The Great American Dream Machine

Before "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show", before the spoof-tastic films The Groove Tube and Kentucky Fried Movie came THE GREAT AMERICAN DREAM MACHINE, an irreverent, satirical weekly variety show that aired on PBS for two seasons from 1971-1972. Unlike anything ever seen on public television, the eclectic, often controversial series - an early proving ground for many top comedic talents including Chevy Chase, Albert Brooks and Charles Grodin -- combined humorous skits, drama, musical performances and political commentary in an "experimental" format and was considered Channel Thirteen's first prime-time hit, setting new records for attracting younger adult viewers to public broadcasting.