TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
Encyclopedia
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes is a television series
and a group of television special
s that aired in the United States
by NBC
and, later, ABC
from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. The NBC run of this series was co-produced by Carson Productions
and Dick Clark Productions
, with the ABC run produced only by Dick Clark Productions.
s -- humorous errors made during the production of film and television programs, or on live news broadcasts—and the other a series of specials featuring classic television commercials. The TV's Censored Bloopers specials were hosted by longtime TV producer Dick Clark starting in 1982
(and were dedicated to 1950s TV producer Kermit Schaefer
, who had pioneered the concept of preserving bloopers) and the Television's Greatest Commercials specials, which also started in 1982, were hosted by Ed McMahon
(which he continued to co-host even as he moved on to co-host the weekly Bloopers series). Both sets of specials garnered high ratings
, and following a combination special (TV's Greatest Censored Commercial Bloopers), in the fall of 1984
it was decided to combine the two programs into one series, hosted by Clark and McMahon. Beginning with Super Bloopers, Charlie O'Donnell
would be added as announcer (to intro both McMahon and Clark, and to announce bloopers in the "Coming up next" bumpers).
-like situations (a forerunner of the later series Punk'd
). Like the Blooper and commercial segments, the "practical jokes" were first seen in a television special, "Johnny Carson's Greatest Practical Jokes"--hence Carson Productions' involvement in the series.
Other regular features included:
As the original two-year weekly run of the series progressed, adjustments were made to the format and eventually the commercials were phased out along with other segments, leaving only the bloopers and practical jokes behind. It was also renamed Super Bloopers & New Practical Jokes.
, Clark (who produced the show) continued to host a subsequent series of specials with titles including TV's Censored Bloopers (with a short-lived weekly version in 1998
), and just plain Bloopers as the practical joke element was ultimately dropped; these specials were aired on-and-off by NBC until as late as 1998, often appearing as "filler" for cancelled series and as a low-cost summer replacement series, where it often outdrew its competition of mainly rerun
s. In later years, most bloopers shown tended to come from NBC-produced programs only.
, Clark moved his Bloopers specials to ABC, where new specials were made periodically up until 2004
, when Clark suffered a stroke
and was unable to continue. (although ABC continued to air reruns of the specials as late as 2006
, and the specials frequently appeared on the TBS Superstation) Like the later NBC specials, the ABC specials mostly focused on bloopers taken from productions made by ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Company
. In addition, network logos for stations affiliated with networks other than ABC are censored.
ABC revived the Bloopers format in early 2007
, with John O'Hurley
hosting the first installment, Celebrity A-List Bloopers, on March 17. Dick Clark Productions again is the producer.
; the ABC series never matched the NBC version in the ratings
, although it did show the first American network transmission of bloopers from Star Trek
.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
and a group of television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
s that aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and, later, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. The NBC run of this series was co-produced by Carson Productions
Carson Productions
Carson Productions is a television production company established by Johnny Carson in 1980 to primarily produce The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1980 to 1992 and Late Night with David Letterman from 1982 to 1993....
and Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark...
, with the ABC run produced only by Dick Clark Productions.
TV's Censored Bloopers and Television's Greatest Commercials
The series was predated by two separate series of specials, one devoted to television and film blooperBlooper
A blooper, also known as an outtake or boner is a short sequence of a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms of misspoken words...
s -- humorous errors made during the production of film and television programs, or on live news broadcasts—and the other a series of specials featuring classic television commercials. The TV's Censored Bloopers specials were hosted by longtime TV producer Dick Clark starting in 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
(and were dedicated to 1950s TV producer Kermit Schaefer
Kermit Schaefer
Kermit Schafer was an American writer and producer for radio and television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his collections of "bloopers" — the word Schafer coined for mistakes and gaffes of radio and TV announcers and personalities.-Early bloopers:Bloopers came into prominence in...
, who had pioneered the concept of preserving bloopers) and the Television's Greatest Commercials specials, which also started in 1982, were hosted by Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
(which he continued to co-host even as he moved on to co-host the weekly Bloopers series). Both sets of specials garnered high ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, and following a combination special (TV's Greatest Censored Commercial Bloopers), in the fall of 1984
1984 in television
This article is a list of television-related events in 1984.-Events:*January 9 – Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" ad first airs, which propels Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase to national prominence....
it was decided to combine the two programs into one series, hosted by Clark and McMahon. Beginning with Super Bloopers, Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
would be added as announcer (to intro both McMahon and Clark, and to announce bloopers in the "Coming up next" bumpers).
