Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) is a category at the Primetime Emmy Awards. It is awarded annually to the singularly best pre-recorded varietal, musical or comedic special of the year. It was previously presented as Outstanding Variety Special until it was restructured alongside Outstanding Special Class Program for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Kennedy Center Honors has won seven awards, including five consecutive wins from 2009 to 2013. It also won twice for Outstanding Variety Series when the two categories were combined.

Winners and nominations 1950s Year Program Producers Network 1959(11th) Best Special Musical or Variety Program – One Hour or Longer An Evening with Fred Astaire — NBC Art Carney Meets "Peter and the Wolf" — NBC

1960s Year Program Producers Network 1960(12th) Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in Moscow — CBS The Bell Telephone Hour"The Music of George Gershwin" —NBC Hallmark Hall of Fame"The Green Pastures" — Young People's Concerts — CBS 1962(14th) Outstanding Program Achievements in the Fields of Variety and Music – Music Program Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in Japan — CBS The Bell Telephone Hour — NBC NBC Opera — NBC The Thief and the Hangman — ABC 1963(15th) Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall — CBS The Bell Telephone Hour — NBC Judy Garland and Her Guests, Phil Silvers and Robert Goulet — CBS The Lively Ones —NBC NBC Opera — 1964(16th) Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music The Bell Telephone Hour — NBC The Lively Ones — NBC New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein — CBS 1966(18th) Outstanding Musical Program Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music Dwight Hemion, producer NBC The Bell Telephone Hour Barry Wood, executive producer NBC The Bolshoi Ballet Ted Mills, producer Syndicated Color Me Barbra Joe Layton and Dwight Hemion, producersCBS New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein Roger Englander, producer Outstanding Variety Special Chrysler Presents The Bob Hope Christmas Special Bob Hope, executive producer NBC An Evening with Carol Channing Bud Yorkin, producer CBS Jimmy Durante Meets the Lively Arts Alan Handley and Bob Wynn, producers ABC The Julie Andrews Show Alan Handley, producer NBC The Swinging World of Sammy Davis, Jr. Stan Greene, producer Syndicated 1967(19th) Outstanding Musical Program Brigadoon Fielder Cook, producer CBS The Bell Telephone Hour"Toscanini: The Maestro Revisited" Gerald Green, producer NBC Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music – Part II Dwight Hemion, producer CBS Outstanding Variety Special The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special Jack Arnold, producer CBS ABC Stage 67"A Time for Laughter: A Look at Negro Humor in America" Phil Stein, producer ABC Chrysler Presents The Bob Hope Christmas Special Bob Hope, executive producer NBC Dick Van Dyke Jack Donohue and Byron Paul, producers CBS

Outstanding Variety or Musical Program Year Program Producers Network 1968(20th) Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"Pilot" George Schlatter, producer NBC Chrysler Presents The Bob Hope Show Bob Hope, executive producer NET The Fred Astaire Show Fred Astaire and Gil Rodin, producers NBC Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Dwight Hemion and Gary Smith, producers CBS Lincoln Center/Stage 5 Jac Venza, producer NET A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim Robert Scheerer, producer NBC 1969(21st) The Bill Cosby Special Roy Silver, executive producer; Bill Persky, Sam Denoff and Bill Hobin, producers; Bill Cosby, star NBC Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park Robert Scheerer, producer; Barbra Streisand, star CBS Duke Ellington – A Concert of Sacred Music (NET Playhouse) Ralph J. Gleason and Richard Moore, producers; Duke Ellington, star NET Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing Ernest Chambers and Saul Ilson, producers; Frank Sinatra, star CBS The Rite of Spring (NET Festival) Robert Foshko, producer; Zubin Mehta, conductor NET Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Paul Keyes and Carolyn Raskin, producers; Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, stars NBC Vladimir Horowitz: A Television Concert at Carnegie Hall Roger Englander, producer; Vladimir Horowitz, pianist CBS

