the Effeminate Homosexual:” Dana Carvey as the effeminate Lyle, who’s constantly being mistaken for being gay, and can’t understand why. April 4, 1992
“Dracula’s Not Gay:” Bizarre sketch with guest host John Travolta as Dracula, who tries to convince his two dinner guests (Janeane Garofalo, Kevin Nealon) that he’s not gay. October 15, 1994
“The Ambiguously Gay Duo:” In “It Takes Two to Tango,” Big Head tries to take over Metroville by putting his secret formula in the town’s water supply. But Ace and Gary are on his trail (“when they’re not on each other”). September 28, 1996
“Mango:” Gangleader Lucius Monroe a.k.a. Hard Core (Samuel Jackson) finds himself addicted to Mango (Chris Kattan). January 10, 1998
“Homicil:” Commercial parody for medication that relieves anxiety caused by the realization your son is gay. (Tagline: “Because it’s your problem, not theirs.”) February 17, 2001
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
KINSEY RATING
(TRACEY TAKES ON)
= 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