JOYS! {BOB HOPE} (TV)
Summary
A television comedy special featuring Bob Hope and a number of comedians in a murder-mystery parody. Vincent Price introduces a murder mystery story about a "human shark" committing murders against comedians. The story proper opens as comedians gather from all around to attend a party at Bob Hope's house. Meanwhile, Bob is doing a show for NBC, and afterwards is approached by Jack Albertson asking about the party, of which he appears to have no knowledge. He calls his house and speaks with Jerry Colonna, who is already present along with many of the guests. Everyone he speaks to claims that he called them to invite them over the previous night, although Bob said he did no such thing. After Bob hangs up with Colonna, a mysterious figure all in black sneaks up on him and strangles him to death from behind. While Bob returns home, many of his guests, mostly comedians, hang around his house and try to figure out the purpose of the party. As Bob pulls in, the mysterious figure secretly lights a long fuse. Bob speaks with some of the guests, such as Don Rickles, Don Knotts, and Dean Martin, to try to figure out what is going on, but they offer no help. Phyllis Diller discovers only a moustache and a black glove where Jerry used to be. David Janssen deduces much information about the killer from examining the glove, but is also killed when Bob tries to take him aside. Unbeknownst to Bob, the bodies are all being dumped in his swimming pool. Bob finds the body of his front gate guard and barely escapes being strangled himself. He makes several attempts to contact the police so that they can send a homicide detective. Instead he gets Abe Vigoda, who is more interested in the food than in solving the case. Bob recalls that Glen Campbell, Flip Wilson, and Fred MacMurray all might have a motive to kill him in revenge for cheating them out of a bet in a golf game, and Bob resolves to discover who could imitate his voice over the phone in order to bring everyone to his house. Meanwhile, the strangler continues to strike, killing George Burns, George Gobel, and Jimmie Walker. Bob briefly believes that Flip is responsible, but he escapes and Abe is killed by the strangler. Bob is again nearly killed but then runs into the criminologist Heinrich Von Krime, who believes that he can determine the killer's identity. However, the killer still runs rampant, now killing multiple guests at once, leaving nothing but black gloves as his calling card. Von Krime's efforts to root out the killer only succeed in allowing him to kill more of the guests. The remaining guests get frightened and try to leave but Bob and Von Krime prevent them from doing so, holding them at gunpoint. Wayne Newton arrives and Von Krime demands that he sing in order to prove his identity. Newton sings "Rhinestone Cowboy," but is left outside long enough for the killer to get to him as well. Von Krime also disappears when he tries to search a closet for clues. Bob holds the few remaining guests at gunpoint and says no one is leaving until they figure out who the murderer is. Don Adams and Mike Connors try to offer their assistance, and Angie Dickinson believes that Don Knotts is the killer. She holds him at gunpoint and he runs away in a panic, only for both of them to disappear. Bob returns to the other guests only to encounter Jim Hutton, a.k.a. "Ellery Queen," who attempts to give a denouement to the entire affair before disappearing, apparently snatched up by the murderer. One by one, the killer disposes of the remaining guests until only Bob is left. As the fuse nears a pack of dynamite, Bob desperately tries to phone the police, insisting that he knows the killer's identity. However, the dynamite goes off and the house collapses on top of him. Vincent Price closes out the story, but the audience demands to know the killer's identity. The killer gets to him as well before he can reveal it. From the afterlife Bob watches as the killer unmasks himself, revealing himself to be Johnny Carson. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: March 5, 1976 Friday 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:07257
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1976
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Havoline motor oil
- TV - Commercials - Texaco gasoline
CREDITS
- Bob Hope … Executive Producer
- Hal Kanter … Producer, Director
- Jerry Madden … Associate Producer
- Dick McDonough … Director
- John Wilson … Animation
- Ben Starr … Writer
- Gig Henry … Writer
- Charles Lee … Writer
- Paul Pumpain … Writer
- Harvey Weitzman … Writer
- Jeffrey Barron … Writer
- Leona Topple … Writer
- Ruth Batchelor … Writer
- Bob Hope … Cast, Himself
- Don Adams … Cast, Himself
- Jack Albertson … Cast, Himself
- Morty Allen … Cast, Himself
- Steve Allen … Cast, Himself
- Desi Arnaz … Cast, Himself
- Billy Barty … Cast, Himself
- Rona Barrett … Cast, Herself
- Milton Berle … Cast, Himself
- Foster Brooks … Cast, Himself
- Les Brown … Cast, Himself
- George Burns … Cast, Himself
- Red Buttons … Cast, Himself
- Pat Buttram … Cast, Himself
- John Byner … Cast, Himself
- Sammy Cahn … Cast, Himself
- Glen Campbell … Cast, Himself
- Jack Carter … Cast, Himself
- Charo … Cast, Herself
- Jerry Colonna … Cast, Himself
- Mike Connors … Cast, Himself
- Scatman Crothers … Cast, Himself
- Bill Dana … Cast, Himself
- Angie Dickinson … Cast, Herself
- Phyllis Diller … Cast, Herself
- Jamie Farr … Cast, Himself
- George Gobel … Cast, Himself
- Jim Hutton … Cast, Himself
- David Janssen … Cast, Himself
- Arte Johnson … Cast, Heinrich Von Krime
- Alan King … Cast, Himself
- George Kirby … Cast, Himself
- Don Knotts … Cast, Himself
- Fred MacMurray … Cast, Himself
- Dean Martin … Cast, Himself
- Groucho Marx … Cast, Himself
- Jan Murray … Cast, Himself
- Wayne Newton … Cast, Himself
- Vincent Price … Cast, Himself
- Freddie Prinze … Cast, Himself
- Don Rickles … Cast, Himself
- Harry Ritz … Cast, Himself
- Telly Savalas … Cast, Himself
- Phil Silvers … Cast, Himself
- Larry Storch … Cast, Himself
- Abe Vigoda … Cast, Himself
- Jimmie Walker … Cast, Himself
- Flip Wilson … Cast, Himself
- Johnny Carson … Cast, Himself
- Andy Albin … Cast
- Milton Frome … Cast
- Chanin Hale … Cast