Regular features
Besides dividing the show between bloopers and classic TV advertisements of yesteryear, the show also featured at least two practical joke segments per episode, featuring celebrities caught in Candid CameraCandid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
-like situations (a forerunner of the later series Punk'd
Punk'd
Punk'd is an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003 and was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher. It bore a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers...
). Like the Blooper and commercial segments, the "practical jokes" were first seen in a television special, "Johnny Carson's Greatest Practical Jokes"--hence Carson Productions' involvement in the series.
Other regular features included:
- Man-in-the-street interviews (sometimes supplemented by child-in-the-street interviews), conducted by David LettermanDavid LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and, later, Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
. - Video segments featuring songs played behind real-life scenes that gave an ironicIronyIrony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
twist to the lyrics. - Len CellaLen CellaLen Cella is an American film actor and director. His most recognized works are Moron Movies and More Moron Movies, which are collections of short comedy films ranging in time from five seconds to almost a minute...
's "Silly Cinemas", a series of absurd short films. - Thom Sharp's "Book of Hollywood", a tour of unusual sights of the city.
- Wil ShrinerWil ShrinerWil Shriner is an American actor, comedian, director and game show host.-Life and career:Shriner was born in New York City, New York, the twin brother of soap opera actor Kin Shriner and the son of Eileen “Pixie” McDermott and Herb Shriner, a Hoosier humorist who had several shows in the early...
's Video Vault, where various humorous video clips were screened. - Stand-up comedy performances, including appearances by Jerry SeinfeldJerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
and Jenny JonesJenny Jones (presenter)Jenny Jones is a former Canadian American stand-up comedian and talk show host. She hosted The Jenny Jones Show from 1991 to 2003.-Life and career:...
. - Throughout its entire run on both NBC and ABC, the series featured animated inserts by cartoonist Sergio AragonesSergio AragonésSergio Aragonés Domenech is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer....
.
As the original two-year weekly run of the series progressed, adjustments were made to the format and eventually the commercials were phased out along with other segments, leaving only the bloopers and practical jokes behind. It was also renamed Super Bloopers & New Practical Jokes.
Specials
The series ended as a weekly offering in 1986. In 19911991 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1991-92 United States network television schedule.The year 1991 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1991.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, Clark (who produced the show) continued to host a subsequent series of specials with titles including TV's Censored Bloopers (with a short-lived weekly version in 1998
1998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
), and just plain Bloopers as the practical joke element was ultimately dropped; these specials were aired on-and-off by NBC until as late as 1998, often appearing as "filler" for cancelled series and as a low-cost summer replacement series, where it often outdrew its competition of mainly rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
s. In later years, most bloopers shown tended to come from NBC-produced programs only.
ABC
In 19981998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, Clark moved his Bloopers specials to ABC, where new specials were made periodically up until 2004
2004 in television
The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004–05 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, when Clark suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and was unable to continue. (although ABC continued to air reruns of the specials as late as 2006
2006 in television
2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...
, and the specials frequently appeared on the TBS Superstation) Like the later NBC specials, the ABC specials mostly focused on bloopers taken from productions made by ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. In addition, network logos for stations affiliated with networks other than ABC are censored.
ABC revived the Bloopers format in early 2007
2007 in television
2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...
, with John O'Hurley
John O'Hurley
John George O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, and television personality. He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was the host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.-Early life:...
hosting the first installment, Celebrity A-List Bloopers, on March 17. Dick Clark Productions again is the producer.
Imitator series
During the show's original two-year run on NBC, it sparked a number of imitators on other networks, most notably the ABC series Foul-ups, Bleeps & BlundersFoul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders
Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders is the title of a comedy series that aired on ABC for two short seasons in the mid-1980s. The series was hosted by Steve Lawrence and Don Rickles....
; the ABC series never matched the NBC version in the ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, although it did show the first American network transmission of bloopers from Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
.