The Midnight Special(1972)
First Air Date: 1972-08-19
Average Runtime: 1h 30m
Rating: 8.1
Votes: 7
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 222
The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The ninety-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts. As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live. The program also featured occasional comedic performances such as Richard Pryor and Andy Kaufman.
Keywords
variety show
Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
Episodes: 40E01
Pilot
Air Date: 1972-08-19
John Denver guest hosted Mama Cass, The Everly Brothers, The Isley Brothers, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, Argent and...
E02
Host: Helen Reddy
Air Date: 1973-02-02
Helen Reddy (host) - ""I Am Woman,"" ""Peaceful"" & ""Come On John"" --Ed McMahon (walk-on cameo) - wishes the show s...
E03
Host: Johnny Rivers
Air Date: 1973-02-08
Johnny Rivers (host) - ""Blue Suede Shoes,"" ""Rockin' Pneumonia, Boogie Woogie Flu"" & ""Got My Mojo Workin'"" --The...
E04
Host: Mac Davis
Air Date: 1973-02-16
Mac Davis (host) - ""Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me,"" ""I Believe in Music,"" ""Dream Me Home,"" ""Home"" & ""Half and ...
E05
Host: Harry Chapin
Air Date: 1973-02-23
Harry Chapin (Host) - "Sunday Morning Sunshine" "Sniper" and "Taxi." Kerrie Biddell - "Spirit in the Dark." Blood, Sw...
E06
Host: Anne Murray
Air Date: 1973-03-02
Anne Murray (Host) - "Snowbird," "Danny's Song" and "I Know." Anne Murray, Steve Martin and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Ban...
E07
Host: Paul Williams
Air Date: 1973-03-09
Paul Williams (host) - ""Old Fashioned Love Song,"" ""Drift Away"" & ""That's Enough for Me"" --Edward Bear - ""Last ...
E08
Host: Paul Anka
Air Date: 1973-03-16
Paul Anka (host) - "Girl," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Hits Medley" and "Jubilation." Bobby Darin - "If I Were a...
E09
Host: Lou Rawls
Air Date: 1973-03-23
Lou Rawls (guest host) - ""A Natural Man"" & ""Dead End Street"" --Lou Rawls - medley: ""Memory Lane,"" ""It Was a Ve...
E10
Host: Ray Charles
Air Date: 1973-03-30
-Ray Charles (guest host) - ""Eleanor Rigby,"" ""Georgia on My Mind"" & ""What'd I Say"" --Ray Charles with the Raele...
E11
Hosts: The Bee Gees
Air Date: 1973-04-06
The Bee Gees; guests: Jerry Lee Lewis; Gladys Knight; Johnny Nash; Skeeter Davis --The Bee Gees (guest hosts) - ""To ...
E12
Bill Cosby
Air Date: 1973-04-13
Bill Cosby (guest host, appearing with a band) - "Ursulena (With Your Washing Machina)," "I've Got to Be Strong" (sun...
E13
Host: Doc Severinsen
Air Date: 1973-04-20
Doc Severinsen (guest host) - ""I Just Want to Celebrate,"" ""Last Tango in Paris,"" ""Does Anybody Know What Time It...
E14
Host: Jerry Lee Lewis
Air Date: 1973-04-27
Jerry Lee Lewis (guest host) - ""Great Balls of Fire,"" ""High School Confidential,"" ""Drinking Wine Spo Dee O'Dee""...
E15
Host: Johnny Nash
Air Date: 1973-05-04
Johnny Nash (guest host) - ""Stir It Up,"" ""Groovy Feeling,"" ""I Can See Clearly Now"" & ""Merry-Go-Round"" --Chi C...
E16
Hosts: Burns and Schreiber
Air Date: 1973-05-11
-Jack Burns and Avery Schreiber (comedy team, guest hosts) --Mark Almond - ""What Am I Loving For,"" ""Just Another R...
E17
Host: Chubby Checker
Air Date: 1973-05-18
Chubby Checker - ""Let's Twist Again,"" ""Pony Time,"" Limbo Rock"" & ""Slow Twistin'"" --Jimmy Clanton - ""Just a Dr...
E18
Hosts: Gladys Knight & the Pips
Air Date: 1973-05-25
Gladys Knight and the Pips (guest hosts) - ""Friendship Train,"" ""Daddy Could Swear I Declare,"" ""I Don't Want to D...
