Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History" by Bruce Vilanch

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Review of "It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History" by Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch (b. 1947) is an award-winning American comedy writer, songwriter, and actor.

Bruce Vilanch

Vilanch is perhaps best known for his four year stretch on Hollywood Squares, but his career encompasses much more. Vilanch wrote for the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys; starred as Emma Turnblad in the national tour of 'Hairspray'; wrote for celebrities like Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, Bob Hope, Cher, Paul Reiser, Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Shirley MacLaine, and Whoopi Goldberg; had a short-lived talk show; and much much more. Bruce has met/worked with myriad people in the entertainment industry, and seems to have a good word for everyone (or maybe he's just a nice guy 😊).

Bruce Vilanch and Niki Metcalf as Edna and Tracy Turnblad in 'Hairspray'

Bruce Vilanch with Better Midler

This isn't a memoir, however, but rather a fun book about what Vilanch considers some clunkers he's been involved with. Bruce writes, "[This is] a book about how I helped create the worst shows in television....Creating the worst shows in television of course spilled over into helping create the worst shows in other media as well, and I have not spared you the details. Movies, Broadway musicals, revues....sooner or later I wound up getting involved in more turkeys than the Osmonds at Thanksgiving."

Bruce's tales of the turkeys are interspersed with anecdotes about his life, career, and people he's met. These stories are related with a wink and acknowledgment that, back in the day, all Hollywood writers were 'chemically enhanced.'

Bruce Vilanch had a small part in "Mahogany' with Diana Ross

Bruce Vilanch with Robin Williams

Reading this book inspired me to watch some of Vilanch's 'bad shows' on YouTube and nostalgia channels, and - despite being 'terrible ideas' - they're quite entertaining!! In fact, Vilanch's 'confessions' will probably ignite a cult following for some of what Bruce is calling 'dreck'.

Bruce's tales cover every aspect of the programs he discusses, including creators, producers, directors, writers, casting problems, actors, actresses, musical talent, supporters, critics, and so on. I'll just give a brief peek at some of Bruce's stories, to provide a feel for the book.

*****

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

The first 'Stars Wars' film came out in 1977 and did well at the box office. Since George Lucas planned a series, he wanted to keep 'Star Wars' in the public eye, thus the holiday special.

In a nutshell: The story is about Wookiees, specifically Chewbacca's family (wife Malla, son Lumpy, father Itchy), who are getting ready to celebrate 'Life Day' on their home planet Kashyyyk. Han Solo and Chewbacca are flying to Kashyyyk in the Millenium Falcon, but are forced to take detours to evade Empire warships. Thus, Chewbacca is late getting home.

Chewbacca and Han Solo in the Millenium Falcon

Chewbacca's relatives get worried, and they contact members of the rebel alliance - Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker - to see if they know Chebacca's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Empire soldiers invade the Wookiees home to search for Chewbacca.

Since this special is a musical comedy, there are guest stars: Art Carney, Bea Arthur, Diahann Carroll, and Harvey Korman.

Art Carney plays a shop owner bringing gifts to the Wookiees' house; Harvey Korman has several parts, one of which is a kind of 7-armed alien Julia Child, who has a cooking show on television; Bea Arthur owns a bar on the planet Tatooine, where an assortment of aliens hang out; and Diahann Carroll croons a sexy song to Itchy in one of his fantasies.

Harvey Korman as an alien television chef

Diahann Carroll as a fantasy singer

Bea Arthur as a barkeeper on Tatooine

One big problem with the show is that Wookiees speak no known language, so humans have to 'translate' everything they say. Vilanch observes, "The next few hours of the show - OK, minutes, but they seem like hours - involve lots of plot, which means more of the grunting, growling, shrieking, and translating."

The Star Wars Holiday Special was a flop, and faded from public consciousness UNTIL the 'Star Wars' franchise became a cult phenomenon. Fans looking for every scrap of information about 'Star Wars' unearthed the special on YouTube and brought it into the light. Some enthusiasts think the program is good fun while other find it sacrilegious and send George Lucas death threats.

Bruce concludes, "It will be my lightsaber to bear."

*****

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special' (1976)

In this musical comedy show, Paul plays an eccentric homeowner who's whisked away by good witches who want Paul to debunk their evil image.

Paul Lynde with two witches

The guest stars include Betty White, Billy Barty, Donny and Marie, Florence Henderson, Margaret Hamilton, Tim Conway, the band Kiss, and others.

Kiss performing on the Paul Lynde Halloween Special

Among skits and songs performed by the guest stars, Paul is given three wishes. These segue to sketches in which Paul is a rhinestone cowboy truck driver competing with Tim Conway for a pretty waitress; and a rich sheik romancing Florence Henderson in his tent.

Paul Lynde as a Rhinestone Cowboy Truck Driver

Paul Lynde as a Sheik romancing Florence Henderson

Paul gives his last wish to the witches, who want to dance at a disco. This provides an opportunity to showcase a sea of dancers in elegant Halloween wear, with lots of shaking of everyone's groove thing. It also features more singing by Florence Henderson and Kiss.

Vilanch thinks the Halloween special was over the top, but I think it's glitzy, kitschy and fun.

*****

Some of Vilanch's other (self-described) duds include:

'The Brady Bunch Hour' (1976 -1977) - This variety program was a spin-off from The Brady Bunch comedy show. In the variety hour, the whole Brady clan sings and dances; there are underwater 'mermaids' doing synchronized swimming; and guest stars are featured in the storylines.

The Brady Bunch on their variety hour show

The Brady Bunch Hour might not be great television, but it's typical of 1970s programming, and it's colorful and entertaining.

*****

'The Ice Pirates' (1984 movie)

In this sci-fi comedy thriller, the galaxy is short of water, and the existing supply is controlled by a greedy cabal. The cabal sells ice to inhabited planets, and are determined to protect their monopoly.

A group of ice pirates led by Jason (Robert Urich) steal a shipment of ice, but they're captured. The pirates are about to be castrated and made into slaves when a princess rescues them. The princess needs help finding her father, who knows the location of a water planet.

A scene from The Ice Pirates

This film, which I find hilarious, unabashedly stole elements from other science fiction films, like cute little robots (Star Wars); and a creepy creature called a space herpes (Alien); and more.

There's a great cast, including Anjelica Huston, Bruce Vilanch (who plays a head without a body), John Carradine, John Matuszak, Mary Crosby, Michael D. Roberts, Ron Perlman, and more.

Vilanch might consider this a bomb, but I think it's fun.

*****

'Can't Stop The Music' (1980 movie) - This comedy features a struggling young New York music composer called Jack (Steve Guttenberg) who's trying to launch a new music group (The Village People). Jack's friend Samantha (Valerie Perrine), a singer/dancer/model has connections in the music industry, and is helping him.

The film is chock full of singing and dancing, and Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner) plays Samantha's boyfriend, a lawyer named Ron White.

Bruce Jenner and Valerie Perrine in Can't Stop the Music

The show features a great cast, including Altovise Davis, Barbara Rush, Jack Weston, Paul Sand, Tammy Grimes, and more.

Vilanch might call this a clunker, but I liked it.

*****

The Charo Show (1976)

This comedy, which lasted only through the pilot, features Charo as herself - an entertainer who has a home life and welcomes guest stars. Charo sings, tells jokes, plays the classical Spanish-style guitar (she's a trained guitarist), and does a George and Martha Washington skit with guest star Mike Connors.

Charo plays the classical guitar

The pilot has a few laughs, but I can see why it didn't get picked up.

*****

There's plenty more in the book as Vilanch tells stories about his Broadway flop 'Platinum'; Rob Lowe singing and dancing with Snow White in the introduction to the 1989 Oscars; the time Bruce and other comedy writers sequestered themselves at a weight loss spa that served only rice; Bruce's mom Henne being the sidekick on his very short-lived talk show; gay actors in old Hollywood; and on and on.

Rob Lowe and Snow White at the 1989 Acadamy Awards

If you're curious, and want a preview, look up some of Bruce's interviews online, where he talks about 'It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time'.

