1968: Nixon's Cameo on Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was an American comedy TV show that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on NBC . It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. the show had originally aired as a one-time special on September 9, 1967, and it was so successful that it was brought back as a series, replacing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. On September 16, 1968, in the middle of a presidential election campaign, then Republican candidate Richard Nixon made a five second cameo appearance on the show, uttering the show's famous catch-phrase in the form of a question, when with an incredulous expression on his face, he famously asked the audience, "Sock it to me?" (Here's a video of what it looked and sounded like.)
Often when characters on the show uttered those four words they were either assaulted in some fashion or doused with water. Neither happened to Nixon, which is fortunate, since Nixon was known to hold a grudge.
The show's producers extended an invitation to Nixon's opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, to also appear on a show, but he declined. According to show creator George Schlatter, "Humphrey later said that not doing it may have cost him the election." (It didn't).
People who were on set that day said that it took Nixon a few takes to deliver his big line without sounding disgusted, which is what his campaign team did not want. His advisors believed that Nixon had lost the 1960 presidential campaign in part by coming across as angry, compared to the cool, calm and collected John F. Kennedy. Laugh-In head writer Paul W. Keyes was a loyal Republican who’d written jokes for Nixon’s speeches, and he wanted to make sure that Nixon wasn't embarrassed. Keyes convinced Nixon that doing this would make Nixon appear more likeable and relaxed, and less of a humorless stuffed shirt. For NBC and for hosts Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, landing a cameo from Nixon made a strong statement about the show's importance. At the time, Laugh-In was facing off against Gunsmoke and The Lucy Show. By the end of the show's abbreviated firstseason, Laugh in became the top rated show in the country. In the September 16th episode, which was the new season's première espisode, Nixon’s cameo was preceded by comedienne Judy Carne having to endure every imaginable form of “sock it to me” including getting soaked with water.
The Nixon episode contained cameos from a number of other contemporary stars including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bob Hope, Hugh Hefner and Jack Lemmon, along with a comedian named Sonny Tufts (who claimed to be Hollywood’s most famous unknown). Nixon was offered the use of the show's other famous catchphrase, “You bet your sweet bippy,” but chose “sock it to me” instead.
The show's humor often targeted contemporary political issues such as the Vietnam War, or the United States Congress “for ignoring the wishes of 200,000,000 Americans and delaying passage of a gun-control law.” Laugh-In mocked racism and racists. Third party candidate George Wallace was mocked with lines about how George Wallace’s “sheets are ready,” or saying that Wallace was “not opposed to individual freedoms, he just doesn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands.”
Nixon went on to defeat Humphrey by a half-million popular votes. In the electoral college, the count was Nixon 301, Humphrey 191, Wallace 46. It is highly unlikely that the appearance on the show led to Nixon's victory, but it was an highly visible part of a calculated plan to remake Nixon’s image after two unsuccessful campaigns.
The show concluded in 1973, but in 1977 NBC briefly revived the show as a series of specials, simply called Laugh-In. In a 1977 special. a Nixon impersonator quipped "I invited the American people to sock-it-to-me. You can stop now"
Often when characters on the show uttered those four words they were either assaulted in some fashion or doused with water. Neither happened to Nixon, which is fortunate, since Nixon was known to hold a grudge.
The show's producers extended an invitation to Nixon's opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, to also appear on a show, but he declined. According to show creator George Schlatter, "Humphrey later said that not doing it may have cost him the election." (It didn't).
People who were on set that day said that it took Nixon a few takes to deliver his big line without sounding disgusted, which is what his campaign team did not want. His advisors believed that Nixon had lost the 1960 presidential campaign in part by coming across as angry, compared to the cool, calm and collected John F. Kennedy. Laugh-In head writer Paul W. Keyes was a loyal Republican who’d written jokes for Nixon’s speeches, and he wanted to make sure that Nixon wasn't embarrassed. Keyes convinced Nixon that doing this would make Nixon appear more likeable and relaxed, and less of a humorless stuffed shirt. For NBC and for hosts Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, landing a cameo from Nixon made a strong statement about the show's importance. At the time, Laugh-In was facing off against Gunsmoke and The Lucy Show. By the end of the show's abbreviated firstseason, Laugh in became the top rated show in the country. In the September 16th episode, which was the new season's première espisode, Nixon’s cameo was preceded by comedienne Judy Carne having to endure every imaginable form of “sock it to me” including getting soaked with water.
The Nixon episode contained cameos from a number of other contemporary stars including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bob Hope, Hugh Hefner and Jack Lemmon, along with a comedian named Sonny Tufts (who claimed to be Hollywood’s most famous unknown). Nixon was offered the use of the show's other famous catchphrase, “You bet your sweet bippy,” but chose “sock it to me” instead.
The show's humor often targeted contemporary political issues such as the Vietnam War, or the United States Congress “for ignoring the wishes of 200,000,000 Americans and delaying passage of a gun-control law.” Laugh-In mocked racism and racists. Third party candidate George Wallace was mocked with lines about how George Wallace’s “sheets are ready,” or saying that Wallace was “not opposed to individual freedoms, he just doesn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands.”
Nixon went on to defeat Humphrey by a half-million popular votes. In the electoral college, the count was Nixon 301, Humphrey 191, Wallace 46. It is highly unlikely that the appearance on the show led to Nixon's victory, but it was an highly visible part of a calculated plan to remake Nixon’s image after two unsuccessful campaigns.
The show concluded in 1973, but in 1977 NBC briefly revived the show as a series of specials, simply called Laugh-In. In a 1977 special. a Nixon impersonator quipped "I invited the American people to sock-it-to-me. You can stop now"