The Sonny and Cher Show

Sonny and Cher open the show with “The Beat Goes On,” wearing matching gold-lamé-accented outfits, with Cher’s growing pregnancy becoming more visible. Their banter takes a familiar turn as Sonny feigns concern over Cher “performing in her condition,” prompting her to joke that she’s been “carrying him for 12 years.” Cher lands a sharp jab about Sonny’s failed solo show, capping it off with, “Indian: 1; Diego: nothing.” The night’s first big set piece, “Dolls in the Navy,” is a feminist-leaning musical romp featuring Cher and Diahann Carroll as sailors on leave, picking up Sonny and Tony Randall before ending up enlisted alongside them. The medley includes “The Fleet Is In,” “New York, New York,” and “Big Spender,” with Cher stealing the show by harassing Ted Zeigler. Carroll then delivers a breathtaking solo of “God Bless the Child,” powerfully personalizing the lyric “God bless my own black, female child.” In “The Prisoner” sketch, Cher’s character reveals she’s been involved with the judge on Sonny’s case, possibly ratting him out, leaving Sonny plotting revenge as the only way he’ll ever get out. The “Vamp Revisited” segment returns with Cher portraying silent film star Theda Bara, a campy Cleopatra opposite Randall’s Caesar, and a Sadie Thompson revival where she corrupts Randall’s substitute preacher while Sonny’s character, exasperated, throws his hat into the audience—only for it to be tossed right back. “Sonnytone News” covers the Olympic torch mishap, prison food complaints, and a hilarious “King Kong” skit where Kong and Fay Wray attempt a quiet vacation in Miami Beach but struggle with bathroom-sharing and roll-on deodorant disasters. In a showstopping musical moment, Cher and Carroll duet on The Wiz songs “I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday” and “Ease on Down the Road,” with Carroll taking Sonny’s usual concert spot, ending with her rubbing Cher’s baby bump. The show closes with “I Got You Babe,” where Sonny remarks that they’re “not so young anymore,” prompting Cher to teasingly reference Nixon and fidget with her dress. With standout performances from Carroll, feminist comedy beats, and another memorable “King Kong” bit, this episode is a strong mix of music, satire, and classic Sonny & Cher chemistry.