tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68327079436410069172024-03-15T18:09:27.863-07:00Boomer Bustor How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pastscooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-8852447172300538702023-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:002023-12-07T16:24:29.262-08:00NORMAN LEARFellow age-adjacent boomer Jimmy Kimmel did our nation a great service by paying
tribute to Norman Lear. Fortunately, Mr. Lear lived to 101 years of age allowing
him to participate in re-stagings of some of his best sitcom episodes. It was
strange to witness the resurgence of interest in this as it made clear how his
works had been sort of lost in the downtime of changing cultural tastes and
priorities. That aside, Norman Lear made me a better person. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWYyCymlASJJE4no4AInc1p2YZ_MWCyamKOR_2YJNuPrQ8sOA3aRjMKb1mGHSKJI0Fql3tijy2cjESrt3rlN3b7exSR1ke3RndF2xGfNPXWV0OOzZj5wU37c-LTq4kSQszN2YtYk0ROyr_nBjNxth-OkfZDzSgzd_oNig85OE7T0ylHT0pJObNNpRLeQ/s800/408802609_10161728714191162_7440286347888663322_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWYyCymlASJJE4no4AInc1p2YZ_MWCyamKOR_2YJNuPrQ8sOA3aRjMKb1mGHSKJI0Fql3tijy2cjESrt3rlN3b7exSR1ke3RndF2xGfNPXWV0OOzZj5wU37c-LTq4kSQszN2YtYk0ROyr_nBjNxth-OkfZDzSgzd_oNig85OE7T0ylHT0pJObNNpRLeQ/w200-h191/408802609_10161728714191162_7440286347888663322_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Lear, like my older
parents, was part of the greatest generation. However, he differed from so many
of his veteran peers in San Antonio (Military City USA) based on his
uber-liberal stances. As a result, this only child barricaded himself in his
bedroom awash in a world brought to me with a live audience from CBS Studio
City. (Carol Burnett was always available however in the main living room TV.) I
was able to express to Mr. Lear—when I met him ten years ago in Austin—how the
Archie Bunker/Meathead mirrored my relationship with my father. In a more south
Texas upper middle-class waspish way. Of course, it was inspired by Lear and his
father, in a New York, lower middle-class Jewish household. As I aged, the shock
and awe of the televised fireworks of liberal Mike and conservative Archie—decades from the initial jolt, bad language, and all—mellowed into an
understanding of the true themes borne of the dynamics of the father and son.
This was never so apparent as in the episode where Archie and Mike get drunk
together in a locked storeroom. My emotional reactions were verified when Lear
himself proclaimed this his favorite episode as he teared up rewatching it in a
documentary of his life. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is no doubt of the historical significance of
Lear’s revolution in content and style of television sitcoms. And there is no
doubt that his intentions were pure and noble. I recently read a book called <i>The Rube Tube </i>(regarding the trees being cut town in CBS sitcoms)<i> </i>which reiterated the complicated fact that “All in the Family” was
the number one rated program for five years because half the audience related to
Bunker’s racist malapropisms. They thought he spoke their language and didn’t
get the satire. That makes sense. The book went scarily farther in positing that
higher ups at the networks anticipated this and therefore welcomed the idea of a
bigot who was cuddly and had moments of humanity. So, in some ways the strategy
mirrored our current times when far-right zealots can be coddled as a, well,
demographic. Another complication with Lear’s programs revolves around
stereotypes. Once again, the producer’s intentions are laudable for giving voice
and character to marginalized communities. However, the buffoonery exhibited by
JJ Evans or Grady Wilson or Aunt Esther seems rather a throwback to Amos n Andy
days. The gay characters were often overly foppish. (Ironically, a cartoon
version of All in the Family created by Hanna-Barbera, “Wait Til Your Father
Gets Home, ”frighteningly follows this to an animated extreme.) Regardless of
Lear’s newfound revival, it is rather odd to witness the un-pc element of his
work.</div><div><br /></div><div> One thing Lear did that got lost in our social evolution is the ability to
satirize in an equal manner though. Not by degrading characterizations but by
human frailty common to all. Fred Sanford and George Jefferson were as
homophobic and xenophobic as Bunker was. And this is what sets the 70’s work
apart from sterile complication-free attempts at racial conciliation that have
resulted from a backlash against nuance. </div><div><br /></div><div>There were three styles in sitcoms in
the 70s. three-camera setups in front of a studio audience were the new norm.
Norman Lear was the first to use videotape, promoting more artificial lighting
and set design. This left the viewer feeling as if at a stage play. The acting
could tend to be broader, the dramatic interludes more melodramatic. And when
Lear’s partner Bud Yorkin show-ran NBC’s “Sanford and Son,” the audience
applause at each actor’s entrance added to the artificiality. The flip side were
the Mary Tyler Moore/Grant Tinker series. Shot on film, the studio audience
rarely gasped at shocks or shrieked at catchphrases. The acting was way more
subtle and subdued. And Garry Marshall’s output—despite the quality format, also
film with musical intertitles and transitions (like MTM)—catered to a younger
audience and took studio audience interactions to almost grotesque levels from
Fonzie to Mork. All three of these were part of the fabric of my life. The
sounds, music, “feel” of these are as comforting as a quilt blanket on a cold
morning.</div><div><br /></div><div> The “live” feeling of Lear’s shows gave it an immediacy which I
appreciated so much as a media-hungry kid. Especially pre-1975 when CBS Studio
City was home to most of the TAT shows. When Mr. Lear moved all to the
Metromedia Square-for no reason I can imagine-the feel was different. Of
course, “Sanford and Son” was taped at NBC studios giving it as much of that
essence—right next door to Johnny Carson. Norman Lear dealt with serious topics
unlike any other sitcom (even to this day.) When an MTM show had a serious
moment there was always a beat of comedy to bring the audience back. Most times,
Lear’s comedies would linger on those moments without any levity and the shows
rarely age well, coming across as a Sunday morning episode of “Insight”
(probably the most obscure reference I could throw out). One of my favorite
episodes of AITF depicts the Bunkers having a draft dodger at Christmas dinner.
That episode was near perfect in the mixture of human drama and human comedy.
That was sadly rare.
“Sanford and Son” had very little input from Lear and was
pretty much a vaudeville show with all serious issues thrown out for a laugh. </div><div><br /></div><div> Lear was also involved in motion pictures and directed “Cold Turkey”
with Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart (both still with us) is an almost cruel but
effective satire a bit ahead of its time but still at the right time. He also
hosted an episode of SNL during its premiere season. Allow me to
touch a bit on Lear’s shows individually and their personal impact.<div><br /></div><div><b> “All in the
Family</b>” is a masterpiece for the reasons cited above and a huge influence of my
life. My father was savvy enough to avoid the show for its bitter ironies
hitting too close to home. Thank God I had a TV set in my room. When the “kids”
moved next door and baby Joey was born, the show took a hit in audience and
direction (John Rich left by then to launch "Barney Miller.) By the final
season-- Fonzie and Vinnie Barbarino were taking the oxygen out of the sitcom
room, MTM was history—the Bunkers and Stivics flew out with an Emmy winning
season of quality stories and acting. Then star Carroll O’Connor took over,
making archie an even more loveable bigot. They adopt a niece then Archie buys
the bar then Edith passes then Archie has a houseful of young women and becomes
a sage for all the disenfranchised and remains the ignorant small-minded oaf
with his beer drinking buddies. O’Connor also chose to screen pre-taped shows in
front of a studio audience lessening the timing of the, horribly evolved overacting. Four
years later, at the end of “Archie Bunker’s Place” Bunker and his minions were
simply “urban Mayberry.” And then Gloria is spun off in a show where she works
for a vet in the country. Oh, well. <div><br /></div><div><b>“Sanford and Son,</b> like AITF is a surefire
provider of laughs. Most of the acting provided by star Redd Foxx’s buddies from
extra-blue nightclub routines was rough but still hilarious. Foxx himself
provided one of the best characters on TV, rivaling O’Connor’s crotchety
middle-aged counterpart. Show runner Aaron Ruben ("Gomer Pyle") allowed the show
to rely on pratfalls rather than shocks. Daily stripping on NBC’s morning
schedule inured me to the show by exposure adding to the Friday night
appointment viewing until 1977. Foxx tried to bring back Sanford to no audience
in the early 80s. Fred Sanford and Archie Bunker both unfortunately hung around
a bit too long. </div><div><br /></div><div>“<b>Maude.” </b>My mom told me how everyone at her office talked about
it in its first season. Even more controversial that AITF. Bea Arthur’s
portrayal of Edith’s cousin in and episode at the Bunker household was so
well-received that it led to another Lear hit. Once again nuance was key. Based
on Lear’s wife, Maude was a crusading liberal but showed a philosophical
hypocrisy when overplaying her hand trying to be the “good one.” The scripts
were sharp, but the show was Arthur’s. Her characterization and comic timing were
superb. The theatricality was at a high level with many Broadway actors rounding
out the cast. The upper middle class white life here (which included a bigoted
doctor) was a good representation of the cocktail club swingers—drinks always
flowing. Sex was a hot topic along with alcoholism and spousal abuse and the big
one, abortion. After the ratings fell, Maude was going to continue in more of a
political comedy as she goes to Washington, but she quit, and the format changed
many times ending up as a summer show about a college campus. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>“Good Times.</b>”
Lear’s first spinoff of a spinoff. Esther Rolle, as Maude’s housekeeper was
quickly whisked off to Chicago in her own show. Created by Mike Evans, who
played Lionel on AITF, this series was to show life in the ghetto. Much like the
Bunkers, how does this family deal with the struggles of modern life—this time
as a Black family struggling to get by. Once again, this show was part of my
life, but in hindsight the drama and comedy mix uncomfortably. When Fonzie
started besting the Evans in the ratings, the producers—mostly white—decided to
elevate son JJ (comic Jimmie Walker) into a catchphrase superstar to rival the
ABC icons. Evans and his people left the show, there were cast defections (John
Amos’s father was killed off, Esther Rolle left and came back.) and the mostly
older, white showrunners completely lost touch with what the show was about. The
three kids became the constants, but extraneous situations and characters just
hurt the show as it stumbled into its final season with story wrap-ups that were
as far from reality as the Garry Marshal oeuvre. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>“The Jeffersons.”</b> Once again,
lear was toying with genres. Here, he took the “Beverly Hillbillies” and molded
it into a socio-political experiment. As the Bunker’s neighbors “moved on up,”
the show started with great biting comedy: George and Louise adapting to the
white high-rise snobs; the hilarious alcoholic Mother Jefferson; George’s
reactions to their best friends, the mixed-race couple—never acknowledged as one
of Lear’s greatest triumphs. And one of the reasons for that is that the show
lasted way to long. In the late seventies, the show lost in the ratings. It was
saved by being rescheduled in the hit post-60 minutes Sunday night comedy lineup
with other past-their-prime Lear shows. The satire was gone and for five years
into the eighties, the show continued miraculously to high ratings and renewed
fandom. “The Jeffersons” had become “little” George and “fat” Tom Willis doing Laurel and Hardy routines and Louise and Helen Willis performing Lucy and Ethel
antics. With a celebrity guest stars and an occasional sobering moment.
Nicholl-Ross-West, the show runners who started as writers on the Bunker’s best
episodes let this show tank. Their other show was “Three’s Company.” There you
go. The same thing happened on non-Lear "Alice" which by 1985 was unwatchable.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>“One Day at a Time.</b>” Being the same age as the Cooper girls made this show
very relevant and eye-opening for my sheltered existence as a kid during the
wild 70s. As this show was revived recently to high acclaim, the original
rivalled "Good Times" in its didactic dramatic moments. Bonnie Franklin’s divorced mom Ann
was often overly theatric and it telegraphed horribly. Pat Harrington’s Schneider seemed unbelievable and out of time. Perhaps the best comedy came from
Valerie Bertinelli, who along with Franklin and Harrington stayed through the
entire run. Her chops were sadly overlooked. Episodes are enjoyed in a nostalgic
way, much like a PG13 rated "Brady Bunch." I often wonder if this show would have
made it had it not been slotted after "M*A*S*H" for many years. And then it moves
to the super Sunday schedule (see above) and it becomes the “My Three Sons” of
the eighties with births, deaths, grandmas, adoptions, more births, weddings,
divorces, college comedy, musical shows all with the out of place Schneider
always around. This show was never laugh out loud funny to me but became even
less so. </div><div><br /></div><div>“<b>Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.</b>” Lear’s lampooning of consumer culture
through a spoof soap opera was historic. This daily show has been analyzed ad
infinitum. I recently watched the entire year and a half of episodes. It got
tiresome. When I first watched episodes in the 70s before the local affiliate
cancelled it due to the content, it seemed otherworldly without a studio
audience. Are you supposed to laugh here or not? The show was a mindf… to put it
lightly. In hindsight, I can see how this show was an early “stoner” classic.
Lines were flubbed, timing was off. Of course, the shooting schedule was
horrific and star Louise Lasser had substance abuse issues of her own. Mary Kay
Place came out as a star even with a singing career as her character Loretta.
Dabney Coleman, Doris Roberts, James Cromwell, and Martin Mull all passed through.
Some characters stayed on until their usefulness passed and it felt like
storylines were forced out of desperation. I would agree with co-creator Ann
Marcus in that Dody Goodman’s Martha wore out her welcome by the end of the
first season. But like all of Lear’s landmark creations, history was made in the
world of television. And that’s what is important. </div><div><br /></div><div>As much of a hit maker as
lear was, he created a few that didn’t make it:</div><div><b>“Hot l Baltimore”</b>. ABC needed to
redeem itself for turning down the Bunkers originally by programming this
series based on a racy stage play. Bringing back the opening warnings about
content that AITF had, the show delved into pretty much all taboo subjects. ABC
wasn’t the one by then though sadly. James Cromwell, Conchata Farrell, Richard
Masur, Charlotte Rae and other Lear favorites rounded out the huge cast. </div><div><b>“The
Dumplings”</b> NBC attempted to give Lear a platform to examine overweight
people…another marginalized community. And make them lovable, in love, cuddly
deli owners on Wall Street. Great theme song, overly stagy series. </div><div><b>“Nancy Walker
Show”</b> After Nancy Walker, doing everything in the seventies, left “Rhoda” ABC
signed her up for her own show and got lear behind it. Moving from the east
coast landscapes to Hollywood gave him a chance to lampoon another part of the
country. Walker played a talent agent. Her assistant was one of the first
regular gay characters in a sitcom. The show failed and Garry Marshall picked
her up for the abrupt "Happy Days" semi-spin of “Blansky’s Beauties” set in Las Vegas.
The next year she was back on MTM’s "Rhoda."</div><div><b> “All’s Fair” </b>this was one of Lear’s
most prophetic series. Paired with "Maude" on Monday nights, this one starred
Richard Crenna and Bernadette Peters and two Washington DC players of different
ages and political beliefs falling in love. This became common schtick in
political wonk porn years later. It did last a full season. </div><div><b>“Fernwood 2-Night”</b>
was the summer replacement for Mary Hartman. It was a talk show spoof with
Martin Mull and Fred Willard. Hard to find but some of the most subversive stuff
Mr. Lear ever did. </div><div><b>“A Year At the Top’.</b> This summer series was strange. Paul
Schaffer and Greg Evigan played to aspiring musicians who sell their soul to the
devil (played comically by Gabe Dell) to make it in the biz. Don Kirschner also
was involved. I’m not kidding.</div><div><b> “All That Glitters.</b>” Here, Lear tried to copy the
syndicated serial format of Mary Hartman with the story of a business world run
by women. Men were sex objects. Interesting concept that just didn’t work.</div><div><b>“In
the Beginning”</b> McLean Stevenson left "MASH", and like Nancy Walker couldn’t find a
home. He landed with lear on his second post-Henry Blake journey as a Catholic
priest in an inner-city mission with a feisty young liberal nun. Three weeks.</div><div><b> “Apple Pie”</b> Lear took Rue Mclanahan (from cancelled Maude) and Dabney Coleman
(from Mary Hartman) and placed them in the depression years. Somehow ABC thought
this concept would blend in with their all-new T and A schedule but, three
weeks, was it? </div><div><b>“Hanging In”</b> This was the fallout from the ever-evolving home for
the detritus left from Maude’s political career after Bea Arthur called it
quits. Just google it to find the history, it’s quite interesting and once again
calls into question the characterization of African Americans in Lear’s sitcom
world. </div><div><b>“The Baxters”.</b> Lear took a local concept and nationalized it. Basically,
a sitcom family deals with an issue and a studio audience talks about it. </div><div><b>“AKA
Pablo</b>” Lear’s comeback in 1984. Paul Rodriguez is Latino comic dealing with his
traditional family. A little late, as James Komack checked that history making box with "Chico and the Man."</div><div><b>“Sunday Dinner.”</b> Robert
Loggia played the widower dad and his daughter (Teri Hatcher) spoke with God. </div><div><b>“Powers That Be</b>”. The political satire that lear was meant to make in the 70s. a
brilliant cast: John Forsythe, Holland Taylor, David Hyde Pierce, Peter
McNichol, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt. One of Lear’s funniest and the first Lear show
my dad watched. Did I mention it was during the Clinton years?</div><div><b>“704 Hauser Street” </b>John Amos never gave up on Norman Lear after a
history of disagreements. Here he is a traditionally liberal blue collar African
American man living in the post-Bunker Queens house. In another prescient twist his son is a
Rush Limbaugh follower married to a white woman (Maura Tierney). This one had
promise but it was the age of Seinfeld and Friends.</div><div><br /></div><div> I rarely think of “Diff’rent
Strokes” and “Facts of Life” and McLean Stevenson’s third failed attempt at
revival “Hello, Larry” as Lear shows. They were produced by his company, but the
quality of these shows paled in comparison even to the tired drawn out exits of
his past hits. </div><div><br /></div><div> But Norman Lear is a true patriot, a great American, a brilliant
satirist and changed my life!! Thanks, and RIP.
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</div></div></div>scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-26303496653933829262023-07-02T18:12:00.004-07:002023-07-02T18:40:16.225-07:00Years of Change
1968-1973:
This pack of years was a game changer. I was five years old in ’68, just starting school. In fall 68 I started a “preschool,” a precursor to first grade. Lanark daycare in san Antonio. This was the year I slightly remember what I saw on TV. Mostly Saturday morning…banana splits, wacky races, roadrunner—cbs and nbc were my go tos. On prime time my Mom had laugh-in on a lot. I remember Jackie gleason, mayberry rfd, here’s lucy, gunsmoke, mission impossible, hogan’s heroes,Julia, green acres, carol burnett, mannix, family affair, my three sons—reruns of I love lucy, gilligan’s island, the flintstones, bullwinkle, andy Griffith. Eventually ABC would get turned on with bewitched, love American style, mod squad, room 222 and incredible Saturday morning fare. That continued with the krofft trifecta: pufnstuf, bugaloos and lidsville; all the filmation archie shows, rankin bass musical group cartoons, lancelot link, the double-deckers, pink panther, scooby doo, harlem globetrotters etc etc.
OK, that being said what was going on? Oh 1968—assassinations, riots, Vietnam, protests and a full-on counterculture movement. With the exception of the smothers brothers—soon to be yanked—tv was pretty sterile. And then 1969—well documented with the manson murders. Stuff of legend. So right after manson that fall we got: scooby doo, sesame street, brady bunch and marcus welby.
The next three years brought mary tyler moore, all in the family, Sanford and son, the waltons, flip Wilson, partridge family, odd couple, fat albert, bob newhart, MASH, columbo and the Saturday superstar movie and, uh, watergate.
So what’s my point? If you watch the historical upheavals during this time—politically, culturally, psychologically—and see the incredible change in the tenor of TV programming, you can see what is probably the hugest shift in the mores of our nation. What we talke about, what we see, how we talk about it and how we see it.
Chuck barris, working for the cia, created newlywed game and dating game….highly suggestive fare for the time (pre match game). Hollywood squares was not necessarily kiddie-fare.
Ive just been discussing tv. 69’s watershed moment was midnight cowboy, the first mainstream x rated film. 1967 started it: bonnie and clyde, the graduate, in the heat of the night and the spaghetti westerns. Then we had easy rider, bob & carol & ted & alice, Barbarella, wild bunch, kelly’s heroes, patton, the producers, M*A*S*H, carnal knowledge, five easy pieces, shaft, the candidate, butch Cassidy, medium cool, deliverance, mccabe and mrs. miller, dirty harry, billy jack, little big man, rosemary’s baby, planet of the apes,
Love story, clockwork orange, last picture show, French connection, 2001, Poseidon adventure, funny girl, the godfather and all those woody allen classics. And a tv movie called duel.