1970s Year Program Producers Network 1970(22nd) Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Classical Music Cinderella: National Ballet of Canada (NET Festival) Curtis W. Davis, executive producer; Thomas Slevin, producer; Leopold Stokowski, performer PBS S. Hurok Presents James Krayer, executive producer; Roger Englander, producer CBS Sounds of Summer: The Blossom Music Center with Pierre Boulez Craig Gilbert, executive producer; Jack Sameth, producer NET The Switched-On Symphony Pierre Cossette and Burt Sugarman, executive producers; Jack Good, producer NBC Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Variety and Popular Music Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man Joseph Cates, executive producer; Martin Charnin, producer; Anne Bancroft, performer CBS The Friars Club "Roasts" Jack Benny (Kraft Music Hall) Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Jack Benny, performerNBC The Second Bill Cosby Special Roy Silver, executive producer; Bruce Campbell, producer; Bill Cosby, performer Sinatra Frank Sinatra, executive producer/performer; Carolyn Raskin, producer CBS The Sound of Burt Bacharach (Kraft Music Hall) Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Burt Bacharach, performer NBC 1971(23rd) Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Classical Music Leopold Stokowski (NET Festival) Curtis W. Davis, executive producer; Thomas Slevin, producer; Leopold Stokowski, performer PBS Swan Lake (NET Fanfare) John Barnes and Curtis W. Davis, executive producers; Norman Campbell, producerPBS The Queen of Spades (NET Opera Theatre) Peter Herman Adler, producer Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Variety and Popular Music Singer Presents Burt Bacharach Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Burt Bacharach, performer CBS Another Evening with Burt Bacharach Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Burt Bacharach, performer NBC Harry and Lena Chiz Schultz, producer; Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne, performers ABC 1972(24th) Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Classical Music Bernstein on Beethoven: A Celebration in Vienna James Krayer, executive producer; Humphrey Burton, producer; Leonard Bernstein, performer CBS Heifetz Bell System Family Theatre Lester Shurr, executive producer; Paul Louis, producer; Jascha Heifetz, performerNBC The Peking Ballet: First Spectacular from China Lucy Jarvis, producer The Trial of Mary Lincoln (NET Opera Theatre) Peter Herman Adler, executive producer; Peter Griffiths, producer PBS Outstanding Variety or Musical Program – Variety and Popular Music Jack Lemmon in 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin Joseph Cates, executive producer; Martin Charnin, producer; Jack Lemmon, performer NBC The Flip Wilson Show"Sammy Davis, Jr., Lily Tomlin and Ed McMahon" Monte Kay, executive producer; Bob Henry, producer; Flip Wilson, performer NBC Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center Joe Hamilton, producer; Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett, performers CBS The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour"Tony Randall and Honey Cone" Allan Blye and Chris Bearde, producers; Sonny Bono and Cher, performers 1973(25th) Outstanding Single Program – Variety and Popular Music Liza with a Z Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb, producers; Liza Minnelli, performer NBC Applause Alexander H. Cohen, executive producer; Joseph Kipness, Lawrence Kasha and Richard M. Rosenbloom, producersCBS Once Upon a Mattress Joe Hamilton, producer 1974(26th) Outstanding Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special Lily Irene Pinn, executive producer; Jerry McPhie and Herbert Sargent, producers; Lily Tomlin, performer CBS Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments Martin Erlichman, executive producer; Gary Smith, Dwight Hemion and Joe Layton, producers; Barbra Streisand, performer CBS The John Denver Show Jerry Weintraub, executive producer; Al Rogers and Rich Eustis, producers; John Denver, performer ABC Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra Howard W. Koch, producer; Frank Sinatra, performer NBC

Outstanding Special – Comedy, Variety or Music Year Program Producers Network 1975(27th) An Evening with John Denver Jerry Weintraub, executive producer; Al Rogers and Rich Eustis, producers; John Denver, performer ABC Lily Irene Pinn, executive producer; Jane Wagner and Lorne Michaels, producers; Lily Tomlin, performer ABC Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now Bob Wells, producer; Shirley MacLaine, performer CBS 1976(28th) Gypsy in My Soul William O. Harbach, executive producer; Cy Coleman and Fred Ebb, producers; Shirley MacLaine, performer CBS John Denver: Rocky Mountain Christmas Jerry Weintraub, executive producer; Al Rogers and Rich Eustis, producers; John Denver, performer CBS Lily Tomlin Irene Pinn, executive producer; Jane Wagner and Lorne Michaels, producers; Lily Tomlin, performerABC The Monty Python Show: Wide World Special Ian MacNaughton, producer Steve and Eydie: "Our Love Is Here to Stay" Gary Smith, executive producer; Dwight Hemion, producer; Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, performers CBS 1977(29th) The Barry Manilow Special Miles Lourie, executive producer; Steve Binder, producer; Barry Manilow, performer ABC Doug Henning's World of Magic Jerry Goldstein, executive producer; Walter C. Miller, producer; Doug Henning, performerNBC The Neil Diamond Special Jerry Weintraub, executive producer; Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Neil Diamond, performer The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here? George Schlatter, producer; Shirley MacLaine, performerCBS Sills and Burnett at the Met Joe Hamilton, producer; Beverly Sills and Carol Burnett, performers 1978(30th) Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back Aaron Russo, executive producer; Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, producers; Bette Midler, performer NBC Doug Henning's World of Magic Jerry Goldstein, executive producer; Walter C. Miller, producer; Doug Henning, performer NBC The George Burns One-Man Show Irving Fein, executive producer; Stan Harris, producer; George Burns, performer CBS Neil Diamond: I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight Jerry Weintraub, executive producer; Art Fisher, producer; Neil Diamond, performer NBC The Second Barry Manilow Special Miles Lourie, executive producer; Ernest Chambers, producer; Barry Manilow, producer/performer ABC

From 1979 to 1989, the category was combined as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program.

1990s Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special Year Program Producers Network 1990(42nd) Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration George Schlatter, producer; Jeff Margolis, Buz Kohan, Gary Necessary and Maria S. Schlatter, co-producers ABC The 62nd Annual Academy Awards Gilbert Cates, producer ABC Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow Billy Crystal and David Steinberg, executive producers; Robert Dalrymple, producer; Carmi Zlotnik, co-producer; Jay Roewe, line producer HBO The 43rd Annual Tony Awards Don Mischer, executive producer; David J. Goldberg, producer CBS The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show Jerry Belson, James L. Brooks, Heide Perlman and Sam Simon, executive producers; Marc Flanagan, supervising producer; Richard Sakai, Ted Bessell and Dinah Kirgo, producers; Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, co-producers Fox

In 1991, the category was combined as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program (Special) Year Program Producers Network 1992(44th) Cirque Du Soleil II: A New Expérience Hélène Dufresne, producer HBO Comic Relief V John Moffitt, Pat Tourk Lee and Bob Zmuda, executive producers HBO Unforgettable, with Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat King Cole (Great Performances) Dan Cleary and Jac Venza, executive producers; David Horn, producer; John Walker, coordinating producer PBS

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special