Entertainers of the 1970s
A time of blockbuster movies, unforgettable television series, and an explosion of popular musical acts, the 1970s provided more entertainment than ever before. This era of political turmoil and major upheaval in America produced much in the way of memorable entertainment.
• Top movies of the 1970s included Jaws, Star Wars, Rocky, Airport, Poseidon Adventure, The Exorcist, Kramer vs. Kramer, Grease, and Saturday Night Fever. These top productions made famous a number of top actors and actresses including Richard Dreyfuss, Carrie Fisher, Sylvester Stallone, Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Linda Blair, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.
• Popular television shows during this decade included “The Brady Bunch,” “Happy Days,” “Sesame Street,” “All in the Family,” and “Saturday Night Live.” These favorite shows were cast with many well-known names such as Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Jim Henson’s Muppets, Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and John Belushi.
• The 70s music scene brought genres of music flourish. Among the top names in popular music were Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, The Who, Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Three Dog Night, the Carpenters, Billy Joel, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Jackson 5, Donny Osmond, Carole King, Donna Summer and the Village People.
• A number of well-known comedians of 70s entertainment made names for themselves. Stand-up comics appeared on variety shows, talk shows, and of course, in comedy clubs. Though there were many, perhaps most notable were Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Jay Leno, George Carlin, Freddie Prinze, David Letterman, Billie Crystal and Steve Martin.