She was a little bit country, he was a little bit rock’n’roll… according to�the ditty that introduced the regular medleys on the siblings’ small screen variety show. A far cry from the Beatleseque mayhem of the brothers’ live gigs, Donny & Marie’s TV series was typical of 70s prime time cheesy showbiz: lame comedy skits, bizarre vaudeville acts and, at one point, an awkward strut through The Bee Gees’ Jive Talkin’. On ice.
Comprising one episode apiece from the show’s four seasons, from ’76 through to ’79, this release reminds us that Donny & Marie was a fairly low-budget affair, lacking the elaborate stage sets or A-list guests that were the norm for Sonny & Cher’s TV extravaganzas from a few years earlier. It had all been done before, and with a lot more pizzazz.
The overall impression is of an under-rehearsed high school revue, with production values that seem quaint in these days of American Idol and The X Factor. It retains an amateurish charm, but the awfulness of the gags and misjudged musical numbers may make even the most stoic viewer wince.