This looks like a list…it is. I’m trying to paint the time. While I was ensconsed in tv…there was a revolution going on in film. But as those five years progressed, tv became quality, daring and a bit dangerous while film was breaking down the walls. And it was in the air. I was a kid, but I felt it. It was very visceral.
This is how media is history.
scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-39521229715970075062022-04-15T18:41:00.001-07:002022-04-15T18:41:28.047-07:00Betty White
If you are reading this, then there is no need to do a bio on Betty White. I am simply going to talk about my history with this incredible individual.
All I knew was that my Mom loved her. In the early seventies she would talk about how in love she was with Allen Ludden. And I would see Betty on all of her game show appearances: Password, Tattletales, Match Game. She even hosted one in the late seventies called “The Better Sex.” And Mom also watched her on “The Pet Set.” Betty’s love of animals was encapsulated by this charming syndicated program.
But neither Mom nor Dad watched Mary Tyler Moore. It was on Saturday night’s and they went out. Dad would have hated the show anyway. Mary and Grant Tinker were friends with White and Ludden. When they needed to create the character of Sue Ann, they wanted someone like Betty. Sardonic and sweet. Well, they went with the real thing and two Emmys later Betty’s acting career was reborn.
After the brilliant finale of MTM, Betty teamed with Georgia Engel in “Betty White Show,” which had her playing an actress starring in a police woman style action show. The director of the series was her ex-husband played by John Hillerman. This led to some acerbic banter that by now was trademarked by White. However, paired with the declining “Maude” it lasted half a season.
Years passed and she continued on game shows, variety shows (the Carol Burnett episode with Steve Martin was great) and TV movies. When NBC decided to reboot Mama’s Family, Betty was a regular along with Rue McLanahan.
Two years later, Betty and Rue got the parts of Blanche and Rose respectively. Rue was to channel to vacant Vivian from her work with Bea Arthur in “Maude.” Well, the producers got smart and switched the roles leading to two of the most iconic casting decisions in sitcom history. And if things weren’t strange enough….they worked with Maude herself, Bea Arthur.
By this time, Mom was watching MTM reruns. She and Dad loved to watched Golden Girls on Saturday Night. That and Murder She Wrote. The night Betty won an Emmy for Best Actress in Comedy…I was enchanted. As I was studying acting at the time I realized that this woman…who I considered a “personality, game show panelist, talk show guest”…was actually one of the finest thespians on the tube. Why? If you watch Rose and watch Sue Ann you completely BELIEVE each character. There is no Betty White “type” anymore. That, my friends, is acting. Think about it.
So I shared my Mom’s joy when Betty became a movie star, an icon. I never thought this would happen in the age of youth above all. You see, Betty and my Mom were the same age. And Betty reminded me of Mom…Mom is a cross between Rose and Sue Ann….so as I witnessed Betty’s rise in pop culture, I was also experiencing my Mom’s decline in cognition and health. So in a way, Betty was keeping my Mom alive in spirit. I could still show her a picture of White and Mom would say…”Betty!”
When Betty’s one time cameo on “Hot in Cleveland” became a regular role, I was even more excited. Even her character in that series had some of my Mom.
Just like my Mom’s sister, Betty passed weeks from turning 100. My Mom is still going strong and I will pull up a Youtube video of Betty and watch my Mom smile.
When Betty hosted SNL….which I felt lost golden opportunities for the sake of cheap dirty jokes….she mentioned she was an “LA girl.” That may have been why she feuded with Bea Arthur. Betty didn’t get on well with divas. I wonder if that’s because she was a diva herself. But when one looks at her long history in TV…actually quite historic as a woman…one can wonder why she and Lucille Ball were hardly in the same room. When one looks at her track record Lucy almost seems like an afterthought. Sure, that’s sacriligous to say but Betty’s gumption was pretty damn impressive. She was either extremely humble or just that damn talented. One wonders what would have happened if her acting in the 60’s hadn’t been relegated to a role in Preminger’s “Advise and Consent” and one episode of “Petticoat Junction.” We’ll never know.
Betty, thanks for being a friend. From Mom and me both.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC3iQg1zqPCsPbe6jeQjC1iTySKKfEBXEpFOrr0po0nMZKtEBuG3SBQdyt5diLj5zJZV5brqgdY9T0xQ_FNx0U9VWo5k9jQi0VfCwxyDL8waP5gCfD8QRJkibj14ZTE24jq_mPk9_Z0F-7H8vuAy82MSb-R9b3LWdt6HIc9BCRaKhOoQDPxQreZ6q/s259/images.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC3iQg1zqPCsPbe6jeQjC1iTySKKfEBXEpFOrr0po0nMZKtEBuG3SBQdyt5diLj5zJZV5brqgdY9T0xQ_FNx0U9VWo5k9jQi0VfCwxyDL8waP5gCfD8QRJkibj14ZTE24jq_mPk9_Z0F-7H8vuAy82MSb-R9b3LWdt6HIc9BCRaKhOoQDPxQreZ6q/s400/images.jpg"/></a></div>scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-18051529139247213192021-06-24T17:57:00.004-07:002021-06-24T18:03:52.175-07:00ABC in the 1970s<p> Just For Fun for Boomers. I tried to compile a list of every show of note from ABC from the 1970-1980 seasons. News, game shows, prime time, soaps, variety, Saturday morning, talk etc. Some of the blips were left out. Back when there were only three major networks, each channel had a certain style and feel. ABC started out as number three and then with Fred Silverman at his brief helm, launched a juggernaut in the last half of the decade. Enjoy the list!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An Asterix represents a series that premiered in the 1979-1980 season.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Afterschool Special</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Evening News </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> (Harry Reasoner/Howard K. Smith/Barbara Walters)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Monday Night Football</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Movie of the Week</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Weekend Special</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC Wide World of Sports</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">ABC World News Tonight</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Alias Smith and Jones</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All My Children</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Almost Anything Goes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">AM America</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">American Bandstand</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Angie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Associates*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Baretta</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Barbara Walters Specials</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Barbary Coast</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Barney Miller</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Battle of the Network Stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Battlestar Galactica</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Benson*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Better Sex</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bewitched</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bionic Woman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Brady Bunch</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Brady Bunch Hour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Brady Kids (animated)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bugs Bunny Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Bullwinkle Show (reruns)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Captain and Tenille</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Carter Country</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Challenge of the Superfriends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Courtship of Eddie’s Father</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Curiosity Shop</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dan August</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dark Shadows</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dating Game</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Delta House</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Devlin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dick Cavett Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Don Ho Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Donny and Marie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Eight is Enough</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The FBI</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Family Feud</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fangface</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fantasy Island</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Feather and Father Gang</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Funky Phantom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Galactica: 1980*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">General Hospital</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Get Christie Love</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Getting Together (Bobby Sherman)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Goober & Ghost Chasers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Good Morning, America</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Happy Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hardy Boys Mysteries</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Harry O</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hart to Hart*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here Come the Doubledeckers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Holmes and Yoyo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hong Kong Phooey</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hot L Baltimore</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">How the West Was Won</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Immortal</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jabberjaw</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jackson Five (animated)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Johnny Cash Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Julie Andrews Hour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kid Power</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kolchak: Night Stalker</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Korg: 70,000 BC</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kung Fu</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lancelot Link Secret Chimp</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Laverne and Shirley</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lawrence Welk Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Let’s Make a Deal</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lidsville</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Longstreet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lost Saucer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Love, American Style</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Love Boat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Marcus Welby, MD</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mod Squad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Monday Night Football</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mork and Mindy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nancy Drew Mysteries</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nanny and the Professor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">New Adventures of Gilligan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">New Krofft Supershow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">New Pink Panther Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Newlywed Game</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Odd Couple</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Oddball Couple (animated)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Olympic Games (’72, ’76)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One Life to Live</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Operation Petticoat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Osmonds (animated)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Partridge Family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Password</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Paul Lynde Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Persuaders</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plasticman Comedy/Adventure Show*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Reluctant Dragon and Mr. Toad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rich Man Poor Man</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rhyme and Reason</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Roadrunner Show </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Rookies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Room 222</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Roots</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Ropers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ryan’s Hope</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Salvage One</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Saturday Superstar Movie’</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Schoolhouse Rock</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Scooby Doo/Dynomutt Hour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Scooby’s All Star Laff a Lympics</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Scooby and Scrappy Doo*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Six Million Dollar Man</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Sixth Sense</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Smith Family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Smokey Bear Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Soap</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Split Second</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Streets of San Francisco</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Superfriends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">SWAT</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Swiss Family Robinson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tabitha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Taxi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Temperature’s Rising</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tenspeed and Brownshoe*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That’s Incredible*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That’s My Mama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These are the Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is Tom Jones</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Three’s Company</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Time for Timer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tom & Jerry/Grape Ape Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tony Randall Show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">20/20</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">$10/20,000 Pyramid</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Uncle Croc’s Block</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Vegas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Welcome Back, Kotter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What’s Happening</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When Things Were Rotten</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wide World of Sports</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Yogi’s Gang</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You Don’t Say</div><div><br /></div></div>scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-79280460537865827652019-07-25T19:29:00.002-07:002019-07-25T19:29:18.316-07:00Review: "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGz5fZhyphenhyphenLPHCsIZzphj5nVYMxlxhbU6uom-KKI2pkL7jEi8b5Ch9vqNx5x0QDB2aE0PAu4FqddFoWX_yyNGCFvd-UrddO6LlLLZL8TGn23T3OxoAeVRzMd9S_42qCT1Q6f_a7jOzByjw/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="298" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGz5fZhyphenhyphenLPHCsIZzphj5nVYMxlxhbU6uom-KKI2pkL7jEi8b5Ch9vqNx5x0QDB2aE0PAu4FqddFoWX_yyNGCFvd-UrddO6LlLLZL8TGn23T3OxoAeVRzMd9S_42qCT1Q6f_a7jOzByjw/s400/images-3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>“ONCE UPON A TIME IN
HOLLYWOOD”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b>QT channels his inner Paddy
for a giant middle finger to ….?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This beautiful film was made
for boomer geeks like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you
relish the black and white epic TV of the post-Nov 22 years or the golden
patina of the raw 1968 era of the mod revisionists, one will be satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, like me, you are enamored of the ghosts
of go-go booted waifs or are morbidly fascinated by the lurking evil of the
encroaching decade of Watergate, your hunger will be sated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a film by a retro geek for retro
geeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, unlike Tarantino’s unfocused
slice of fandom in “Grindhouse” this epic has a fantastic (if unexpected)
narrative arc and two main characters that hit every mark of the McKee ethos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film will be rewarded at awards season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film will not make a lot of money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood” is clearly the film Tarantino was born to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His bag of tricks (never unwelcome) is
present yet restrained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a QT
film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not the one you’d expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Two things happened to this
naïve filmgoer in 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
permanently scarred by the visceral carnage of Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born
Killers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While anticipating the
penultimate staging of my favorite form of satire, I was engulfed in an
acid-trip bloodbath of cruelty and hypocritical mocking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t help that two giggling middle
school girls that snuck in joined me in the near empty theater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our own Quentin wrote the script for that one
and it was not the film he intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, I dreaded the over-hyped masterpiece that he would give birth
to four months later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What vile and
nauseating experience will this be….I must see it though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And see it I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw “Pulp Fiction” a couple of times that
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I celebrated its mash up of the
literal and the absurd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing like it
had I seen before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I had not seen
“Reservoir Dogs” and loved “True Romance” before I knew the voice screaming
behind it was not Tony Scott).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">As the Hollywood trust fund
kids love to say, “CUT TO:”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>twenty two
years later and I meet QT at the Paramount during a near empty screening of
“Mad Mad World”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As is the usual case, I
didn’t tell him who I was—the mystery that I’m some studio big shot always
amuses me—and he was gracious in his praise of this comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His lack of knowledge regarding my low status
allowed me to regale him of his talent creating CHARACTERS and VIVIDLY putting
them on screen in much the same way, say, Blake Edwards, did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loved that and stopped talking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s then that I departed to his quizzical
glances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always left Hollywood
royalty I happen upon in that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">And that, dear friends, is
what this film is about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about
dreams and happenstance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about
being at the right place at the wrong time or vice versa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s about Sliding Doors and all that mumbo jumbo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Tarantino didn’t make a
version of Edward’s “S.O.B.” here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is not one bitter pill spit out here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s all about love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than
you think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make no mistake, when Brad
Pitt’s stuntman ogles the ultimate Manson girl cross his path to the tune of
“Mrs. Robinson,” you could end the film there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And this trick of every musical cue being a fan boy’s wet dream, every
driving shot (I kept expecting a process shot gag) being an incredible
synthesis of musical bliss and trippy camerawork; of every wall, domestic and
otherwise, lined with movie posters rather than pretentious artwork; and of an
almost clinical adherence to appropriate background references, the geek is
disappointed when “California Dreaming” arrives in a wan transition sequence, a
capella and fleeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s minor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Paddy Chayefsky wrote the
groundbreaking “Network” as a terrifying satire of media and its resultant
zombiedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing QT shares with
this is a penchant for long studious takes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not ten minute monologues, as Paddy was wont
to write, but set pieces here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Little nuggets, short films if you will, that Tarantino has gleefully
snuck in to all of his ultra-sensationalist fare before this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, Quentin mirrors Chayefsky’s lesser-known
study in grotesqueness in “The Goddess,” a glorious slander on Marilyn Monroe
and Her Tinseltown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paddy could not hide
his love of movie town in this tragic takedown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Similarly, whatever disdain QT has for Hollywood is hidden by his
exuberance for the process, for the lifestyle, for the history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Dicaprio and Pitt have never
been more human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been difficult for
this reviewer to elevate either of these actors to more than a method pretty
boy, always seeming much more youthful looking than the gravitas required of
the parts they were gifted with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here,
however, they do embody their characters:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Leonardo’s has-been western actor from the heartland and Brad’s tainted
anti-hero of a stuntman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth be told,
as I watched Damian Lewis do a throwaway scene as Steve McQueen, I ventured
into wish fulfillment of two actors with a few more miles on them,
age-wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is what it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">And Tarantino's deification
of Sharon Tate did no favors to Margo Robbie as the doomed actress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s as if she is a vessel for the
aforementioned hot pant fetish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
more than made up for Margaret Qualley’s complete embodiment of the “hippie
chick.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her “Pussycat” has all the
ingredients:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sauciness, boldness,
naiveté, and sexiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her crunchy
rawness was a clear antidote to the almost sterile version of Tate provided
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">So QT is not providing a
“fuck you” to us geeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s evident
in the “Mannix” clips, the “Land of the Giant” references, and the “Candy”
billboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s not shooting the middle
finger to Hollywood—if nothing, it’s a love letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A gentle one at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is where the jab may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gentleness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The slender escape from moral
turpitude and utter revulsion I expected from “Pulp Fiction” in 1994 led to an
almost apologist acceptance of ultra-violence in the service of story,
character and excellent filmmaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whereas the QT brand has been copied innumerous times, never to the same
effect (the love of QT overtakes the love of cinema, get it?), there is only
one Quentin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will give his fans a
taste of what they came from, but only a taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, without giving away any spoilers, he will leave them wanting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this geek, it was a thrill ride, a full
