I watched and enjoyed it. I remember Paul Lynde on-stage asking KISS if they'd started their career by having a fight, "And your mother told you to kiss and make-up?" In a skit, Paul, playing a wealthy man, picked up his phone and said, "Operator? I'd like to make a long distance call.... to my living room."
"I'm a grown-up now!"
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Ah yes, the '70s. Unlike the '60s, if you remembered them, you were definitely there. Who would forget seeing KISS and Paul Lynde camping it up on prime-time TV?
Yeah, I saw this the night it aired at a friend's house where we were for a Halloween party.
Since I did see this, it has always confused me that Gene Simmons denies he has ever said that KISS stands for Knights in Satan's Service, because I clearly recall him telling Paul Lynde exactly that when he was asked what KISS stood for. Of course, considering the campy nature of the humor, he might have been joking, but he DID say it.
Now I'm trying to find a copy of it so I can confirm my memory.
Snoogans.
This is well worth seeking out! I acquired this on DVD years ago. I need to fire it up again ... maybe tonight.
Gene does a lot of ribbing with Paul Lynde, and Paul Lynde does a good Don Knotts impersonation by playing scared of Kiss. I don't recall Gene saying specifically that Kiss stands for "Kings/Knights in Satan's Service," but you might be right. That was a popular myth in the '70s. My catechism teachers used to warn about the "satanic" rock bands, and Kiss was at the fore front. Of course, that only made me love them more. I even loved them when I realized they weren't satanic.
Hello, Pufnstuff: I watched it again last night for my Halloween treat, and it gets wilder and wackier with age. It's absolutely mind-blowing, and though the jokes and segments are "bad," they are addictively entertaining, which is a great thing in my book.
I'm sorry to report that Paul Lynde never makes a reference to Knights/Kings in Satan's Service in regards to Kiss. When Margaret Hamilton introduces Ace, Gene, Peter and Paul, Lynde quips: "I love a good religious group!" He riffs on their clothes and makeup, but sadly, there's no mention of Knights/Kings in Satan's Service. I wonder who was the first to coin that reference? One of those "satanic rock" authors that proliferated in the '70s?
Kiss does four songs, lip-synching to the recorded versions of "Detroit Rock City," "Beth" and "King of the Nighttime World." The set features some bizarre and fun effects, with the camera doing revolutions and a pair of lips popping up occasionally.
The rest of the skits and production numbers are bizarre '70s kitsch – horrible and excellent at the same time. It's fascinating viewing, which isn't something I can say about any television I've watched lately.
Are you really, really sure on that? I realize it's been *mumble mumble* years since I saw it, but that memory is very clear. That and Lynde asking them what they look like under the makeup and (IIRC) Ace saying "We don't wear makeup."
Snoogans.
Unfortunately, it's just not there. But fortunately, it's online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MWQl1auShg
You have a good memory about the line "We don't wear makeup," but it's Gene who says that.
Speaking of Gene, remember him on "The Mike Douglas Show"? I especially love Totie Fields' reaction: "You can't hide the hook."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiscEsSompQ
There's no "Kings/Knights/Kids in Satan's Service" there either. Memory can play tricks on us, especially after 35-plus years. I have memories about scenes in movies, and when I watch them, they're just not there.
Just as a hunch, could that reference be from "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park"? I have that on DVD in various forms, but I don't remember if that line is in that old chestnut of a TV movie.
Yeah... never saw that.
Snoogans.
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