Radio icon Howard Stern first gave television a try in 1987, when he was approached by Fox suits about replacing Joan Rivers on their Late Show. He'd eventually appear on Hollywood Squares, filling in as an announcer/panelist for a week while regular announcer Shadoe Stevens subbed for host John Davidson. To say that Howard sleepwalked through that gig would be accurate, as he was lacking enthusiasm.
Fox had him shoot 5 pilot episodes, but plans for him to begin a regular one were scotched. Three years later, WWOR, based in New Jersey, and, ironically, now owned by Fox flagship WNYW, took a chance on Stern, and gave him a summer berth on Saturday nights. The Howard Stern Show lasted two years (1990-2), and gave viewers a visual version of the outrageous comedy skits Stern and sidekick Robin Quivers, and friends, did on radio. He parodied Squares and Dating Game, rebooting them with gay/lesbian themes. If you didn't get the joke, you were lost.
One skit that stood out was a parody of "From Here to Eternity", with MTV doll Martha Quinn in Deborah Kerr's role opposite Stern, who wasn't exactly Burt Lancaster, much less a teen idol-level leading man. I'll see if I can find it as a stand-alone skit. Meantime, scope the series opener, from 1990. As the disclaimer says, viewer discretion is advised.
According to executives at WWOR, money is what led them to cancel the show. In other words, it was getting too expensive to produce, and, not only that, it was now in syndication, too. Stern would sign with E!, first for an interview series, then video repurposing, albeit edited, of his morning radio show. The latter lasted 11 years before Stern ended his run at WXRK, and went to satellite radio.
Rating: C.
2 comments:
I remember this - his "Lesbian Dating Game" was a riot! It used to air when I was in college and we used to have watch parties.
Yes, Stern is a sick man, but he was always an envelope pusher. These days, he seems like a bit of a desperate hack. He thought he'd take over the world when he moved to satellite radio but it didn't quite happen.
He overestimated himself is what it was. I later saw "Private Parts", which wasn't too bad, but it did give me an insight into the man.
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