Instead, you could sense they truly had fun making the show. They never appeared to be playing down to their pre-teen demo.
HUDSON BROTHERS RAZZLE DAZZLE SHOW TV
The Hudsons may be as fake as any other TV talent of the era, but they were sure sincere.
It has to be said that as a slice of sunny nostalgia, this is great stuff. Cue closing theme, and another episode of The Hudson Brother Razzle Dazzle Show was in the can.
After that, the "Wrap-up" would end, the boys would once again seek approval from Fabulous Freddy, and just as they were about to go on for "another hour or two", a funny farm net would drop over their heads, dragging them back into the truck. Later on, there was also a talking bear named Sam who occasionally solved noir like mysteries as a bruin private eye, and other musical laugh-a-thons. Bill acted as interviewer, and the material often mimicked real life. As the title character Brett Hudson affects a perfect voice, while brother Mark played the pathetic dupe - and Chucky's best friend - Alan. These were perhaps the best moments in the entire Hudson repertoire. Typical of the "Razzle Dazzle Wrap-up" was a selection from an oversized book of mystery (that would eventually produce scary arms and attack the reader), a visit to the Frankensteins' lab (where the monsters would make one of several social servants, like a nurse or a postman), a trip to the smallest island in the entire world, and later on, a moment with smart alecky youngster Chucky Margolis. As the Brothers bopped around and added their elements here and there, we were treated to a continuing cycle of silliness.
It was here that the rest of the cast did most of the heavy lifting. Upon returning, the Hudsons would indulge in the show's cornerstone comedy bit, the "Razzle Dazzle Wrap-up of Everything (Including the Kitchen Sink)". When the lame laugh track and faked applause died down, there would either be another small sketch (perhaps a one liner about life as a farmer) or just a bumper to commercial. And the songs all had the same kitschy upbeat quality, as if the band had only one type of style they could rely on - no matter the lyrical content. Of course, everything is lip synced - no amplifiers or power lines involved. Sure, "So You Are a Star" is so solo era John that you halfway expect Yoko Ono to show up and start caterwauling (or suing), but for the most part, the trio trashes classic rock rollers like "Free Ride". These are perhaps the most trying moments of the entire Hudson Brothers experience. Of course, their efforts were usually thwarted by a group of puffy superheroes know as the Swell Guys, or a troupe of bearded tumblers responding to one of the Hudson's random requests.Īt this point, it was time for a real musical interlude. After a quip or two, and the offer of some unusual sweet treat ("smashed cupcakes, anyone?"), the Brothers would prepare to sing. There, they would answer to ginger jokester Fabulous Freddy ('guitar chord sounds'), the adolescent VP in Charge of Kids Programming. Each week, the boys would be packed up in a crazy psychedelic delivery truck, and along with their cornball company, be whisked away to a Krofft-like soundstage. They also had some slapstick help from UK oddity Rod Hull and his destructive hand puppet Emu (yes, the flightless bird). They were joined by noted sketch comedians Ted Zeigler, Billy Van, Peter Cullen, Murray Langston, Freeman King, and Avril Chown. Set up as a standard half hour burlesque, the trio took on the challenge of being bright and engaging hosts for 30 minutes of Me Decade children's cheese. There's not much to a typical episode of The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.
For more on the set up of each installment, read below. Either way, there are a mere 16 episodes here, each running about 22 minutes. Other messageboards have said that the supposedly missing moment was nothing more than a clip show containing previously seen material. Some fan sites argue that there is a missing installment, claiming that 17 shows were part of the run. There are three discs in this set, and 16 episodes offered. Clearly, the search was about to continue. When they failed to click in prime time, a Saturday morning kids concept was announced. Their sunny shtick and Lennon/McCartney lifts were enough to gain them a replacement slot for a vacationing Sonny and Cher. Often referred to as rock's answer to the Marx Brothers, the Hudson Brothers seemed to fill the necessary Madison Avenue ideal. Instead, the marketing men wanted a genial group they could feed to the masses without much pop life indigestion - oh, and if they had any acting chops, that would add immensely to their variety hour variables. And in reality, those in power weren't looking to actually recreate the lads from Liverpool. Of course, given the Fab Four's creative and cultural influence, such a task was foolhardy at best. Back at the beginning of the '70s, everyone was looking for the next "Beatles".
0 kommentar(er)
