NBC was looking to put together a strong lunch hour block to bridge to their soap operas in the mid-70's. In June 1976, they thought they had the right combo. While Chuck Barris' envelope-pushing Gong Show enjoyed a 2 year run, the lead-in, The Fun Factory, was a bust.
Entertainer Bobby Van, fresh from ABC's Showoffs, was tapped to host. Fishman-Freer Productions had made its first network sale (its previous entries, Dealer's Choice & Diamond Head, were syndicated), despite the fact that Van and Showoffs had suffered from the same viewer & network indifference that would plague Factory as well. The series lasted just 3 1/2 months, and Fishman-Freer would never be heard from again.
Gilmore Box provides the intro:
Yes, it did air briefly on GSN before the channel was added to my local cable system. Just sayin'.
Van's last series, the 1979 revival of Make Me Laugh, would also air at lunch time in the home district. Van's passing in 1980 due to a brain tumor took away an enormous talent way too soon.
Rating: B.
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