glass of wine to sip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will rewatch it
for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The audience that Tarantino
created in 1994 will not return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I walked out of the theater
needing to discuss this with someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And another aging boomer was discoursing on the history of the Manson
murders with his companion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt compelled
to join in just to interject my immediate thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was immediately rejecting his statements
as coming from a yahoo based on the fact that he didn’t know Pitt from
Dicaprio, my whole take on the film changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He mentioned one throwaway line at the very end that I missed while I
was commiserating with my disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, a disappointment that was borne of expectations of an audience
member and NOT a film lover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that
throwaway line that I missed, made it a whole different film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is filmmaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-3277041786648133202017-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:002017-11-22T04:13:11.556-08:00On Dave and Charlie: 1969-1974I've been wanting to explore these five years for a long time. I found the impetus with the deaths of Charles Manson and David Cassidy. Other than long hair, these two have nothing in common. However, they both represent a certain part of the cultural zeitgeist after 1969. I want to examine, from the perspective of a preteen, my naive sense memories from those time.<br />
<br />
My folks were older--Greatest Generation. My peers usually had grandparents their age. So I sort of self-educated on television and media. Keep in mind, the Vietnam debacle was in full swing and Nixon came into power. The culture wars that were going on at the time were as vociferous (and as dangerous) as now...witness the 1968 Chicago Dem Convention. 1968 also saw two devastating assassinations with MLK and RFK. Of course, I wasn't cognizant of all the politics at the time. I was watching Hanna Barbera cartoons on Saturday morning and listening to Disney records. I am fascinated to this day, though, by the history of this period and find books to read on it as if I'm making up for being alive during turbulent times and not having a clue.<br />
<br />
That goes for Manson as well. I had no clue about him or his satanic crimes until I sort of half-watched a miniseries, Helter Skelter, based on Bugliosi's best selling retelling. It was horrific...as were many of the made-for-television films and recreations at the time. (They were much more graphic in the seventies than you would think.) And in no way am I minimizing his reign of terror. I am simply recollecting how it affected my perception of counterculture at the time.<br />
<br />
That "counterculture" was experienced through interaction with relations who were, I would imagine--to simplify--hippies. Although far removed from the sex and drugs and music, there was a tangential "contact high" if you will. Many of my peers--slightly younger--had parents that fit this profile. Many didn't. They may have had late Greatest Generation parents--possibly Korean War veterans, Eisenhower era Father Knows Best types that were struggling with mod sideburns. Witness the neocons at the time: Cheney and Bush (google images). Many of the boomers were restricted from anything reeking of anti-establishment (in sort of post-bloom by now). I do recall at school and day camps seeing compatriots being picked up by bead-wearing, fully bearded dads. And, as sheltered as I was, I couldn't avoid the contact with mini-reprobates that would gladly regale with me with words I didn't know and bodily functions I found foreign. I can't even imagine what they say now and don't want to.<br />
<br />
Television, however, shed me of my innocence. I mean "'being woke." As I have regaled exponentially in my previous writings, the sitcoms of Norman Lear and the Children's Television Workshop provided an education in diversity and non-inclusiveness. In retrospect, the political correctness was not quite "correct" but it was nevertheless instructive in the right direction--a sentiment that somehow cannot be approached today amongst certain post-Boomer liberals. LBJ's Great Society was in full swing and I am so happy to have actually gone to school in a fresh stew of cultures and colors. Even after our first African-American president, that feels in nearly full retreat now thanks to a neoliberalist agenda. <br />
<br />
So when I think of the Manson chronicles, it's not a first-hand feeling of disgust and dread. It's more a patchouli laced haze of psychedelia and brown-hued sixteen millimeter news grit. Even kids shows--the Krofft menagerie--were borne of acid fever dreams. The Manson girls, in their blond beach babe fresh-faced appearance, inspire the lust I had for my college-age babysitters more than shock and awe nightmares. I will never forget one of my sitters, in her hippie attire--probably could be my granddaughter nowadays--introducing me to music I had no idea about. I was frightened by the poster of the Beatles on her wall. <br />
<br />
That's where Keith Partridge comes in. Boomers would agree that the Bradys were just too squeaky clean even in their dealings with scrupulous music agents. However, their Friday night cohorts, the Partridges, were far more "cool." David Cassidy's hair is what I wanted...so bad. His poster was on the wall of all those babysitters. He was the essence of the "clean" hippie persona. I suppose even in my Pollyanna world, my dark id recognized the potential thrill of being a subversive so well represented by a wholesome traveling family band represented by a bumbling nice guy out of central casting. (He would never lay a hand on Shirley--that we know). <br />
<br />
I never saw the cinema at the time. Most of those early seventies classics were rebroadcast on the networks--edited with commercials. But that was enough for me. I still got that sleaziness. That sort of New York pre-Times Square grime, that representation of urban decay that was now required viewing. That led to, for me, the highlight of American cinema when directors and not studios were in control. That was due to everyone watching All in the Family and The Waltons--a strange paradox of the times in and of itself. When I watch films by Hal Ashby, Robert Altman, early Coppolla and Depalma, Sidney Lumet--I am transported to those times. I wasn't a spectator or participant. But I WAS there.<br />
<br />
I can't speak to the music at the time. Which was revolutionary. I'll leave that to others. In my cloistered existence anarchic music was represented by The Carpenters or BJ Thomas. Sometimes my dad would go crazy and bring home a 45 of Neil Diamond or Cheech and Chong (I'll never get over that one!) And nothing will give you a flavor of the times more than Playboy Magazine. Pubic hair was now shown--and the interviews were the best journalism of the time. Highly intellectual discourse amongst a new sexual freedom--tinged with key party ethics and polyester.<br />
<br />
Even after being educated on the Manson murders, it still somehow feels quaint by today's standards. Perhaps that's because movies and television, even the most mainstream, is littered with mutilations, beheadings, impalements and disembowelments--graphically depicted--that would make Charlie himself squeamish. That's not really a joke. Have you watched FX lately? And when I see David Cassidy, it reminds me of how a teen idol didn't have to cover themselves with tattoo, brag about 'being bad," experiment with the wildest drugs and express profanity in order to be considered a pop superstar. <br />
<br />
Oh, well. I got a hug from Maureen McCormick once. That's enough for me. Peace.<br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-15495249012549860172017-07-22T15:33:00.001-07:002017-07-22T15:49:35.694-07:00NOTHING IN COMMON: A RETROSPECT<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22pt;">Thirty years old, this is an eighties film that
I have written on succinctly many times in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I revisit it yearly as it is extremely
reflective of my relationship with my father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I saw it in theaters during a time when I actually worked in advertising
with him, as the characters also both work in sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hotshot Tom Hanks plays the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22pt;">smart ass son
taking on giants in the agency</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22pt;"> world while Jackie Gleason embodies the
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22pt;">old-school foot soldier, peddling kid’s clothing with imprinted pens (which was
actually my Dad’s business—promotional items).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While the plot of this tale is not my tale, the intricate depiction of
the dynamics—father, son and mother (an exquisite Eva Marie Saint)—can be
frighteningly spot on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The director was Garry Marshall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">That being said, I wish to
dissect this film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each time I watch it,
I look past the “eighties” feel and soundtrack and see—despite the two hour running length—a
piece of acting and structural excellence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Consider this a dissertation on why “Nothing in Common” is arguably one
of the finest films of the era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">THE SCREENPLAY:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Rick Podell and Michael Preminger worked in
advertising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crackling dialogue and group
antics of Hanks and his creative team accurately depict the intricacies of the
corporate ad game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much as “Mad Men”
bared all to the process in </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTZM6mUnloIDTeusyZX5G26HydfmBxYggZesFlDoG2x-cOrFuIWv5Hm3Bt9a5r6N-3mTIjsEIWiPx-pnAx2nVdCCDqtypsydinqU2l9MUUaro8rhkrweMbwlvG4_JQ2Cj_0vXtBKhaJ4/s1600/meeting-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTZM6mUnloIDTeusyZX5G26HydfmBxYggZesFlDoG2x-cOrFuIWv5Hm3Bt9a5r6N-3mTIjsEIWiPx-pnAx2nVdCCDqtypsydinqU2l9MUUaro8rhkrweMbwlvG4_JQ2Cj_0vXtBKhaJ4/s320/meeting-7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">the sixties, “NIC” does so for the modern yet
pre-irony world of advertising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
screenplay has many moving parts (and characters) and the interplay between the
various story lines and characters is flawless in it’s editorial pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The balance among Hank’s conquering an
airline client’s irascible CEO; bedding the CEO’s daughter and endangering a
life long love relationship; and, finally, the main through line regarding his
aging<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>parent’s separation and subsequent
illness can seem daunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet with
finely timed scenes and allowing all the characters to sit for awhile then
reappear in Hank’s world allows the viewer time patience to take in his plights
and triumphs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Another interesting facet of
the screenplay is the fact that no stone is left unturned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are never left hanging regarding any
action the character’s take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
never given an opportunity to mock a character for one-dimensionality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Hanks takes off to be with his ailing
father, his uptight boss (more about him below) has the decency to ask about
the father and make a shift to business without losing the humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every crazy situation that occurs, no matter
how broad the comedy, has it’s consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If not delved into, the consequences are at least dealt with.</span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">THE ACTING:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It would be debated among many that with was
Hank’s launching pad to his Oscar path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet a year before “Big” he performs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>a mercurial feat in his shifting from fast-talking smarminess to complete
helpless bewilderment (over his parent’s situation).</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIuie_l3mVAqMFS6YcNKPMpB87UUczI3-2JdTfWnmFcwuqlOA-MJPwx1Iplnyb6NOkcALF3_CA1ETLi0ItjHX_Gj8GK-4M5ASrxH2jLVDjZ2_WTQJ7kepJ1kADxu19uPpYj_KrdysgFo/s1600/coffee+table.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The extreme adjustments in temperament are
not inconsistencies in acting but a near-perfect reflection of our bipolar
natures.</span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIuie_l3mVAqMFS6YcNKPMpB87UUczI3-2JdTfWnmFcwuqlOA-MJPwx1Iplnyb6NOkcALF3_CA1ETLi0ItjHX_Gj8GK-4M5ASrxH2jLVDjZ2_WTQJ7kepJ1kADxu19uPpYj_KrdysgFo/s1600/coffee+table.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="273" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIuie_l3mVAqMFS6YcNKPMpB87UUczI3-2JdTfWnmFcwuqlOA-MJPwx1Iplnyb6NOkcALF3_CA1ETLi0ItjHX_Gj8GK-4M5ASrxH2jLVDjZ2_WTQJ7kepJ1kADxu19uPpYj_KrdysgFo/s200/coffee+table.jpeg" width="200" /></span></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIuie_l3mVAqMFS6YcNKPMpB87UUczI3-2JdTfWnmFcwuqlOA-MJPwx1Iplnyb6NOkcALF3_CA1ETLi0ItjHX_Gj8GK-4M5ASrxH2jLVDjZ2_WTQJ7kepJ1kADxu19uPpYj_KrdysgFo/s1600/coffee+table.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The dark demeanor around his
parents and the subsequent rapprochement full of tenderness and recaptured love
are nothing short of brilliant. </span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Hank’s
quicksilver wisecracking in the opening scene can seem forced at first glance
but actually proves his ability to stay in character and in the scene.</span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">This is a gift of his that ushered in his
stellar career.</span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">It still shows in his
roles when not squelched by over-earnestness.</span><span style="clear: left; color: black; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYcm_MRs_sCE88VhbrRvyzrRtDricHsyYVm0vzvaaT3Opi_3QAtLFJvhsFMRr_oXCox_zPLBwi4Fe_1FN96zuyFXqi2I5EjjJ8g0rWWGFGqsqu-IuzfjjPB5e08s9uy3cD9QpaGk4ihI/s1600/angry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="728" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYcm_MRs_sCE88VhbrRvyzrRtDricHsyYVm0vzvaaT3Opi_3QAtLFJvhsFMRr_oXCox_zPLBwi4Fe_1FN96zuyFXqi2I5EjjJ8g0rWWGFGqsqu-IuzfjjPB5e08s9uy3cD9QpaGk4ihI/s320/angry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">Gleason not winning a
supporting actor Oscar much less being nominated in his final performance
(shortly before he passed) is a crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His shifts rival Hank’s in their raw beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain he shows as he loses his accounts
(and job), loses his life partner, encounters diabetes and the subsequent
life-threatening surgery, and fights his own humanity is heartrending
considering the physical pain Gleason was going through during the shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Director Garry Marshall allows him to show
his legendary humor in moments—not going overboard—and gives us the sight of
Gleason breaking down after a confrontation with the estranged Saint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of Saint, her combination of naivete
and wisdom, her </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hDHEBHWY4IIAa3lqUIdlcREQlzTykkAbJfz2_j2tqcmD774xAfLJ7Jxg0bXx55EjHPDa08IfcgaVNaxhZ8begE4ic0EMUh5tLhDVx7jiJIhltV0ohE1ZPkT1Hgq2T2xS3BGfXlUquXo/s1600/drunk.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="252" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hDHEBHWY4IIAa3lqUIdlcREQlzTykkAbJfz2_j2tqcmD774xAfLJ7Jxg0bXx55EjHPDa08IfcgaVNaxhZ8begE4ic0EMUh5tLhDVx7jiJIhltV0ohE1ZPkT1Hgq2T2xS3BGfXlUquXo/s200/drunk.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">neglected wife veering into unsightly drunkenness and shrill
pain encompass a most brave performance by yet another cinema legend (“On the
Waterfront,” “Exodus”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 22pt;"> </span>The supporting players provide ample support.
Hector Elizondo (a Marshall staple) gives a textured performance in as Hank’s
agency boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could have been a
quick throwaway role </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUqviGrLvrXlouRdvWxoGu9RVqiRXbvXZRpQcgtbTY-_Odrbesx_gHWWyFYPOvj0NxtP204iUsY_3Lv5OdqFie44yHTWKhEyCQ5yMutiLAeujVlXHiEAv-S8vUffOdpEQajWvrNNu2R4/s1600/presentations.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUqviGrLvrXlouRdvWxoGu9RVqiRXbvXZRpQcgtbTY-_Odrbesx_gHWWyFYPOvj0NxtP204iUsY_3Lv5OdqFie44yHTWKhEyCQ5yMutiLAeujVlXHiEAv-S8vUffOdpEQajWvrNNu2R4/s200/presentations.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">(also a Marshall touch with this fine actor—see “Pretty
Woman”) turns into a tour de force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Marshall (or rather the screenplay) gives him ample opportunity to
balance a comically self-aware egomaniac with a wise and fair-minded human
being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See his couch conversation with
Hanks after Hanks nearly sabotages the account, consoling him rather than
providing angry bluster…yet keeping sight of the company’s interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sexy Sela Ward’s embodiment of the
“ball-busting” client can seem rather trite yet upon closer inspection her
struggles in the sexist </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEgY3NJVK_TgGwVxdbojwUzTquiPYM6z52C0a1Gio8R7h46Dtt-uhdcmWnRPd2hoVc79pENLok1UZI__mepixl5wD_kRBvbtnkmNSvIIkhaTXaMNg2RIxA1xSVcDFXm1PtijAu6vAPw0/s1600/sela.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="305" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEgY3NJVK_TgGwVxdbojwUzTquiPYM6z52C0a1Gio8R7h46Dtt-uhdcmWnRPd2hoVc79pENLok1UZI__mepixl5wD_kRBvbtnkmNSvIIkhaTXaMNg2RIxA1xSVcDFXm1PtijAu6vAPw0/s200/sela.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">
industry read through her face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See her compassion for Hanks immediately
after firing him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barry Corbin as the sociopathic father, head
of the airlines is the most humorously stereotypical of the characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a fine performance and the frivolous
nature of his stubborn power does actually make the point of what these guys are
up against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, finally, Bess Armstrong
as the true love, “the only girlfriend you’re parents MET” IS the penultimate
“girl next door”..”the one who got away” in her frustrating tolerance of
David’s whining, her understanding of his travails, and her mutual deep life-long
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZccu4Wzr9jEQBQbGZ1sJ65Fco7cXQDdHVTUBCq0SKgDtKdEFznyl_fwbR2JvIzlY15d9SUtPoRICkvFAsfDeZnGGz2gR1aDTWaphcP0W0xaSdW7zuhCdcfiVwHIAysOf1hzWM-x4ZWxQ/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZccu4Wzr9jEQBQbGZ1sJ65Fco7cXQDdHVTUBCq0SKgDtKdEFznyl_fwbR2JvIzlY15d9SUtPoRICkvFAsfDeZnGGz2gR1aDTWaphcP0W0xaSdW7zuhCdcfiVwHIAysOf1hzWM-x4ZWxQ/s200/images-1.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Witness, the whip smart
confrontation in her bedroom and the touching and simple finale by the
lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The featured extras don’t fare as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gleason’s co-workers and clients
are played with uneasiness, delivering bad line readings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hanks and his team however, propelled by many
Chicago Second City actors, provides an almost improvisational
tone—representative of Hank’s sitcom breakthrough in “Bosom Buddies,” another
ad agency setting.<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-2ua2l--imA" width="480"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">THE HONESTY: <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">Through his seventies sitcom career
(Odd Couple, Happy Days etc), Garry Marshall imprinted on me in more sensory
level than as a purveyor of quality humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His television output was more borscht belt than his counterparts at
Lear and MTM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, honestly, his
films…even the most successful…seemed manipulative and trite to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See “Beaches,and “Pretty Woman” He seemed to
become a brand for large scale casts in dopey romantic pablum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I have to wonder how much he allowed
a seasoned cast of actors and comedians to hold sway with naturalness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did this incredible script overcome any
directorial blemishes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His old-school
history surely allowed him to communicate with Gleason, but was Jackie the one
pulling in the broadness to provide a melancholic swan song?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to wonder how much sway Marshall did
have in two musical montages which clearly take the film in a horrific
direction albeit common for the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watching Hanks and Ward get horny watching two horses stud is painful
and embarrassing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the lip-reading
during an encounter with Hanks, Ward and Armstrong tells the story but is way
too long and obvious in it’s motivation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Judge for yourself:<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EIXgFeImPAM" width="459"></iframe></span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">The comedy does work
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the drunk actress on the
commercial set destroys the shoot, the hilarious reaction by Hanks is not a
throwaway gag but a result of sleepless days and frustration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scene blends into a thoughtful
conversation with the director, a childhood friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quick and easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Move on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">It must be a combination of
script and acting that allows the aforementioned honesty to come through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Hanks nonplussed jokes about<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his father’s illness, Saint is allowed to
reproach him rather than let it slide by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Corbin’s maniac knows he’s a maniac when he grins at his prey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Saint gets a puppy from Hanks, she
exclaims “Someone to love!” leading him to pivot and exit in exasperation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he has to listen to his </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrH2MvIBxssiVNFJiLqm7zm3MyBOXfGVlIn2ZFcpdPSPPvqloZrVX6q0Y7ZXKU3gylXbjQyzWjYvap71oYhYPkkVv0MEZ_v3Yn3R9hF0BnGqt2nV-LI6c9ZrclRYT3xhuJerAVvwWTzc/s1600/wmomn-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrH2MvIBxssiVNFJiLqm7zm3MyBOXfGVlIn2ZFcpdPSPPvqloZrVX6q0Y7ZXKU3gylXbjQyzWjYvap71oYhYPkkVv0MEZ_v3Yn3R9hF0BnGqt2nV-LI6c9ZrclRYT3xhuJerAVvwWTzc/s200/wmomn-4.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">parent’s deeply
personal issues, the look in his eyes is allowed to sit:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bewilderment, shock and impatience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aforementioned hospital room scene with
Gleason and Saint reeks of authenticity in it’s turn from tenderness to raw
anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see the prick points of
ego and </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXkiGiz2Cvm99d7GAxyP2Chpg6YDn2PVWFCN2mHb9eaDIsmLKdcKcWIsXqrd-63tAvnS09xMSZDnzxKuVZLfQuVwJ945Vfh-k-8a_7A4TED_QghttbxScIfMU4byiDu8BGD77pKf-wNc/s1600/hospital.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXkiGiz2Cvm99d7GAxyP2Chpg6YDn2PVWFCN2mHb9eaDIsmLKdcKcWIsXqrd-63tAvnS09xMSZDnzxKuVZLfQuVwJ945Vfh-k-8a_7A4TED_QghttbxScIfMU4byiDu8BGD77pKf-wNc/s200/hospital.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">
hypocrisy as Hanks and Armstrong battle over their respective career
devotions. Even her lover is given a few choice lines so as not to be disavowed
as a character: “My life’s work is bullshit?” to which Hanks is able to throw
back to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is excellent
screenwriting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">As the pressure mounts on Hanks, who is completely exhausted, Corbin insists he misses his father's surgery to attend a NY presentation. His ultimatum involves a countdown.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan64D7BH5zYknxM0ZomJ6G_4xwVENMPxSwFybIgq-tYWpQDQj00GJNXfwqeA-odADo92wIkDkndnmfTvE4_CuFjJsf2OIsvlI_o2kGRCKCx8kCixLBMYnq1keJctTd86PafP7IFHxl2Q/s1600/imadont+touchges-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan64D7BH5zYknxM0ZomJ6G_4xwVENMPxSwFybIgq-tYWpQDQj00GJNXfwqeA-odADo92wIkDkndnmfTvE4_CuFjJsf2OIsvlI_o2kGRCKCx8kCixLBMYnq1keJctTd86PafP7IFHxl2Q/s1600/imadont+touchges-3.jpeg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Watch Hanks as he slow burns to explosive: "Don't you EVER fucking touch me again." It's completely believable and the audience is with him. As he recovers, he can continue with the wisecracks with Ward but the fun is gone. It's all resignation and sincerity. See for yourself:<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HsK2vdinYvQ" width="459"></iframe></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">As for nonrealistic happy endings, the parents don't get back together. That would have been wrong. Hanks does learn to appreciate the right woman. And the account is saved. It's all plausible and leaves no saccharine aftertaste.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">As an ancillary note, this is
