The Andy Williams Show

"The Andy Williams Show" was a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with "Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens"), and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976. It was hosted by crooner Andy Williams, with a number of regular performers, including, from time to time:

*Bobby Darin
*Dick Van Dyke
*The New Christy Minstrels
*The Osmond Brothers
*Jonathan Winters
*Professor Irwin Corey
*Ray Stevens
*The Lennon Sisters
*Charlie Callas
*Janos Prohaska ("The Cookie Bear")

The show began as a summer replacement series in 1959 on CBS. Later it was picked up by NBC in 1962, where it ran until 1971.

On November 30, 1964, Julie Andrews was the featured guest on the show. This was Ms. Andrews's first appearance on any television variety series after the release of her smash hit film "Mary Poppins" in August. "The Americanization of Emily" had opened in theatres in October, and clips from that film were shown. On the show, Andrews sang the song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" with the Osmond Brothers, and later sang a song from "Oliver!", which was then playing on Broadway and had not yet been filmed. The hit motion picture "The Sound of Music" had not yet finished production.

When the show first started, it was tailored to Williams's pop music stylings, with "adult contemporary" style musicians. But in 1969 it was restaged, bringing in rock and roll acts and psychedelic staging. The audience sat on risers which moved around the stage, following Williams about as he moved.

Starting in 1971, Williams opted instead to produce seasonal specials (especially at Christmas) in lieu of a weekly series.

Many viewers had little interest in the musical numbers, but watched the show for its wacky comedy skits. Crazed acrobats The Flying Silverman Brothers would hurtle across the screen, a giant talking bee would offer snide comments, a suitcase (actually a performer in a suitcase costume) would walk into the shot. One recurring comedy sketch involved Williams' encounters with "The Cookie Bear" a tall, comical animal whose escapades (and begging for a cookie) would frustrate Williams to the point of his shouting at him, with increasingly high pitch, that he did not want to see him again, "Not Now... Not Ever... NEVER!!" This send-off, which became a popularly-used phrase at that time, was funny due to its contrast with the suave performing demeanor Williams was known for. The bear would then turn to the camera, utter some depressed line, and fall straight over onto his face. All over the world during the series' run, people could be seen impressing their friends by trying to fall over like that.

Five years after his second weekly run at NBC had ended, Andy tried his hand at a half-hour weekly variety show, this time in syndication. But it lasted only one season (1976-1977).

Full list of guests

*Don Adams
*Anna Maria Alberghetti
*Steve Allen
*Woody Allen
*Herb Alpert
*Morey Amsterdam
*Julie Andrews
*Louis Armstrong
*Desi Arnaz
*Cliff Arquette
*The Association
*John Astin
*Burt Bacharach
*Pearl Bailey
*Barbara Bain
*Carl Ballantine
*Tallulah Bankhead
*Count Basie
*Shirley Bassey
*Tony Bennett
*Jack Benny
*Edgar Bergen
*Polly Bergen
*Milton Berle
*Shelley Berman
*Ken Berry
*Joey Bishop
*Dan Blocker
*Pat Boone
*Shirley Booth
*Victor Borge
*Ernest Borgnine
*Bread
*Mel Brooks
*George Burns
*Raymond Burr
*Red Buttons
*Sid Caesar
*Judy Carne
*Art Carney
*Johnny Cash
*Mama Cass
*George Chakiris
*Richard Chamberlain
*Carol Channing
*Ray Charles
*Chubby Checker
*Petula Clark
*Rosemary Clooney
*Imogene Coca
*Judy Collins
*Perry Como
*Bill Cosby
*Wally Cox
*Bing Crosby
*Vic Damone
*Bill Dana
*Bobby Darin
*Sammy Davis Jr.
*Bette Davis
*Jimmy Dean
*Jackie DeShannon
*Phyllis Diller
*Mike Douglas
*Jimmy Durante
*Buddy Ebsen
*Barbara Eden
*Vince Edwards
*Cass Elliot
*Nanette Fabray
*Jose Feliciano
*The Fifth Dimension
*Eddie Fisher
*Ella Fitzgerald
*Tennessee Ernie Ford
*Connie Francis
*Aretha Franklin
*Judy Garland
*James Garner
*Bobbie Gentry
*George Gobel
*Lesley Gore
*Frank Gorshin
*Robert Goulet
*Betty Grable
*Buddy Greco
*Lorne Greene
*Andy Griffith
*Tammy Grimes
*Buddy Hackett
*Phil Harris
*Joey Heatherton
*Al Hirt
*Don Ho
*Bob Hope
*Lena Horne
*Burl Ives
*Jackson 5
*Michael Jackson
*Sonny James
*Antonio Carlos Jobim
*Elton John
*Arte Johnson
*Davy Jones
*Jack Jones
*Shirley Jones
*Nat King Cole
*The Kingston Trio
*Gladys Knight & The Pips
*Don Knotts
*Martin Landau
*Peter Lawford
*Peggy Lee
*Janet Leigh
*Jerry Lee Lewis
*Jerry Lewis
*Liberace
*Claudine Longet
*Trini Lopez
*Paul Lynde
*Fred MacMurray
*Henry Mancini
*Dean Martin
*Johnny Mathis
*David McCallum
*Roddy McDowall
*Vaughn Meader
*Sergio Mendes
*Roger Miller
*Hayley Mills
*Rita Moreno
*Robert Morse
*Bob Newhart
*Anthony Newley
*Louis Nye
*Donald O'Connor
*Maureen O'Hara
*The Osmonds
*Fess Parker
*Peter, Paul & Mary
*Jane Powell
*Perez Prado
*Andre Previn
*Juliet Prowse
*Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
*Quarteto em Cy
*Johnnie Ray
*Martha Raye
*Carl Reiner
*Lee Remick
*Debbie Reynolds
*Little Richard
*The Righteous Brothers
*Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
*Kenny Rogers
*Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
*Linda Ronstadt
*Mickey Rooney
*Rowan & Martin
*Irene Ryan
*Buffy Sainte-Marie
*Dick Shawn
*Allan Sherman
*Dinah Shore
*Simon & Garfunkel
*Nancy Sinatra
*Kate Smith
*Keely Smith
*The Smothers Brothers
*Elke Sommer
*Sonny & Cher
*Ann Sothern
*Dusty Springfield
*Jill St. John
*Inger Stevens
*The Supremes
*The Temptations
*Terry-Thomas
*Danny Thomas
*Tiny Tim
*Ike & Tina Turner
*Mary Tyler Moore
*Leslie Uggams
*Miyoshi Umeki
*Marcos Valle
*Jerry Van Dyke
*Nancy Walker
*Lawrence Welk
*Senor Wences
*Paul Williams
*Flip Wilson
*Nancy Wilson
*Jo Anne Worley
*Jane Wyman
*Alan Young
*Gig Young