I like chit-chat about the entertainment industry, and I enjoyed the book. Highly recommended to readers interested in the subject.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bruce Vilanch, and Chicago Review Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

No comments:

Featured Post

Nobel Prize winner Han Kang is a South Korean writer who rose to prominence for her novel The Vegetarian, an enigmatic book that (to me) seemed to be about the inferior position of women in South Korean culture; dysfunctional families; artistic obsession; and mental illness. Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang Han Kang's 2021 novel, 'We Do Not Part', now translated into English, is another cryptic novel that focuses on the consequences of bloody massacres that occurred in South Korea after World War II. I'm not sure what would (or would be not) be spoilers for this unusual book. So just to be safe, I'll say there might be spoilers ahead. When we meet the narrator of 'We Do Not Part', a Seoul writer called Kyungha, she's long parted from most of her family and friends, and is emerging from years of isolation. Kyungha is plagued by migraines, stomach spasms and night terrors, which may be connected (in part) with Kyungha's research for her book about the massacre at G-. [Note: We can take this to be the Gwangju Uprising, a series of student-led demonstrations that occurred in Gwangju, South Korea in May 1980.] Kyungha describes a recurring dream - which she's had for years - as follows: Snow is falling and thousands of black tree trunks jut from a low hill. They vary in height, like a crowd of people ranging in age. Stooped and listing, they give the impression of a thousand men, women and haggard children huddling in the snow. The sea is encroaching on these 'gravestones', and they need to be moved to safety. Kyungha depicts some of her other disturbing dreams as follows: "I can't recall the face of the uniformed man who kicked me in the flank as I lay sprawled on the ground and turned me over with his boots. What I do remember is the shudder that ran through me when he grabbed his gun with both hands and pushed the bayonet into my chest.".....

Featured Post

Georgia Young, a 54-year-old African-American optometrist who lives in San Francisco..... .....has been divorced twice and has two grown daughters - Estelle and Frankie - one from each hubby. Though Georgia appears to be doing well, she feels the need for a change in her life, especially after she learns an old beau has died unexpectedly. So Georgia decides to put her house on the market, sell her share of the optometry practice, take some classes, and look up her former husbands and boyfriends....to tell them what they meant to her. Along the way Georgia would like to find love again, though she's pessimistic about the possibility, particularly since her first husband Michael was a cheater and her second husband Niles was difficult and controlling. Georgia's best friends Wanda - who's rich and likes to do needlepoint, and Violet - who's a successful sports attorney..... .....encourage her efforts to find new love, or at least to have sex with someone, since Georgia has been 'chaste' for years. Wanda is quite pushy about this, and thinks almost any man will do for the purpose, whether he's single, married, whatever. (Wanda is a fun character who provides many of the light moments in the novel.) Georgia's former spouses show up rather serendipitously since Michael is moving back to California and Niles has completed his prison sentence for a white collar crime. Georgia finds she's able to make peace with the ex-husbands, and feels encouraged to use Facebook, Google, and social media to locate the boyfriends who 'got away' for one reason or another. As Georgia contemplates her old beaus, we learn that she falls in love rather easily, especially with good-looking men who are 'good in bed.' 🙂 Meanwhile, there's a lot going on in Georgia's life. Georgia's oldest daughter Estelle, who has twin girls with her husband Justin, seems to be having financial problems. Georgia's youngest daughter Frankie has quit college in New York and come home, heartbroken because her boyfriend cheated on her......

Featured Post

Gwen Cooper is a dedicated 'cat mommy' who likes to share stories about her beloved pets. I was introduced to Cooper's writing when I read her book Homer's Odyssey, about an adorable blind kitty who knew no limits. The book made Homer a worldwide celebrity, and fans showered him with letters and gifts....which he generously shared with his siblings. Cooper's original cat family - adopted when she was in her twenties - consisted of three felines: Scarlett - a tiger-striped tabby who disdained all humans other than 'mommy'; Vashti - a white beauty who seduced every man she met; and Homer - a sightless black fur ball who was never daunted by a challenge. Scarlett Vashti Homer Now, two decades later, Gwen and her husband Laurence are parents to two black cats: Clayton - a sturdy, three-legged cuddler who loves to play fetch; and Fanny - a muscular huntress who eyes birds and squirrels outside, but makes do with moths and giant roaches inside. Clayton Fanny Cooper's stories about her animal family range from heartrending - when a cat gets sick and dies; to laugh out loud funny - when a pet demonstrates its unique intelligence.....