a CHICAGO film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city is represented
so well…the lakefronts, the pubs, the tenements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add to that, the local players and you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have a true feel for mid-America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Hanks pitches his agency: “New York is New
York, LA we don’t know what they are…but we are Chicago.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never since Bob Newhart walked to work form
his riverfront condos to the Medical Arts building have we felt so at home
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dLeoxm17nP9Vo5Yl93ZJDF5D2Wg58CscvzKt1DkyYvhB0PJ3LwifPLFdFOQQl91ZRcLDhlYabtV6oWJJwsKxwRUk7rgdlp2Oxw9ktC15ef5vv6L4xe2iKRpcj2sHHueLoemjpEtv8yA/s1600/strip.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="367" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dLeoxm17nP9Vo5Yl93ZJDF5D2Wg58CscvzKt1DkyYvhB0PJ3LwifPLFdFOQQl91ZRcLDhlYabtV6oWJJwsKxwRUk7rgdlp2Oxw9ktC15ef5vv6L4xe2iKRpcj2sHHueLoemjpEtv8yA/s400/strip.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">If you have had the patience
to read this whole review, give the movie a shot (or a re-shot).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure if my appreciation lies in repeated
viewings and the resultant <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>familiarity <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I do believe there is some credence to
spending two hours in this universe.<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vhvvJTVhoR8" width="459"></iframe></span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1V9MoPmITBcx73_48FkUXwx-Zf8nRXTNhJZwn97Vj-pI_ogyrHfp4wTbD1WIzpfRY7_C1Zyl0uIsbL6PyySEGw85-yKZXYsFcv-i6iCfywLiJKi64UEJgrMZCdDHinYIGQcBhUEbDjk/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="175" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1V9MoPmITBcx73_48FkUXwx-Zf8nRXTNhJZwn97Vj-pI_ogyrHfp4wTbD1WIzpfRY7_C1Zyl0uIsbL6PyySEGw85-yKZXYsFcv-i6iCfywLiJKi64UEJgrMZCdDHinYIGQcBhUEbDjk/s640/images-4.jpeg" width="390" /></a></div>
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scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-79506158716077162742017-04-22T17:51:00.000-07:002017-04-22T17:51:01.013-07:00THIRTY YEARS OF MATERIAL<div class="MsoNormal">
Pop culture has become a major force in what artists create,
whether for commerce or craft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Film,
music, acting, and even politics draw from vivid or hazy memories of our
favorite TV shows, celebrity gossip, live concerts and comic books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been attempting to isolate the media
touchstones by increments, where the culture and politics and technology all
sort of represent a particular “feel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
lot bleeds together and generalities are necessary but here’s the best I can
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is heavy on the boomer scale
and this is why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always consider the
late eighties to be the start of the “age of irony.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, creators of mass media drew upon
the previous thirty years for inspiration in a much more overt fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creators grew up WITH television, which in
turn increases awareness of film and music and the political circus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start with 1957.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By then, television was in most homes and
movies became something you did on a night out rather than the main source of
entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1957, movies were
mostly represented by a sprawling 16:9 ratio leaving TV to the standard 4:5
format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And color film was the norm at
the cinema while the quality of the video increased substantially—no more
kinescope and certainly less live feeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Music became intertwined with TV and film culminating in the ultimate
MTV movie mashups of the mid eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Broadway show tune LP’s gave way to film theme soundtracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A couple of things happened in the late 80’s that provides a
good demarcation for my purposes here:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fox—a fourth network who’s first hit was “Married with
Children” a parody of sitcoms past.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cable News—News was officially entertainment and prime time
competition what with Larry King leading the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Premium TV – HBO and Showtime matured from lasciviousness to
a new “golden age” and films were now broadcast uncut in the living room,
leaving the “event” movie going to popcorn at home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Videotapes – Again, home box office.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Adult” programming – For thirty years, permissiveness of
cable and cinema has now permeated to broadcast television (now represented by
a billion stations).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe it or not,
there was a “specialness” to a raw moment of dialogue or explicitness that made
theatergoing an experience unto itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, after decades of normalization, society’s mores and language is
informed more by binge worthy water cooler programming than the other way
around.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Seinfeld” effect – Once again, irony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A show about nothing becoming a comedy
touchstone in 1990 represents nihilism of observational narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While brilliant in it’s own right, characters
became callous by nature as the creators wanted to mimic the successful
sensibility of detachment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
HBO Sunday effect – With the blockbuster night of Sopranos,
Sex and the City, and Curb Your Enthusiasm the line between TV and film blurred
even more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Family hour was no longer
counted upon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tarantino effect – Whereas Quentin is masterful and genuine
in his appropriation of beloved movie and TV touchstones, filmmakers and
programmers to the point of retro fatigue have emulated his enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reality TV in the White House<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So from 1987 to 2017, I can count less than twenty film and
television milestones that really grab me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve missed a lot—who has time to see the multitudes among the
voluminous viewing options and trillions of new shows each month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just reading the descriptions, everything
seems derivative from something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the derivation is located smack dab in the previous thirty
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s try this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>1957-1963:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFjdAebim7o_pfrfG3J3h87tzYAlq4vcOf3K_lyiPvOlwVRWbr9g_kMU7D7Go8pz6NFnyvx1jYtejkbTLn-PysAcYt2klocwLdNFTLPg-G8OikRC7kkOhxIBveBrOUpoeU1DA_Rn9-x0/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFjdAebim7o_pfrfG3J3h87tzYAlq4vcOf3K_lyiPvOlwVRWbr9g_kMU7D7Go8pz6NFnyvx1jYtejkbTLn-PysAcYt2klocwLdNFTLPg-G8OikRC7kkOhxIBveBrOUpoeU1DA_Rn9-x0/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kennedy was king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Eisenhower years were still influencing the “whitewash” of media—saccharine
sitcoms for instance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was a subversive
element in films and the quality (original golden age) television dramas
represented by the new Beatnik generation (parodied in “Dobie Gillis” and
captured by seminal works of John Casavettes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert Drew brought cinema verite to politics as Camelot allowed DC and
Hollywood to finally consummate a relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The infamous Nixon/Kennedy debate cemented the marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elvis was the King of the forbidden in music
and film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Country was growing out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ricky Nelson was growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the “Mad Men” era represented by
“The Apartment” and Bob Newhart’s record-breaking button down comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mid-century was the norm; The Jetsons
informed the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crisp and clear
black and white images: the gothic mirth of Psycho and Baby Jane; the televised
wit of Andy Griffith and Dick Van Dyke; the earnest photography of Perry Mason,
Twelve Angry Men and pretty much any Preminger film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dell paperbacks and comics created a pulp
extravaganza only heightened by a subcultural sleaze in the new availability of
two-reel exploitation in the coming Russ Meyers revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Limited animation was now the go-to thanks to
Hanna-Barbera’s menagerie of commercial hits and the corresponding ad agency
design minimalism. Paddy Chayefsky was the voice of the times. These Six years
smell like the attic and sound like a smoky jazz beat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>1963-1969:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tO1Lgx-iWikT64lLtll6osJlKvG0ZLxoeSuJXjHSGq4uX2Hu1y95XzROGpKJZUnN4UBoZ-C7JMGV8wPvXJqN0rbsamCcUYePM8tIWKxxIJrn57AOumeeWAnwS-4tJTKj28XWbRdp88I/s1600/peter-sellers-whats-new-pussycat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tO1Lgx-iWikT64lLtll6osJlKvG0ZLxoeSuJXjHSGq4uX2Hu1y95XzROGpKJZUnN4UBoZ-C7JMGV8wPvXJqN0rbsamCcUYePM8tIWKxxIJrn57AOumeeWAnwS-4tJTKj28XWbRdp88I/s320/peter-sellers-whats-new-pussycat.png" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How did these post-assassination years deal with a moral
confusion, a national consensus of hopelessness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Images of war in the living rooms?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy joining
JFK in senseless violent ends?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An era of
upheaval as the LBJ’s New Deal inseminates the Southern Strategy and emboldens
Civil Rights?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And culminates in Helter
Skelter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Austin Powers can answer
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Stanley Kubrick was pushing
the envelope of doom and anxiety:--sexually (Lolita); politically (Dr. Strangelove)
and prophetically (2001)—most studio fare consisted of 70 mm extravaganzas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Historical flops like Cleopatra, which was
only successful in crowning the first Hollywood royal couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vivid and bright mega-comedies from Blake
Edwards and other Mad Mad Worlds merged slapstick with day-glow imagery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Bond was the rage bringing vacant
sexiness to an emerging violent cinema rooted in subconscious fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bond was bound for TV, as spy shows became
the trend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TV basked in escapism whether
it is rural shenanigans and visual entendres (see the denizens of Hooterville)
or the fantastical elements Screen Gems “Bewitched” and “Jeannie.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it any wonder that Gene Roddenberry
provided the most though-provoking television in another world via the USS
Enterprise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Mr. Powers was definitely
hip to the new mod sensibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Beatles took the world by storm—with Dylan and the Rolling Stones—changing the
musical landscape forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
sensibilities were reflected in film thanks to the new Corman crowd (Fonda and
Nicholson) who brought psychedelic a to the big screen and the small screen
(remember “The Monkees?”). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
Sellers—in all his divine schizophrenic madness was figurehead of cinematic
acid trips. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of the big screen,
the French New Wave of the past time period was now reflected in American film
thanks to Warren Beatty’s perseverance (“Bonnie and Clyde”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Nichols shared his voice with Simon and Garfunkel
to create the new modern masterpiece of youthful cynicism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on TV, Fred Silverman started the media
manipulation of tots by spearheading the licensing of comic book superheroes to
Saturday Morning—selling cereal and Ideal Toys to kids consuming the soon-to-be
vilified ultra-violence of Jonny Quest and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>1969-1975:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The turning point here was the year the Manson murders
occurred (post Rosemary’s Baby…Pulanski’s involvement in both) along with
Midnight Cowboy becoming the first X-rated feature to win the Best Picture
Oscar and the premiere of “The Brady Bunch.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This period was one of complete despair and confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The colorful mod culture morphed into
Woodstock:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dirty, naked unshaven
“hippies.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Civil rights laws were now in
full force and activism became thoughtful (if somewhat “immoral”) but also,
highly violent in spurts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Boyle’s
“Joe” (the darkest id of the era’s lovable anti-hero Archie Bunker) represented
the soft-core, utterly grimy feel of early 70’s cinema:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hackman’s antihero Popeye Doyle; Depalma’s
bitter satires; Scorsese’s birth of blood-splattered urbanity; and Satan
speaking through a crucifix defiling waif.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coppolla’s masterpiece “The Godfather” revived the cinema blockbuster a
couple of years before the Spielberg/Lucas tent pole phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woody Allen and Mel Brooks alternately shared
the title of King of Farce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But TV
ruled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be argued (and I often
do) that this period represented the most challenging and intelligent
entertainment in BOTH TV and film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whereas most of the theaters basically involved “adult”
entertainment—corrupt politics, bold Blaxploitation, horror both ultra bloody
and psychologically damaging, and crudely produced sex comedies---the boob tube
offered the politically incorrect satires of Norman Lear and the human sitcoms
from Mary Tyler Moore’s new empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Along with the TV version of Altman’s “MASH,” CBS’s Tiffany lineup on
Saturday nights provides a template for the finest in broadcast television. ABC
and NBC still traded on Day-Glo light romcom laugh track material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred Silverman, the chief of programming for
CBS—he who tore down the trees of rural cornpone—was bearing the fruit of his
earlier inspiration, Scooby Doo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along
with the Archies, Fat Albert and Josie and the Pussycats, Saturday Morning
found a winning formula with mystery solving rock bands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The characters represented a benign version
of the counterculture racially diverse society that was being co-opted by
corporations to exploit into advertising tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And while Peggy Charron was fighting violence on kid’s shows, her
organization did nothing to fight the influence of psychedelic drugs as
depicted on the Krofft puppet shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speaking of puppets, a need for educational children’s programming led
to the PBS forming the Children’s Television Network bring “Sesame Street” and
Muppets to the fore…once again giving youngsters a fresh new take on
society—not too unlike the urban cinema mentioned earlier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And much like the commune, music was sort of
hazy and insightful:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry Chapin’s
haunting ballads, Carole King’s beautiful melodies; The Carpenter’s
depressing/happy musings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Beatles
were each doing their own things—creating future Muzak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And everything represented raw reality and
possible hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the era of
Watergate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hangover of the Sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s society is at the same point today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>1975-1981</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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By now it’s time to party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Colonial grunge gave way to the flairiest of polyester and perms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Porn ‘staches were in as Debbie did Dallas
and Jack Tripper ogled Crissy with mainstream lasciviousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although short-lived, the cocaine-infused
Studio 54 ethos swarmed the media landscape. The Bee gee’s and ELO with the
disco craze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hair metal was permeating
the youth culture what with Kiss and Cooper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pop was populated with 50’s nostalgia with Sha Na Na, Fonzie and the hit
musical Grease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was clearly John
Travolta’s coming out with his triple representation of the above tropes with
Vinnie Barbarino, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even his Urban Cowboy would usher in country
music and Gilly-land to the mainstream after the previous decade found it
meshing with hippie-culture ala Willie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The public was tired of politics—assassinations and Vietnam and
Watergate were the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the peanut
farmer from Georgia represented a Washington DC at the lowest ebb of beltway
scrutiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t take long for
uber-programmer to morph from CBS’s arbiter of quality to ABC’s t & a
titillation: “Charlies Angels” and the resulting Farrah phenomenon; Battle of
the Network Stars; Three’s Company and Soap brought the bedroom to
sitcoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While TV was king, the cinema
became more of a slumming night out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of the best schlock was created in this era with Roger Corman’s
subversive cult classics being born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quality cinema was relegated to Oscar telecasts and quiet conversations
with an occasional breakout (“Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Network,” “Shampoo”) usually
digested as a network edited for television movie of the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woody Allen was getting serious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And someone had to because the summer
blockbuster mentality arrived with Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” and George Lucas’s
“Star Wars.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marvel and DC comics really
started doing character mash-ups now and the legends were being deconstructed
more than ever before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday morning
and kitsch still were home to the superheroes but the big-screen Superman
started the comic book to celluloid invasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And probably the longest-lasting pop culture phenomenon was born during
this period:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lorne Michael’s Saturday
Night Live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Belushi, Akroyd, Chase,
Murray, Curtin, and Radner joined their Canadian Second City compatriots Candy,
Short, O’Hara, Levy, Thomas, Moranis, Ramis and Martin in taking satire to all
new levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it be the new comedy
crudity of the frat-ball slob comedies (Animal House, Meatballs and
Caddyshack), the biting and offbeat commentary inspired by the National Lampoon
brand and Albert Brooks, or the drug-fueled content now permeating the kids
next door (Cheech and Chong: blatant; Steve Martin: kinda sorta implied)…the
icons of comedy would be forever changed from the cue card shtick of Bob Hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>1981-1987:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Ushering in my final segment of nostalgia is the summer
release of Raiders of the Lost Ark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After that life-altering experience, the cinematic experience involved
searching for that incredible big-screen knockout that combined pre-CGI action
and effects, wry humor, romance and minimum bloody shocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they were found: Wrath of Khan,
Poltergeist, ET, American Werewolf in London, Cat People, Gremlins and Temple
of Doom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Box office bonanzas were found
in the new in your face Reagan-era machismo courtesy of Stallone and the now
emboldened Schwartz egger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rambo, Rocky
and Dirty Harry replaced the feel-good limp-wristed lineup of socially damaged
anti-heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The National Lampoon crowd
now ruled comedy.Landis, Reitman, Ramis…casting retired SNLers while Richard
Pryor and Eddie Murphy were dominating the cultural zeitgeist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another Lampooner found his voice now:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Hughes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His sardonic, hysterical and heartfelt odes to youth gave an
unintentional birth to an emo culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in doing so also put the capstone on melding pop music soundtracks
with film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a lot of that had to do
with MTV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was during this time that
the most popular videos of all time, by now quaint and archaic were created
along with new careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
one-hit wonders and a synth-beat ethic that breeds warmth through familiarity
rather than social import.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michael
Jackson’s “Thriller” and Murphy’s hit single both reflect this hybrid of
moviemakers and music biz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We Are the
World” brought all of them together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watching that video will give you a quick course in the music icons of
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except two:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Madonna and Prince.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her bad girl persona was permeating all
discussion and his “Purple Rain” captured audiences both in vinyl and
celluloid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while Spielberg’s
suburban fantasies dominated theaters, there was a very strong strain of
urbanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The geniuses of 70s cinema
were providing a more glossed up studio product but no less brilliant (Lumet,
Pollack, Depalma) but the low-budget schlock became more perverse, more grimy
and more sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday the 13<sup>th</sup>
franchise would rule the gore porn crowd. These would end up being the best
renters at video shops, now another touchstone of change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as cheaply made as these were it wouldn’t
be a decade before the slimy genre would go mainstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The urbanity would extend to TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third wheel NBC would now be number one
thanks to the dark humor of Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues), sexual tempo of
Sam and Diane, and ironically the resurgence of “family TV” with Bill
Cosby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Letterman’s new hazy late
night talk show was the perfect capstone for the now late-night denizens of a
burgeoning cynical party era as a Lorne-less SNL was losing audience members
(save Murphy, again).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitcoms were still
