Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was a comedy variety series which 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."

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."

Connections
Several Laugh-In regulars have appeared in Muppet/Henson productions, often reprising their roles from that series.


 * Ruth Buzzi, in addition to guest starring on The Muppet Show and playing Ruthie on Sesame Street, appeared as Gladys Ormphby in the 1993 version of "A New Way to Walk."


 * Goldie Hawn, who got her start as the bubble-headed blonde on Laugh-In, appeared with the Muppets several times.


 * Arte Johnson played his Laugh-In character Wolfgang in several 1970 Sesame Street inserts.


 * Gary Owens, the ear-cupping Laugh-In announcer, appeared in The Muppets Go Hollywood and provided voices in Dinosaurs and Muppets From Space.


 * Lily Tomlin played Laugh-In characters Edith Anne (on Sesame Street) and Ernestine (in several productions).