Wow, some things from the past are just too weird to believe. Growing up, my oldest sister was a huge Donny Osmond fan. Our suburban household rang with a constant barrage of Osmond classics like “One Bad Apple” & “Go Away Little Girl”.
My sister outgrew her Donny obsession about the time he started teaming up with his sister Marie. There popularity was at their peak when they made this 1976 New Year’s Eve Special.
It’s amazing what passed for entertainment back in the seventies. This was the heyday of the variety show and the Osmonds pulled out all of the stops.
Highlights (lowlights?) include:
1. Terribly stupid jokes courtesy of Rip Taylor.
2. Fake out of control laughter by Marie upon hearing Rip Taylor’s terribly stupid jokes.
3. Donny’s over the top synthesizer solo dressed in purple sequined tuxedo & top hat.
4. The Osmond Brothers Band’s weird prog rock/ soul jam dressed in three musketeersesque pastel colored space suits.
5. A music of the 1920s song and dance medley.
6. Insane over the top audience response to all of the above.
These things could only of happened in the 1970s. It is worth checking out. If nothing else. it proves that we have evolved, at least a little, in the past fifty odd years.
Happy New Year.
-Casey Redmond
