A Classic Reborn: The New Laugh-In (1977)

 Four years after Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ended its run, producer George Schlatter felt the time was right to bring the show back, albeit with a completely new cast.

The new group included ventriloquist Wayland Flowers with Madame, Ben Powers, Lenny Schultz, Bill Rafferty, artist-turned-repertory performer Sergio Aragones, and Robin Williams, who had earlier appeared on The Richard Pryor Show.

Unfortunately, without the familiar faces of the original series (i.e. Rowan, Martin, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley, Henry Gibson, et al), this iteration of Laugh-In lasted 6 weeks, with the reruns exhumed after Williams had moved on to Mork & Mindy and pop culture icon status.

Movie legend Bette Davis showed a flair for comedy that was missing when she tried a sitcom years earlier, and is the guest du jour, with cameos by Rich Little, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Barry Goldwater, and Henry Winkler (Happy Days).

Aragones, best known for his work in Mad Magazine and co-creating DC's Bat Lash and the creator owned (with Mark Evanier) Groo The Wanderer, apparently was making his debut as a comic actor.

Ben Powers, like Johnny Brown before him, also turned up on Good Times.

Lenny Schultz would return to NBC with the short lived Saturday lunch series, Drawing Power.

Wayland Flowers & Madame would land their own series, Madame's Place (previously reviewed) after spinning off from Solid Gold.

Schlatter saw something he liked in Bill Rafferty, as he was brought back for Real People a couple of years later.

Aragones' drawings got the attention of Dick Clark & Johnny Carson, whose production companies collaborated on those Bloopers specials and series Clark co-hosted in the 80's.

No rating. Just a public service.