re-inventing seventies stars what with Newhart and the Golden Girls adding an
audience-pleasing unreality to the scripts that only complemented the
artificiality of the videotaped family dreck of the now-saturated mullet-haired
comedies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Saturday Morning was now
fully invested in creating toys and fast food personas—the Smurfication, if you
will of kid’s shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The emergence of
Pee Wee Herman (even Pryor) would signal the future of adult-friendly kiddie
shows that would lend themselves to the future of multi-platform viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michael J. Fox created a character in Family Ties,
which speaks volumes on the politics of the time:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a young Wall Street-loving conservative, all
alone in his views among his hippie family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that yuppie caricature—represented in the burgeoning milieu of Brett
Easton Ellis—combined with the Vietnam vets getting revenge on an unwelcoming
American (liberal) beaurocracy represents the moral confusion that the previous
eras planted the seeds of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One year
later Michael Douglas would win an Oscar for uttering, “Greed is Good” as
Iran-Contra and Oliver North were creating fodder for a new 24-hour news cycle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-60071105942727003392017-01-27T18:27:00.000-08:002017-01-27T18:31:33.337-08:00My letter to Mary.<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">Mary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">I was a bit too young
to appreciate your capri pants in real time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of my older peers regale me with tales of love for your Jackie O
doppelganger as the wife of a beleaguered TV comedy writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura Petrie, indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">And I missed you
those first four years on the glorious Saturday night schedule on the Tiffany
network.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, the one you shared
with Dur Bob Hartley, Archie Bunker, Carol Burnett and, for one season, the
4077<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time your best
friend Rhoda was married (which I caught because Monday was a weeknight—I duly
got my homework done in time for sitcoms), I finally discovered you on the
weekends when my family didn’t go out for barbeque at Goerke’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or burgers at the Ski Lodge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">When I did find you,
Mary Richards, it was like spending time at one of my parent’s cocktail
parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of mature adults sometimes
acting like kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not juvenile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wanted to move to Minneapolis…where it was cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those streets you walked on downtown were
very far from the dusty one-lanes of Guadalupe County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason, Mary, I always watched those
bright and loud taped Norman Lear sitcoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I learned a lot from them but I wasn’t attuned to the nuance of soft,
filmed well-written comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And third
leg of the seventies sitcom stool…Garry Marshall…provided a lot of must-see TV
in Fred Silverman’s new bonanza with Fonz and Mork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Age appropriate you could say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The Sweathogs and Chico too.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the T shirts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much
as the cops in the 12<sup>th</sup> precinct, I never truly appreciated your
sense of humor until later in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">When your show ended
and the reruns were syndicated in the afternoon, my afterschool specials
involved this young woman with long hair starting a new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like you were a different person
altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even thought Laura Petrie
was older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the early 70’s you looked
like my babysitter!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But by 1977 you were
so sophisticated and world weary…dealing with a preening idiot anchorman and a
sexpot homemaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I discovered your arc,
Mary.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">In 1978, I was old
enough to be embarrassed by your attempts at a variety show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You did introduce America to future
superstars and helped them get their start though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That same year, your creators started their
own company and moved to another network with a group of cabbies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The character comedy was just as
brilliant..but it wasn’t home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
newsroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highrise you moved
into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a garage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In grimy New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">After you got an Oscar
nomination for playing a brittle, wounded mother…I hardly saw you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother fell in love with your show when I
did, in reruns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She watched you with
Dudley Moore, over and over, in a film no one else saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I never watched your new sitcoms in the eighties
and your attempts to remake yourself in movies of the week and flashy dramas in
the 90s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But your saucy turn in an
independent comedy in the 90s was a nice surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You brought your naughty side to the fore
when you hosted SNL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, dammit, you’re
Mary Richards…stop it!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">But from 1970-1977,
you were my Mary…always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and your
husband created the highest quality TV:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Phyllis, Tony Randall Show, Lou Grant, White
Shadow, Hill Street Blues, WKRP, St. Elsewhere and Newhart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does it trump today’s renaissance of
television?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the hoopla and binge
watching?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, Mary, you brought
class to the small screen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No pratfalls,
no constant sexual innuendo, no crudity…your comedies were about humans and
humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, there was sexual
tension between you and your boss…and when you didn’t get back by morning it
was subtle and not spelled out in gory detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The nymphomaniac you knew was middle-aged, not a co-ed and the workplace
buffoon showed traces of humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the highest quality programming now,
Mary, inundates the audience with in-your- face dysfunction and crass
sensibility that actually informs our behavior rather than mocks it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">So I go to sleep at
night with your DVD on…or Bob….the comfort of friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quiet humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A studio audience in on the joke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I tell as many young people as I can to watch your show to see how
comedy is done right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many tried to copy
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Cheers” was too cruel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Murphy Brown” too political.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Seinfeld” was too soulless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Frasier” was full of itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Friends” set trends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tina Fey decided to use your show as a
template…and the love showed through the wild parody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, like me, she knew you then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">Many will ruminate on
the sociological impact of your show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
you did for women in enlightening the discussion and altering the landscape of
stale thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recognize that, but my
appreciation lies in your commitment to QUALITY.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;">Thanks, Mary, for
elevating sitcoms and entertainment in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No one has topped those seven years on Saturday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You did make it, girl, after all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-46541105279591426792016-08-27T14:52:00.002-07:002016-08-27T14:52:34.980-07:00Class of '81<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My graduating class of 1981--Seguin High School, The Matadors--is celebrating it's 35th reunion this month. The last reunion I attended was the tenth year in '91. That's some spread. But what I had then that I don't have now is a life. Therefore, allow me to fondly remember and chronicle my boomer (edge boomer if you will) memories around the graduation years, 1980-1981.<br />
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I'll start with the visceral memories--the reality--before I dive into the media morass. I lived on Lake McQueeney, a man made body of water thirty some-odd miles from San Antonio. Our house was on Treasure Island which was pretty cool with the canals running behind the houses (sort of like liquid alleys). By that time, I was an avid water skier--I didn't have the patience for fishing--and spent lots of time piloting the family inboard/outboard. I did yard work for my neighbors to make some spending cash. Otherwise, I watched TV and read comic books.<br />
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I didn't follow current events too much outside of the Today Show which I soaked in before going to school. Jane Pauley and Tom Brokaw were the perfect way to start the day. Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter for the presidency. The Iranian hostage crisis ended with the release. There were gas lines. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Reagan was shot. The Pope was shot. After St. Helens people were freaking out about volcano eruptions. There was a lot of news about Lech Walesa's Solidarity Party.<br />
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At school, I came out of my shell with the theater department. Discovering acting led to my greatest in-school memories. Starting mid-way through my junior year, my extracurricular activities pretty much were based in the SHS playhouse: a chorus member in "George M" (I can still do every song--secretly wanted to play Cohan); Pim (father) in "Diary of Anne Frank"; and a crazy doctor in "Li'l Abner." All the melodramas and parody shows were a result of engagement with a group of fellow "introverts" labeled the "Supercilious Players" (modeled on Monty Python) and the subversive antics of the "Taglionies" (don't ask). Somehow, I managed to keep my grades up and still do some creative writing activities, perform on the debate team (disaster!) and gain a reputation as an art thief as I plagiarized Hanna-Barbera cartoons at a quick pace and recited memorized Bob Newhart routines for my classmates.<br />
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Now, in keeping with the theme of the blog here's what was going on outside of "real life." I wasn't really a music guy so I can't wax nostalgic about my favorite songs during the time (outside of movie themes, see below). Disco was sort of on the way out and I had no idea about what was going on the hair metal world--though it was huge in San Antonio. I just knew that KISS met the Phantom and Ozzy did something to a bat. However, I can say that I was given a copy of Billy Joel's "Glass Houses" and that pretty much became my graduation soundtrack. Looking back there was a heavy dose of Paul McCartney and John Lennon songs. One of the most vivid memories was the news of Lennon's death at the schoolyard. I remember fellow students who were Beatle fanatics literally going into shock. A group of us drove to Central Park Mall in San Antonio and I was initiated into the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" (only five years after the movie was made), so that great music became part of the fabric for me. John Barry's beautiful soundtrack of the film "Somewhere In Time" captured my romantic yearnings along with the film. The soundtrack holds up much better than the film, by the way. At the time, Robert Altman's "Popeye" came and went but I pretty much had all the Harry Nillson tunes down thanks to the cassette tape soundtrack--and I wasn't even a stoner! "Grease" was still fresh so I had to see Olivia Newton-John in "Xanadu." It came and went (another one saved for future sainthood) but I devoured that REO/Jeff Lynne soundtrack like some kind of roller disco freak ("Magic" holds a special allure). "Don't Ask Me Why." And for some reason, Neil Diamond's "Hello, Again" from the ill-fated "Jazz Singer" remake always takes me back to those years. If I had to soundtrack that year, it would include "Upside Down," "Bette Davis Eyes," "Jessie's Girl," "Rapture," "Morning Train," "Lady," and "Kiss is on My List." There was always lots of country music which I despised as a kid--that's another blog post though. Aside from my dad's Bob Newhart Button Down Mind albums--and a Cheech and Chong 45 he had for some strange reason (Dave who?)--Steve Martin was ruling the roost in my stand-up LP world.<br />
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I had a special relationship with Steve. My mother's best friend growing up in Waco was Martin's dad's sister. So the narrative somehow became: Scott is related to Steve Martin, thus his comic genius. I thinks Steve's third album, "Comedy is Not Pretty" was out and "The Jerk" established itself as a comic gem. My copy of "Cruel Shoes" was proudly displayed on my desk. Once again, not being a stoner, it was the silly parts of his routines that I "got" at the time. Which brings me to SNL. By this time, the original crew had left and Lorne Michaels quit. Fall of 1980 brought a new producer and cast of unknowns--many to remain so, except some bit player named Eddie Murphy. So all of us "comedy experts" were focused on ABC's rival show "Fridays" featuring, oh, Larry David and Michael Richards. Of course, the drug references won hand down opposite NBC's Saturday Night and I had no clue. But my heart at this time went to SCTV. The Canadian 90 minute program followed Carson on Friday nights and was so well, "off," and the parody was just obscure and "precious" enough to be attractive to all of us theater nerds: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Joe Flahery, Catherine O'Hara and Andrea Martin. (Martin Short would come later.)<br />
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Back to SNL for a moment. By this time all the original players were branching into movies. John Belushi became a smash with "Animal House" which I missed due to the "R" rating. Therefore when Steven Spielberg's "1941" came out I was breathlessly in line. So when he and Dan Akroyd brought John Landis's "The Blues Brothers" to the big screen the summer before I graduated, I was in hog heaven. The "Briefcase Full of Blues" album became a staple of those years--many times in the privacy of my room I performed "Rubber Biscuit" and "Gimme Some Lovin" with no appreciation of the original "blues masters practicing their craft" or the resultant "references." To me, it was two comedians dancing and singing and that was enough. Bill Murray had made a mark with "Meatballs" (Ivan Reitman) so by this time "Caddyshack" (Harold Ramis) was eagerly anticipated. Especially teaming up with the box office star Chevy Chase who he replaced on SNL. (There was a trailer for "Caddyshack" referencing this "feud" and I cannot find it on Youtube.) My mom was still buying tickets for my R rated escapades so Caddyshack gleefully initiated me to "the 80's"<br />
much more than "The Jerk" and "Blues Brothers." I must say that another summer camp movie helped me "grow up": "Little Darlings." I had sort of a crush on Kristy McNichol from "Family" and Tatum O'Neal from "Bad News Bears" so I felt I had reached some level of maturation upon going to this feature. Two of my favorite MTM sitcom stars, Ted Knight and Bob Newhart had hosted SNL the year before and were now doing films with these ribald performers. Knight scored as the pompous judge in "Caddyshack" however Newhart's performance as the president in Buck Henry's "First Family" was a huge letdown--also being Gilda Radner's film debut (outside of Mike Nichol's doc of her stage show, "Gilda"). Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman also contributed to some forgettable projects. John Belushi would be gone too soon. Chevy Chase continued with failures and successes (notably the Vacation and Fletch franchises.) Akroyd would solder on through the decade. Bill Murray would burn out bright and fast (Stripes, Ghostbusters, Scrooged) and then be resurrected as an indie icon and finally--a legend. And the comedy directors from this period, helming National Lampoon and Second City-inspired fare--subversive "slob comedy" with a slight intellectual bent--would soon rule Hollywood: Landis, Reitman, Ramis. And then: Eddie Murphy. Farcical humor was represented by the new Zucker brother style in "Airplane!" but I soon realized it wasn't new. In the spring of '81, "Blazing Saddles" was re-released--this was before VHS folks--and I was completely taken aback by how all these "old" comedians could do this blue, SNL-style humor. Mad Magazine tried to be the new National Lampoons' with Robert Downey's "Up the Academy" but that was rightly panned and I was rightly shocked by the ribald griminess. Richard Pryor would survive his accident and start a box office bonanza with "Stir Crazy." Goldie Hawn's "Private Benjamin" would soon spawn it's TV clone. And "Nine to Five" would establish Dolly Parton's credentials as a dramatic actress (also leading to a sitcom). Outside of edited network "Movie of the Weeks" I never experienced much of official Hollywood. It was quite an awakening.<br />
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I mostly watched TV through the seventies but the Christmas releases of 1979 shifted my focus to movies and the resultant "must-see" mentality: "1941," "The Jerk," "The Black Hole", and "Star Trek." Those latter two represent my other major theme in cinema during my last high school years: science fiction. Along with my studious perusal of my "Starlog" magazines I found myself quite fascinated with the mechanics of space on the big screen. I think it all started with "Buck Rogers" on NBC and original Star Trek reruns on Saturday night (when I quit watching SNL). Paired with "Wild Wild West" and "Twilight Zone" reruns on Channel 5, Saturday nights informed my future love of cinema more than my obsession with Planet of the Apes, Inspector Clouseau or the Bad News Bears--those three franchises being my sole cinema highlights in the seventies. So the summer before I graduated, I went with some friends to see "Empire Strikes Back" not having seen the original "Star Wars"--that's right, you heard it--and that sealed the deal. Fortunately, there was a "Star Wars" reissue that year--videotapes were not in the rage yet--and I saw it second on the big screen. Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters" came back with a Special Edition. "Superman II" (Lester's version) was released. I missed the R rated "Alien" but caught Roger Corman's PG "Battle Beyond the Stars." "Flash Gordon" went way over my head. Farrah Fawcett (who was still on my radar) made a sci-fi called "Saturn 3" which came and went and I still haven't seen it and have no idea where to find it. But it was in summer of '81--post graduation--when my life changed and a new film--from the creators of "Jaws" and "Star Wars" --premiered at a special sneak preview after "Caveman" at the Seguin Palace theater. After seeing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" five or six times that summer cinema became my new television. And that first summer after graduation was one for the books: "Clash of the Titans" (at a drive-in!), "Cannonball Run," "Stripes," "History of the World Part 1," "American Werewolf in London," "Arthur," "Dragonslayer," and another all-time fave, Blake Edward's "SOB." Oh and Bo Derek in "Tarzan, the Ape Man."<br />
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By the time Bo was frolicking on the beach, I could get into the "mature" films without parental guidance. But, hey, I was already hijacked dad's Playboy's with the celebrity profiles--especially the aforementioned corn-rowed beauty. I may be mistaken but I may have been taken to the toolshed when I had classmates lined up outside my dad's side office to sneak peaks for a slight charge. Maybe that didn't happen and I just wished I were that, well, entrepreneurial. I can remember parties at the island where someone would have this new thing called "cable" and the men would stand transfixed by the Playboy Playmates lounging au natural while the wives were gossiping in the kitchen. But on more innocent level, I did have sort of a crush that year on Lisa Whelchel who played Blair on "Facts of Life." She was previously one of the new Mouseketeers and in a Joe Camp film titled "Double McGuffin." I tolerated the "Diff'rent Strokes" spin off for her and Gary Coleman turned out to be the breakout hit in Fred Silverman's new revised NBC lineup.<br />
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Speaking of prime time television, between theater and cinema, there wasn't much time in my senior year. Saturday nights still would involve TV dinners and a double date with Love Boat and Fantasy Island. The golden age of seventies TV was turning back to rural hokum by now with "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Dallas" ruling the ratings on CBS. I had devoured all things sitcoms before this time. (Saturday morning was pretty much off the radar by now). In Milwaukee, Arnold's burned down and Richie was gone. Laverne and Shirley moved the gang to Hollywood. Crissy Snow was demoted to phone conversations and The Ropers were replaced by Barney Fife. Archie Bunker now owned the bar and said goodbye to dearly departed Edith. The 4077th was Important Television and awaiting it's place in history. Flo was failing in Houston and wishing she was back at Mel's Diner. "One Day at a Time" was on its way to becoming "My Three Sons." George and Louise Jefferson were astonishingly time slotting themselves into another five years of Nielsons. "Soap" was running out of scandals and Benson was running the governor's mansion.. Mork was Orking to Hollywood. Ted Knight returned with two nubile daughters and Tom Hanks was cross dressing his way to success in "Bosom Buddies." Some wiseacre named Michael Keaton kept appearing in failed sitcoms. "Lou Grant" was established outside of WJM and laugh tracks. The only gold standards left were "Taxi" and "WKRP." And the final gasps of the 12th precinct--Barney and the squad were still in top form--would give way to another "authentic" detective serio-comedy: "Hill Street Blues." <br />
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Stephen Bochco's classic would set the standard for NBC's 80's resurgence. Along with a comedian who appeared on Carson a lot. Of course, Johnny Carson was the man and I planned on being his successor having entertained my cohorts so often with my big-city, show-biz loving curiosities and style. But this young comedian who sporadically appeared on prime time was given a morning show after Today Show aired. With Paul Schaffer as a musical director, David Letterman's first program was really sort of out of place. It was on during the summer of '80 year so I was able to experience it. It didn't last. But a year and a half later--after Carson's show on weeknights--history would be made.<br />
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But as I said, film became my new normal. I was trying to capture all the new releases as all my favorite TV stars were shifting to the big screen. Mary Tyler Moore in "Ordinary People" for instance. Disney had gone PG with "Black Hole" so Buena Vista was releasing all sorts of "adult" PG fare by now such as "Midnight Madness" with an unknown Canadian kid actor, Michael J. Fox. Focusing on SNL casted comedies and fantasy/sci-fi titles, I missed a lot of the great drama at the time: "Raging Bull," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Kramer Vs. Kramer," Elephant Man," Being in theater I somehow missed out on "All That Jazz" and "Fame" until later in college. All I remember from "The Shining" was the terrifying elevator trailer. "Heaven's Gate" was on the news, not the screens. "The Blue Lagoon" was relegated to a Brooke Shields poster. Living in a small town in Texas somehow didn't draw me to the "Urban Cowboy" phenomenon (I suppose I considered myself too "urban.) And thanks to a local TV station that showed a slightly edited version of "Friday the 13th," I was able to experience the genesis of the slasher mystique.<br />
