Fol-de-Rol
After hitting the bigtime on Saturday mornings, the brothers Krofft decided to venture into prime-time. For their first prime-time offering, they revisited "Fol-de-Rol," a live show that they'd first staged at HemisFair in 1968. For the filmed version, they assembled a great cast of celebrities including Ann Sothern, Mickey Rooney, Ricky Nelson, Cyd Charisse, Guy Marks, Totie Fields, Howard Cosell, Milt Kamen, Yma Sumac and Robert Shields (of Shields and Yarnell)... plus there's a few other familiar faces whose names you might not know (Lynne Thigpen) and the obligatory Krofft regulars (Billy Barty, Lenny Weinrab, Joan Gerber, etc.).
"Fol-de-Rol" (a fancy term for "nonsense") is exactly that. There's not much of a plotline, it's 51 minutes of off the wall skits and whimsy loosely tied together by the Renessaince Fair setting -- and it's got Krofft written all over it. From the cardboard sets to the tacky musical numbers (including a two really good ones by Ricky Nelson) to the bad jokes (more drug references!) to the camera-mugging celebrities to the puppets (several of which were recycled from other Krofft productions) to the familiar voices, it's delightfully obvious that this is a Krofft production.
Now, "Fol-de-Rol" was unquestionably a stepping-stone for the Kroffts from Saturday-morning to prime-time, so it's important in that regard. But it would be a pivotal moment in the career of an entirely different '70s act...
On the set, mime Robert Shields met and struck up a friendship with an uncredited dancer named Lorene Yarnell. Soon he taught her the tricks of the trade, and thus begins the career of "Shields and Yarnell," which spanned more than a decade. Probably the most famous mimes this side of Marcel Marceau, Shields and Yarnell made countless appearances on TV throughout the '70s and '80s, and they even had their own variety show! Yes, that's 60 minutes a week of mime skits and celebrity guests. Wonder why that didn't last (though it would be fun to see again now!). The duo are perhaps most remembered for a set of characters they played named "The Clinkers," a pair of creepy robot-like people.
The special also marked the first time that 3 feet 11 inch Patty Maloney would work with the Kroffts on television, though she had already appeared in some of their live shows, beginning with "Les Poupées de Paris" (in which she danced as, and with, marionettes, then ripped off her strings and ran through the audience!). On a whim the actress decided to move to L.A., and soon after arriving she paid Sid Krofft a visit. "Sid was working on something new, a television special called Fol de Rol," Maloney revealed in David Martindale's Pufnstuf & Other Stuff. "And when I walked in, he just went, 'Oh, you're going to be the star.' I didn't even have an apartment yet, but I had a job. So I got myself an apartment and I stuck around." Maloney went on to work as a costumed performer in numerous Krofft TV productions, and she appeared out of costume (by that, I don't mean naked, pervert!) in 'The Brady Bunch Hour,' 'Side Show' and 'The Krofft Superstar Hour with The Bay City Rollers.' Oh yeah, and she also played young Lumpy in 'The Star Wars Holiday Special,' so I guess we have the Kroffts to thank (or blame) for that too!
Should also be mentioned that Ricky Nelson had already written and recorded his song "Life" for his 1971 album "Rudy the Fifth." However, the lyrics on both the LP and the single (which deviated) were kinda downbeat....
Life will go on without me
Take it and you'll see
It doesn't matter...
For "Fol-de-Rol," Nelson came up with mostly different lyrics for the song, which were substantially more upbeat...
Life, a new day's beginning
It's time to start living
Come on, be happy....
In addition to his opening performance, Rick also sang variations of the song throughout the special, and Ann Sothern and the witches performed an entirely different rendition of the song called "Love."
It's also worth noting that the guy who greenlit the special was Michael Eisner, who was working at ABC at the time and liked the Krofft brothers. "Fol-de-Rol" aired on February 28, 1972 on ABC's "The Monday Night Special." Variety proclaimed "the Kroffts laid an egg," and viewers were too busy watching "Laugh-In" to take any notice of it. The special, which doubled as the pilot for a weekly series that never materialized, was never seen again after its premiere broadcast. Officially, anyway... A washed-out film-to-VHS-to-DVD transfer has been circulating on the internet, and a significantly more crisp copy of the "Life" clip has surfaced in Ricky Nelson fandom.
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Warning! Those who watch "Fol-de-Rol" may experience certain side effects including, but not limited to: staring in disbelief at your screen, uncontrollable laughter (at things that weren't intended to be funny), openly mocking Totie Fields, hearing "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" on an endless loop in your mind and, in rare instances, one may develop a strange desire to consume the flesh of Billy Barty. Offer null and void for residents of Tranquility Forest.