Donny Osmond shared a major milestone to Instagram, a retro video featuring sister Marie Osmond in honor of the duo’s television series. The Donny & Marie Show premiered on the ABC network on January 23, 1976.
At the time of the debut of their variety series, a format of television that was popular in the 1970s, the Osmond brother and sister were 16 and 18 respectively. They were the youngest performers to ever host their own variety show.
In the clip, the siblings were seen in a montage of clips performing the opening theme song of their series. These spanned throughout the show’s three-year run, culminating in 1979.
The tune titled “I’m A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll” was not just the way the entertainers opened each episode, but the tune was also a hit for the brother and sister act on the charts.
Donny remarked to his followers that he “missed” Marie on the anniversary of their show’s debut and recalled some of the series most memorable moments that are treasured by fans, including a pie to the face that became a running gag between the siblings.
The entertainer then asked his followers what some of their best memories of watching the series were. Fans quickly took the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of their childhood as they watched the run of the show.
“Omg! I remember sitting in front of my tv every Friday to watch this show. Loved this show so much. Thanks for the memories!” said one longtime fan of the Osmond family.
“Marie goes through several hairstyle changes; meanwhile Donny changes his how he parts his hair,” joked another fan playfully.
“Watching every Friday night when me & my cousin spent the night with our granny,” recalled a third fan and follower of Donny’s.
The tune, which is featured in the clip, was written by songwriter Marty Cooper, who revealed in an interview with The Tennessean that after being told the songs he wrote were either too country or too rock, he turned the situation into a song.
Cooper recalled in an interview with the publication that music producer Mike Curb, who worked with the Osmond family, called him and asked for permission for the brother and sister singing duo to use it for the pilot of their fledgling variety show.
“They put it in the pilot … selling the show. And it did, and it became the centerpiece of their show,” recalled Cooper to the newspaper.