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All in all, it was a very unique time. The seventies were still fresh on the cultural psyche yet the eighties fads were slowly making a name for themselves. I never got into Atari or Dungeon and Dragons and paid dearly for it as my pop-culture touchstones come to a complete halt in the mid-eighties. There wasn't much room for it anyhow.<br />
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But looking back, it all seems like:<br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-69405984094632143072016-08-20T07:37:00.024-07:002024-01-14T11:27:48.825-08:00Who's still alive in sitcom world, for pete's sake?<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Let's celebrate those still with us, from classic sitcoms:</b></span>
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<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div><b>I LOVE LUCY -</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW -<br /></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b span="">
</b></span></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>MY LITTLE MARGIE -</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>PRIVATE SECRETARY -<br /></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE HONEYMOONERS</b> - </span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>OUR MISS BROOKS</b></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>LIFE OF RILEY - <br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FATHER KNOWS BEST</b> - Elinor Donahue ( Betty) Billy Gray
(Bud), Lauren Chapin (Kitty)</span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>LOVE THAT BOB</b> - <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DANNY THOMAS SHOW</b> - Angla Cartwright (Linda)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>REAL MCCOYS</b> - Kathy Nolan (Kate)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>LEAVE IT TO BEAVER </b>- Jerry Mathers (the Beav),
, </span>
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<div><br /></div>
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<b>BACHELOR FATHER - </b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DONNA REED SHOW</b> - Shelly Fabares (Mary), Paul Peterson
(Jeff)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DENNIS THE MENACE </b>- Jay North (Dennis),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DOBIE GILLIS</b> - , Warren Beatty (Milton
Armitage),</span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Tuesday Weld (Thalia Menninger), Shiela James
(Zelda)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW</b> - Ron Howard (Opie),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MY THREE SONS</b> - , Stanley Livingston
(Steve),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Barry Livingstson (Ernie), Tina Cole, Dawn </span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? -</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DICK VAN DYKE SHOW</b> - Dick Van Dyke (Rob Petrie), Larry Matthews
(Richie)</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div><b>MISTER ED -</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HAZEL - </b></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>LUCY SHOW-</b></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MCHALE'S NAVY </b>- </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BEVERLY HILLBILLIES</b> - Max Baer (Jethro)</span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>MY FAVORITE MARTIAN-</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>PETTICOAT JUNCTION</b> - Linda Kaye (Betty Jo), Jeannine
Riley/Gunilla Hutton (Billie Jo),June Lockhart</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Lori Saunders (Bobbi Jo)</span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>PATTY DUKE SHOW - </b>Paul O'Keefe (Ross)<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ADDAMS FAMILY</b> - John Astin (Gomez)
><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GOMER PYLE USMC</b> - Ronnie Schell (Duke)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE MUNSTERS</b> - Butch Patrick (Eddie)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BEWITCHED</b> - Erin Murphy (Tabitha)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GILLIGAN'S ISLAND </b>- Tina Louise (Ginger)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>F TROOP</b> - </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GIDGET</b> - Sally Field (Gidget)</span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GET SMART</b> - Barbara Feldon (99),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I DREAM OF JEANNIE</b> - Barbara Eden (Jeannie), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GREEN ACRES</b> - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HOGAN'S HEROES</b> - Kenneth Washington
(Baker)</span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>THE MONKEES</b> - Mickey Dolenz <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FAMILY AFFAIR</b> - Johnnie Whitacre (Jody), Kathy Garver
(Sissy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THAT GIRL</b> - Marlo Thomas (Ann Marie), Bernie Kopell, Jackie
Joseph,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FLYING NUN </b>- Sally Field (Sister Bertrille)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DORIS DAY SHOW</b> - Jackie Joseph</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HERE'S LUCY</b> - Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz Jr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>JULIA</b> - Marc Copage (Corey)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BRADY BUNCH</b> - Maureen McCormick (Marcia), Eve Plumb (Jan), Susan
Olsen (Cindy), Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter), Mike
Lookinland (Bobby)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER</b> - Brandon Cruz (Eddie)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ROOM 222</b> - Denise Nicholas, Karen
Valentine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR</b> - Juliet Mills (Nanny)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>PARTRIDGE FAMILY</b> - Shirley Jones (Shirley), Susan Dey
(Laurie),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Danny Bonaduce (Danny), Brian Forster (Chris)</span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>ODD COUPLE -</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW</b> - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ALL IN THE FAMILY</b> - Rob Reiner (Mike Stivic), Sally Struthers
(Gloria), Danielle Brisebois (Stephanie)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SANFORD AND SON</b> - Demond Wilson (Lamont), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>M*A*S*H</b> - Alan Alda (Hawkeye Pierce), Garry Burghoff (Radar),
Loretta Swit (Hot Lips),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jamie Farr (Klinger), Mike Farrell (BJ), GW Bailey
(Rizzo)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MAUDE </b>- Adrienne Barbeau (Carol)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BOB NEWHART SHOW</b> - Bob Newhart (Hi, Bob), Peter Bonerz
(Jerry)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GOOD TIMES</b> - Jimmie Walker (JJ), Bernadette Stanis (Thelma),
Ralph Carter (Michael),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">John Amos (James), , Janet Jackson (Penny), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HAPPY DAYS</b> - Ron Howard (Richie), Henry Winkler (Fonzie), Marion
Ross (Marion),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anson Williams (Potsie), Donny Most (Ralph Malph), Scott Baio
(Chachi)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RHODA</b> - Julie Kavner (Brenda), Ray Buktenica (Benny)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>CHICO AND THE MAN</b> -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE JEFFERSONS</b> - Marla Gibbs (Florence), Berlinda Tolbert
(Jenny), Damon Evans (Lionel)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BARNEY MILLER </b>- Hal Linden (Barney), Max Gail (Wojohowitz)</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Linda Lavin, Barbara Barrie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>WELCOME BACK, KOTTER</b> - Gabe Kaplan (Gabe), John Travolta (Vinnie
Barbarino),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lawrence HIlton-Jacobs (Freddie Boom Boom Washington)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY</b>- , Michael McKean
(Lenny), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ONE DAY AT A TIME</b> - Mackenzie Phillips (Julie), Valerie
Bertinelli (Barbara), Richard Masur (David Kane), Shelly Fabares
(Francine), Glenn Scarpelli, Michael Lembeck, Boyd Gaines</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ALICE </b>- Linda Lavin (Alice), , Polly Holliday (Flo), Diane Ladd
(Belle), Celia Weston (Jolene)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>WHAT'S HAPPENING</b> - Ernest Thompson Jr. (Rog), Haywood Nelson
(Dwayne), Danielle Spencer (Dee)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MARY HARTMAN MARY HARTMAN</b> - Louise Lasser, Mary Kay Place, Greg
Mullavey, Martin Mull, Dabney Coleman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THREE'S COMPANY</b> - Joyce Dewitt (Janet),
, Richard Kline (Larry), Jeffrey Tambor and Patty McCormick (from "The Ropers"),
Priscilla Barnes (Terri)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>LOVE BOAT</b> -Bernie Kopell (Doc), Ted Lange (Isaac), Fred Grandy
(Gopher), Lauren Tewes (Julie), Jill Whelan (Vicki)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SOAP</b> - Diana Canova (Corinne), Jennifer Salt (Eunice),
Jimmy Baio (Billy), Jay Johnson, Billy Crystal (Jody), Ted Wass
(Danny)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MORK AND MINDY</b> - Pam Dawber (Mindy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TAXI</b> - Judd Hirsch (Alex), Danny Devito (Louie), Marilu Henner
(Elaine), Tony Danza (Tony)</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Christopher Lloyd (Reverend Jim), Carol Kane (Simka)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>WKRP IN CINCINNATI</b> - Gary Sandy (Andy), Loni Anderson
(Jennifer), Tim Ried (Venus),</span>
</div>
<div>
<span es="" richard="" sanders="" span="" style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jan Smithers (Bailey)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>DIFF'RENT STROKES</b> - Todd Bridges (Willis)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BENSON</b> - Didi Conn, Missy Gold, , Ethan Phillips, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT</b> - Nancy Dussault, Debra Van Valkenberg,
Lydia Cornell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BOSOM BUDDIES</b> - Tom Hanks, Holland Taylor, Donna
Dixon, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Telma Hopkins </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>FACTS OF LIFE</b> - Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon,
Kim Fields, Geri Jewell, , George Clooney</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MAMA'S FAMILY</b> - Vicki Lawrence, Carol Burnett, Dorothy
Lyman, Beverly Archer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And let's not forget the creators, writers and directors: James L. Brooks, Mel Brooks,, , Susan
Harris, Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, Bill Persky, Tony
Thomas, Glen and Les Charles, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, Bernie
Kukoff, James Burrows</span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-41030756740121809122016-06-04T17:14:00.000-07:002016-06-04T17:16:55.551-07:00Summer Breeze and Other Hazy Hot Muddy Memories from Seventies Geekdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can hear Seals and Croft's "Summer Breeze" and it completely takes me back to 1973. My family had just moved from San Antonio to Lake McQueeney. Dad built a house on this thing called "Treasure Island" in the middle of a man-made lake between Seguin and New Braunfels. He had built a house earlier adjacent to Hotshot's Fishing Camp and lived there in his bachelor days. The Lake was the water-skiing capital of Texas. Home base for that honor was the Lake Breeze Ski Lodge. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time there.<br />
<br />
Our house had a canal running behind it. Therefore, we had a boathouse to store Dad's new outboard (and eventually my skiff which I used to catch turtles more than fish). And the<br />
overarching smell I remember consisted of the lily pods and moss that I dutifully pulled out of the water --wearing the latest designer rubberweighters--to avoid propeller trauma. The houses on the island had that wonderful mid-century design. And some lake houses had the "stilt" effect to repel the flood waters (which was not unheard of here). Full plate glass fronts with high-arched ceilings; seahorse murals and saltillo tile deck tops were the order of the day. Sunny and bright and waterlogged.<br />
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Turning 10-years old, however, my mind was on two things. One: My continuing obsession with the media: comic books, television and cartoons. Common for those with no siblings, natch. More about that later. Two: my sense memory, the one that really matters, concerns those other things. And this is where Seals and Crofts come in. At the ski lodge, there were many members from Houston and all of those Texas style cheerleaders would haunt my hangout on vacation. That usually involved these newly fashionable two piece bikinis and feather shagged hairstyles. Before you yelp about my misogynistic comments, I'm coming from a place of adolescent innocence. Believe me, I was innocent. But for this geek--a little romantic brat with his catalogued comic book collection--the sight of that beautiful girl climbing up that pool ladder; the smell of chlorine (at the pool) or that wonderful combination algae and boat motor oil as she splashes into the murky green waters are the stuff dreams are made of...and, well, lived I guess. When some sad middle aged writer or filmmaker creates these images for public consumption, it's not science fiction. It's real. No iPhone, the word "fuck" was hardly heard (at least in my circles), and if something illicit was occurring you just didn't know about it.<br />
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Well, I didn't. As I said I was a geek. When I talk to peers my age, they were smoking pot and getting down. I had no idea about anything like that. My adult beverage was Norman Lear and the raciest instance I had was sneaking peeks (or peaks) at my Dad's Playboys. But that's what made the time so sweet. The seventies weren't innocent but I was. Therefore, I'm left with those almost storybook memories with a yacht rock soundtrack. The color was orange--hazy sunshine..the drug inspired images and sounds that permeated the airwaves became my tableau...I had no idea what it meant but it sure felt right. Kind of like watching Roger Corman 70s flicks now as an adult. If I saw an edited version of one on TV then or even just the mind-shattering movie posters, I had no idea of what I was seeing. But if sure FELT right. It felt like the mid-seventies.<br />
<br />
If you go to a low-rent comic book show you can see it. It's that combination of fanboy geek for the simple cartoons and TV programs of the 60s and 70s and 80's mixed in with this fascination with all things cheesecake. I think that's why so many comic artists love the female form in all its, well, exaggerated attributes. I guess we don't grow up. We're still living on the lake in 1973 with our 6" Sony color TV and eight track player. Are videos around the corner? But comic book culture is now ruling the world. No-shame<br />
voyeurism is now a mainstream digital industry. That's why I'm glad I retained those memories.<br />
<br />
That leads me to the geek part of the summers. This blog has covered alot of this before--but in a nutshell: the Brady's and their wonderful house; the all-new 50's craze encapsulated by Fonzie and American Graffiti; the subversive joy of DC's Plop Comics (which may have contributed to my sick mind); the glorious ecstasy of Saturday morning what with the Krofft psychedelia and all the cartoon rock and roll crime-busters. I wasn't a rock n roll kid. I hardly bought albums outside of Disney soundtracks. However, my musical memories were formed from TV variety shows--therefore: Tony Orlando and Dawn; Captain and Tenille; Sonny and Cher. Yeah, that. What a freak. But when I hear Tie a Yellow Ribbon, it takes me back to the Ski Lodge jukebox at night, eating that overpriced cheeseburger and watching the greasy mayflies fluttering to their death against the fluorescent pier light posts. <br />
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Later summers became all about driving up 35 to Dripping Springs for one month out of the year to attend Friday Mountain Boys Camp. I had memorized the Steve Martin albums to recite to my cabin-mates. The sharpshooting, the starvation hikes, the horses, and the sweet tea became my paradise those four years. All year long, I looked forward to it. I had eleven other months to wax romantic. However, we did have two "dances" over at the girl's camp. I actually ran away with one of them and got in trouble. I don't even remember what we did (I was a geek, remember) but it was magical at the time. But even then heading north and being close to Austin just did something to me. If you watch "Meatballs" that pretty much represented that whole lake/camp feel. (Thanks, Canada!) Damn, Bill Murray's been influencing youngsters a long time hasn't he?<br />
<br />
As I got into high school I wanted to be a Bad News Bear. I wanted so much to be one of those long-haired blond kids from grimy Southern California suburbia (before Speilberg Disney-fied such). "Jaws" had just started the tent pole summer movie phenomenon so theatrical releases weren't really a part of my retinue outside of a Clouseau or Disney comedy. I watched a very young SNL and Monty Python and understood none of it. I danced to my Blues Brothers album when my folks went out to dinner on Friday night. <br />
Dont' ask me how, but I missed "Star Wars" and binged on "Star Trek" reruns from the 60s. "Buck Rogers" was my sci-fi fix. And, tantamount to everything I had "Charlie's Angels"...kid's today can navigate puberty with the most vile, blatant and explicit bacchanalia...but I had a poster: Farrah. And Cheryl Tiegs. And the Time Magazine with her fishnet bathing suit caused me untold agitation and wonderment and pretty much diverted my attention from the Superfriends hour. But once again, I digress.<br />
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So those summers, from 73-'78....I sometimes think that they are informed by the media...but they really weren't. It was a funky feel....a musty smell...a smooth sound...drenched in lake water...clothed in post-activist tie dye and frayed denim....make sure your hair is over your ears, kid ...horseshit and gunpowder...fireflies...boat exhaust and nachos...perfume and mud....and I still have the friggin' comic books.<br />
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Here are some highlight photos:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdvpzAd1CRcnlY3NnW2FfoQID3fSFrTYRIVsL9f3T8Vx3All98_pZnQGJtsfXixeTys2vfKvJQ24hEFx8ZtZJovoYjGX6e_bnHSnzNAcG9HprOKFIQgZv-PUCXMs-dTPArNSKDriDC5U/s1600/Unknown-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdvpzAd1CRcnlY3NnW2FfoQID3fSFrTYRIVsL9f3T8Vx3All98_pZnQGJtsfXixeTys2vfKvJQ24hEFx8ZtZJovoYjGX6e_bnHSnzNAcG9HprOKFIQgZv-PUCXMs-dTPArNSKDriDC5U/s1600/Unknown-2.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Ski Lodge</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjXZtaz8SJ8QlxoiRjugZ8itssYUbeaK7LMZwGKLQGY_5_Np_qcjpY-RS06ssnzDAH2CRP-ZcxmLYupF_5zj9Q6dyBeXyqI1AnH66TQqzms4thNjiNyGgHiw6EEVDCNzCIZRPx1yx0JY/s1600/treasure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjXZtaz8SJ8QlxoiRjugZ8itssYUbeaK7LMZwGKLQGY_5_Np_qcjpY-RS06ssnzDAH2CRP-ZcxmLYupF_5zj9Q6dyBeXyqI1AnH66TQqzms4thNjiNyGgHiw6EEVDCNzCIZRPx1yx0JY/s320/treasure.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treasure Island.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG2Qod_azPdGOlaqzelRalQB039Y3C7IrC4DgsPCdeKjm-cgIXoVOROaJaiYQi4EHxVDmo6_e1Fa5BQtFQV66VlGH-NfgvrBp-pEDBIVFlJq4o22ePW0gqHHT_3NFGFdRbUUGdlZLtI8/s1600/ski.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG2Qod_azPdGOlaqzelRalQB039Y3C7IrC4DgsPCdeKjm-cgIXoVOROaJaiYQi4EHxVDmo6_e1Fa5BQtFQV66VlGH-NfgvrBp-pEDBIVFlJq4o22ePW0gqHHT_3NFGFdRbUUGdlZLtI8/s1600/ski.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterskiing Capital!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU73hjoJ3fAaF_O2NhYxHYVlRlTHjTjF8zPMDoCwrrCGDeBMeCHzRuSuYj5W8yzoILhpi2o8WEzTInRtfaAwQl5v3P2XcEu2FYEIpyl80kSdMTpc5I2-PQDP6l4DBP2p5VM2ZIBaXPaxI/s1600/canal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU73hjoJ3fAaF_O2NhYxHYVlRlTHjTjF8zPMDoCwrrCGDeBMeCHzRuSuYj5W8yzoILhpi2o8WEzTInRtfaAwQl5v3P2XcEu2FYEIpyl80kSdMTpc5I2-PQDP6l4DBP2p5VM2ZIBaXPaxI/s1600/canal.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The canal.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAUELXKHsO4PVaZnciWWcY3NNOeJ5BCnQf6jKWAezMQ-SySRAyGXj3s5hopx26Fi5Rtt0gpNiG-xUUm-NgNSe5s20vdohSDczhVRNDYdqnZxThar_3XYLwR_2mbHJrSwDUVa4J7luhHw/s1600/evinrude.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAUELXKHsO4PVaZnciWWcY3NNOeJ5BCnQf6jKWAezMQ-SySRAyGXj3s5hopx26Fi5Rtt0gpNiG-xUUm-NgNSe5s20vdohSDczhVRNDYdqnZxThar_3XYLwR_2mbHJrSwDUVa4J7luhHw/s1600/evinrude.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powering dreams.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVteYRdd9e-F4fVHy0JXQdFSDKrmIy8JOegVWI3Eb18zBBXheGTQkJfauGA3W43bnb3P9asmvGOfAjT6NaUoYNM18vvfYX7woGCWmDT3rHPYNndiu4BZBvDtwBio6qwpvA822gl8JU-ck/s1600/trelawney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVteYRdd9e-F4fVHy0JXQdFSDKrmIy8JOegVWI3Eb18zBBXheGTQkJfauGA3W43bnb3P9asmvGOfAjT6NaUoYNM18vvfYX7woGCWmDT3rHPYNndiu4BZBvDtwBio6qwpvA822gl8JU-ck/s320/trelawney.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my schoolbus stop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kC6WgeZIFBy-xRsK0SRt003-yoJRt9tdZQeKC989t68l_739hGCL5On0utciAbFLldZr5Pa6m60ULyjqBe6wu18TwWS6Gqa-2_UxcZi4csIMnT4TlzwapgZrZX0fD5ONJcV3TLeUU3M/s1600/Unknown-11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kC6WgeZIFBy-xRsK0SRt003-yoJRt9tdZQeKC989t68l_739hGCL5On0utciAbFLldZr5Pa6m60ULyjqBe6wu18TwWS6Gqa-2_UxcZi4csIMnT4TlzwapgZrZX0fD5ONJcV3TLeUU3M/s1600/Unknown-11.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lake House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOCI0W1Xi3V78J76rC6Bh-4Ntw4EP52lYXzSMpjv1pFWwRNhXfqBlS5nD0O8FzzcC6wU6ufL8EJfg_6v7sRDhMDaEvKl56umgQcSvuRGudgKLXu_15bn9MpfULxQL9b24FRMHTWPq4cQ/s1600/full+backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOCI0W1Xi3V78J76rC6Bh-4Ntw4EP52lYXzSMpjv1pFWwRNhXfqBlS5nD0O8FzzcC6wU6ufL8EJfg_6v7sRDhMDaEvKl56umgQcSvuRGudgKLXu_15bn9MpfULxQL9b24FRMHTWPq4cQ/s320/full+backyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our backyard/Boathouse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk8oXzTqG7pfnSQ6ju61YyUZRv3P0OBLi86q-E0nTQtW9_aIElQdlQzvZFcVFR0_S1McnwH3w3R1e8fZBa1PsltkN3cFekdyGHBQq3SxCPMHobuDb0O6DJdYxIAvNQ7tAsYbWpLTMupo/s1600/propst.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk8oXzTqG7pfnSQ6ju61YyUZRv3P0OBLi86q-E0nTQtW9_aIElQdlQzvZFcVFR0_S1McnwH3w3R1e8fZBa1PsltkN3cFekdyGHBQq3SxCPMHobuDb0O6DJdYxIAvNQ7tAsYbWpLTMupo/s320/propst.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the perfect midcentury lakehouse on the island.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nMc2ULVh-q3M6bJXA24SBG7ZkXTNwzTj7zLg-WZIXN7SdvNYjzfMaRNpelKxY0esFci_Da2yrtPHhVkFjXx8NAtmSUtkSL9kDiqqt-XzYEmGml5qbsAlKezwgeMOr0lIeKsofGU4qcM/s1600/sigmund.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nMc2ULVh-q3M6bJXA24SBG7ZkXTNwzTj7zLg-WZIXN7SdvNYjzfMaRNpelKxY0esFci_Da2yrtPHhVkFjXx8NAtmSUtkSL9kDiqqt-XzYEmGml5qbsAlKezwgeMOr0lIeKsofGU4qcM/s1600/sigmund.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can sort of understand this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjuvdt9UlISMeFYOUPWUydeUypA9W3oCjfUxmpESA7EoJR92T3ZfS6NleY7GIyLFh_s0d39bJfXZWCJzo3bW7JRauCuVMN4r39-xB5rAmS3C911EeciV5r-84dlvmr8vRE79OcxOIuuU/s1600/brady.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjuvdt9UlISMeFYOUPWUydeUypA9W3oCjfUxmpESA7EoJR92T3ZfS6NleY7GIyLFh_s0d39bJfXZWCJzo3bW7JRauCuVMN4r39-xB5rAmS3C911EeciV5r-84dlvmr8vRE79OcxOIuuU/s1600/brady.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just wanted their house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCTKbpTZv8fL9gU24oPhq-EG_SmcD1rFu_HRqXq_DdbXJQHYvSH32wZ6MBgbMzS28uEpohQYBl8yz5PbBzf5vLDkN79ToY7hONK6C_alHgV4tNWWB7DeeG_m5SKFcncidRcBwRi5M9rA/s1600/tony.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCTKbpTZv8fL9gU24oPhq-EG_SmcD1rFu_HRqXq_DdbXJQHYvSH32wZ6MBgbMzS28uEpohQYBl8yz5PbBzf5vLDkN79ToY7hONK6C_alHgV4tNWWB7DeeG_m5SKFcncidRcBwRi5M9rA/s1600/tony.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geek cool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN4TCrtMMSUy4VpXXb72eslFvvIrQmc01jFIaBc_2ODGhrc3IkXImFj8zR4X0EeDsp2KpynDY6qd3IUmxwZLqaWIruuOU_DwYvBaQJM6SyPxKh_WjLKc2wLjA4by-s77_o-rzCf_DEIY/s1600/plop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN4TCrtMMSUy4VpXXb72eslFvvIrQmc01jFIaBc_2ODGhrc3IkXImFj8zR4X0EeDsp2KpynDY6qd3IUmxwZLqaWIruuOU_DwYvBaQJM6SyPxKh_WjLKc2wLjA4by-s77_o-rzCf_DEIY/s1600/plop.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My subversive materials.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc51dtq2LjB9QZA4CO1tCLHTWi1nVUu-2tbcE1eJE1eFY_Bix83MMJyPWCx4IysUEzhg1nzrESgpWmIkWhKAKTgrZ2BEmpJGnQ52CNIUMX6dA5SvRdbZJGwRyBfArh5unR1tj3bhTvPXQ/s1600/Unknown-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc51dtq2LjB9QZA4CO1tCLHTWi1nVUu-2tbcE1eJE1eFY_Bix83MMJyPWCx4IysUEzhg1nzrESgpWmIkWhKAKTgrZ2BEmpJGnQ52CNIUMX6dA5SvRdbZJGwRyBfArh5unR1tj3bhTvPXQ/s1600/Unknown-9.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When TV meets comics, it's nirvana.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN6SB1VU86bFOzl8HGR1CDVXJIk5tMQH1l_gJ6aW6sQqse_3myXr7Ukq7Kb3mfsR1niZjkEPQbjLyxbQ-xWiDgRwYCFYnMzHaBjRiKDEU9qJg-QVMiczVgtU1H66vCbtW6nAlWH5fKh4/s1600/alfred.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN6SB1VU86bFOzl8HGR1CDVXJIk5tMQH1l_gJ6aW6sQqse_3myXr7Ukq7Kb3mfsR1niZjkEPQbjLyxbQ-xWiDgRwYCFYnMzHaBjRiKDEU9qJg-QVMiczVgtU1H66vCbtW6nAlWH5fKh4/s1600/alfred.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was my culture bible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc25VfAZutzvqYUYY1edr5AWp26AMkF0SsSp6to6Df8DvgjwfnEltr1kqdJfkYCKdFrb3b5-uSShjvAtzlRgB0nB2HjJ2xgi6uKqGC62ZryIAda2jtsI722TfoS7thezeDF91DdUavdW8/s1600/jj.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc25VfAZutzvqYUYY1edr5AWp26AMkF0SsSp6to6Df8DvgjwfnEltr1kqdJfkYCKdFrb3b5-uSShjvAtzlRgB0nB2HjJ2xgi6uKqGC62ZryIAda2jtsI722TfoS7thezeDF91DdUavdW8/s1600/jj.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Namesake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx30SgIOdhaeG1iu6yeSp3gM8HeY7mytrS7R9zUTgFZdma4orHOAZ4uWj7lNbOjTpN9d28lnDuQV4ZcutzePrOSCiAPx20523zEz8c6HL5coDg0HHLIr3YyWhfGbEIcgH4TeUpNx17L4c/s1600/fonzie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx30SgIOdhaeG1iu6yeSp3gM8HeY7mytrS7R9zUTgFZdma4orHOAZ4uWj7lNbOjTpN9d28lnDuQV4ZcutzePrOSCiAPx20523zEz8c6HL5coDg0HHLIr3YyWhfGbEIcgH4TeUpNx17L4c/s1600/fonzie.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seventies were the new fifties.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL6zFd9MPMtk76Csanan-AFW50PHoCOT2DXBhK2EEcuOibBl4ox33lVHa43TL26UuSsSuVVHM2F__75pVDQZCl0icdlcAfvF7fqw_Ky5ZQQm2WDpszmYtvKiJXSqjN7kQcdk3uimr7x8/s1600/friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL6zFd9MPMtk76Csanan-AFW50PHoCOT2DXBhK2EEcuOibBl4ox33lVHa43TL26UuSsSuVVHM2F__75pVDQZCl0icdlcAfvF7fqw_Ky5ZQQm2WDpszmYtvKiJXSqjN7kQcdk3uimr7x8/s320/friday.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday Mountain camp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTyDerKXzEbVRCmIcaG2WdpEWBbCIvT23lgT5dICdpLzf4K_8jkihhf5xxYHHqcB0Nx3-slAwyY0uxxtT6Z2b8fU0xcDKzqSrlxCZ2EGGKFGUh3qHGV-YC_R3NjRqF2U_sy0xjPxnZb8/s1600/pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTyDerKXzEbVRCmIcaG2WdpEWBbCIvT23lgT5dICdpLzf4K_8jkihhf5xxYHHqcB0Nx3-slAwyY0uxxtT6Z2b8fU0xcDKzqSrlxCZ2EGGKFGUh3qHGV-YC_R3NjRqF2U_sy0xjPxnZb8/s320/pose.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was every picture taken in front of Friday Mountain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4t9xavlfIrX1ldq5ASknrC6s4TM16AVHG6rwYV44lrVQCyFX2K5YemnCPjEL2zp__BnTJNkOnHyjrhpss6CUqHuKuJ05tmJuKWox0EtfMOsA_hJrV6PGzDyt9dEUEj054uqaVfgp1jM/s1600/bears.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4t9xavlfIrX1ldq5ASknrC6s4TM16AVHG6rwYV44lrVQCyFX2K5YemnCPjEL2zp__BnTJNkOnHyjrhpss6CUqHuKuJ05tmJuKWox0EtfMOsA_hJrV6PGzDyt9dEUEj054uqaVfgp1jM/s1600/bears.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My summer league.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJq8ZRMRlN4dkOjH5XeAPI39eiJL78JcOWlfexpwYIMgjNdB8LfnSzU3hNNqIlDF_-bhU2iOEKb472RWrWSSl4vSsMOeV0-Y25PLdzlgVOzovQcQCBSczV5G8qB6VMWasGL3WQLIvNrw/s1600/steve.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJq8ZRMRlN4dkOjH5XeAPI39eiJL78JcOWlfexpwYIMgjNdB8LfnSzU3hNNqIlDF_-bhU2iOEKb472RWrWSSl4vSsMOeV0-Y25PLdzlgVOzovQcQCBSczV5G8qB6VMWasGL3WQLIvNrw/s1600/steve.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GvZT6nTUgimsaML3oi0KJJWHPP1z7iSDiKlpwaRymiz-0fGHX5ZQOvG4Qgco8t2VLnvaRIwYUxHfvUeY4idPP5z5wGuMTELKE3GQDvePgO7fvjtso4Hevo19b2PJ5luRExOZdjnLwSo/s1600/blues.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GvZT6nTUgimsaML3oi0KJJWHPP1z7iSDiKlpwaRymiz-0fGHX5ZQOvG4Qgco8t2VLnvaRIwYUxHfvUeY4idPP5z5wGuMTELKE3GQDvePgO7fvjtso4Hevo19b2PJ5luRExOZdjnLwSo/s1600/blues.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As cool as I got.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiskd9P2tjhkiDkTD_LmPxAlTHmOJRU-8_QiQgbzldFYgj24b_XXtU2BQOotRTLSVW4GX2MvIdvzHq4-6hqfUnMl7IM9Sx8HutcYh-6E7TtloBigg33guMxCGVnvMfNSNEBYprwrw7qo/s1600/charlies+banana.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiskd9P2tjhkiDkTD_LmPxAlTHmOJRU-8_QiQgbzldFYgj24b_XXtU2BQOotRTLSVW4GX2MvIdvzHq4-6hqfUnMl7IM9Sx8HutcYh-6E7TtloBigg33guMxCGVnvMfNSNEBYprwrw7qo/s1600/charlies+banana.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they got me.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worshipful grand priestess.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New summer fascination.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geek summer heaven.</td></tr>
