The Captain and Tennille

Today is the birthday of Toni Tennille. Those who are familiar with the Captain and Tennille’s long string of hit records from the mid to late 70s may not remember, know, or care that for one season (1976-1977) they had their own television variety series. I was a devotee, I liked most of their songs, but they were ill-suited to the format. Tennille came across as, uh, very nice. And “the Captain” (former Beach Boys’ backup musician Daryl Dragon) usually said little or nothing — they made a gag of his taciturnity. At any rate, I thought I’d save this appalling spectacle for the end of the day where it could do the least damage. I find it mind-boggling that this was presented to the American public as entertainment. It could only lead to nightmares, and possibly shooting sprees.

To find out more about the variety artspast and present, including tv variety shows like “The Captain and Tennille”, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous