Marie (1980 TV series)

For the earlier and later shows with the same name, see Marie (TV pilot) and Marie (talk show).

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1980 American TV series or program

Marie

Genre| Variety show
Directed by| Jeff Margulis
Presented by| Marie Osmond
Starring| Marie Osmond
Music by| Bob Rozario
D'Vaughn Pershing
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 7
Production
Executive producers| Alan Osmond
Jay Osmond
Jerry McPhie
Producers| Neal Israel
Pat Proft
Running time| 60 minutes
Production company| Osmond Productions
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| December 12, 1980 (1980-12-12) –
September 26, 1981 (1981-09-26)

Marie is an American comedy-variety limited series hosted by and starring singer-actress Marie Osmond that aired on NBC from December 12, 1980 to September 26, 1981 with a total of seven episodes, split across two abbreviated seasons.

## Overview

[edit]

Marie Osmond in 1981.

Fred Silverman, then the President of NBC, had attempted to replicate the success of the 1976–79 variety show Donny & Marie (which Silverman had commissioned while at ABC) when he green-lit Pink Lady and Jeff earlier in 1980.[1] That show proved to be an all-around disaster and was canceled after only five episodes.

The Osmond family was in a lull in their career in 1979[2] after the cancellation of Donny & Marie, with their 1979 album Steppin' Out being a commercial failure and star Donny Osmond distancing himself from the family. Marie had starred in an unsold pilot Marie With the Osmonds in debt from their investment into Donny & Marie, and with Silverman in need of an established hit, Marie Osmond returned to variety television in December 1980 and headlined her own show on NBC in an attempt to repeat the success of her earlier variety series. She was contracted to do seven shows for NBC.

The new show showcased Osmond's singing, acting and comedic talents in the same format of a traditional variety series (similar to Donny & Marie) which featured musical numbers, comedy sketches and various guest stars each week. Guest stars included TV personalities and musical artists such as Gavin MacLeod, Jeff Conaway, Tony Orlando, The Pointer Sisters, Andy Williams, Scott Baio, Sally Struthers, David Copperfield, Nell Carter, Bob Hope, The Commodores and Andy Gibb. Noticeably absent on-camera were Marie's brothers; of them, only Jimmy Osmond appeared on the show as a guest in one episode, though Donny Osmond appeared as a surprise during the closing number of the premiere episode to tell Marie he thought she was great and had a winner. (Alan and Jay were listed as executive producers.)

## Episode list

[edit]

Nº  | Original airdate  | Guest stars  | Songs performed

|
|
|

1.1  | December 12, 1980  | Gavin MacLeod
Jeff Conaway |

"I'm Coming Out"
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
"What Kind of Fool"
"He's Out of My Life"

1.2  | December 19, 1980  | Tony Orlando
Jay Johnson
The Pointer Sisters |

"Another One Bites the Dust"
"Could I Be Dreaming"
"Don't Cry Out Loud"
"The Colors of My Life"
"He's So Shy"

1.3  | December 26, 1980  | Andy Williams
Fred Willard
Scott Baio |

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot"
"Times of Your Life"
"Never Knew Love Like This Before"
"I Could Have Been a Sailor"

1.4  | January 2, 1981  | Sally Struthers
David Copperfield
Erik Estrada |

"Fame"
"I'm Very You, You're Very Me"
"Give Me the Night"
"In My Life"

1.5  | September 12, 1981  | Nell Carter
Bob Hope
Jimmy Osmond |

Judy Garland medley:

* "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)"
* "The Trolley Song"
* "Maybe I'll Come Back"

"Uncertain"
"Send Me You"
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
"Far Away Places"
"On the Road Again"/"Gotta Travel On"

1.6  | September 19, 1981  | Grant Goodeve
The Commodores |

"9 to 5"
"Sail On"
The Commodores medley:

* "Still"
* "Brick House"
* "Three Times a Lady"
* "Midnight Magic"

"Sometimes When We Touch"

1.7  | September 26, 1981  | Andy Gibb
Stephen Stucker |

"Come On In"
"Suddenly"
"Tenderly"
"Time Is Time"

## Broadcast history

[edit]

NBC ordered seven episodes of Marie, which aired in two batches. The first four episodes aired weekly from December 12, 1980 through January 2, 1981. The remaining three episodes aired in September 1981, again airing weekly. The series was produced by the Osmond family's production company, Osmond Productions.

## References

[edit]

* Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present

Notes

1. ^ Marindale, David (1998). Pufnstuf & Other Stuff. St. Martin's Press. p. 231\. ISBN 1-58063-007-3.
2. ^ Hardy, Jane (April 6, 2022). "Still reason to love the Osmonds". The Irish News. Retrieved July 3, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Marie at IMDb

*[No.]: Number