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-78770110890349366112016-05-20T15:34:00.001-07:002016-05-20T15:50:00.552-07:00Archie and Alex and the Approaching Armageddon: How a couple of retro sitcoms called it for Trump WorldThe Republican party is in disarray during the 2016 election season. A reality TV star has become the nominee by basically spouting xenophobic euphemisms and claiming to fight for the common man. Establishment Republicans after belittling and ridiculing his chances are now being forced to fall in line with--as Democrats call it--a new form of fascism.<br />
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It bears revisiting two landmark sitcoms. One changed the face of television in the 1970's by showcasing the confusion and division of the time and the 80's followup reflected the ensuing culture of corporate obeisance that the radical seventies hangover incubated.<br />
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Norman Lear created a landmark sitcom in 1971. Unlike anything on TV, the videotaped comedy series tackled subjects and used language which necessitated a warning during it's premiere on January 12. Although based on a British series, the Bunker household represented America in all it's schizophrenic glory. Archie Bunker--brilliantly conceived by character actor Carroll O'Connor--was part of the Greatest Generation. He was a veteran of the Great War full of patriotic bravado and gung-ho righteousness. It was his way or the <br />
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highway. Especially to his son-in-law Mike (or "meathead" played by Rob Reiner). Mike represented the dissent at the time: anti-Vietnam and championing all things Great Society. Needless to say, most episodes during the first five or so seasons (while the writing and acting remained sharp) consisted of varying degrees of yelling and insults. The fights were incredibly polarizing and in hindsight are almost shocking in their candor. Archie spouted blabbering hubris using malapropisms that made Yogi Berra look like a statesman. Mike responded with statistics and righteous rage. The volume was<br />
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deafening. But to many at the time, relatable. Middle aged Americans were coping with a new class of progressive youths--sons and daughters--taking up for causes that were deemed off-limits during the Eisenhower years of Ozzie and Harriet. This new generation was the epitome of laziness--dropping out--having sex and doing drugs--dirty hippies. Sound familiar?<br />
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Lear and his partner Bud Yorkin were extremely liberal. Lear eventually purchased the actual Constitution to promote civil liberties with his organization People For the American Way. There is no question as to his liberal credentials. However, he created a character (based on his father) that was so, well, representative of the right, that Archie Bunker became a cultural icon. "All in the Family" was the highest rated show for five years. And, much like the "Archie for President" bumper <br />
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stickers during 1972, his appeal was both satirical and emulative. There were only a few hard-core conservatives who viewed the series as seditious and un-American. For the most part liberals loved the crass and confused characterization O'Connor created--defending the horrible misdeeds of a Watergate soaked Richard Nixon with the faultiest of logic. And conservatives completely adored this guy you want to drink a beer with: "He says what I'm thinking." Whether you are a racist union hardhat or a part of the new southern "democrat," a Bible-quoting theocrat or a Buckley-esque right wing apologist, you couldn't wait for Bunker to speak your mind.<br />
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And.....Trump is the Republican nominee. And those few hard right Republicans who saw "All in the Family" as the Trojan Horse of socialism are now those hold-outs on the Trump train--whether holding out for a moral revolution a la Cruz or holding out for a crumbling status quo a la Bush.<br />
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Which brings us to Alex P. Keaton. Michael J. Fox equalled O'Connor in the Emmy race and became a superstar in the process. No one represented the "every-boy"--all genial and <br />
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bumbling, confident in his overconfidence--as the eighties wonder boy Fox. How can you not like the guy? So where Archie Bunker eventually became a cuddly-cute bigot that everyone loves and forgives, Gary David Goldberg created a right-wing ideologue cut from the most cuddly-cute mold he could find in this Canadian man-child. <br />
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Goldberg, fresh off of show running a couple of quality sitcoms for Mary Tyler Moore's production company, created "Family Ties" in 1982. Ronald Reagan had just beaten Jimmy Carter whose sole term was predicated on a craving for normalcy and values after the Nixon/Ford fiasco. Unfortunately, his inherent virtue couldn't overshadow what many considered a weak presidency. And the next thing you know an ex Movie Star is the President of the US. Bunker was a satirical portrait of some conservatives at the time. Keaton actually was a symbol of what conservatism would become in the ensuing decades. Button-down policy wonks--not so much interested in the erosion of the white race but the erosion of their bank accounts. It wouldn't be unusual for Alex to be listening to Rush Limbaugh in the early years of talk radio's rise--before it became a clarion call to division and hatred. <br />
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Once again, the brilliance of the show was actually the reverse angle of its Lear predecessor. Alex was alone in his dogma. His parent were, well, Mike and Gloria--hippies <br />
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who were still hippies working for the local PBS affiliate. His sisters were apolitical. Whereas Goldberg clearly milked the gag for all it was worth--a reflection of the growing ennui of the flower children among a more corporate driven culture of cool consumerism--he actually presaged the rise of the "compassionate conservative." The love child of Michael <br />
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Douglas's "Greed is Good" and the emerging (market-driven) ethos of political correctness stirred up with W's soft bigotry of low expectations.<br />
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And now what do we think of a Republican front runner who may have been a hero to young Mr. Keaton during the heady days of young plutocracy, yet is capturing the hearts and minds of a new breed of victimized "little guys" who sound something like....Archie Bunker?<br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-67951287524973900762016-04-16T19:39:00.000-07:002016-04-16T19:39:28.088-07:00That 70's Show and Tell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I usually do during my two-week breaks from work, I visited the storage unit to unload some recently purchased nostalgia into the endless trough we call "the past." I go through my old writings....from the late 70's through college....and it amazed me how similarly my writing style was to now....my God...have I evolved? Should I have evolved? My high school entries had the same cynical outsider perspective that clouds the satirical musings I pump up now after fifty. I nearly shocked myself seeing these things.<br />
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But I never wrote after college, through the eighties and nineties. After arriving in Austin, I wrote again...but more with an ear toward quirky indie films. But, as I have been spiraling into nostalgia over the past five or so years, my musings have been bookending with my youthful attempts at wit. <br />
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Lacking a decent segue, I'll just reference the theme of my blog site and say....hey, the seventies!!! Not sure if it's a complete fear of robot takeovers or a chilling lack of control I feel our lives take in this corporatized world we live in...but I must say I find the utmost comfort in the warm memories I have from the decade of Watergate and Disco, the immediate post-Manson malaise, the Vietnam wind-down and hangover from assassinations and revolutions. <br />
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My new pop culture standards revolve around the time period from, say 1968 to the late seventies. And with the resurgence of vinyl culture, the smells and textures of the time are really hitting me hard. I am now searching out used vinyl....not so much for the extremely satisfying crackle of needle on groove, but for those covers. The famous Herb Alpert cover with the "whip cream girl" was Mad Men to a tee...but by the late sixties the martini themes and Jack Davis soundtrack cartoons were overtaken by the cheesiest mashups of polyester and perms that can be imagined in a SDS fever dream. <br />
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Speaking of the sixties, there was the newly-old discovery, for this one, of previous decade's comics and toys. Associated with the seventies, was the musty smell of attic attached to ephemera from the sixties..in a strange way, that became part of this discussion. The comic books at the time were fantastic silver-age classics: Marvel, DC, Harvey, Archie...Gold Key for the TV tie-ins and the crassly underachieving Charlton titles. Mad Magazine and Cracked covered the naughty bits (as well as DC's "Plop!"--my personal favorite). And as long as we are on the topic of mags....I will unabashedly proclaim my grand esteem for the seventies Playboys. Not as "hip" as the sixties nor as "cool" as the eighties...the Me Decade's Periodicals of Sin were the perfect blend of hippie ethos and warholian dysfunction. <br />
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The television was groundbreaking. Silly escapist fare gave way to a politically incorrect yet groundbreaking topicality that was never duplicated as the eighties churned out escapist fare, Reaganesque family dynamics and later a self-aware ironic unspooling of the medium itself ("Married..with Children"). The seventies provided the final gasp of the three network (plus PBS) paradigm. News was breaking and infrequent. Tabloid TV was in its infancy. Game shows were cocktail parties. Saturday mornings were LSD-inspired magic tempered by Peggy Charron's educational histrionics. <br />
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My film going was relegated to Disney fare. But the edited versions of the classics as Movies-of-the Week were shocking and new. Re watching all the gritty, hardcore fare from Altman, Lumet, Raefelson, Pakula, Nichols, Penn and Ashby along with the young bucks such as Speilberg, Lucas, Coppolla, Scorsese, and Depalma--only cemented for me the hazy and daring output at the time. I never saw Corman films...but I knew the posters....and once again, BANG!<br />
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No matter how sordid and dis inspiring, news clips from the seventies carry a certain misguided gravitas...film was still much in vogue for sports and news stories. The colors of the time were always "fall-ish": brown and green....with a dash of psychedelic flower power (sort of like those bathtub decals). <br />
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Of course, the yacht rock sounds of the Carpenters and countless others add to that melancholic feel of the times. That's the tip of the iceberg when you want to move into the realms of hair metal and disco and the new country and funk....it goes on and on.<br />
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Add the already-decaying mid century architecture to the mix and you've got a cornucopia of styles and designs to make the most bohemian of hipsters unashamedly bawl in delight.<br />
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I guess my POINT is just that there is a visceral feel, look, odor and sound to the times. Being a kid during these years just enhances my memories as I was using all these media to escape from the oppressive South Texas tropes into the colorful universe of both coasts....the metropolitan, 16 millimeter grime of New York...and the hazy sun-baked sound stage decadence of LA. By way of 45's, 33's, silver age comics, four networks on color TV and thick spined magazines you're not old enough to buy.<br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-23558065009191620802015-11-28T12:38:00.000-08:002016-12-10T10:12:03.908-08:00Non-Cynical Boomer Holiday Memories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbQRHnW2XuDgkuDBfE88kcrdzsNEFbzm0bOCeJoZMVLH9h1c99EZyOq0pC3mfmaOdWqHXyJ8lHr9WtuhZWUZSZGcS_G6Z3j8UiYMxW1xFFHlHH5ycJmz3tn-Rl67Kw-Hx2DcK_wxjuKI/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbQRHnW2XuDgkuDBfE88kcrdzsNEFbzm0bOCeJoZMVLH9h1c99EZyOq0pC3mfmaOdWqHXyJ8lHr9WtuhZWUZSZGcS_G6Z3j8UiYMxW1xFFHlHH5ycJmz3tn-Rl67Kw-Hx2DcK_wxjuKI/s320/tree.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not mine, but close enough</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The overarching internal
conundrum within my aching aging bones involves the ever-evolving conflict with
my current angst and railing regarding the corporate takeover of the world and
my chestnut memories of the holiday season which were spiced and seasoned with
the same cynical manipulative persuasive pro-consumer enticements I rail
against.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">So I will happily digest
youtube clips of a dopey 1972 toy TV commercial over a 2015 holiday-tinged
politically correct snarky Black Friday mobile-app blowout micro-clip (or
whatever they call it nowadays).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I’m not alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoyxz-m_3c20HcrqYN4zbQmg9GQ1QxY8y07n0aHKEVz8EOHGqJS2G4Oq_l_k7W_qeQ_9Tpw41A8YbnBFVxqdY8CqdvCq7_Tty6qHuk9-41GqE6f6zbUCeRGAt35yEj4SVIEmR0YVAUJk/s1600/RudolphandSanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoyxz-m_3c20HcrqYN4zbQmg9GQ1QxY8y07n0aHKEVz8EOHGqJS2G4Oq_l_k7W_qeQ_9Tpw41A8YbnBFVxqdY8CqdvCq7_Tty6qHuk9-41GqE6f6zbUCeRGAt35yEj4SVIEmR0YVAUJk/s200/RudolphandSanta.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Why does the Rankin Bass
machine (highlighted by the phenomenon of Rudolph--and the Charlie Brown
specials rank among the most enduring form of holiday entertainment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the sweet simplicity and lack of
pretense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglm90OfIGqEyKXCEVH_51FY6O-AtmZLIU6hshZCQIHIyrEBWFGpIBz1wNTMIn8jXwQn4c5rsX4dMSI11l9FLv7QPIVtI9N-xRkZD97Q0yI3Ha2yNyHKDkn7u2WkJ2ZhSFbdH-MQOX9nO4/s1600/charlie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglm90OfIGqEyKXCEVH_51FY6O-AtmZLIU6hshZCQIHIyrEBWFGpIBz1wNTMIn8jXwQn4c5rsX4dMSI11l9FLv7QPIVtI9N-xRkZD97Q0yI3Ha2yNyHKDkn7u2WkJ2ZhSFbdH-MQOX9nO4/s200/charlie.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">But this isn’t a cranky
opinion piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted to
establish my hypocrisy up front so that it is clear it all comes down to
selling something, no matter the era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted
to benignly and politely share the following memories:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">As an only child television pretty much formed my sensibilities “back in the day.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though there were family
gatherings and that dynamic was a huge joy for me, I always managed to find a
TV to hole up in front of to watch whatever offerings the networks or some
obscure UHF station were offering as we visited Waco or Austin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back then, thanks to syndication, one didn’t have the same
cable offerings during travel as today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC47WlJVZ0HIwzBz-gfILPQTyO5wOhR5-XcnpY5-lI8FOhgI-Lc2-YiiutZcAdhcN_cEDZluYbexFh7cQmC0Yoh13TxezX_aZQ8t4dclMR_w2sQFFxsVDhhaJQRH9uOL8otMAwKKdgg6w/s1600/christmas_tree_and_tv_set_2000.5i2147fl14w00ggwg08ogcsow.6yqnw46uyjk0c8okws0wwwg48.th.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC47WlJVZ0HIwzBz-gfILPQTyO5wOhR5-XcnpY5-lI8FOhgI-Lc2-YiiutZcAdhcN_cEDZluYbexFh7cQmC0Yoh13TxezX_aZQ8t4dclMR_w2sQFFxsVDhhaJQRH9uOL8otMAwKKdgg6w/s200/christmas_tree_and_tv_set_2000.5i2147fl14w00ggwg08ogcsow.6yqnw46uyjk0c8okws0wwwg48.th.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dilemma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Visiting a different city (even 100 miles away) could send you into a
brand new world with different sitcom reruns or local kid’s shows with cartoons
you never heard of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Channel 11
from Fort Worth had Slam Bang Theater with the Three Stooges and Felix the
Cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my visits to the distant lands tens of miles away, we could pick those up (with old-school cable) and no one knew where I was when we arrived--I crawled into the TV “dens” or “studies” as soon as possible to start consuming cultural
differences.</span><br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">However, at home in San
Antonio (pre-1973), attending every </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqRmi0xKpUuPIwSnxkTsCLKwdmvnCAhceILFwapV3ZG4vNanFCbLxIm0t2Fhyphenhyphen2L3NDx-LieVkrPBEdWhutkjNh5v5V3OYon2ka4GTYBtSQaeMzlKi5Jg2YDMiCA7RXIM2Fh82pZ-2mbY/s1600/mcd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqRmi0xKpUuPIwSnxkTsCLKwdmvnCAhceILFwapV3ZG4vNanFCbLxIm0t2Fhyphenhyphen2L3NDx-LieVkrPBEdWhutkjNh5v5V3OYon2ka4GTYBtSQaeMzlKi5Jg2YDMiCA7RXIM2Fh82pZ-2mbY/s200/mcd.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">McDonald’s opening and gorging myself on
Krofft Saturday Morning offerings and reading silver age Hanna Barbera comics
and ordering Scholastic books and listening to Disney records made up my spare
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with that as base, it’s
easy to ascertain the fabric of my seasonal joys:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Media.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCK1AZ2M3Hmv8UnivJaMSJf-YuHn97HZNyAtOdfWkSSO9sLOPdfkYz0p9AILt2ON1xy6pIaaLqPmrAdm4VvjMjWsEO2dN2bWXhlXcaMpqGUvNJglJYWcbPVXf82uWkGrND_14-jI4ftY/s1600/Hanna-Barbera_Christmas_Story_closing_scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCK1AZ2M3Hmv8UnivJaMSJf-YuHn97HZNyAtOdfWkSSO9sLOPdfkYz0p9AILt2ON1xy6pIaaLqPmrAdm4VvjMjWsEO2dN2bWXhlXcaMpqGUvNJglJYWcbPVXf82uWkGrND_14-jI4ftY/s320/Hanna-Barbera_Christmas_Story_closing_scene.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">It’s funny how the homey snow-village hearth obsessed version of the holidays, while clearly of an
earlier time and lacking in antennas, was refined through the media
representations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents may
have actually experienced those things but I related to the idea of that little
berg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were the animated
specials by Hanna-Barbera and </span></div>
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</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">others that fed into the depiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sweet made for television film </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzukAcrdIq-f4DYakk6-JVw8ZgLq9h7VhlT70g9LWL111zdnv6rcsDOFILvZ1YG_CgLe2Q2MaxCHHrswsX3FVEWErzecDermvPWN13rjinCSRms2S6ilVxMA4ycytstnX88y5BmcSOHO8/s1600/fonzie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzukAcrdIq-f4DYakk6-JVw8ZgLq9h7VhlT70g9LWL111zdnv6rcsDOFILvZ1YG_CgLe2Q2MaxCHHrswsX3FVEWErzecDermvPWN13rjinCSRms2S6ilVxMA4ycytstnX88y5BmcSOHO8/s200/fonzie.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">that
was set in such a village (yet contemporary) was requiredviewing each year and despite it’s depressing tone put me in the mood much as “The Christmas
Story” did for the next generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course I will rewatch today a “very special” holiday edition of Lucy
or Mary or Bob or the Bunkers and Bradys, the Clampetts and Cunninghams.</span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WvuKWyZCvUw" width="420"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlZCwMQO_DnQHy-23prKAO8JkRWPCZjPIJwjZDwyRlYYyqyC2pIU5wFfhB3zO2UxMnyt64RGj_dbvn8jjgNQhw-bqEQGGrX5JtCqlk46UochnhwiwcFGUGcWpEqJ0g6hS_WQhrHe4qoA/s1600/family+affair.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlZCwMQO_DnQHy-23prKAO8JkRWPCZjPIJwjZDwyRlYYyqyC2pIU5wFfhB3zO2UxMnyt64RGj_dbvn8jjgNQhw-bqEQGGrX5JtCqlk46UochnhwiwcFGUGcWpEqJ0g6hS_WQhrHe4qoA/s1600/family+affair.jpeg" /></a></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And of course, the Manhattan environs
of Buffy, Jody and the Jeffersons were perfect fodder for the holiday
escapades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which leads me to:</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pwPw8g1XqR8" width="420"></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Thanksgiving is the gateway
to the shopping…ahem…goodwill season and the Macy’s Parade was a complete blast
with the “Miracle on 34th street” location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved the idea of New York during the holidays (although I
had never been there…again representation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhQumV1eFe5We8ZXJkyQchw6fdfaWV0Tag7sHAOqSOix1ruLyJeIXplyscan9lRDNmax916saiLluRRTjHdFhMeILYV6kloE_sZ-Fkc62IehQOHwhG-vRxCs1NZq58K1SaS2j7vxSdrU/s1600/macys-thanksgiving-parade-hed-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhQumV1eFe5We8ZXJkyQchw6fdfaWV0Tag7sHAOqSOix1ruLyJeIXplyscan9lRDNmax916saiLluRRTjHdFhMeILYV6kloE_sZ-Fkc62IehQOHwhG-vRxCs1NZq58K1SaS2j7vxSdrU/s200/macys-thanksgiving-parade-hed-2012.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Those were the years before Times Square was cleaned up…the
“Taxi Driver” years….but that parade ran down a Disney-fied Broadway with lots
of clean, safe grime-free holiday cheer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even in San Antonio, I could grasp at some of that utopitan urbanity
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxeYzPqlqdEm2-T86l5fcPKOn8mgE9qZXX_J4va1oN6O4k2U32P_c0zScQWh4Vc2WLFXrryjHUkem1oM_ApEV6k8G7iJgxCfIh_J-nQuDl4NRQ-9iSJu1acgSeD-1ibgsbpm4rp1pKhI/s1600/joskes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxeYzPqlqdEm2-T86l5fcPKOn8mgE9qZXX_J4va1oN6O4k2U32P_c0zScQWh4Vc2WLFXrryjHUkem1oM_ApEV6k8G7iJgxCfIh_J-nQuDl4NRQ-9iSJu1acgSeD-1ibgsbpm4rp1pKhI/s200/joskes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Joske'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">when I visited the Christmas Wonderland at Joske’s downtown (now the
