They Had Their Own TV Show?

This topic comes from a conversation a while back with @Citizen Rules about the surprising number of (often 2nd string) celebrities who had their own television shows at some point - usually in the form of variety shows.

The reason the conversation started was due to the surprising number of celebrities (many of whom are now forgotten or who's names were barely recognized even at the time) who were granted their own TV shows from the 1950's thru the 1980's.

But I don't want to limit our conversation to just that. I'd also welcome any "star" who had a TV series named for them, whether a drama, or sitcom (such as The Paul Lynde Show, 1972 - 1973, where, although the title bore the star's name, he played a differently named character: "Paul Simms") or in the form of a talk show.

I'd also welcome any specials that were named for a host.

All reports, records or remembrances are welcome but the more obscure, the better!

I still can’t believe they gave Pee-wee Herman a show

Then again, we never would have got this gem of a character

How soon we forget about the William Joel show:

Captain how about this did you ever see it? I might have
The Captain and Tennille (TV Series 1976-1977)

Another one and I might have to watch this sometime;
The Dean Martin Show (TV Series 1965-1974)

Okay, that had me going for a minute!
I was like, "this can't have been real."

Oh sure! Variety shows hosted by singers were at the top in the late 70's. Captain & Tennille were stiff competition for Donny & Marie and Sonny & Cher!

I really wish some of these nostalgia or comedy stations would air old episodes of The Dean Martin Show in the middle of the night instead of infomercials!
And not that they'd be considered sequels, but there were also The Dean Martin Roasts which were considered a series of TV specials!

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Speaking of specials - back in the late 70's there was a series of specials called "Alan King's Final Warning".
It was a socio-political sketch humor show about how to survive the times and save the world as we knew it. It emphasized some of the absurdities about how society around us was changing.
(Too bad someone couldn't make something similar now... they probably wouldn't know where to begin).

I was crazy with anticipation for these shows... I guess because I was at the age where I was just becoming aware there was a larger world outside my suburban life.

The only video from the show on YouTube is one of Alan explaining the Middle East...

Get yourself a cheap Roku device and you can watch all types of these old shows for free. I bough a Roku device at Wallmart for around $25. I watch it every night. No fees it's free to watch.

Obviously this one was a favorite:



And also this one:

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I was unaware of both of these!

Here are some obscure ones:

The Alan Young Show 1950 - 1953 (variety)
The Loretta Young Show 1953 - 1961 (drama anthology)
The New Loretta Young Show 1962 - 1963 (sit-com / drama)
The Danny Thomas Show 1953 - 1965 (sit-com: originally titled "Make Room For Daddy")
The Jack Carson Show 1954 - 1955 (variety)
The Jerry Lewis Show 1957 - 1984 (variety: there were actually 4 separate shows & 1 special that bore this title, not including the yearly MDA Telethons!)
The Betty Hutton Show 1959 - 1960 (sit-com)
The Dick Powell Theatre 1961 - 1963 (drama anthology)
The Dick Emery Show 1963 - 1981 (comedy sketch show)
The Danny Kaye Show 1969 - 1967 (variety)

Just a few for now.

Clearly so was most of the viewing public! One season each.

The Dana Carvey Show....great job ABC cancelling this one

There was nothin obscure about the Danny Thomas show. He was a huge star and his show was quite popular. In fact, there is a bit of a tribute to him in the character of the character of Danny Stevens, a Jewish comic with his own TV show (though Danny Thomas was actually an Armenian Catholic) played by Hank Azaria in the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. As a sidenote the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is excellent.

Youtube, my man, Youtube.

I was very excited for The Carpenters variety show when I was a child. I think it was a summer replacement.

The following are all music or variety (unless otherwise specified) shows hosted by musicians or singers:

Sing Along with Mitch (starring Mitch Miller) 1961
The Lawrence Welk Show 1951
The Dinah Shore Show 1951 (multiple variety, music and talk shows)
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 1967
The Jim Nabors Hour
The Jim Stafford Show
The Jacksons (variety show & Jackson 5 cartoon)
The Bing Crosby Show (multiple variety shows & specials)
The Tom Jones Show
Perry Como
Andy Williams
Donny & Marie
Sonny & Cher
Captain & Tennille
John Davidson (talk show)

This is just the tip of the iceberg - there are way too many more than I have time to list!