The Chevy Chase Show

Fox gave Chevy Chase his own talk show to debut in the fall of 1993 - the same time David Letterman jumped from 12:30am on NBC to 11:30pm CBS. If you're reading this, you already know it was a monumental flop. The only entertaining portion was the inventive opening sequence. Judge for yourself, while the links are still active:

1) 9/7/1993-Chase presents comedy and talk fare; guests Goldie Hawn, Whoopi Goldberg

2) 9/8/1993-Jason Priestley; the Enchanters

3) 9/9/1993-Harry Anderson; Martin Short

4) 9/10/1993-Kathleen Turner; Robert Townsend; Charlie Kazan, "Wiener Guy"

5) 9/13/1993-Tom Selleck; musician/comedian Rudy Coby

6) 9/14/1993-Stephen Stills; Time Matheson; Scott Flansburg, "the human calculator"

7) 9/15/1993-Dennis Hopper; Anita Morris

8) 9/16/1993-Jennie Garth ("Beverly Hills, 90210"); Garrett Morris; 12-year-old pianist Sergio Salvatore

9) 9/17/1993-Corbin Bernsen; Al Franken; singer Oleta Adams; "Henry the lizard-lover"

10) 9/20/1993-Geraldo Rivera; singer Deborah Allen; finger fitness

11) 9/21/1993-Rita Rudner; Engelbert Humperdinck; tennis match with Billie Jean King and Chris Evert

12) 9/22/1993-Sinbad; Roy Toft & Pancho the Singing Parrot

13) 9/23/1993-Robert De Niro; model Gabrielle Reese; actor/writer Chazz Palmintieri; 87-year-old musician Doc Cheatham

14) 9/24/1993-Kenny Loggins; actor Dean Cain; Tom Squier, "road-kill gourmet"; 11-year-old pilot Victoria Van Meter

15) 9/27/1993-Ron Silver; Jimmy Connors; chef Kazuaki Uehara

16) 9/28/1993-Comedian George Wallace; actor Jonathan Frakes; stockbroker/mentalist Mark Stone

17) 9/29/1993-Sam Elliott; actress Pamela Anderson; Jackie Bibby, "cobra kisser"

18) 9/30/1993-Jamie Lee Curtis; Mark Nevin, "insect chef"

19) 10/1/1993-Musician/poet Henry Rollins; "Tuvan boy wonder"; Kim Alexis; former hockey player Ron Duguay

20) 10/4/1993-Dan Aykroyd; actress Lauren Tom; Susan Montgomery Williams, "bubble gum champ"

21) 10/5/1993-Dave Thomas; basketball player AC Green; "potato chip faces"

22) 10/6/1993-Queen Latifah; actor Doug E Doug; Bill Nye, "science guy"

23) 10/7/1993-Humorist Joe Queenan; actress Lauren Tom

24) 10/8/1993-Michael Damian; Valerie Bertinelli; Taylor Dayne

25) 10/9/1993-Burt Reynolds; musician Dan Fogelberg; comedian Pam Stone

26) 10/12/1993-Lauren Holly; David Fuhrer, "backward talker"; singer Maria McKee

27) 10/13/1993-Band Canadian Brass; Elizabeth Tashjian, nut-museum lady

28) 10/14/1993-Martin Sheen; magician/comedian Rudy Coby; actress Alexandra Paul

29) 10/15/1993-Jim Varney; Jean Stephens, Mary Weems, butterfly-collecting twins

On top of these guests, Janis Ian (musical guest on the very first SNL) was slated for week 3, A. Martinez for week 6, and Elizabeth Ashley and Don Rickles for the unproduced week 7.

The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour

Spring, 1982: NBC’s primetime schedule is in flux. The network had been faltering since the mid-1970s, with things rapidly devolving from 1978 until June 1981, when Fred Silverman was president. Going up against very successful shows on CBS and ABC – shows which he had put on the air during his tenures there – compounded the misery. By mid-1981, they had just six shows in the top 30: “Little House on the Prairie” (#10), “Real People” (#12), “Diff’rent Strokes” (#17), “Facts of Life” (#26), “CHiPs” (#24) and a Monday night movie (#29). That number would shrink to four by the same time next year.

By then, MTM Productions founder Grant Tinker had taken over. He was left with a faltering schedule, the aftermath of the 1981 writer’s strike, and a handful of commitments which would finally bow at midseason, for the spring of 1982: “Teachers Only” and “Cassie & Co.” (part of the network’s commitment to purchase series from Johnny Carson’s company), “One of the Boys” (with Mickey Rooney), “Jokebook” (Hanna-Barbera), the ambitious “Chicago Story” (from Eric Bercovici, producer of “Shogun”) and “Fame.”

All of these appear to be deals that Fred Silverman made on his way out the door. Always a fan of variety and the ABC show “Soap” (which he greenlit) he also put “The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour” on the air in the spring of 1982.

Largely forgotten today, there are just three clips online, all from the first episode, linked below. The somewhat conventional visual look was offset by a pretty hip slate of guest stars. An episode guide follows.

Episode 1: January 30, 1982

The Pointer Sisters, John Candy as Orson Welles, Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis as Bob Hope and Woody Allen, “The Punk Honeymooners” sketch. This episode possibly includes Joe Flaherty as Bing Crosby.

Episode 2: February 6, 1982

Robert Urich, Morgan Fairchild. Includes a spoof of early-morning talk shows, a one-man stage show, “The Alexander Haig Story,” and a parody of “Young Man with a Horn” (“Young Man with a Mouth.”) The Manhattan Transfer performs “Trickle Trickle” and “Spies in the Night.”

Episode 3: February 13, 1982

Robert Conrad, Nell Carter. Sketches include a sex change for Reggie Jackson (Nell Carter), a screen test for Robert Conrad directed by Fernando Lamas (Crystal), and a medley of Lou Carter songs including “What's a Matter with Me?” and “If I Had a Nose Full of Nickles.”

Episode 4: February 20, 1982

Mel Tillis, Lynn Redgrave. Sketches include Fernando Lamas (Crystal) interviewing Tillis, a doctor's X-ray machine suddenly becomes a video game, and Uncle Julius (Billy) is upset with his bridge partner (Michael McManus). Tillis sings “It's Gonna Be One of Them Days.”

Episode 5: February 27, 1982

Rob Reiner, Smokey Robinson, Shelley Duvall. Includes a carload of irritated vacationers who get on each other’s nerves, TV wrestling parody, and Uncle Julius (Billy) is mugged. Billy compares baseball player's names and how they each effect their image. Smokey Robinson sings “Tell Me Tomorrow.”

Crystal would sign off with his raspy jazzbo character's "Can you dig it? I knew that you could" each week. Looking over the guide, there are also signs of what he would do on SNL as a castmember during season 10 (1984-85), following several appearances on the show during season 9.    

The show struggled on Saturday nights at 10 p.m., up against a movie on CBS and the #30 show, “Fantasy Island” on ABC. When NBC announced its 1982-83 season, all the midseason shows were gone except “Fame.” In their place was a slate of new shows: “Cheers,” “Family Ties,” “St. Elsewhere,” “Taxi” (imported from ABC), “Knight Rider,” “Remington Steele," "Silver Spoons," "Mama's Family" and midseason shows including “The A-Team" and "Buffalo Bill."