House-Rent Party

Summaries Shorty's wife throws him out of the house for lying around reading detective thrillers and letting his boss Pigmeat get away with not paying him for the work he does at Pigmeat's barber shop in Harlem. He runs into Pigmeat on the street and asks for the money he's owed, but Pigmeat winds up convincing him that not only does he not owe Shorty any salary, but he actually overpays Shorty $1.25 a week. Later, Shorty reads about a jewel thief on the loose in Harlem and that there's a reward of $1,000 for his capture. He convinces Pigmeat that the two of them can catch this guy, collect the reward and then become famous detectives. Complications ensue.

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Eccentric 70-year-old widow purchases the Windmill Theatre in London as a post-widowhood hobby. After starting an innovative continuous variety review, which is copied by other theaters, they begin to lose money. Mrs. Henderson suggests they add female nudity similar to the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?

At the height of his KOJAK TV series fame, Telly Savalas starred in this variety special that was sponsored by Kraft Foods and shown without commercial interruption. Barbara Eden, Cloris Leachman, Diahann Carroll and others appear and join in the singing and dancing and mugging.

International House

Foreign investors converge on a luxury hotel in China to bid on a new kind of radioscope. But, this is a hotel where Burns and Allen are the in-house medical staff, a measles risk sends the whole building into quarantine, and a madcap millionaire crashes dinner in his autogyro. Hotel and radioscope become a stage for an all-star cast of comedians and musicians, from vaudeville to the new generation.

Trixie Mattel: Skinny Legend

Skinny Legend features the classic Trixie variety show stylings her fans love from her performances. Don’t be fooled by her Disney on Acid aesthetic – these jokes are not for the faint of heart.

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

An all-star revue featuring MGM contract players.

Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC

Stars celebrate Bob Hope's 50 years with NBC.

Variety Time

Jack Parr hosts a variety program of comedic sketches.

Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas

Diva Las Vegas was a show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas starring Bette Midler performing as singer and comedian. The one-time performance was filmed for television; HBO released it as a TV special originally broadcast on January 18, 1997 and repeated on February 2, 1997. Midler won the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for the special. Among the songs performed were The Rose, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, From A Distance, Friends, Wind Beneath My Wings, Stay With Me and Do You Want To Dance?. Bette's daughter Sophie von Haselberg appeared for a short time during the song "Ukulele Lady". She sat with the rest of the cast and musicians on stage playing a ukulele and singing the words.

The Special London Bridge Special

In 1972, the Arizona State Park bought the London Bridge. Tom Jones (as himself) is magically transported to the bridge's new location where he, befuddled, sings with other celebrities, has adventures and gets kidnapped by “the villain”.

Bob Hope on the Road to China

Bob Hope tours China, takes in the culture and meets up with Big Bird, Crystal Gayle, Peaches and Herb, and others.

Elstree Calling

A series of 19 musical and comedy "vaudeville" sketches presented in the form of a live television broadcast hosted by Tommy Handley (as himself).

The Maya Rudolph Show

Maya Rudolph's take on the variety show special with guest stars in the vein of the Carol Burnett Show.

Caesar's Writers

On January 24, 1996, at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles, CA, legendary comic Sid Caesar was reunited with nine of his writers from Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. The event was taped for release on PBS and BBC in a 1-hour cut, and later on VHS and DVD in its full 2-hour length. Be prepared to laugh non-stop as the panel, made up of head writer Mel Tolkin, Caesar, Carl Reiner, Aaron Ruben, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Sheldon Keller, and Gary Belkin share stories about their time working on Caesar's shows and offer their insights about writing comedy.

Cinema Circus

Actor Lee Tracy presides as ringmaster over a show that combines the best elements of cinema with the circus, what he calls a Cinema Circus. Tracy introduces a number of professional circus acts, plus a cavalcade of movie stars who have side shows under the open air big tent. There is as much action in the audience as Tracy identifies a number of movie stars watching the proceedings incognito, having their own fun in the stands, and sometimes interacting with the circus acts.

Viva la risa

Iloinen Linnanmäki

Two competing hair care companies demonstrate their products on stage at a Helsinki amusement park, using celebrities from television, the hottest new media of the early 1960s.

Just for Laughs Stand Up, Vol. 2: On the Edge

Live from Just for Laughs' Montreal International Comedy Festival comes the funniest comics to ever take the stage at the world's largest and most prestigious comedy event! With hilarious performances by Mitch Hedberg, Dave Attel, Dane Cook, Lewis Black, Jim Breuer, Maria Bramford, Harland Williams, Mitch Fatel and Sean Cullen!

Gula Hund

Gula Hund (English title: Yellow Dog) is a Swedish variety show that was the second of "three dog-revues" (so called because they all have "dog" in their name). The first one being Gröna Hund (Green Dog) and the third and last one was Svea Hund.

Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back

In 1977, Bette Midler's first television special premiered, featuring guest stars Dustin Hoffman and Emmett Kelly. It went on to win Bette her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Special — Comedy-Variety or Music. To make the show palatable to home viewers, the special featured heavily cleaned up versions of the material Midler was performing at that time on stage. The title of the show, Ol' Red Hair is Back, was a takeoff on the title of Frank Sinatra's recent album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back.