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- The Mainstream Ascendance of the Chat-Show Parody
As a child of the ’80s and avid fan of classic television, I’ve had the pleasure of discovering Fernwood 2 Night through the hazy lens of nostalgia. This quirky, pre-Saturday Night Live talk show parody, created by Norman Lear, holds a special place in my heart for its groundbreaking absurdity and wit.
In the vast TV production portfolio of television legend Norman Lear, the seldom recognized gem is “Fernwood 2 Night.” Featuring performances by Martin Mull and Fred Willard, this mock chat show was a brilliantly sarcastic exception in the 1970s, when TV was predominantly devoid of depth. Although its concept may seem familiar today, it was deemed too avant-garde for viewers in 1978. Low ratings didn’t necessarily indicate success, but the fact that numerous shows have since been inspired by it is a testament to its enduring impact. David Letterman himself acknowledged this influential series as one of his primary inspirations.
Mull’s host character feigned professionalism, yet exposed his own inadequacy, while his sidekick blurted out every inappropriate thought aloud. The Colbert Report propelled Stephen Colbert into fame around a quarter-century later, portraying a “well-meaning, uninformed, high-status fool.” Essentially, he mirrored Mull’s Barth Gimble character, but with a political bias.
Just like Eric Andre and Gary Shandling before them, I’ve been thoroughly entertained by the antics of various fake interviewers throughout the years. Eric’s faux-interview show on Adult Swim may have ended, but his notoriety lives on, continuing a modern tradition that began with shows like “The Larry Sanders Show.” I can’t get enough of Jiminy Glick, Ali G, Alan Partridge, and Philomena Cunk. These brilliant satirists constantly challenge us by trying to pass as bumbling idiots, and their comedic brilliance never fails to leave me in stitches.
Willard and Mull’s quirky talk show, filled with D-list celebrities and their vacant expressions, lame humor, and forced smiles, might not have existed without them. Today, it is mainly recognized as a pioneering effort that later comedians built upon, a minor achievement in Mull’s otherwise productive career, which included guest appearances on shows such as “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development.” Before his roles in “Spinal Tap” and “Anchorman,” Fred Willard honed his persona on this politically incorrect program. Although the fanbase kept it alive, unfortunately, even widespread critical praise could not prevent the syndicated cult classic from being overlooked by seventies TV viewers.
Wannabe Celebrities Trapped in Small-Town USA
The recurring theme of the program revolved around the harsh realities and extreme measures taken by individuals to attain and preserve fame. The show’s cast, struggling at the lowest levels of show business, likely went unnoticed by many viewers. Happy, portrayed by Frank De Vol in real life and a hidden reference, was a disgraced bandleader who faced public scorn. Bart Gimble, acted by Mull, was banished from Miami to Fernwood, Ohio due to a career-ending scandal. Jerry Hubbard, played by Willard, managed to keep his job through nepotism, despite a limited intellect and a penchant for derailing interviews with unconventional guests such as a man in an iron lung playing piano and scientists dressing rats in tiny leisure suits.
Based on their personal backgrounds, growing up in eastern Ohio, the three primary actors convincingly portrayed the atmosphere of a dull town devoid of sophistication, glamour, or famous personalities. The studio audience eagerly endured the most unrefined entertainment. The Gimble character emerged from Norman Lear’s soap opera parody “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” which was based on Fernwood in reality. This spin-off built upon this concept and explored a completely new direction, featuring two arrogant fools who float through life without any self-awareness or concern for their guests’ suffering, striving to become the next Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon.
In simpler terms, the half-hour comedy show poked fun at the vulnerabilities of typical American TV viewers, becoming popular due to many not recognizing they were among the targets. They laughed at egocentric individuals yearning for fame, self-important talk show hosts lingering on the fringes of stardom, and media in general that encouraged people to embarrass themselves for mere minutes of recognition. This was a shift from traditional interview shows where talk show hosts were expected to engage in deep conversations with diverse guests, such as a Swedish art house director one day and an astronomer the next. Instead, Fernwood 2 Night demonstrated what transpires when unintelligent people are given control.
