- Circus of the Stars
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Not to be confused with Celebrity Circus (disambiguation).
Circus of the Stars Genre Variety show Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of episodes 19 Production Camera setup Multi-camera Running time 45–48 minutes Broadcast Original channel CBS Picture format NTSC Audio format Monaural Original run January 10, 1977 – December 16, 1994Circus of the Stars was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the United States, in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. There were 19 shows in total, the first being broadcast in 1977 and the last in 1994.[1] Over the years the series featured many leading movie and television stars.
Towards the end of its life the program title was changed slightly. In 1992 it was Circus of the Stars and Sideshow, in 1993 it became Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World and in 1994 it was Circus of the Stars Goes to Disneyland. Although the show has ceased in the United States, the concept has been emulated in other countries where similar programs continue to be made, notably Stars in der Manege in Germany.[2]
Contents
Other versions and variations
The concept of celebrities turning their hand to circus acts has proved attractive to program makers around the world. The German show Stars in der Manege began in 1959 and continues annually as a charity fundraising special. It is made each winter in the Circus Krone Building in Munich and broadcast on or around Boxing Day.[3]
Production company Endemol has developed a reality TV format called Celebrity Circus, which takes stars from fields such as entertainment and sport and shows them being trained in circus acts over a period of weeks. A version aired in Australia in 2005 and there was a Portuguese version in 2006. A British version was mooted and there have been announcements that NBC has picked up the format for the American market in 2008. The magazine Variety reported that ABC might be looking to relaunch Circus of the Stars while CBS and Fox are interested in circus concepts as well.[4]
List of celebrities who appeared on Circus of the Stars
The following list illustrates the range and status of celebrities who appeared on Circus of the Stars over the course of its original run. The list is compiled mainly from entries at the Internet Movie Database verified in many cases through material from official biographies and fansites.
- Kyle Aletter (show 9)[5]
- Kristian Alfonso (show 14)
- Marty Allen (shows 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8)
- Harry Anderson (shows 17 & 19)
- Loni Anderson (shows 4 & 17)
- Melissa Sue Anderson (show 14)[6]
- Susan Anton (show 16)
- Lucie Arnaz (shows 2 & 10)
- Rebeca Arthur (shows 13, 14, & 15)[7]
- Ed Asner (show 1)
- Lauren Bacall (show 3)
- Scott Baio (shows 5, 7 & 19)
- Lucille Ball (show 2)
- Barbi Benton (shows 4, 5 & 7)
- Karen Black (show 14)
- Linda Blair (shows 7, 8 & 15)
- Lindsay Bloom (shows 7 & 9)
- Lloyd Bridges (show 5)
- Todd Bridges (shows 6 & 7)
- Danielle Brisebois (show 6, 7, and 10)
- Morgan Brittany (show 15)
- Downtown Julie Brown (show 17)
- Claudia Cardinale (show 1)
- Dixie Carter (show 16)
- Lynda Carter (shows 1 &2)
- Nell Carter (show 10)
- Carol Channing (show 12)
- Candy Clark (shows 4, 10 & 12)
- Dick Clark (shows 10,11, & 15)
- Julie Condra (show 16)
- Cathy Lee Crosby (shows 3, 4, & 10)
- Tony Curtis (show 8)
- Beverly D'Angelo (show 8)
- Sammy Davis Jr (show 3)
- Phyllis Diller (show 8, 10 & 19)
- Shannen Doherty (shows 10 & 11)
- Debbe Dunning (show 19)
- Patrick Duffy (show 17)
- Barbara Eden (show 11)
- Nicole Eggert (shows 11 & 12)
- Britt Ekland (shows 6 & 11)
- Erika Eleniak (show 7)
- Erik Estrada (show 4)
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr (show 4)
- Morgan Fairchild (show 7)
- Jamie Farr (shows 3, 4, 6, 8, & 9)
- Maureen Flannigan (show 14)
- Peter Fonda (shows 1 & 2)
- Glenn Ford (show 12)
- Jennie Garth (show 14)
- Gil Gerard (show 5)
- Tracey Gold (show 8)
- Whoopi Goldberg (show 15)
- Marjoe Gortner (shows 4,5,6,7 & 12)
- Louis Gossett Jr. (show 8)
- Linda Gray (show 5)
- Sylver Gregory (show 17)
- Merv Griffin (shows 9, 10, 11, & 12)
- Scott Grimes (show 11)
- Deidre Hall (shows 10, 14 & 18)
- Dorothy Hamill (show 11)
- George Hamilton (show 1)
- Mary Hart (shows 10, 11 & 13)
- Joey Heatherton (show 1)
- Lauri Hendler (show 10)
- Christopher Hewett (show 13)
- Hulk Hogan (show 18)
- Telma Hopkins (shows 10 & 14)
- Rock Hudson (show 5)
- Vanilla Ice (show 16)
- David Janssen (show 1)
- Ann Jillian (shows 8 & 15)
- James Earl Jones (show 2)
