ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON

By the time Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In signed off the air on March 12, 1973 after six seasons and 140 episodes, the show had become a cultural touchstone. Winner of the 1969 Golden Globe® for Best Television Show and the most watched program on television during its first two seasons, “Laugh-In” was an integral part of the fabric of ’60-’70s America. ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON, the final single season installment of the series from the TV DVD archivists at Time Life, will be released on September 4 in a set featuring all twenty-four re-mastered episodes from the sixth season (Sept. 11, 1972-March 12, 1973).

Broadcast from beautiful downtown Burbank, “Laugh-In” was hosted by straight man Dan Rowan and wisecracking co-host Dick Martin, who led a gaggle of goofballs through a rapid-fire assault of one-liners, skits, bits and non sequiturs that left viewers in hysterics and disbelief. Anything and anyone in the public eye was a target. Political correctness? Forget it! The series received a makeover in its final season with a new cast members including comedian Patti Deutsch, folksy singer-comedian Jud Strunk, ventriloquist act Willie Tyler & Lester and giddy Goldie Hawn look-alike Sarah Kennedy, a new set, a bevy of new Downtown Beauties, and the show’s musical director Ian Bernard and His Band playing live during some of the party scenes.

In THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON, Carol Burnett signs the Laugh-In autograph book and takes one on the chin. Phyllis Diller tickles the funny bone and the ivories with a little Bach. With their always critical and humorous eye, the “Laugh-In” crew saluted guns, law and order, adult books, morality, the circus, Thanksgiving, beautiful people, sports, commercials, California, the family, airlines, actors, the ’50s, and the Summer of ’72. And, as always, the Sixth Season includes such classic features as “Cocktail Party,” “Fickle Finger of Fate,” “Here Comes the Judge,” “The Joke Wall,” “General Bull Right,” “Big Al,” “Ernestine” and “Edith Ann,” “The Swizzles,” and “Robot Theater.”

A stellar constellation of celebrities lined up to be part of the final season, and TV audiences thrilled to appearances by Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Carol Burnett, James Caan, Johnny Carson, William Conrad, Howard Cosell, Sammy Davis Jr., Dom DeLuise, Angie Dickinson, Phyllis Diller, Sandy Duncan, Nanette Fabray, James Farentino, Robert Goulet, Jack Klugman, Michael Landon, Steve Lawrence, Rich Little, Don Rickles, Vin Scully, Mark Spitz, Sally Struthers, John Wayne, Henny Youngman, and many more! And by the time Ruth Buzzi and the daffy firewomen utter the last “Goodnight, Dick,” ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN had solidified its standing as one of the most groundbreakling TV Variety shows ever.

My Thoughts

Laugh In was a hilarious show that aired until 1973.  Now it's available for the first time on DVD. You can enjoy television legends like Dan Rowan, Dick Martin,  and Tim Conway as they crack jokes and bring to life hilarious skits on the small screen. This season also has tons of amazing celebrity guest stars on each episode including Sarah Kennedy, Willie Tyler, Ruth Buzzi, Richard Dawson, and many more.  Each scene is fun and original, and something you can watch over and over and it never gets old. In addition to the complete fourth season, you can also catch bonus footage including hilarious bloopers.

There are so many amazing aspects of this show. I always loved when they would pop out the boxes and tell jokes. I really miss the old shows with the funny skits like this one. They are so much better then reality shows, and you could watch just one episode and actually be able to follow. TV shows today just don't have the same humor, and the younger generations don't why what they're missing. If you love this television classic, you can grab a copy of Laugh In: The Complete Sixth Season on DVD in stores nationwide or online.