George Schlatter Documentary Hits Digital Stores Dec. 8

A documentary about George Schlatter, the 96-year-old television producer behind Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, becomes available on digital platforms on Dec. 8. The film is titled Sock It To Me: The Legend of George Schlatter. Freestyle Digital Media, a unit of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, holds the North American video-on-demand rights to the project.

The movie uses archival footage and new interviews to examine Schlatter's seven-decade career. It details how he created Laugh-In, the NBC comedy variety show that premiered in 1968. That program launched the careers of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin. It also helped pave the way for late-night shows like Saturday Night Live. Schlatter later created and produced the NBC reality series Real People in 1979. An 18-year-old Byron Allen served as a regular co-host on that show.

The cast of interviewees includes Hawn, Tomlin, Tom Hanks, Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Lionel Richie, Lisa Ann Walter, Berry Gordy, and Allen. Chris Coronado wrote and directed the film. He has served as creative director at George Schlatter Productions since 2016. Greg Myers and Dayna Winston produced the project alongside Coronado.

Schlatter said in a statement that friends urged him to write an autobiography for years. He preferred someone else to handle the task. "They then explained to me that it wouldn't be an autobiography, so here we are," he said. He called the deal with Allen's company a "full circle moment." "You bet your sweet bippy I'm excited for audiences to see it and remind them of the power of laughter!" Schlatter added. Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the acquisition directly with the filmmakers and George Schlatter Productions.