Long time fans and even a new generation of Osmond fans were not surprised that Marie Osmond did so well on “Dancing with the Stars.” Great talent, hard work, and determination in the face of hardships and crisis are what we have come to expect from Marie, Donnie, and the entire Osmond clan over the years. This was evident in all the Osmond children even from the youngest of age, and Donny and Marie have credited their parents for instilling this in them many times in interviews.
The Osmond family celebrates a momentous achievement this year along with throngs of fans young and old with fifty years of entertainment that has been forever captured on TV, film and now on DVD’s so that generations from now can watch and be entertained just as we have been all these years by the mega-talented Donny and Marie Osmond.
Donny and Marie were clean-cut kids, with strong, religious, caring parents that kept all of the Osmond children well grounded. But they were a little bit Country and a little bit Rock and Roll, and very “cool” as far as kids were concerned. The Donnie and Marie show was a variety show originally aired on ABC from 1976-1979.
Donny and Marie had already made names for themselves in the music industry prior to the airing of their variety show. Donny and his brothers sang together as The Osmonds. While Marie had a #1 hit song on the billboard charts, (one of the youngest singers to achieve this) titled Paper Roses in 1973.
The Donny and Marie show had songs of course, but also comedy skits, a skating bit, and always a spectacular finale before Donny and Marie would close the show with a song that became special to many of us that tuned into their show every week. That song was “May Tomorrow be a Perfect Day.”
Donny and Marie are certainly the embodiment of true classic television stars. But they have also been able to maintain their popularity even as the face of television has changed so much since the late 70’s. The tapings of the Donny and Marie variety show could have been hidden away in forgotten vaults along with other classic TV shows like I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffin Show, Happy Days, The Carol Burnet Show, and other truly wonderfully entertaining classic TV shows.
Thankfully, someone had the foresight to bring these classic TV shows out from their dark vaults and run them again for a new generation of kids to fall in love with and an older generation to enjoy the shows that were such a part of the culture of our time back then. There is something comforting about re-living the experiences of our youth as we watch reruns of our favorite classic TV shows. It is nice too, sharing these fond favorites with children and grandchildren and discovering that there is no gender gap when it comes to enjoying wholesome classic television shows together. You can see many favorite classic TV shows aired on networks devoted to broadcasting classic TV, which have large audiences of every age.
DVDs have become a popular medium for watching movies and special episode series of our favorite television shows. You don’t need a television schedule to mark special broadcast dates on the calendar because with DVDs, you are in control of when you watch them. Keeping up with changing times, many of our favorite classic tv shows are now being digitally re-mastered onto DVDs for crisp, clear picture and sound formats to allow us to relive the magic those classic television shows created for us then and continue to as we watch them again.
The Donny and Marie Variety Show is now available on DVD and the Osmonds have been creating magic, entertainment, and a fascination with everything Osmond for fifty years. One secret to their longevity is the absolute humbleness they display even with the celebrity stature they have gained over the years. They have also always been very open in sharing not just their successes and triumphs but the hardships as well. For instance, Donny and Marie openly share sadness about two of the elder Osmond brothers being deaf, and how hard it must be for them to be a part of a singing family and not be able to hear the singing. Donny and Marie and the Osmond family showed strength and determination, even in crisis and hard times. There strength as a family became even clearer this past year when Donny, Marie and 125 other Osmonds appeared on the Oprah show just days after their father, George Osmond, died.
I don’t see the star over Donny and Marie Osmond ever fading. I hope your family buys or receives a Donny and Marie Show DVD this year. You will surely be inspired and entertained.
~ Ben Anton, 2008
