Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's the complete broadcast of The Chevy Chase National Humor Test as aired over WMAQ Channel 5, featuring guest star Pam Dawber, special guest Martin Mull, and special cameo appearances by Milton Berle, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Hugh Hefner.
The special was written by Christopher Guest (a Guest who needs no introduction but is perhaps most well known for Spinal Tap, Michael C. Gwynne, Victor Langer, Tom Leopold, Harry Shearer (also of Spinal Tap fame not to mention The Simpsons), and Chevy Chase.
This was framed as a test as to what is funny along and among different genres of humor.
(Local station voiceovers by Ed Grennan; network promo voiceovers by Casey Kasem except where noted.)
Includes:
Theatrical trailer for "A Little Romance" (voiceover by Mark Elliott)
Station ID / promo for NewsCenter5 at 10pm with Jim Ruddle and Chuck Henry
"An NBC Special" bumper, followed by Segment 1, with opening sketch and title sequence (theme music: "Holiday for Strings" as by Spike Jones and His City Slickers)
Sponsor billboard for Timex (voiceover by Dick Dudley, who pronounces Chase's first name as the nickname of a certain brand of car)
Commercials for:
Dry Idea roll-on anti-perspirant
Lysol deodorizer spray
Segment 2: Chevy lays the groundwork for taking the test, then introduces Dr. Brothers, mime Jack Fisk, Pam and Martin, and test audiences in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York; next, he goes to Question #1 about the history of humor and a "humorous" look through the ages, fake ads for Gull Oil and Gerald R. Ford, and a visit to the Hall of Jokes
Commercials for:
Timex watches (with Jim McKay and a parrot)
Signal mouthwash
Contac cold capsules (voiceover by Lloyd Bridges)
Promo for Bob Hope at the Palladium
Segment 3: A retrospective on Albert Einstein as a stand-up comic, a fake ad for Rapid Technology, "Doctor Chase" explaining the human brain, a skit with a clown and his dog, and inside the First National Funny Bank
Commercials for:
Timex (canoe paddler and his watch) (voiceover by John Cameron Swayze)
Schlitz Light (featuring Jack Klugman at end)
Bumper, with look at scores so far
Promo for Diff'rent Strokes and Best of Dean (Martin)
Commercial: American Airlines - "List of Firsts"
Station ID / promo for NewsCenter5 at 10pm (with Chuck Henry)
Segment 4 starts off with fake ad for Thrifty Vittles, then a look inside Our Lady of That Was No Lady That Was My Wife Hospital, Marines whistling "A Few Good Men," another fake ad for General National, Martin leading audience members on a tour of his dressing room where a clip of President Nixon is shown, more answers, a look at West Point audiences, fake ads for Adlai Stevenson Jr. and Toxico, and a skit at an outdoor cafe
Commercials for:
Timex (with Jim McKay and dolphins at Marineland)
Neet Lotion Hair Remover - "The Great Neet Test"
Purina Chows (including Dog, Rabbit and Goat)
Promo for Presenting Susan Anton
PSA for American Cancer Society (with Harriet Nelson)
Segment 5: A blindfolded Chevy is being driven to a secret airport and will fly on a secret aircraft that will drop him onto top secret National Humor Forest; fake ads for President Ronald Reagan (which, in a year, would prove prescient) and Merril Lunch
Commercials for:
Timex (with John Cameron Swayze at the circus)
Listermint mouthwash
Sponsor billboard for Timex (voiceover by Dick Dudley)
Promo for "Skytrap" and "The Cassandra Crossing" (voiceover by ??)
Promo for "Son-Rise: Miracle of Love" (voiceover by ??)
Segment 6: Chevy gives the final scores and says goodnight to his panelists, followed by a quartet of Chevys miming to an old big band record (Skin Deep by Duke Ellington - parts modified to prevent YouTube blocking), and then the end credits (with local voiceover promo for Presenting Susan Anton, NewsCenter5 with Mike Jackson special report on gas crisis and The Tonight Show by Ed Grennan)
Promo for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
NewsCenter5 Update with Jim Ruddle
Promo for The Mary Tyler Moore Show (voiceover by ??)
Commercial: Pabst Extra Light Beer (incomplete; recording ends before ad does)
This aired on local Chicago TV on Thursday, May 10th 1979 during the 8pm to 9pm timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
Here's the complete broadcast of The Chevy Chase National Humor Test as aired over WMAQ Channel 5, featuring guest star Pam Dawber, special guest Martin Mull, and special cameo appearances by Milton Berle, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Hugh Hefner.
The special was written by Christopher Guest (a Guest who needs no introduction but is perhaps most well known for Spinal Tap, Michael C. Gwynne, Victor Langer, Tom Leopold, Harry Shearer (also of Spinal Tap fame not to mention The Simpsons), and Chevy Chase.
