About The Big Show
- Released on March 04, 1980
The Big Show is an American comedy-variety-musical television series produced and broadcast by NBC for several months in 1980.
The series aimed to revitalize the moribund variety television genre, which had been in a downward spiral since the cancellations of The Ed Sullivan Show and The Carol Burnett Show a few years earlier. The Big Show took its title seriously, using a huge stage set and filling a 90-minute time-slot, with at least one two-hour installment broadcast.
Although the first broadcast received high ratings, poor reviews and low ratings of succeeding episodes resulted in the program being cancelled after only a few months. The series nonetheless was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Costume Design.
Regular performers included Joe Baker, Graham Chapman, Mimi Kennedy, Shabba-Doo and Pamela Myers. Guest hosts included Steve Allen, Nell Carter, David Copperfield, Geoffrey Holder, Gary Coleman, and Sid Caesar. Skaters who performed in the show included Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, and Toller Cranston.
Main Cast of The Big Show
Charlie Hill plays Self (11 episodes)
Adolfo Quinones plays Self (11 episodes)
Edie McClurg plays Self (11 episodes)
Mimi Kennedy plays Self (11 episodes)
Pamela Myers plays Self (11 episodes)
Secondary Cast of The Big Show
David Copperfield plays Self (2 episodes)
Graham Chapman plays Self (1 episode)
Lola Falana plays Self (1 episode)
Debby Boone plays Self (2 episodes)
Loretta Swit plays Self (1 episode)
Buck Owens plays Self (1 episode)
Robin Cousins plays Self (1 episode)
Dottie West plays Self (1 episode)
Plácido Domingo plays Self (1 episode)
Peggy Fleming plays Self (3 episodes)
Loni Anderson plays Self (1 episode)
Bert Parks plays Self (1 episode)
Joe Namath plays Self (1 episode)
Tony Randall plays Self (1 episode)
The Unknown Comic plays Self (1 episode)
Juliet Prowse plays Self (1 episode)
Skip Stephenson plays Self (1 episode)
Meadowlark Lemon plays Self (1 episode)
Nell Carter plays Self (3 episodes)
Gallagher plays Self (2 episodes)
Mel Tillis plays Self (2 episodes)
Tanya Tucker plays Self (1 episode)
Dorothy Hamill plays Self (2 episodes)
Sylvie Vartan plays Self (1 episode)
Sarah Purcell plays Self (2 episodes)
Imogene Coca plays Self (1 episode)
Alexander Godunov plays Self (1 episode)
John Byner plays Self (1 episode)
Jamie Farr plays Self (1 episode)
Alwin Nikolais plays Self (1 episode)
Robert Shields plays Self (1 episode)
Ronnie Corbett plays Self (2 episodes)
Randy Jones plays Self (1 episode)
Barbi Benton plays Self (1 episode)
Donald O'Connor plays Self (1 episode)
Steve Martin plays Self (1 episode)
Toller Cranston plays Self (2 episodes)
Hervé Villechaize plays Self (1 episode)
Count Basie plays Self (1 episode)
Diahann Carroll plays Self (1 episode)
Dionne Warwick plays Self (1 episode)
Betty White plays Self (1 episode)
Ken Berry plays Self (1 episode)
Sid Caesar plays Self (2 episodes)
Kenneth Shelley plays Self (1 episode)
Georgia Engel plays Self (1 episode)
Cynthia Gregory plays Self (1 episode)
Ronnie Barker plays Self (2 episodes)
Sherman Hemsley plays Self (1 episode)
Sherrill Milnes plays Self (1 episode)
- David Copperfield
- Graham Chapman
- Lola Falana
- Debby Boone
- Loretta Swit
- Buck Owens
- Robin Cousins
- Dottie West
- Plácido Domingo
- Peggy Fleming
- Loni Anderson
- Bert Parks
- Joe Namath
- Tony Randall
- The Unknown Comic
- Juliet Prowse
- Skip Stephenson
- Meadowlark Lemon
- Nell Carter
- Gallagher
- Mel Tillis
- Tanya Tucker
- Dorothy Hamill
- Sylvie Vartan
- Sarah Purcell
- Imogene Coca
- Alexander Godunov
- John Byner
- Jamie Farr
- Alwin Nikolais
- Robert Shields
- Ronnie Corbett
- Randy Jones
- Barbi Benton
- Donald O'Connor
- Steve Martin
- Toller Cranston
- Hervé Villechaize
- Count Basie
- Diahann Carroll
- Dionne Warwick
- Betty White
- Ken Berry
- Sid Caesar
- Kenneth Shelley
- Georgia Engel
- Cynthia Gregory
- Ronnie Barker
- Sherman Hemsley
- Sherrill Milnes