Does anyone remember "Joys?"

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on January 26th, 2005

Editors note: The link below was broken for the last 16 hours. It works now.

Bill Bunker emailed us a link to an IMDB synopsis of a Bob Hope television special called “Joys.” We’d like to attempt to describe it, but it’s just too odd. It’s notable because Johnny Carson figures heavily in the finale. Herewith is an excerpt of a User Comment:

Eventually, we see that a mysterious man in a domino mask is killing all the comedians. IMDb’s cast list has already given away the (unfunny) killer’s identity, so I shan’t reveal it here. (BIG HINT: Which American showbiz personality, circa 1976, held the power of life and death over most comedians’ careers?) At the end, ALL of the comedians die, and Hope’s pool is chock-full o’ corpses.

It’s interesting to note that, in 1976, when you made a movie that required 50 comedians, you included the likes of Jan Murray, Foster Brooks, Jerry Colonna and Freddie Prinze. A real transition period for standup comedy in Los Angeles.