Season 8 • Episode 25
Latest-Roy Orbison (host) - ""Oh Pretty Woman,"" ""Only the Lonely,"" ""Crying,"" ""Running Scared,"" ""Hound Dog Man"" & ""Blue Bayou"" --On film: Roy Orbison - ""The Eyes of Texas"" (from the movie ""Roadie"") --David Bowie - ""Fame"" (1970's clip) --Genesis - ""Turn It on Again"" music video --Patti LaBelle - ""I Don't Go Shopping,"" ""Give It Up"" & ""You Are My Friend"" --Billy Preston and Syreeta - ""With You I'm Born Again"" --The Rockets - ""Desire"" & ""Oh Well""
The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The ninety-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts. As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live. The program also featured occasional comedic performances such as Richard Pryor and Andy Kaufman.
Production
Revolutionary live performances in pre-MTV television landscape.
Acting
Helen Reddy's brief reign as rare female late-night host.
Score
Eclectic bookings from punk pioneers to soul legends weekly.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The show premiered the same month as the Munich Olympics, quietly revolutionizing how America consumed music on television while the world watched tragedy unfold elsewhere.
Wolfman Jack's character originated from his secret pirate radio station days in Mexico, broadcasting 50,000 watts that illegally reached most of the US.
US
