...but I found out much later on that the show was primarily the brainchild of CBS programming executive Fred Silverman, who made his mark creating "blockbuster" Saturday morning schedules for CBS from the mid-'60s through the mid-'70s, with the inclusion of "SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU?", the various "ARCHIE" series, and his famous "all-superhero" line-up from 1966 through '68. Here, Silverman thought he could cross-promote several "second-string" CBS stars directly to kids by having them interact with Scooby and the gang....including Sandy Duncan (who had her own brief sitcom on the network's 1972 Fall schedule), Sonny & Cher (the stars of the network's "SONNY & CHER COMEDY HOUR"), Dick Van Dyke ("THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE SHOW"), Tim Conway (a regular guest star on "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW" back then), Jerry Reed (host of a 1972 summer musical variety series, "THE JERRY REED 'WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT' HOUR"), and various "celebrities" like Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters, Don Adams, Davy Jones, "Mama" Cass Elliott, et. al. Of course, Silverman always kept his eye on his "first love", the Saturday morning schedule, by reminding viewers about several of Hanna-Barbera's other cartoon "stars" on the same schedule by having
them appear as "guest stars"- "THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS", "THE THREE STOOGES", "JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS", "JEANNIE", and "SPEED BUGGY".
And that was what Fred Silverman mastered in prime-time; he made sure "THE SONNY & CHER COMEDY HOUR" and "TONY ORLANDO & DAWN" were booked with as many CBS "guest stars" as possible. He
loved the idea of using someone else's show to promote his other "stars"....
