There’s plenty to be thankful for this week – family, friends, food and the ever-beloved four-day weekend! More than that, however, there’s the revival of one of America’s most cherished traditions: the variety show!

Three high-profile entertainers have recently thrown their weight behind rejuvenating the genre and will host their own television specials featuring music, laughs and all sorts of hijinks. First there’s Rosie O’Donnell’s NBC show, “Rosie Live,” which airs Wednesday and may help launch a new six-episode series for the former "View" co-host. Then, on Friday, Ellen DeGeneres offers “Ellen’s Even Bigger Really Big Show” over on TBS, a sequel to last year’s “Really Big Show.” That event will include a magician, as well as performers from around the country. Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert tried his hand at the variety genre during his Christmas special, which aired last weekend, and included performances from Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson.

The variety show once held a special place in America’s collective heart, and the 1970s were filled with stars that brought a potpourri of entertainment to the masses. Things died down in the ’80s and ’90s, however, so some of you may be scratching your heads over this recent resurgence.

Fox network executive Kevin Reilly points to the “anything goes” aspect of the shows, which audiences may be yearning for after years of “reality” television that came across as well-plotted serials. O’Donnell, meanwhile, cites the current economic upheaval as setting the proverbial scene:

Variety shows were a big hit in the ’70s when the economy was, you know, in the crapper and gasoline was scarce, and people’s belief in the political system was shaken.

The economy has made it so that people are staying home more and, you know, sadly unable to go out. And to give people an hour to forget about their troubles, to have an hour of fun, laughter and singing and dancing, no politics, no arguing, no talking about controversial things. That to me I think is needed now.

We couldn’t agree more, and this recent resurgence recalls fond memories of variety shows past. Thus, we’ve collected some great clips from the likes of Carol Burnett, Andy Williams, Dolly Parton and a host of other televisual legends.