Bruce Vilanch on His Biggest Comedy Writing Flops: Star Wars Holiday Special & Brady Bunch Variety Hour

Embracing Comedy Writing Flops

• 💡 Bruce Vilanch, a two-time Emmy winner and prolific comedy writer, discusses his new book, "It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time," which embraces his career flops.
• 🎯 Vilanch, known for writing jokes for awards shows and stars like Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg, doesn't shy away from his less successful projects.

The Star Wars Holiday Special Calamity

• 🚀 Vilanch recounts his involvement in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special in 1977, a variety show spin-off of George Lucas's hit film.
• 🌌 Described as a "galactic calamity," the special featured the original cast but was a musical variety show concept that didn't align with the Star Wars universe, likened to a "peanut butter and capicola fish sandwich."
• 🎶 The plot centered on Chewbacca returning home for "Life Day," with original cast members and TV legends like Bea Arthur and Harvey Korman awkwardly integrated.
• ⚠️ George Lucas, needing to keep the franchise relevant for merchandise sales, pitched the idea to CBS as an original musical, though it was universally panned and Lucas ensured it was never officially re-released.

The Brady Bunch Variety Hour Misstep

• 🎭 Another significant flop Vilanch discusses is The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, which aired in 1976.
• 🎤 Vilanch was involved in all nine episodes of this spin-off, which is often cited as one of the worst TV shows of all time.
• 🌟 The show featured the original Brady Bunch cast, with the exception of Eve Plumb (Jan), who was replaced by a different actress, and involved the family starring in a variety show, attempting musical comedy with guest stars.
• 🧩 Vilanch notes that the concept of "eight white people" in spangles doing a variety show was a fundamental flaw, calling the show "surreal."

Reflections on Bad Ideas

• 🧠 Vilanch suggests that many of these