After a one-off show which aired September 9, 1967, the response to Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was granted its own series, the first episode of which aired January 22, 1968 - the same day as the Apollo 5 launch!
The show lasted for 6 seasons and starred almost everyone in entertainment, sports and politics. Richard Nixon made an appearance during his campaign in 1968 (Hubert Humphrey declined), so many credit his deadpan delivery of "Sock it to me?" for helping him get elected President.
Besides Nixon, stars included Carol Burnett, the Bee Gees, John Wayne, Leonard Nimoy, Wilt Chamberlin, Joe Namath, William F. Buckley, the Monkees, Rev. Billy Graham, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Bixby, and Oral Roberts.
Only four of the regulars appeared in every single episode: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Gary Owen and Ruth Buzzi, who won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in 1973.
Laugh-In won a Golden Globe for Best TV Show in 1969. Arte Johnson won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969 for Special Classification Achievements - Indiviuals (Variety Performances), while the show won for Outstanding Variety of Musical Series in 1968 and 1969. It won awards throughout its 6 year run.
We look back on it now and wonder why we laughed so much back then at the humor which seems so ho-hum and un-funny now. Maybe back then we had more to laugh about.
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