Talk of the Town (variety show)
Encyclopedia
Talk of the Town was a short lived comedy and talk show performed at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas, Nevada
in 1982 and aired on cable television. Directed by Doug Raymond and hosted by comedienne Jaye P. Morgan
, Talk of the Town was primarily a talk-show in which some guests performed short stand-up comedy routines before joining a panel. Other guests simply joined the panel for discussion of their personal lives and careers. Discussion often included sexually oriented jokes, insults and gossip with Morgan and her co-host comedian Jack Cooper
.
Morgan often emphasized the unscripted and adult nature of the show. In the first of the video episodes she introduces the show as Talk of the Town as "The most adult show on television. It's going to shock you, turn you on, turn you off, but it will make you think and see and experience. You will see things on this show that will surprise you, shock you, so kick back, brush away those conservative cobwebs..."
Roughly three-quarters of the way through each show, a short lingerie fashion show took place with models wearing bathing-suits, underwear or nightgowns provided by Las Vegas design shop Midnight Lace, which at that time was located in the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas.
The covers of both VCII VHS releases shared the same cover design as nearly all of VCII's releases. The bottom third of the cover was white with the distributors logo, while the top two thirds displayed artwork from the featured content. In the case of Talk of the Town, both covers had the same art in a different color scheme and with the starring personalities in star shaped frames.
Just For the Hell Of It, a rare and out of print video distributor has compiled both of the shows onto a single DVD volume. The DVD cover also reproduces to a large extent the original art used on the VCII VHS cassette covers.
Comedian Murray Langston performs a routine as his character The Unknown Comic before removing his bag/mask and discussing his current career with Morgan and Cooper.
Comedian Rip Taylor
performs a short set of his standard routine before joining the guest panel.
Actress Linda Blair
joins the panel to discuss her career since The Exorcist (film)
(1973).
After the fashion show interlude adult film actress Samantha Fox
comes on to discuss some of the technical aspects of, and her personal experiences working in adult film.
None of the guests on Show 2 perform stand-up routines, each merely joining the panel to answer questions by Morgan and the other guests. A running theme in Show 2 is comedian Buddy Hackett
whom a number of the guests denigrate, insult and compliment alternately.
Actor and comedian Redd Foxx
was the "featured guest"
in addition to:
Actor and comedian Larry Storch
Comedian Jack Carter
Rusty Warren
discusses her role in liberating women's sexual expression through her comedy routines, including specific reference to her 1960 comedy album Knockers Up and its impact on women's liberation.
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
Imperial Palace is a 2,640 room hotel and a casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The hotel and casino were owned by Imperial Palace LLC until purchased by the current owner, Caesars Imperial Palace Corporation a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corp..-History:From 1959 to...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in 1982 and aired on cable television. Directed by Doug Raymond and hosted by comedienne Jaye P. Morgan
Jaye P. Morgan
Mary Margaret Morgan , known professionally as Jaye P. Morgan, is a retired popular music American singer, actress and game show panelist.-Early life:...
, Talk of the Town was primarily a talk-show in which some guests performed short stand-up comedy routines before joining a panel. Other guests simply joined the panel for discussion of their personal lives and careers. Discussion often included sexually oriented jokes, insults and gossip with Morgan and her co-host comedian Jack Cooper
Jack Cooper
Jack Cooper may refer to:*Jack Cooper, businessman who owned Cooper Canada*Jack Cooper *Jack Cooper *Jack Cooper...
.
Morgan often emphasized the unscripted and adult nature of the show. In the first of the video episodes she introduces the show as Talk of the Town as "The most adult show on television. It's going to shock you, turn you on, turn you off, but it will make you think and see and experience. You will see things on this show that will surprise you, shock you, so kick back, brush away those conservative cobwebs..."
Roughly three-quarters of the way through each show, a short lingerie fashion show took place with models wearing bathing-suits, underwear or nightgowns provided by Las Vegas design shop Midnight Lace, which at that time was located in the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas.
Home Video
Talk of the Town was filmed live for cable television and subsequently released by adult video distributor VCX on their in house non-adult video label VCII. Two cassette tapes of Talk of the Town were released by VCII. Show 1 (catalog number VC115) was released in 1983, and Show 2 (catalog number VC127) in 1984.The covers of both VCII VHS releases shared the same cover design as nearly all of VCII's releases. The bottom third of the cover was white with the distributors logo, while the top two thirds displayed artwork from the featured content. In the case of Talk of the Town, both covers had the same art in a different color scheme and with the starring personalities in star shaped frames.
Just For the Hell Of It, a rare and out of print video distributor has compiled both of the shows onto a single DVD volume. The DVD cover also reproduces to a large extent the original art used on the VCII VHS cassette covers.
Show 1
Comedian Murray Langston performs a routine as his character The Unknown Comic before removing his bag/mask and discussing his current career with Morgan and Cooper.
Comedian Rip Taylor
Rip Taylor
Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor, Jr. is an American actor and comedian.-Early life:Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Elizabeth, a waitress, and Charles Elmer Taylor, Sr., a musician. As a young man, Taylor served in the Korean War while in the U.S...
performs a short set of his standard routine before joining the guest panel.
Actress Linda Blair
Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair is an American actress. Blair is best known for her role as the possessed child, Regan, in the 1973 film The Exorcist, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and two Golden Globes, winning one. She reprised her role in 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic.-Biography:Blair...
joins the panel to discuss her career since The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
(1973).
After the fashion show interlude adult film actress Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
comes on to discuss some of the technical aspects of, and her personal experiences working in adult film.
Show 2
None of the guests on Show 2 perform stand-up routines, each merely joining the panel to answer questions by Morgan and the other guests. A running theme in Show 2 is comedian Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103...
whom a number of the guests denigrate, insult and compliment alternately.
Actor and comedian Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
was the "featured guest"
in addition to:
Actor and comedian Larry Storch
Larry Storch
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
Comedian Jack Carter
Jack Carter
Jack Carter may refer to:* Jack Carter, fictional character created by Ted Lewis** from the novels Jack's Return Home, Jack Carter's Law, and Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon** from the films Get Carter and Get Carter...
Rusty Warren
Rusty Warren
-Early life:Warren was born Ilene Goldman in New York City and adopted six months later by a couple from Milton, Massachusetts. She studied piano at the New England Conservatory of Music and then taught there briefly after obtaining her degree...
discusses her role in liberating women's sexual expression through her comedy routines, including specific reference to her 1960 comedy album Knockers Up and its impact on women's liberation.
External links
- VCX Adult Video
- Talk of the Town review at Lost Video Archive
- Talk of the Town review at Shock Cinema