The Arsenio Hall Show

The Arsenio Hall Show
Created by	Arsenio Hall Marla Kell Brown
Starring	Arsenio Hall
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	1,248
Production
Running time	1 hour per episode
Original release
Network	First-run syndication
Release	January 1989 – May 1994

The Arsenio Hall Show was an Emmy Award winning talk show which aired on late night in syndication from 1989 to 1994. It starred comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.

Background

Hall had been a host on The Late Show, another talk show on the Fox Broadcasting Company, after the dismissal of Joan Rivers. Although he was popular in that job, his contract was not renewed, and he signed with Paramount Television to do this show before FOX finally decided they wanted to keep him.

Recurrent gags

One of the show's recurrent gags was affixing a humorous label to a specific section of the audience at stage left of the band, called the "dogpound." This section had arguably the least interesting view of Arsenio's interview space as it was largely obscured by the size of Michael Wolff's band set. The labeling was a staple of Arsenio's opening monologue and almost always began with the phrase "People who..." In one variation of the gag, Arsenio designated this section as "People who are currently in a Witness Protection Plan", at which point the camera turned to the section to reveal a digitally altered view of the section that made it impossible to see the audience members on the screen in this section.

A frequent gag in Arsenio's opening monologue suggested that he still lived in Cleveland, and drove himself to Los Angeles everyday to host the show, despite it being an impossible to traverse 2300 mile trip. While on these alleged long drives, Arsenio would ponder certain thoughts, referring to them as "things that make you go hmmmm..." This running gag inspired a hit song in 1990 by C+C Music Factory.

Popularity

Hall's show was aimed at the younger urban audience, with Eddie Murphy (a personal friend of Hall's) and other performers often featured. The show quickly appealed to young people of all races and began to attract a wide variety of guests. It became the show for entertainers to go to in order to reach the "MTV Generation". The show was known for the audience's yelling, "Whoof, whoof, whoof!" while pumping their fists in a circular motion. Hall had invented this chant for his high school's football team.

Bill Clinton

Presidential candidate Bill Clinton guested on the show in June 1992, playing "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone (causing Aresnio to quip, "It's nice to see a Democrat blow something besides the election"). The appearance is often considered an important moment in Clinton's political career, helping build his popularity among minority voters; Clinton went on to win the United States presidential election in November 1992.

Controversial moments

Hall claimed that his decision to have the controversial Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan appear turned affiliates, advertisers and some viewers off the show, which ultimately led to its cancellation.

During a May 1991 taping, Arsenio lost his temper when three or four members of Queer Nation (apparently offended because Hall's producers refused to book Gus Van Sant to promote his gay-themed film My Own Private Idaho) interrupted Hall's opening monologue to ask why he never had any gay guests on his show. (Members of the group were seated in different parts of the audience). The heated exchange went on for several minutes, and Hall lost his temper two or three additional times as the show progressed.

The set

• It had a blue background, blue chairs and sofa and sleekly polished black floor.

• Stage 29 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where Hall's show was taped, was later occupied by Keenen Ivory Wayans' short-lived syndicated late night talk show (1997-98), and is now currently occupied by The Dr. Phil Show. Stage 29 was originally part of the old RKO Gower Studios, prior to being absorbed by larger neighbor Paramount Pictures in 1967. At that time the stage number was 7. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz worked for the first time together on that stage in the 1940 film Too Many Girls. Prior to Paramount acquiring the property, Ball and Arnaz purchased the studio and ran it as "Desilu Gower" from 1957 to 1967.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

• 1993: "Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series", for episode "The 1000th show" — won
• 1990: "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special" — won
• 1990: "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series" — nominated
• 1989: "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special" — nominated
• 1989: "Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series" — nominated
• 1989: "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program" — nominated

NAACP Image Awards

• 1995: "Outstanding Variety Series" — won
• 1993: "Outstanding Variety Series/Special" — won

See also

List of late night network TV programs

• - The Arsenio Hall Show Petition Online