Socking it to “Laugh-In” at the Paley Center

The civil rights struggle had its sit-ins. The anti-war movement had its teach-ins. Hippies had their love-ins. And in 1968, network television made light of it all with “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” a phenomenally successful pop-culture cocktail blending satire, slapstick and psychedelia.

“Laugh-In” only ran for five years, but it set a standard for popularly palatable hip anarchy that still resonates throughout the comedy world. There’s not a comic working today who doesn’t owe something to its style and influence.

Robin Williams—yeah, he too owes them big-time—claims that if you can remember the sixties, you couldn’t have been there. So for those old enough to forget—and those too young to remember—The Paley Center for Media hosts a special program at 7 p.m. this Tuesday, February 22, paying tribute to “Laugh-In” and its cast with a sneak-preview of a new PBS documentary, “The Best of Laugh-In.”

Following, stick around and join Larry King in a panel discussion with “Laugh-In” creator George Schlatter and cast members Gary Owens, Arte Johnson and Joanne Worley.

The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) is located at 465 North Beverly Drive, at Santa Monica Boulevard, in Beverly Hills. Tickets are going fast, but they’re available here.

Posted 2/17/11