E19
Host: Paul Williams
Air Date: 1973-06-01
Paul Williams (guest host) - ""My Love and I,"" ""Let Me Be the One,"" ""We've Only Just Begun,"" ""Rainy Days and Mo...
E20
Host: Curtis Mayfield
Air Date: 1973-06-08
Curtis Mayfield (guest host) - ""Superfly,"" ""If I Were Only a Child Again"" & ""Back to the World"" --Canned Heat -...
E21
Host: Jim Croce
Air Date: 1973-06-15
Jim Croce (guest host) - ""Operator,"" ""Roller Derby Queen,"" ""You Don't Mess with Jim,"" ""Speedball Tucker,"" ""B...
E22
Host:The Bee Gees
Air Date: 1973-06-22
Hosts: The Bee Gees; guests: Wilson Pickett; Steve Miller Band; Jimmie Spheeris; Maxine Weldon ""I Gotta Get a Messa...
E23
Host: Paul Williams
Air Date: 1973-06-29
Paul Williams (guest host) - ""Someday Man,"" ""That's What Friends Are For"" & ""Look What I Found"" --Paul Williams...
E24
Host: Jose Feliciano
Air Date: 1973-07-06
Jose Feliciano (guest host) - ""California Dreamin',"" ""Compartments"" & ""Papa Was a Rolling Stone"" --Savoy Brown ...
E25
Host: Smokey Robinson
Air Date: 1973-07-13
Smokey Robinson (guest host) - ""Want to Know My Mind,"" ""Sweet Harmony"" & ""You Are the Sunshine of My Life"" --Th...
E26
Host: Joan Baez
Air Date: 1973-07-20
-Joan Baez (host) - ""The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,"" ""Joe Hill,"" ""Love Song to a Stranger,"" ""Prison Tril...
E27
Host: Dionne Warwick
Air Date: 1973-07-27
Dionne Warwick (host) - ""I Say a Little Prayer"" and a medley of Burt Bachrach hits. --Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mat...
E28
Host: Al Green
Air Date: 1973-08-03
-Al Green (guest host) - ""Let's Stay Together,"" ""Tired of Being Alone,"" ""Call Me,"" ""How Can You Mend a Broken ...
E29
Hosts: The Bee Gees
Air Date: 1973-08-10
Guest Hosts: The Bee Gees; guests: The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Searchers, Bil...
E30
Host: Richard Pryor
Air Date: 1973-09-17
Richard Pryor (guest host) --Electric Light Orchestra - ""Roll Over Beethoven"" --Joe Hicks - ""Train of Thought"" --...
E31
Co-hosts: Loretta Lynn & Marty Robbins
Air Date: 1973-08-24
Loretta Lynn and Marty Robbins (Co-hosts) - ""The Midnight Special"" & ""Singin' the Blues"" --Loretta Lynn (Co-host)...
E32
Host: Billy Preston
Air Date: 1973-08-31
-Billy Preston (guest host) - ""Will It Go Round in Circles,"" All Spaced Out,"" ""Music's My Life"""" & ""That's the...
E33
Host: Mac Davis
Air Date: 1973-09-07
Mac Davis (guest host) - ""Something's Burning,"" ""I'll Paint You a Song,"" ""Naughty Girl,"" ""Lonesomest Lonesome"...
E34
Host: Curtis Mayfield
Air Date: 1973-09-14
Curtis Mayfield (guest host) - "Future Shock," "Back to the World," Right On for the Darkness." Sly & The Family Ston...
E35
Host: Wilson Pickett
Air Date: 1973-09-21
No episode overview available.
E36
Host: Seals & Crofts
Air Date: 1973-09-28
Seals & Crofts (guest hosts) - "Diamond Girl," "Dust On My Saddle," " We Never Pass This Way Again," "Ruby Jean and B...
E37
Host: Gladys Knight & The Pips
Air Date: 1973-10-05
No episode overview available.
E38
Host: The Bee Gees
Air Date: 1973-10-12
No episode overview available.
E39
Host: War
Air Date: 1973-10-19
No episode overview available.
E40
Host: Chuck Berry
Air Date: 1973-11-02
Chuck Berry (host) - ""Tulane,"" ""School Days,"" ""Johnny B. Good,"" ""Got It and Gone"" & ""Rock and Roll Music"" -...
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