Thus, on their prime time series, the brothers were hosts to some big TV names including Andy Griffith, Danny Thomas, and variety veteran Ken Berry. The prime time show introduced running characters that would carry over to Saturday morning, like Brett Hudson as Chucky Margolis, resident of his mom's basement way before it became a lifestyle, and Rod Hull & Emu, the crazy English puppeteer with the "bird" that could not keep its beak to itself. Dedicated DVD viewers will soon discover or recall that the Saturday morning show adhered to a tighter formula: a rapid series of short sketches in situations — deserted island, Medieval knights — that were consistent from week to week and included the occasional pro-social message for the little kids, sandwiched between playback (miming) of the brothers' Beatlesque pop for maximum teen appeal. They had some adult viewers, too; then in the midst of his "lost weekend," John Lennon is said to have been a big fan (he's quoted, right on the package).
Whether playing to viewers who were under the influence of sugary cereal or something stronger, the producers knew to use quick cuts and keep up the pace: 1968's Laugh-In had made such a huge impact on television that Sesame Street, which premiered one year afterward, used Laugh-In's rapid pacing as a model. Where the Hudsons were concerned, the Laugh-In connection was no accident: producer Chris Bearde (of the '68 Elvis comeback special) was a writer on Laugh-In and producer/writer of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour — the show for which the brothers' prime time variety show was the "summer replacement."
The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show is a sweet slice of harmless Me Decade kitsch, its hair, clothes, and studio TV production values all preserved for posterity. The Hudsons did make the bar for entry to the world of prime-time seem pretty low — not as low as say, Pink Lady and Jeff, but it wasn't a huge leap. After the brothers enjoyed their brush with TV stardom, Bill married (and divorced) Goldie Hawn, and Brett worked in TV, while Mark went on to become a record producer and songwriter for artists including Aerosmith and Ringo Starr. Still, the two 1974 variety series were the beginning of the end for the Hudson Brothers as an act, as Mark Hudson told Mix magazine: "The TV guys didn't take us as serious comedians, because they thought we were a rock band. And the rock people didn't take us as serious rockers because we were on TV."
Article comments
1 - John Lee Rickenbacker
Nice article. I do not remember these guys exactly, except for vague memories of the Marx Brothers routines. Surely the main reason it was harder for no names to get on TV then was because of the much smaller total capacity -- only so many hours to fill on three networks.
Spot on regarding the shared cultural experiences. Too many parents now sitting down with their tweens only to watch Fairly Odd Parents, etc. Where is today's Bill Cosby, Jack Benny, or Carol Burnett?