Forgotten TV: Lampoon (1974)

 After Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ended its run, George Schlatter, who'd flopped with Turn On so badly, you'd think ABC would never talk to him again, came back to the alphabet network with a pilot that looked like an off-Broadway show.

Lampoon had not a single connection with either the Harvard Lampoon or the long running humor mag, the National Lampoon, which had a syndicated radio show around this time, and soon would spawn a series of movies that were hits at the box office (i.e. "Animal House").

Among the familiar faces, we find Desi Arnaz, Jr., fresh off Here's Lucy, Brenda Vaccaro, Marshall Efron, who'd later front a Sunday school show a few years later, then get into voice acting (i.e. Smurfs), Wayland Flowers w/Madame, Bo Kaprall, and Lonnie Schorr.

A few quick notes: Flowers suffered from the same problem Edgar Bergen had when Bergen first appeared on camera with his puppets. Flowers' mouth moves when Madame speaks. Flowers improved over time, of course. Bo Kaprall later turned up on a short-lived Saturday morning variety show, Wacko, with Charles Fleischer (Welcome Back, Kotter) and Julie McWhirter (The Rich Little Show), which ran for one season on CBS. Kaprall's largely been off camera ever since.

Schlatter tried to recapture the magic of Laugh-In, but ABC suits weren't impressed. Flowers, for all we know, may have been a reason why.

Rating: B-.