A Bold Experiment a Generation Ahead of Its Time
The show “Fernwood 2 Night” marked the beginning of the unusual and cringeworthy talk show format with its questionable hosts and absurd questions, deliberately playing it dumb for our amusement. Pioneering the awkward interview style, this program paved the way, a nod to Sacha Baron Cohen. Topics ranged from a daredevil’s fundraising efforts following an accident, to discussions on racial acceptance. In its inaugural episode, “Talk to a Jew,” Gimble and Hubbard exemplified unintentional bigotry, showcasing a minoritized man as an exotic curiosity in their small Midwestern town.
As someone who grew up watching classic talk shows, I can tell you that segments like these held a special place in my heart for their ability to delve into the intricacies of American culture and the peculiarities of everyday life. However, when the show unexpectedly relocated to Southern California towards the end of its tenure, something about it felt amiss to me.
According to Vincent LoBrutto in his book “TV in the USA,” this program was one of the pioneers in making the conventional format hilarious by portraying absurd situations that could be mistaken for genuine discussions, as the majority of audiences were used to more serious and straightforward programming at the time.
Based on my experience working as a writer for a late-night talk show in the 1970s, I can tell you that the production of Fernwood 2 Night was quite different from what we were used to. Unlike the spontaneous and interactive exchanges between hosts and guests on a real talk show, Fernwood 2 Night’s scripts were heavily scripted for the celebrities. This created an unusual atmosphere backstage, where the celebrities would read their lines instead of engaging in natural banter.
The summer program, titled “The Summer Show,” met its end in network TV’s harsh reality after undergoing changes and was canceled following just 65 episodes in 1978. It was then renamed to “America 2 Night” to avoid any confusion regarding its small-town production origins as most of the cast were unknown actors at the time. The show was replaced with well-known guests like Charlton Heston. True to form, Lear’s program took viewers by surprise with its cleverness and ultimately faded into obscurity among other vintage programming. Consistent with his reputation, “Fernwood 2 Night” failed to impress in ratings and was deemed too unusual for networks to handle. The Cartoon Network and Comedy Central were yet to emerge.
The Mainstream Ascendance of the Chat-Show Parody
Stephen Colbert and Sacha Baron Cohen have similar approaches, albeit not always as discreetly, some viewers might note. As audiences have grown wiser to the inner workings of the entertainment industry and more skeptical of its methods, Fernwood 2 Night’s content and format have only become more appealing, preserving a dedicated fanbase. In the early ’90s, it made a comeback on Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite schedule, attracting nostalgic Baby Boomers who had missed the duo since they moved on to larger projects.
Three esteemed gentlemen, Lear, Mull, and Willard, although no longer with us, are mostly recognized for their other works. However, this satire they created should receive more recognition as it set the stage for today’s popular irreverent parodies. The Gimble and Hubbard act may have evolved, but it continues to thrive among the Twitter generation. New fake shows such as The Eric Andre Show, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and Martin Short’s Jiminy Glick character carry on this tradition. Furthermore, Saturday Night Live skits have been heavily influenced by Fernwood 2 Night, and even Miss Piggy had her own talk show imitation at one point.
During a time when network chat shows were losing favor among younger viewers in television history, Norman Lear and his team had already poked fun at the emptiness and rigid structure of these shows. Sadly, “Fernwood 2 Night” seems to have vanished from memory, even for industry insiders, as evidenced by its absence from Entertainment Weekly’s list of favorite fictional talk show hosts.
In a positive turn of events, this show was given another opportunity to shine due to YouTube’s mysterious recommendation system, allowing current audiences to discover the origins of the “idiot-behind-a-desk” genre. It seems that younger generations appreciate the raw, vintage video texture and unapologetic humor. Although it took comedy lovers four decades to recognize Lear’s satire, better late than never. Currently, you can stream “Fernwood 2 Night” on Apple TV+.
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2024-07-21 05:32