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For the EP from the musical band " Birthday Party ", see Hee Haw (EP) . For the noise that a donkey makes, see Donkey . ''Hee Haw'' was a long-running Television Variety Show co-hosted by musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark and featuring Country Music and humor with rural "Kornfield Kounty" as a backdrop. It was taped at WLAC-TV (now WTVF ) and Opryland USA in Nashville . The show was produced by Yongestreet Productions through the mid-1980s; it was later produced by Gaylord Entertainment , who distributed the show in Syndication . The show's name was derived from the sound a Mule makes when it brays. The show was inspired by '' Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In '', the major difference being that ''Hee Haw'' was far less topical, and was centered around country music. The show was equally well-known for its voluptuous, scantily clad women in stereotypical Southern farmer's daughter outfits and its cornpone humor. ''Hee Haw'' was a quintessentially American show; and although its appeal was not only limited to a rural audience (indeed, it was seen in all large markets, including New York , Los Angeles , Dallas and Chicago ), it is virtually unknown outside North America. Its success in the 1970s alerted local stations to the wisdom of scheduling niche programs, those appealing to older or ethnic audiences, in less-prominent time slots. CREATION AND SYNDICATION Much of ''Hee Haw's'' origin was Canadian. Two of the series three creators, comedy writers Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth , were from Canada. Bernie Brillstein , the third, was from New York. From 1969 until the late 1980s, ''Hee Haw'' was produced by Yongestreet Productions, named after Yonge Street , the major thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario . The production company's name was a testament to Hee Haw's Canadian roots. ''Hee Haw'' started on CBS as a summer 1969 replacement for '' The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''. Though the show had respectable ratings, it was dropped by CBS as part of the so-called Rural Purge in 1971 , along with fellow country shows '' The Beverly Hillbillies '', '' Mayberry R.F.D. '' and '' Green Acres '', due to network executives' feeling that its viewers reflected the ''wrong'' demographics (e.g. rural, somewhat older, and less affluent). Undaunted, the producers put together a Syndication deal for the show, which continued in basically the same format for 20 more years (though Owens departed in 1986 ). In many markets, it competed in syndication (usually on early Saturday evenings) against '' The Lawrence Welk Show '', which, for some of the same reasons, was also cancelled and resurrected in syndication in 1971. (In a few areas, ''Hee Haw'' and ''Welk'' were shown back-to-back.) By 1991 , a continued decline in its audience, the remaining part of which was aging, led to a dramatic change in setting, to a more urban feel combined with more pop-oriented country music, in an ill-fated attempt to gain younger viewers. The new format lasted a single season, during which the show alienated many of its longtime viewers. In its final 1992 season, the now renamed ''Hee Haw Silver'' featured Clark hosting a mixture of classic clips and new footage. After the show's syndication run ended, Rerun s aired on The Nashville Network until 1997 . Its 21 years in TV syndication was the record for a U.S. program, until '' Soul Train '' surpassed it in 1993. '' Wheel Of Fortune '' surpassed it in 2005. In 2006, '' Jeopardy! '' (''Wheel's'' sister program, coincidentally) surpassed it also, making ''Hee Haw'' the fourth-longest-running off-network American TV program. On July 17 , 2006 CMT announced that it would begin rerunning the series starting July 29 , and reruns began in late September. The channel hosted a marathon of episodes on January 1 , 2007 but the show has only aired sporadically since, with only three episodes airing from that time ( March 13 , July 7 and July 8 ) to the present. In April 2007, the "TV Land" network recognized the long running series with an award presented by K.D. Lang. In attendance were Roy Clark, Guinilla Hutton, Barbi Benton , the Hager twins, Linda Thompson, Misty Rowe and others. CAST MEMBERS Two rural-style comedians, already well known in their native Canada , gained their first major U.S. exposure— Gordie Tapp and Don Harron (whose character, newscaster Charlie Farquharson, later appeared on '' The Red Green Show ''). Other cast members over the years included: Roy Acuff (the King of Country Music), Barbi Benton , Cathy Baker, Archie Campbell , the Hager Twins (Jim and John), Gunilla Hutton (as "Nurse Goodbody"), Grandpa Jones , Susan Raye , The Buckaroos (Don Rich, Jim Shaw, Jerry Brightman, Jerry Wiggins, Doyle Singer, Ronnie Jackson, Terry Christoffersen, Doyle Holly), George Lindsey (reprising his " Goober " character from '' The Andy Griffith Show ''), Minnie Pearl , Linda Thompson , Kenny Price , Lulu Roman , Misty Rowe , Junior Samples , Rev. Grady Nutt , John Henry Faulk , Gailard Sartain , Roni Stoneman , and the team of Jimmie Riddle and Jackie Phelps, among many others. Original cast member David "Stringbean" Akeman was murdered, along with his wife, in November 1973 during a robbery at his home. RECURRING SKITS & SEGMENTS Some of the most beloved sketches and segments on ''Hee Haw'' included, but were by no means limited to:
::''"Where, oh where, are you tonight?'' ::''Why did you leave me here all alone?'' ::''I searched the world over, and I thought I'd found true love,'' ::''Then you met another, and PFFFT! You was gone!"'' The "PFFFT" would be done as a spitting " Bronx Cheer ", and occasionally, they would break up into laughter after the "PFFFT", unable to finish the song ''(Who got spat upon during the "PFFFT" would change each show.)'' Following Campbell's death, whole groups and even females would be part of the refrain, with future regular George Lindsay often singing the first verse. In some episodes, which had several major guest stars, the routine appeared several times in the show so that each guest would have the chance to be part of this tradition.
