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Donny & Marie is an ABC network variety show featuring brother & sister pop music duo Donny & Marie Osmond. They were offered their own weekly TV show by ABC-TV president Fred Silverman after seeing them co-host a week on "The Mike Douglas Show".
The show premiered on January 23, 1976 and became the youngest entertainers in TV history at the time to host their own variety show. (Donny was 18 years old and Marie was 16 years old at the time).
On January 19, 1979, the show ended after 78 episodes.
Show Overview[]
"Donny & Marie" was a Friday night show that consisted of an ice skating number intro, comedy skits, followed by songs performed by the duo.
The most famous song performed on the show was "I'm a Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll", which formed the basis of a weekly segment (the "Concert Spot") in which Marie ("a little bit country") would trade off singing a country music song with Donny ("I'm a little bit rock and roll") singing a rock and roll song.
Each episode concluded with a musical finale and a cascade of balloons from the ceiling, matched to the colors of the sets and costumes.
Donny and Marie would then sing their trademark closing song which was written by Alan Osmond, "May Tomorrow Be a Perfect Day". Occasionally, the show would feature roughly 15-minute musical adaptations of famous feature films, such as Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz, with a mix of original cast members and celebrity guest stars (Paul Lynde was a regular in these sketches).
The show's popularity declined after it was revealed that teen heartthrob Donny Osmond was dating (and eventually married) fellow Utahn Debbie Glenn, therefore taking him 'off the market' of eligible bachelors. According to an edition of the VH1 series "Behind the Music", many female viewers started to tune out at this point.
The series also underwent a format change in the final season, eliminating segments such as the ice skaters and country/rock-n-roll segments in favor of more concert-style disco numbers.
The show was also retitled "The Osmond Family Show" near the end and was moved from the Friday night timeslot that it had occupied since its debut to Sunday night; the program increasingly featured members of Donny and Marie's family.