The Midnight Special (TV series)
| The Midnight Special | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Music variety show |
| Created by | Burt Sugarman |
| Presented by | Various guest hosts (1972–1975, 1976–1981) Helen Reddy (1975–1976) |
| Narrated by | Wolfman Jack |
| Opening theme | "Midnight Special" performed by Johnny Rivers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 350 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Burt Sugarman |
| Producers |
|
| Production location | NBC Studios in Burbank, CA |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Production company | Burt Sugarman Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | August 19, 1972 – March 27, 1981 |
| Related | |
| Tomorrow | |
The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series originally broadcast on NBC from 1972 to 1981, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a TV special on August 19, 1972, and then began its run as a regular series from February 3, 1973, to March 27, 1981. The 90-minute program aired on Saturday mornings at 1 a.m. ET/PT after the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Like its syndicated late-night cousin Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, the show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The program's theme song, a traditional folk song called "Midnight Special", was performed by Johnny Rivers.