Whenever Andy Kaufman appeared on television it was an event - and his 1981 appearance on The Midnight Special was no exception. In fact, it was so memorable that the entire episode was released on DVD a few years back (the only such episode of Midnight Special to get such recognition).
Midnight Special was a weekly contemporary music show that aired on NBC - Fridays after The Tonight Show. The acts were recorded live, but the show was taped, and had that "70's variety show" feel to it. Still, the show was often quite good and highly regarded. It was canceled not long after this episode aired to make room for SCTV.
Keep in mind that when this originally aired, a lot of regular viewers still didn't know what to make of Andy Kaufman and his act. We now know that "Bob" in the Tony Clifton sketch is Bob Zmuda - Kaufman's comedy partner. We didn't know it then, and the Clifton performance just seemed totally bizarre and out of control.
Part One is here, Part Two is here. Enjoy!
