Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was a comedy variety series that debuted on NBC in 1968 and ran until 1973. The series, hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, featured a troupe of character comedians, whose ranks changed over the years, and featured oddball topical humor and swinging 60s decor and costuming. In addition to introducing several previously unknown comics who would become stars and placing an emphasis on creating catch phrases (ranging from "Sock it to me" to "Is that a chicken joke?"), the series influenced many subsequent sketch comedy shows, from Saturday Night Live to The Electric Company, and including the Muppets.
As Lewis Bernstein recalled, the series influenced the initial format of Sesame Street, in particular the emphasis on short, fast-moving sketches: "At the time, we were competing with cartoons, so we kept everything very short and varied, like 'Laugh-In,' which was the best show on TV then."Ryan, Suzanne C. "Sesame Street Marks 35 Years on the Block." The Boston Globe. April 4, 2004
The Muppet Show also showed signs of Laugh-In influence. A Laugh-In mainstay, "the Cocktail Party," in which assorted eccentrics from gurus to poets to parsons gathered at a swinging party to drink and exchange one and two-liners, was reworked to become "At the Dance." 
==References==
*A 1969 IBM industrial film starring Rowlf the Dog lampooned the program as "Rowlf-In," a quick-cutting sketch and musical variety show.Jim Henson's Red Book: 2/20-21/1969 – ‘Shoot IBM, Rowlf-IN’ Rowlf plays the Gary Owens-esque announcer and also fills in for Rowan and Martin themselves, as host and anchoring a spoof of the "Laugh-In Looks at the News" segments. The piece also features parodies of the show's regular party segments, Judy Carne's NBC telephone operator, Wolfgang the German soldier, Jerry Nelson as a guru paralleling Arte Johnson's Rabbi Shankar, and quick pantomime bits.
*An early Sesame Street animated insert, "J Commercial," featured the line "Here comes de judge," which was popularized on Laugh-In.
*In Sesame Street Episode 2310, Gordon inadvertently becomes a Grouch due to a magic trick gone awry. When Grundgetta is shocked when asking Oscar about reversing the spell, he responds with, "You bet your bippy!" "Bippy" is one of several nonsense words popularized on Laugh-In.
*In Muppets Tonight episode 101, the 60s-style "Muppet Dating Game" sketch features Dr. Bunsen Honeydew making repeated references to his "bippy."
==Muppet Mentions==
*Guest star Carol Channing, in the November 2, 1970 broadcast, sings about "Thoroughly Modern Mothers" (referencing her movie Thoroughly Modern Millie) with the female cast. A lyric states that "There's a teacher hard to beat." "Who?" An elegantly aloof Channing replies "Sesame Street."
*In the December 7, 1970 broadcast featuring Phil Silvers, the guest is repeatedly drenched with water after saying the "Sock it to me" catchphrase. At the end, Silvers remarks, "I could've worked Sesame Street like a gentleman."
*The Laugh-In news segment on January 31, 1972 has news anchor Dick Martin claiming "Sex education has even affected Sesame Street. After years of teaching preschoolers how to count, the producers have announced a new segment, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Six, But Were Afraid to Ask."
==Appearances==
Several Laugh-In regulars have appeared in Muppet/Henson productions, reprising their roles from that series.
Image:Arte1.jpg|Arte Johnson as Wolfgang, the German soldier, in Sesame Street inserts
Image:Lilyherry.jpeg|Lily Tomlin as Edith Ann in an insert with Herry Monster
Image:Ernestineoperator.jpg|Lily Tomlin as Ernestine in Sesame Street Stays Up Late, and also in Here Come the Muppets and Kermit Unpigged
Image:Gladysormphby.jpg|Ruth Buzzi played Gladys Ormphby in multiple sketches.
==Connections==
===Cast and Regular Guest Performers===
*Dennis Allen, regular (1970-1973)
*Johnny Carson, regular guest (1968-1973)
*Richard Dawson, regular (1971-1973)
*Goldie Hawn, regular (1968-1970)
*Gary Owens, regular/announcer
*Flip Wilson, regular guest (1968-1970)
===Guests===
*Steve Allen
*Herb Alpert
*Kaye Ballard
*Harry Belafonte 
*Milton Berle
*Mel Brooks
*Sid Caesar
*Michael Caine
*Johnny Cash 
*Dick Cavett
*Carol Channing 
*Cher 
*Rosemary Clooney	
*James Coco 
*Perry Como
*Tim Conway 
*Phyllis Diller 
*Micky Dolenz 
*Hugh Downs 
*Sandy Duncan 
*Peter Falk 
*Sally Field
*Lorne Greene 
*Buddy Hackett
*Bob Hope 
*Lena Horne	
*Martin Landau
*Jerry Lewis 
*Liberace 
*Rich Little 
*Paul Lynde
*Peter Marshall 
*Ed McMahon
*Roger Moore
*Pat Morita 
*Joe Namath 
*Bob Newhart 
*Leonard Nimoy 
*Regis Philbin	
*Vincent Price
*Don Rickles 
*Kenny Rogers
*Diana Ross 
*Peter Sellers 
*Dinah Shore 
*Nancy Sinatra 
*Dick Smothers
*Tom Smothers 
*Jean Stapleton
*Connie Stevens
*Andy Williams 
*Paul Williams
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:TV References
Category:TV Mentions