The Jacksons (TV series)

The Jacksons is an American variety show featuring the Jackson siblings (except for Jermaine, who was signed to Motown while the Jackson group was signed to the Epic/CBS record label). It was the first variety show where the entire cast were siblings or an African-American family.[1] The thirty-minute Wednesday evening show began airing on CBS as a summer 1976 show and it continued into the 1976–1977 season, finishing on March 9, 1977 after running for 12 episodes.[2]

This article is about the 1976 live action series. For their 1971 animated series, see The Jackson 5ive (TV series). For the 2009 reality show, see The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty.

The Jacksons
1976 CBS photo, top row, from left: Jackie, Michael, Tito, and Marlon Jackson. Middle row: Randy, La Toya, and Rebbie Jackson. Bottom: Janet Jackson.
Genre	Variety
Written by	Thomas C. Chapman Ray Jessel Wayne Kline Arnie Kogen Biff Manard Winston Moss Jim Mulligan David Smilow Jim Tisdale
Directed by	Bill Davis
Starring	Rebbie Jackson Jackie Jackson Tito Jackson La Toya Jackson Marlon Jackson Michael Jackson Randy Jackson Janet Jackson
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producer(s)	Richard Arons Bill Davis Joe Jackson
Producer(s)	Ray Jessel Arnie Kogen
Editor(s)	Jimmy B. Frazier
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Carefree Video Company Jackson Television Productions
Release
Original network	CBS
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	June 16, 1976 (1976-06-16) – March 9, 1977 (1977-03-09)

Randy, Marlon, Jackie, Joey Bishop, Michael and Tito (1976)

As with the Jackson 5 regular performances, Michael Jackson was the lead performer in musical and dance performances. Despite the public acclaim following the early episodes, he was not enthusiastic with the overall project, later calling it "a dumb move" and adding he "hated every minute of it".[1]

Cast

• Rebbie Jackson
• Jackie Jackson
• Tito Jackson
• La Toya Jackson
• Marlon Jackson
• Michael Jackson
• Randy Jackson
• Janet Jackson

Episodes

Broadcast date	Guest stars	Songs performed
June 16, 1976	Sonny Bono	"Forever Came Today" "Love Will Keep Us Together" "More Than You Know"/"Am I Blue?"/"For Once in My Life"/"Try a Little Tenderness" "Steppin' Out with My Baby" "Dancing Machine"
June 23, 1976	Mackenzie Phillips	"(You Were Made) Especially for Me" "Do the Fonz" "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll"/"Deep Purple" "Convoy" "Junk Food Junkie" "Ben" "Goin' Back to Indiana"
June 30, 1976	Ed McMahon	"Rockin' Robin" "Flat Foot Floogie" "World of Sunshine" "Save the Bones for Henry Jones" "The Love You Save"
July 7, 1976	Joey Bishop	"I Want You Back"/"ABC" "Fever" "I Got You Babe" "Down by the Old Mill Stream" "Never Can Say Goodbye"
January 19, 1977	Redd Foxx	"Enjoy Yourself" "They Can't Take That Away from Me"/"Puttin' on the Ritz" "Blues Away" "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (Means You're Grand)" "Keep on Dancing"
January 26, 1977	Carroll O'Connor	"Hum Along and Dance" "Get Happy"/"I Got Rhythm" "I Got You Babe" "Coconut" "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"/"Don't Get Around Much Anymore"/"Caravan"/"Take the "A" Train" "Show You the Way to Go"
February 2, 1977	Dom DeLuise/ George Miller/ Muhammad Ali	"Moving Violation" "On the Wall" "That's the Way (I Like It)" "Style of Life" "Steppin' Out" "Hello, Dolly!" "Life of the Party"
February 9, 1977	Betty White	"Get It Together" "On the Wall" "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" "Dreamer" "Opus No. 1" "Just a Little Bit of You"
February 16, 1977	Georgia Engel/ David Letterman	"Sugar Daddy" "On the Wall" "Cisco Kid"/"I Shot the Sheriff" "One" "I Am Love"
February 23, 1977	John Byner/ Nicholas Brothers	"What You Don't Know" "On the Wall" "Midnight at the Oasis" "Get Ready" "Good Times" "I Can't Quit Your Love"
March 2, 1977	Lynda Carter	"Think Happy" "On the Wall" "On the Good Ship Lollipop" "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" "Living Together" "I'll Be There"
March 9, 1977	Tim Conway/ David Letterman	"Dancing Machine" "On the Wall" "Behind Closed Doors" "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" "I'm Going to Jackson" "Flat Foot Floogie" "World of Sunshine" "Body Language"

Notes

1. Easlea, Daryl (October 15, 2016). Michael Jackson: Rewind: The Life and Legacy of Pop Music's King. New York: Race Point Publishing. p. 145. ISBN 1631062530.
2. Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (2014). Historical Dictionary of African American Television (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 236. ISBN 0810879166.

External links

• The Jacksons on IMDb
• The Jacksons at TV.com