D.C. Follies

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]

D.C. Follies
DC Follies promotional image containing the show's logo, star Fred Willard, and a puppet caricature of Elvis Presley
GenreComedy
Created bySid & Marty Krofft
Written byLarry Arnstein
Wayne Kline
Bob Dolan Smith
John Debilis
Mike Kirchenbaum
E. Jeffrey Smith
Jeff Zimmer
Directed byRick Locke
Presented byFred Willard
StarringMaurice LaMarche
Joe Alaskey
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44
Production
ProducerSid & Marty Krofft
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesSid & Marty Krofft Pictures
Negative Entertainment (1987–1988)
Cannon Films (1988–1989)[1]
Release
Original networkSyndication
Original releaseSeptember 26, 1987 (1987-09-26) –
September 1, 1989 (1989-09-01)

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

[6]

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
  1. BFI
  2. WILLARD GIVES 'D.C. FOLLIES' A HUMAN TOUCH - Chicago Tribune
  3. Fred Willard on "DC Follies" - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews - FoundationINTERVIEWS on YouTube
  4. An Interview with Fred Willard About His Delightful Career - Vulture
  5. No Strings Attached: The Puppet Satire of D.C. Follies|Mental Floss
  6. 'D.C. Follies' Guests Are Full of Foam - Los Angeles Times
  7. Television Academy
  8. VHS Collector
  9. 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
  10. Best in Show: Watch Fred Willard's Most Memorable Roles - The New York Times
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