Here's an oldie. We went to a taping of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. I went with my parents. I was 13, I think. This was probably 1973 or 1974.
It was taped at CBS Television City, at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax, in Los Angeles. There were 4 studios there, 31, 33, 41 and 43. I don't remember which one we went into for the Sonny and Cher show. The Price is Right, Match Game, All in the Family, Maude, the Carol Burnett Show and so many other famous shows were also taped in that building (Television City). I think only videotaped shows were produced there. Filmed shows, such as the Mary Tyler Moore Show, were filmed at CBS's studios in Studio City.
As with all TV studios, the whole studio was air conditioned ferociously, to make up for the heat from the studio lights. So the actors on stage were comfortable, while the crews and the audiences were cold. The tickets were always free, but they gave out more tickets than they had seats for, to ensure a full audience. If you waited in line and didn't get in, they would give you priority tickets for some other taping day or for some other show.
Tapings of comedy shows could go on for hours, with a scene being redone over and over if something didn't go right. I remember Cher blowing her lines a lot, and cursing each time she did (usually the F-word). Sonny seemed more professional. I remember that Teri Garr was a member of the supporting cast and I remember her being there. Apparently Steve Martin was also in the cast but I don't remember him being there. During a break, Ted Ziegler, another cast member, was standing around and then walked right up to me while I sat there in my seat, and introduced himself to me and shook my hand. I don't know why. But it did give me a big thrill.
I don't recall seeing Chastity there; maybe she was still still too young then. The guest star for that episode was Jack Palance. But at that time I did not know who he was. Just some actor.
We did not see the entire hour being taped. They did the opening number, with the lighted orange ball set behind them, then they immediately taped the closing number, in front of the orange balls. Then I think we saw only 2 comedy scenes being filmed, take after take, then we left at the next break. TV stages and sets are smaller in person than they look on TV. The orange ball thing looked small there on the stage from our viewpoint in the audience. I hope Cher saved one of those orange balls. Each one had a silhouette of Sonny and Cher on it.
For me it was exciting to see that episode on TV when it finally aired, because I had seen it live. I sort of felt like a "Hollywood insider" or something, which of course I wasn't.