This was framed as a test as to what is funny along and among different genres of humor.
(Local station voiceovers by Ed Grennan; network promo voiceovers by Casey Kasem except where noted.)
Includes:
Theatrical trailer for "A Little Romance" (voiceover by Mark Elliott)
Station ID / promo for NewsCenter5 at 10pm with Jim Ruddle and Chuck Henry
"An NBC Special" bumper, followed by Segment 1, with opening sketch and title sequence (theme music: "Holiday for Strings" as by Spike Jones and His City Slickers)
Sponsor billboard for Timex (voiceover by Dick Dudley, who pronounces Chase's first name as the nickname of a certain brand of car)
Commercials for:
Dry Idea roll-on anti-perspirant
Lysol deodorizer spray
Segment 2: Chevy lays the groundwork for taking the test, then introduces Dr. Brothers, mime Jack Fisk, Pam and Martin, and test audiences in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York; next, he goes to Question #1 about the history of humor and a "humorous" look through the ages, fake ads for Gull Oil and Gerald R. Ford, and a visit to the Hall of Jokes
Commercials for:
Timex watches (with Jim McKay and a parrot)
Signal mouthwash
Contac cold capsules (voiceover by Lloyd Bridges)
Promo for Bob Hope at the Palladium
Segment 3: A retrospective on Albert Einstein as a stand-up comic, a fake ad for Rapid Technology, "Doctor Chase" explaining the human brain, a skit with a clown and his dog, and inside the First National Funny Bank
Commercials for:
Timex (canoe paddler and his watch) (voiceover by John Cameron Swayze)
Schlitz Light (featuring Jack Klugman at end)
Bumper, with look at scores so far
Promo for Diff'rent Strokes and Best of Dean (Martin)
Commercial: American Airlines - "List of Firsts"
Station ID / promo for NewsCenter5 at 10pm (with Chuck Henry)
Segment 4 starts off with fake ad for Thrifty Vittles, then a look inside Our Lady of That Was No Lady That Was My Wife Hospital, Marines whistling "A Few Good Men," another fake ad for General National, Martin leading audience members on a tour of his dressing room where a clip of President Nixon is shown, more answers, a look at West Point audiences, fake ads for Adlai Stevenson Jr. and Toxico, and a skit at an outdoor cafe
Commercials for:
Timex (with Jim McKay and dolphins at Marineland)
Neet Lotion Hair Remover - "The Great Neet Test"
Purina Chows (including Dog, Rabbit and Goat)
Promo for Presenting Susan Anton
PSA for American Cancer Society (with Harriet Nelson)
Segment 5: A blindfolded Chevy is being driven to a secret airport and will fly on a secret aircraft that will drop him onto top secret National Humor Forest; fake ads for President Ronald Reagan (which, in a year, would prove prescient) and Merril Lunch
Commercials for:
Timex (with John Cameron Swayze at the circus)
Listermint mouthwash
Sponsor billboard for Timex (voiceover by Dick Dudley)
Promo for "Skytrap" and "The Cassandra Crossing" (voiceover by ??)
Promo for "Son-Rise: Miracle of Love" (voiceover by ??)
Segment 6: Chevy gives the final scores and says goodnight to his panelists, followed by a quartet of Chevys miming to an old big band record (Skin Deep by Duke Ellington - parts modified to prevent YouTube blocking), and then the end credits (with local voiceover promo for Presenting Susan Anton, NewsCenter5 with Mike Jackson special report on gas crisis and The Tonight Show by Ed Grennan)
Promo for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
NewsCenter5 Update with Jim Ruddle
Promo for The Mary Tyler Moore Show (voiceover by ??)
Commercial: Pabst Extra Light Beer (incomplete; recording ends before ad does)
This aired on local Chicago TV on Thursday, May 10th 1979 during the 8pm to 9pm timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!
![Electronic Detective - The Computerized Whodunit Game by Ideal [with Don Adams] (Commercial, 1979)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KsB5nmZr-7g/mqdefault.jpg "Electronic Detective - The Computerized Whodunit Game by Ideal [with Don Adams] (Commercial, 1979)
Heres a commercial for Electronic Detective (The Computerized Whodunit Game) from Ideal (very similar to another game from the era, Stop Thief), featuring Don Adams of Get Smart fame, quizzing players about a murder involving a woman named Lucy, Dino Vachetti, Lenny Little and Eileen Stella (sp?).
(commercial for Stop Thief can be found here: https://youtu.be/Qx7vvHOCLzg)
This aired on local Boston TV on Friday, November 23rd 1979 during the 12:00pm to 2:00pm (Eastern) timeframe.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!")