Featured Post

When Natalia Leonova (Natasha) is being raised by a single mother in St. Petersburg, Russia, Natasha's Mama supports them with her job as a costume maker for the Mariinsky Ballet. Soloists come to their apartment for fittings, and Svetlana Timurevna (Sveta) is a regular visitor. One day in 1992, seven-year-old Natasha is mimicking a ballet dancer on television, and Sveta marvels that the child is a 'jumper' and should start taking ballet as soon as possible. Kitri Jump from Don Quixote Ballet Natasha is further inspired by a young neighbor boy called Seryozha, a talented lad who aspires to be a ballet dancer. A few years later, Natasha auditions for Vaganova Ballet Academy, an elite school that auditions thousands of girls each year and takes thirty. Natasha is accepted to Vaganova, runs out to hug her mother, and later recalls, "What I felt then was the purest happiness I've ever known. And the purest love I've ever known or will know." Seryozha is accepted to Vaganova as well, and the two friends embark on a long journey in each other's company. After years at Vaganova - experiencing the trials, tribulations, jealousies, rivalries, crushes, betrayals, etc. - of ballet school, Natasha is talented enough to enter the Mariinsky Ballet Company as corps de ballet......

Featured Post

Stephanie Kiser's childhood in a financially strapped family in North Providence, Rhode Island was a far cry from the lives of the privileged children she cared for as a nanny. In this memoir, Kiser alternates anecdotes about her impoverished young years with stories about the mega-rich families she worked for, who resided in Manhattan, and vacationed in places like the Hamptons and Florida. Author Stephanie Kiser An apartment building in North Providence, Rhode Island Apartment buildings on the Upper East Side, New York Rich kids going to school When Kiser majored in 'Writing for Film and Television' at Boston's Emerson College, she had no intention of being a nanny. However Stephanie's HUGE student loan, which required monthly payments of $1000 (almost entirely for the interest) gave her little choice about employment. Stephanie had to make enough money to pay her rent, take care of her bills, commute around the city, occasionally lend money to her parents, and service her student loan - and nannying was the only job that paid enough. (In some ways, this book is a cautionary tale about student loans, as Kiser wonders if her 'good education' was worth the box it put it her in employment-wise.).....

Featured Post

Barbra Streisand - an American singer, actress, director and producer - is an extraordinary talent and one of the few EGOT winners (Emmy Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). In this memoir, which is almost 1000 pages long, Barbra details her life and career, and she deserves to win a writing award as well. I read the book and listened to the audiobook, excellently narrated by Barbra - which has the added treat of song clips. Barbra has sometimes been mischaracterized as being a difficult diva because she's a perfectionist who wants all the things she's involved with (albums, concerts, television specials, movies, tours, etc.) to be the best they can be. It seems evident this 'misunderstanding' is due to a woman succeeding in a man's world. As Streisand said in a 1992 speech: A man is commanding - a woman is demanding. A man is forceful - a woman is pushy. A man is uncompromising - a woman is a ball-breaker. A man is a perfectionist - a woman's a pain in the ass. He's assertive - she's aggressive. He strategizes - she manipulates. He shows leadership - she's controlling. He's committed - she's obsessed. He's persevering - she's relentless. He sticks to his guns - she's stubborn. If a man wants to get it right, he's looked up to and respected. If a woman wants to get it right, she's difficult and impossible. If he acts, produces, and directs, he's called multitalented. If she does the same thing, she's called vain and egotistical. And so on.......

Featured Post

Rachael Beckett is an experienced Antarctic researcher who's skilled at measuring the thickness of the ice shelves, to predict possible calving. Currently, Rachael is taking a break from field work to stay in England with her husband Adam and baby daughter Izzy, who's the light of Rachael's life. Rachael didn't plan to return to the Antarctic for a while, but feels compelled to go after a visit from her mentor, Guy Barnard. Guy brings research showing the Ross Ice Shelf is melting, and a piece weighing 4 trillion tons and measuring 23,000 square kilometers (the size of Wales) is in danger of calving off because of climate change combined with drilling. This could result in sea levels rising by six meters (about 20 feet), which would be disastrous. A possible solution would be to stop drilling, which the U.S. Congress has to authorize. To convince senators to vote the right way, scientists need compelling undeniable research. Thus Guy is planning an Antarctic expedition, and he convinces Rachael to join his team. Guy, Rachael, and the rest of the research group is flown into Antarctica and start their work. Jump ahead four months and Rachael is alone in her pod in the pitch black Antarctic winter. For various reasons, Rachael has become separated from the rest of the team, and a radio broadcast repeating every two hours states the following: "This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service from the BBC in London. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons....the number of casualties are unknown....stay in your homes, etc......