::''"Gloom, despair and agony on me-e!'' ::''Deep dark depression, excessive misery-y!'' ::''If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!'' ::''Gloom, despair and agony on me-e-e!"'' Each of the quartet would sing one line of the verse- a different one for each performance. ''(In later seasons the female cast got their own version of the song, first just lip-synching the male vocals, but later getting their own woman-ized version complete with female howls of mourning.)''
::''"Now, we're not ones to go 'round spreadin' rumors,'' ::''Why, really we're just not the gossipy kind,'' ::''No, you'll never hear one of us repeating gossip,'' ::''So you'd better be sure and listen close the first time!"'' The song featured a new verse every episode. In later years, the guys, in drag, would sometimes replace the girls in the skit, in return for the girls singing "Gloom, Despair..." ''(In earlier seasons, the "Gossip Girls" and "Gloom, Despair.." sketches would both end with a repeat of the song's chorus, but in later years that practice was eliminated.)''
::''"We loved the time we spent with you,'' ::''To share a song and a laugh or two,'' ::''May your pleasures be many, your troubles be few...'' And ending with Owens and Clark saying "So long everybody! We'll see you next week on...HEE-HAW!!!" ''(The closing song would be replaced in the early-1980s)''
MUSICAL LEGACY The show's additional legacy—probably its main one to most of the Southern and rural viewers in particular—was the hundreds of performances of country music, Bluegrass , Gospel Music , and other traditional styles, that were featured on it during its run. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the show was probably the best-known showcase for country on commercial television, aside from other half-hour performer-hosted syndicated shows produced by packagers like Nashville's Show Biz, Inc. In addition to the regular performances by the hosts and cast members, guest artists performing on the show include—but are hardly limited to— Alabama , Atlanta , Roy Acuff , Chet Atkins , Lynn Anderson , Suzy Bogguss , Garth Brooks , Bellamy Brothers , Glen Campbell , Johnny Cash , Ray Charles , Robert Byrd , Jessi Colter , David L Cook , Crystal Gayle , Lee Greenwood , Merle Haggard , Janis Ian , Alan Jackson , Wanda Jackson , Sonny James , Waylon Jennings , George Jones , Lyle Lovett , Loretta Lynn , Barbara Mandrell , Roger Miller , Willie Nelson , Dolly Parton , Ray Price , Charley Pride , Charlie Rich , Riders In The Sky , Eddie Rabbitt , Jerry Reed , Linda Ronstadt , Kenny Rogers , Roy Rogers , George Strait , The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , B.J. Thomas , Mel Tillis , Pam Tillis , Randy Travis , Travis Tritt , Ernest Tubb , Conway Twitty , Eddie Van Halen , Dottie West , Boxcar Willie , Tammy Wynette , Don Williams , The Buckaroos , Doyle Holly , Hank Williams Jr. , and Faron Young , among others. Elvis Presley was a big fan of Hee Haw and wanted to appear on the program in the '70s. But his manager, Colonel Tom Parker , wouldn't allow it. A similar situation occurred when his friend Johnny Cash asked Elvis to appear on His Show . DID YOU KNOW...
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