D.C. Follies is a syndicated sitcom which aired from 1987–1989. The show was set in a Washington, D.C. bar, where a bartender played by Fred Willard would welcome puppet caricatures of politicians and popular culture figures.[2]
Synopsis
The show, a satire, made frequent sardonic comments on Cold War and late 1980s politics and pop culture. Although Willard was the only live actor appearing regularly, each episode featured a celebrity guest, including Martin Mull, Robin Leach, Leslie Nielsen, Bob Uecker, and Betty White. In one episode, Robert Englund showed up as his Freddy Krueger character, and in a special Christmas episode an un-billed actor played Santa Claus.[3][4]
Style
The show's use of puppets that mimicked popular culture and political figures was similar to the British series Spitting Image; it was produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, well-known puppeteers in the United States who were responsible for popular children's television shows including H.R. Pufnstuf[5] and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. The show was originally funded and syndicated nationally by New York-based Syndicast Services Inc.
Frequently appearing puppet characters included
- Former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and then-President Ronald Reagan and Vice-President George H. W. Bush. When Bush was elected President in 1988, Vice-President Dan Quayle also became a regular. The former and current presidents were portrayed as having a special Presidents' Table at the bar, where they sat together.
- First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush; and Second Lady Marilyn Quayle.
- Woody Allen
- Jim Bakker and his then-wife, Tammy Faye Bakker
- Cher
- Sam Donaldson
- Senator Robert Dole
- Governor Michael Dukakis
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Katharine Hepburn
- Rev. Jesse Jackson
- Michael Jackson
- Don King
- Henry Kissinger
- Ted Koppel
- Madonna
- Sean Penn
- Edwin Meese
- Oliver North
- Tip O'Neill
- Dolly Parton
- John Poindexter
- Dan Rather
- Fred Rogers
- Andy Rooney
- Geraldo Rivera
- Pat Robertson
- Sylvester Stallone
- Oprah Winfrey
- British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Queen Elizabeth II
- Prince Charles and his then-wife, Princess Diana
- Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and wife Raisa Gorbacheva
- Pope John Paul II
- Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeni
- Sid and Marty Krofft themselves, as newspaper vendors
Accolades
The series was nominated for two Emmy Awards.[7]
Home media
A series of three "Best of D. C. Follies" VHS tapes were released, with each volume containing two episodes.[8]
On August 4, 2017, Shout! Factory announced they had acquired the rights to the series and subsequently released D.C. Follies – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on November 14, 2017.[9]
The show has been made available via video on demand at Amazon Video and iTunes.[10]
References
- ^ BFI
- ^ WILLARD GIVES 'D.C. FOLLIES' A HUMAN TOUCH - Chicago Tribune
- ^ Fred Willard on "DC Follies" - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews - FoundationINTERVIEWS on YouTube
- ^ An Interview with Fred Willard About His Delightful Career - Vulture
- ^ No Strings Attached: The Puppet Satire of D.C. Follies|Mental Floss
- ^ 'D.C. Follies' Guests Are Full of Foam - Los Angeles Times
- ^ Television Academy
- ^ VHS Collector
- ^ D.C. Follies - 'The Complete Series' Starring Fred Willard, from Sid and Marty Krofft! Shout! Factory to release a 4-DVD set into stores this fall Archived 2017-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Best in Show: Watch Fred Willard's Most Memorable Roles - The New York Times
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