- William Katt (show 16)
- Stacy Keach (show 14)
- Sally Kellerman (show 6)
- Richard Kiel (show 4)
- Sally Kirkland (show 17)
- Burt Lancaster (show 10)
- Judy Landers (show 7)
- Heather Langenkamp (show 13)
- Angela Lansbury (show 5)
- Michele Lee (shows 5 & 8)
- Janet Leigh (show 1)
- Jerry Lewis (show 3)
- Mario López (show 14)
- Jamie Luner (show 14)
- Carol Lynley (show 3)
- Julie McCullough (show 14)
- Barbara Mandrell (show 14)
- Lee Meriwether (shows 2, 3, 4 & 9)
- Kari Michaelson (show 8)
- Lara Jill Miller (show 10)
- Mary Ann Mobley (shows 2, 3, & 4)
- Pat Morita (shows 1 & 12)
- Anita Morris (shows 7, 11, & 13)
- Leslie Nielsen (shows 14, 16, & 19)
- Tracy Nelson (show 9)
- Bob Newhart (show 7)
- Anthony Newley (show 3)
- Judy Norton Taylor (shows 8 & 9)
- Holly Robinson Peete (show 18)
- Valerie Perrine (shows 1, 2, 3 & 5)
- Bronson Pinchot (show 12)
- Danny Pintauro (show 16)
- Dana Plato (shows 5 & 6)
- Tom Poston (show 13)
- Vincent Price (show 7)
- Juliet Prowse (show 12)
- Linda Purl (show 17)
- Alan Rachins (show 14)
- Lynn Redgrave (shows 8 & 14)
- Oliver Reed (show 2)
- Ernie Reyes Jr. (shows 11, 12& 18)
- Debbie Reynolds (show 7)
- Lisa Rinna (show 15)
- Alfonso Ribeiro (shows 10, 11, 16, 17 & 18)
- Cathy Rigby (show 13)
- Cheryl Richardson (show 17)
- Joan Rivers (show 5)
- Cesar Romero (show 12)
- Mickey Rooney (show 7)
- Emma Samms (shows 13 & 17)
- Telly Savalas (show 2)
- Peter Scolari (show 7, 8 & 9)
- Rick Schroder (shows 7, 9 & 10)
- Tracy Scoggins (shows 8, 14 & 16)
- George Segal (show 9)
- Connie Sellecca (show 5)
- William Shatner (shows 7 & 9)
- Brooke Shields (shows 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9)
- O. J. Simpson (show 13)
- Elke Sommer (show 4)
- David Soul (show 15)
- Loretta Swit (show 4)
- Jay Thomas (shows 16 & 18)
- Michelle Thomas (show 18)
- Charlene Tilton (shows 4 & 16)
- Deborah Tranelli (show 13)
- Alex Trebek (show 14)
- Ann Turkel (show 2)[8]
- Lana Turner (show 10)
- Robert Urich (show 15)
- Jerry Van Dyke (show 16)
- Dee Wallace (show 11)
- Dionne Warwick (show 11)
- J. C. Wendel (show 18)
- Adam West (show 19)
- "Weird Al" Yankovic (show 17)
- Michael York (show 2)
- Pia Zadora (show 8)
- Kim Zimmer (show 10)
- Pernell Roberts (show 10)
Original transmission details
- Circus of the Stars - 10 January 1977
- Circus of the Stars #2 - 5 December 1977
- Circus of the Stars #3 - 20 June 1979
- Circus of the Stars #4 - 16 December 1979
- Circus of the Stars #5 - 14 December 1980
- Circus of the Stars #6 - 13 December 1981
- Circus of the Stars #7 - 5 December 1982
- Circus of the Stars #8 - 18 December 1983
- Circus of the Stars #9 - 2 December 1984
- Circus of the Stars #10 - 8 December 1985
- Circus of the Stars #11 - 9 December 1986
- Circus of the Stars #12 - 15 December 1987
- Circus of the Stars #13 - 25 November 1988
- Circus of the Stars #14 - 22 November 1989
- Circus of the Stars #15 - 21 November 1990
- Circus of the Stars #16 - 29 November 1991
- Circus of the Stars and Sideshow - 27 November 1992
- Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World - 26 November 1993
- Circus of the Stars Goes to Disneyland - 16 December 1994
See also
References
- ^ "IMDb Title Search "Circus of the Stars"". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/find?s=tt&q=Circus+of+the+Stars. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Vorhang auf für die "Stars in der Manege"!". BR-online. http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/stars-in-der-manege/index.xml. Retrieved 2007-05-17.[dead link]
- ^ "Vier Jahrzehnte Zirkuszauber (trans: Four decades of circus shows)". BR-online. http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/stars-in-der-manege/stars-in-der-manege-zirkus-prominente-ID1199881108016.xml. Retrieved 2008-06-01.[dead link]
- ^ "NBC Runs Off to the 'Circus'". zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbccelebritycircus,0,1336265.story. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ^ Appeared together with her mother Lee Meriwether
- ^ Credited as Melissa Anderson
- ^ a.k.a. Rebecca Arthur / Rebekah Arthur
- ^ "Kristy McNichol on TV". J Wilson. http://kristymcnichol.net/circusofthestars2.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
External links
Categories:- 1977 television series debuts
- 1994 American television series endings
- 1970s American television series
- 1980s American television series
- 1990s American television series
- American variety television series
- CBS network shows
- Circuses
- Circus television programs
- English-language television series
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