The Sonny and Cher Show

Sonny and Cher open the show with “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” dressed in matching light-green outfits, with Cher’s pregnancy becoming more visible. Their banter introduces a blooper reel featuring Raymond Burr’s flubbed guest introduction, with Sonny explaining the concept of bloopers as Cher playfully rolls her eyes at his “mansplaining.” In the first skit, “Wine-Making Monks,” Sonny and George Gobel play monks stomping grapes, only to realize too late that they’ve actually been making cheese. Cher delivers a visually stunning solo performance of “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” surrounded by bejeweled trees and crystal balls, wearing a pink slip dress and a curly wig that foreshadows her 1980s look. This would be the last time Cher performed the song in television until her 1999 HBO concert special, Cher… Do You Believe? Live in Concert. The “Always a Woman Behind Every Man” sketch features Cher as Mrs. Isaac Newton berating her drunken husband, played by Gobel, and later as John Dillinger’s partner, trying to manage his latest bank heist. The “Old Mexican Musical” segment presents a comedic bullfighting tale where Gobel dons Mickey Mouse ears and is forced into the ring, with Sonny, Billy Van, and the cast performing a lively dance sequence. In a standout sketch, Cher plays a no-nonsense TV executive rejecting a Sonny & Cher pitch from window-washer Sonny, who hilariously describes the duo as a “dynamite act” that sings, insults each other, and trades barbs about Sonny’s height and Cher’s nose—only to be told, “We don’t do science fiction.” Their concert performance of “Dancing in the Street” features Sonny in a brown suit and Cher in a gold wrap dress, strategically concealing her pregnancy while exuding effortless glamour. “Sonnytone News” delivers sharp satire, with Sonny inventing “Urban Renewal” as an Olympic sport, George Gobel interviewing Chaz Bono as a presidential candidate (promising no schools and higher allowances), and Sherman Hemsley as a washed-up Snow White, now working at a Montana diner. Sonny also plays a once-dashing silent film star attempting a comeback at 50, warning younger actors to save their money. The show closes with Sonny, Cher, and Chaz saying goodnight, though unusually, they forgo the traditional “I Got You Babe.” With sharp political humor, a stellar Cher solo, and a memorable turn from Chaz as a pint-sized presidential hopeful, this episode stands out as a quirky, satirical highlight of the season.