Featured Post

I loved Elif Shfak's novel 'The Island of Missing Trees', so when I saw the author's new book, 'There Are Rivers in the Sky', I snapped it right up. This sweeping novel extends over millennia, and by way of a drop of water, takes us from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Europe and back to the Middle East. In the course of the water cycle, H₂O falls as precipitation; lands on people, places and things; drains into waterways; travels far and wide; evaporates; forms clouds; gets buffeted by winds; and eventually falls as precipitation again. The Water Cycle Thus, over a period of 2500 years, a water droplet that once nestled in the hair of an ancient Mesopotamian king can land as a snowflake on a British baby; be sipped by a girl in Iraq; fall as a teardrop in England; and so on. This story revolves around three major waterways: the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East, and the River Thames in London. The Tigris-Euphrates River System The River Thames The book opens in the palace of King Ashurbanipal, who rules the vast Mesopotamian Empire - near the Tigris-Euphrates River System - in the 600s BCE. Ashurbanipal is one of the most brutal rulers of the era, known for horrendous cruelty and genocides. King Ashurbanipal Conversely, the king is very interested in the literature and art of Mesopotamia, and he assembles a vast library in the city of Nineveh, many of the contents having been looted from conquered states........

Featured Post

In this 4th book in the 'Grilled Cheese Mysteries' series, restaurateur/amateur sleuth Carly Hale feels compelled to investigate when a young man she knows is suspected of murder. The book works fine as a standalone. When thirtysomething Carly Hale's husband died in a tragic accident, she moved back to her hometown of Balsam Dell, Vermont and opened Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery. In time Carly's grief subsided, and she started dating an electrician named Ari Mitchell. Carly and Ari are now in a serious relationship, and very happy together. Carly's restaurant has become quite popular, and she currently employs assistant manager Valerie Wells; part-time server Suzanne Rivers; and grill cook/aspiring chef Grant Robinson, who'll soon be off to culinary school. In addition, a young man called Ross Baxter, who's saving up for college, delivers food from Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery to elderly residents of Balsam Dell. Ross is personable, and all the senior citizens like him except for one grumpy woman, Mrs. Octavia Gray. Ross confides in Carly that Mrs. Gray called his grandmother, and complained that Ross was rude, spied on her, and ate some of her chips - none of which is true.......

Featured Post

This is a goofy sci-fi novel about a human colony on a distant planet called Molorthia Six. (Warning: It's a humorous story, but there IS violence, death, and destruction.) ***** When humans arrived on Molorthia Six 100 years ago, to establish a colony, they chose to settle in the planet's northern forests. Unfortunately, the woodlands were already home to a native species of tree-like creatures called the 'Greens.' The Greens drove the humans into the hot dry deserts. Now, Molorthia Six has a population of 100,000 humans spread through nine desert towns. One of the human cities, called Richmond, has a mayor named Carolyn Kaur...... ......and a sheriff named Dalton Kane. Sheriff Kane is a florist by profession, but took the sheriff's job because he thought 'nothing ever happens around Richmond', and he'd have plenty of time to do his crossword puzzles. Sheriff Dalton was sadly mistaken though, and he shudders when he thinks back to what occurred five years ago when "People rented out [an] oasis for a big family reunion. They had games, campfires, barbecues, you name it. Everyone was having a grand time until the Greens showed up." The Greens attacked, with dire consequences. Out of forty-eight people, forty-six perished (including Dalton's wife and two children), and Dalton had his arm ripped off and eaten by a Green right before his eyes. (Dalton's arm was since regrown.) Greens still invade human settlements on occasion, and people fight them off with flamethrowers and weed killer. This has been happening more frequently lately, since fires broke out in the northern forests......

Barb's Book Reviews

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Review of "It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History" by Bruce Vilanch

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blog Archive

Netgalley

Netgalley Challenge

Goodreads

Contact Form

Netgalley

Netgalley

Blog Archive