Rivercenter Mall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot
express the joy of those memories…the train that ran through the village, the
fake snow, the piped-in carolers and of course Santa himself…was it the same
santa from North Star Mall I wondered?</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Although the weather in South
Texas could sometimes be balmy at this time of year, we could be blessed with a
“brown” </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGAuynHXZJ0Q1SlXMUR4vGRffhpfwrIHN-gkg8vZHeNb_UaFmtV-JpbazUUBQxVr2SBBz_FI0R1NDLzzUbsjGe95oMjt6ooPoig9j6IXtLRkECshmu3sufCgORMAgAS3XgzygVpppkj4/s1600/thanksgiving_that_almost_wasnt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGAuynHXZJ0Q1SlXMUR4vGRffhpfwrIHN-gkg8vZHeNb_UaFmtV-JpbazUUBQxVr2SBBz_FI0R1NDLzzUbsjGe95oMjt6ooPoig9j6IXtLRkECshmu3sufCgORMAgAS3XgzygVpppkj4/s200/thanksgiving_that_almost_wasnt.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Thanksgiving, with football games on inside and played outside (in crisp clean air).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “white” Christmas was rare
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But any amount of
frigidity certainly helped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
still have the little Christmas village with the fake snow (now yellowed--well)
and the little houses (now barely holding together).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little neighborhood was always packed away in the same
musty little suitcase (still in pretty good shape actually) which is just a
part of the memories as the contents themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny how that is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">I still have the ornaments
that we put up on the tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t put up a </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOxcLEfhAWmcRGk-siDVxifTlQfWq6brJmCyOU4opwrSR7f3SjHyVT_Brh9IQR-p855sVQ5-N7-DG121sdPideIcrIMxmJ7IepXMzBoCCPWnpOzyLNVcHg7_HNucCyQSQkfKjtxTpLg8/s1600/rock+em.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOxcLEfhAWmcRGk-siDVxifTlQfWq6brJmCyOU4opwrSR7f3SjHyVT_Brh9IQR-p855sVQ5-N7-DG121sdPideIcrIMxmJ7IepXMzBoCCPWnpOzyLNVcHg7_HNucCyQSQkfKjtxTpLg8/s200/rock+em.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
t<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ree anymore but with my entire obsessive-compulsive family
unit, alterations to the tree attire were almost non-existent for decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stockings made by my aunt made
regular appearances as did that one gingerbread ornament which looked so real
I almost ate it a couple of times (there is a bite mark or two).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did morning presents which changed
to the night before as my </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">parents got older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the time when Christmas landed on Saturday and my
folks had to compete with the cartoons for my attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most of the games I got--Kooky
Carnival, Operation, any offering from Shaper--reminded me of the commercials
on TV that hawked them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless
some idiot chose to give my UNDERWEAR or SOCKS or a SWEATER for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, I wasn’t much different than
today’s kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ezMT4OIjV88" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">I still had the cassette tape
as my Dad, pretending to be St. Nik, was testing out the new-fangled tape recorder (wow!) he
got me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the tape,
consisting of my father reading the instructions into the mike and my Mom in the
background making the coffee (Mrs. Clause I guess I was to surmise) broke and
cannot be retrieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it was
1970 after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should be glad
no evidence exists of my spoiled tantrums over the gifts I opened that </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">had no
brand-name or comic character attached.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anything Hot Wheels or the lesser Matchbox elicited untold joy
however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially if they had
the little magic gas pumps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
this day, I have no idea how those little gas pumps made the cars run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I can Google it</span>.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">I generally forgot about all
these tropes during the eighties and nineties when the holiday season became
about parties<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(well, that’s a
people thing right?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the lines
between fiction and reality became blurred thanks to vociferous cinema
attendance, the </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Christmas get togethers became fertile soil for possible
romantic hookups, trembling parking lot encounters, and the resulting self-fulfilling depression and loneliness
(however bittersweet--tinged with seasonal joy).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course, having a small business, buying
presents for clients and close friends and relatives became a rather tiresome
yet rewarding experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t
say that media didn’t play a huge part in later years as the rollout of the
Holiday Tentpole films excited me to no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">But the holidays are a quiet
time now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my “waxing nostalgic”
faze I will get some eggnog and rum (that’s the “party” part nowadays) and
settle in with a marathon of Rudolph and Charlie Brown with the unpacked
village suitcase sitting nearby waiting to be unpacked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put up a few decorations for my Mom
in her little apartment--not much room for a tree--and she says that’s all
right but I know she would love to have all the trappings up the holiday in her
gaze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently, a large part my
job involves decorating for the holidays for a store so my enthusiasm wanes
when on the homefront.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">But it’s fun to bring back
all that at my job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hang old
cheesy </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">holiday albums featuring cartoon characters and media celebrities from
the ceiling and sneak in a lot of golden books and tattered decorations to fill
out the décor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes a boomer
or slacker will come in and marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Aside from that, when all the
razmataz is stripped out, you realize it comes down to being with loved ones, if
only for a day…seeing old friends in person (infrequent in the age of
Facebook)…and appreciating what you have been blessed with rather than what you
lost or don’t possess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s OK to
hold on to those old memories but what is left are the ingredients of a quiet
celebration of gratitude and selflessness, a celebration that at it’s core celebrates
the Reason for the Season.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-5774447476477241932015-09-19T18:09:00.002-07:002015-09-19T18:09:14.856-07:00"Carter Country"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0b4CB4Gb5Dba3bjY5l8IdNeSoxu5EzqyH1qMrlei-6B9tnt33Qn0giNSOhREole5nOAciZoR2NZ7Df-ZnV8tveyVJHjb8tERhUzAy-R0c4iKchaw8_hybs7CFDRGEHTW0VbuMXLeSMs/s1600/3E1CARTER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0b4CB4Gb5Dba3bjY5l8IdNeSoxu5EzqyH1qMrlei-6B9tnt33Qn0giNSOhREole5nOAciZoR2NZ7Df-ZnV8tveyVJHjb8tERhUzAy-R0c4iKchaw8_hybs7CFDRGEHTW0VbuMXLeSMs/s320/3E1CARTER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Two sad things happened a couple of months ago: The loss of TV producer Bud Yorkin and the cancer diagnosis of former President Jimmy Carter. There was an interesting connection between these two in the year after Carter became the leader of the free world.<br />
<br />
Yorkin was best-known for his collaborations with uber-producer Norman Lear in the seventies. Not only did the two work together in television starting in the late fifties, but they continued with films in the sixties--Yorkin directed Lear's "Divorce, American Style" for <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidTmXv_Tw8LDFOp3fEG2zDN-zoFyjg04f3YQzyex-E6_ZnRvxl_feqpT3S8e2LVeK3ahigZxBpqOmo3R1Psa7aPCC6QQbIT48Pcir0VSREE0DnEIh05RnofYZmXplHJZLZMbiYSg3fxQ/s1600/20yorkin-1-obit-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidTmXv_Tw8LDFOp3fEG2zDN-zoFyjg04f3YQzyex-E6_ZnRvxl_feqpT3S8e2LVeK3ahigZxBpqOmo3R1Psa7aPCC6QQbIT48Pcir0VSREE0DnEIh05RnofYZmXplHJZLZMbiYSg3fxQ/s200/20yorkin-1-obit-articleLarge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yorkin and Lear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
instance. But when the two devised the ill-fated pilots for a videotaped sitcom based on a British hit "Til Death Do Us Part," little did they know that their persistence would change the face of television.<br />
<br />
There is no need to re-hash the phenomenon that was "All in the Family." Before Lear and Yorkin (together as "Tandem" Productions) brought to CBS two spin-offs from that show--"Maude" begets "Good Times"--Yorkin took a heavier producing hand to Tandem's second mega-hit, this time on NBC, "Sanford and Son." A second British remake, this was the first American TV series to portray the African American experience as something other than the glossy, whitewashed, and condescending safety of "Julia," "Room 222," or Bill Cosby's multiple sixties series. Sadly, however, this new junkyard hit revealed a stark thrust backwards in its stereotypes and slapstick--avoiding the controversial topics save the irony of a racist who is himself a minority citizen. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, "Good Times" struggled with cast issues due to the decreasing influence of its black story-runners and the ever-increasing prevalence of the mid-seventies fascination with catch-phrase characters (JJ's "Dyno-Mite!"). By the time Lear spun of "The Jeffersons"--also falling prey to the same dilemma while exhibiting bravery in its depiction of a bi-racial relationships--Tandem became TAT and Yorkin formed a new company, TOY, with Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein. <br />
<br />
After Sanford's "Grady" spinoff and the failed Sanford continuation "Sanford Arms," TOY moved to ABC and piggybacked on the Sanford success with "What's Happening!!," a comic <br />
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version of the more grim feature film, "Cooley High." With Duwayne, Rerun, Raj, Mama, Shirley and Dee, the socio-level was amped up to middle-class but the antics stayed true to the insult-slinging hi-jinks that by this time--post Mary Tyler Moore/early MASH and plopped squarely in the new ascendancy of the T and A/Happy Days revolution--sitcoms were back in the Vietnam-era business of escapism and mindless franchises. <br />
<br />
Now on the political front, Americans were completely disillusioned with post-Watergate Washington. Even though the Nixon/Ford years gave birth to TV's golden age of comedy in teh early seventies, the surprising election of an unkown Georgia governor to President--representing the USA's populist and strangely spiritual left-turn--heralded inanity in boob tube comedy.<br />
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I can remember the early SNL jokes and skits about Carter the peanut farmer and the constant coverage of his Plains family as a punchline--brother Billy and his beer brand, mother Lillian, et. al.--and a brief absence of heated political rancor as Carter was branded "God's gift to the White <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy and a peanut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
House." Well, many will argue as to his effectiveness as a world leader to this day, but few will doubt his integrity and measured intelligence. Arguably, he may have been the last president who relied more on moral instinct and less on polls and political gurus. <br />
<br />
So it was in this environment that Yorkin and his colleagues introduced the sitcom "Carter Country" in the midst of super-programmer Fred Silverman's revamping of ABC into the masturbatory powerhouse that included "Charlie's Angels" and "Three's Company." An odd choice, yet reflective of a "trending" topic, the sitcom placed itself squarely in the confines of Carter's own home territory. Sometimes mistaken as a remake of the Acaemy Award winning film from a decade earlier "In the Heat of the Night," the program's resemblance was limited only to the setting and fish out of water scenario. That being said, the basic plot was was southern police chief (Victor French) being forced to work with big-city educated black sergeant (Kene Holliday). And as Chief Mobey, French played a lovable redneck who's <br />
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prejudices were only unintentional and bred by environment (as opposed to Lear's Archie Bunker--less lovable and more dangerous). Sergeant Baker's main conflicts resided with various residents of Clinton Corners (yes, that was the name of the town) whose bigotry was a bit more, shall we say, realistic. But lessons were learned and situations were resolved in true sitcom form as "Carter Country" did for the racist South what "Hogan's Heroes" did for Nazi Germany. It was a dark version of Mayberry--with a live studio audience. <br />
<br />
I remember watching this show upon it's premiere in the fall of 1977 at the height of the ABC "We're the One" resurgence. Premiering the same month as "Soap," and slotted right before Redd Foxx's controversial new post-"Sanford" variety Show, the series didn't quite carry the taboo cache of those programs and somehow managed to slip into a second season unnoticed and unheralded. ABC did manage to get a catch-phrase out of the show: Cuddly yet corrupt Mayor Burnside would utter a terse "Handle-it, handle-it" to his backwoods inferiors. The only thing of pop-culture interest that came of the series was a short recurring character played a young Melanie Griffith--cub reporter for the local paper. <br />
<br />
Falling victim to the same level of progressive political-incorrectness as many other seventies sitcoms, we will probably never see this one on DVD. Holliday went on to be a regular on "Matlock" and French continued to be a part of "Little House on the Prairie" and do character parts. TOY produced a mild "Soap" ripoff called "13 Queens Blvd" with Eileen Brennan and Jerry Van Dyke, paired with "The Ropers" to no avail. And in 1982, the company brought back Mickey Rooney to star with two kids (Dana Carvey and Nathan Lane) in "One of the Boys" about a geezer rooming with a couple of college boys. Yorkin went back to features such as "Twice in a Lifetime" with Gene Hackman and the "Arthur" sequel.<br />
<br />
Here's the proof: Enjoy the snazzy theme-music while you are at it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QZf5Odx5dgI" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-7923599557401522212015-05-18T19:25:00.000-07:002015-05-19T15:22:19.277-07:00My Letter to Dave<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Big Caslon'; font-size: large;"><b>Dear Dave,</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Big Caslon'; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>You
always portrayed an outsider, looking at your guests askance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The audience related to you as you
warily eyed your eccentric guests…sneering and jousting….and as you recognized
the “good guys”--the honest to goodness heroes of Our Great Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you captivated the growing masses
of cynical viewers who were growing weary of how the revolutionary media
environment of the seventies was already lapsing into the Reagan era of
contrived family pablum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as a young
audience member with a voracious appetite for all things Hollywood, you spoke
to me.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>My
first encounter with you was when you were a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore’s
failed ensemble variety show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Co-castmember Michael Keaton recently regaled the youngsters with the
clip of you--the gangly weatherman--uncompfortably doing dance routines. You
hated it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You seemed to me the
“grouchy” character--the outsider looking in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a character part on “Mork and Mindy” (which I somehow missed at
the time, sorry) and many appearances on Carson, NBC gave you that hour slot
after the Today Show replacing “Sanford and Son” reruns. Since it premiered
during the summer before my senior year I was able to partake.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>In
the summer of ’80, SNL lost the last of it’s original Not Ready for Prime Time
Players, remember?..mostly to movie and Broadway careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lorne Michaels left the show as it was
ready to embark on it’s ill-fated 1980 season with all new castmembers
(including the only breakout:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eddie Murphy!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ABC’s
drug-fueled SNL clone called “Fridays” was now the king of late night
subversion, but only for limited audiences leading to a short run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Canadian SCTV troop was making inroads through syndication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Variety was dead and the sitcoms were returning to Mayberry with
“Alice,” “Flo,” and “Dukes of Hazzard” topping Prime Time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So your morning show, Dave,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was a welcome but ill-scheduled
surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If youngsters youtube
some clips from this program, they will see some of the most daring and
shocking comedy of the time--and it aired between news and game shows!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you feel about that, Dave? The
“feel” of that show was so off-putting at the time, hazy--sort of druggy-- out
of place, weird, almost like a public access show spoofed to death in years to
come….but you were Dave, Dave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks for leaving some clips up, I know it must be hard on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do wish I had convinced one of my
school buddies to let me have his Jimmie Walker comedy 8-track--only I knew
that you were his head writer on that!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>So
flash-forward to my freshman year in college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I think of my little wood-toned Sony color TV, I
remember the resurgence of NBC which had struggled with mediocre programming
during Fred Silverman’s “Big Event” experiments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gary Coleman provided the only ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You remember…you were guest hosting
Tonight in these years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I luxuriated among the new classics:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere,” “SCTV Network” (replacing SNL as
appointment viewing), the new sitcom “Cheers” ready for takeoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I adjusted to life in a dorm--away
from Mom and Dad--I found a new home, a new family with you and your crew
nightly starting February 1, 1982.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>“Late
Night with David Letterman” was basically the morning show with more edge and
the repressed sardonic wit was allowed to flourish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A complete antidote to “The Tonight Show”s establishment
feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carson was still the only
game in town on the networks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Merv, Mike Douglas and Dinah were syndicated in the seventies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil Donohue was emerging to take the
daytime talk format into the wastelands of dysfunction and crudity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching “Late Night” on my
little Sony in Elliott Hall is such a loaded memory I can’t help but co-mingle
your popular coming-out with my own stunted growth. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>When
Bill Murray, fresh off of “Stripes” emerged as your first guest that night, one
could tell you had fans from inside the Hollywood establishment, a begrudging
acknowledgement I’m sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With SNL
out of commission until Lorne returned in ’85, you were the only game in town
when one was looking for irreverence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow you could do a “Velcro suit” gag--stupid as it
sounds--but couched in your wink wink nod nod sensibility, it seemed
“cool.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this was the genius of
Stupid Pet Tricks and Larry “Bud” Melman and Monkeycam: you elevated inane
schtick into a pseudo-hip phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>Dave,
one of the aspects of your early years that I found completely enthralling was
actually borrowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But your humility always allowed
for a deference to past groundbreakers and I’m sure you’d agree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you would have a camera on the
street and comment on the people walking by, you were --in a sideways
manner--paying tribute to the great Steve Allen’s observational comedy from the
fifties and sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your visual
gags could evoke Ernie Kovaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is why some refer to you as a Great Broadcaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell, Johnny never went outside the
studio, did he? You used the medium of television in a way that had been
forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you did the
drive-through window bits in the 90’s, your show<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was referencing your own earlier schtick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will never forget the banter during a
studio walk-through you did with Willard Scott (also a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>great broadcaster) which had me in
stitches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During those years,
Dave-watchers (is that OK?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>were
the only Texans introduced to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>these quirky and gritty urban legends: Hunter S. Thompson, Brother
Theodore, Fran Leibowitz, Harvey Pekar, Howard Stern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy stunts by Crispin Glover and Andy Kaufman were rarely questioned in their authenticity--before the staged “trending” culture we have
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a matter of fact, Dave,
you provided more Youtube moments before Youtube than anyone at the time.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>MTV
was taking off in the early 80’s…and “Cool” was becoming “Unhip.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By commenting on the ridiculousness of
pop culture (while actually contributing to it) you became the antithesis of market-driven
entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the Dave I
have missed during the CBS years.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>The
late eighties were a blur to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With all the changes that come with career choices and newfound
freedoms--apartment living, new friends, horrifying possibilities and the
inherent escapes--I don’t know how I had time to watch your show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow I fit you in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Clooney told you the other night,
you just become part of one’s night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With the VCR, I taped you and watched you the next day….the best of all
worlds!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>As
a matter of fact, your sensibilities became so intertwined with mine, I copied
your act on a public access talent-variety show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I borrowed your sardonic humor and even had my own Paul
Schaffer who used sound effect and music cues of my own selection in the same
way you used yours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes it
all the more bizarre, was that I was one of the few English-speakers on a show that
catered to an Hispanic audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually, you would have loved it, Dave. Much as you wore your natty
suit with sneakers and a bad haircut, I sadly did the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still had hair then, Dave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with my geeky appearance…sort of
button-down, my vast knowledge of vintage television, my off-putting sense of
humor and my complete sense of estrangement from any particular group--especially the group I was in front of, I became
you in San Antonio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>As
television became an increasingly smaller part of my life--with work and
theater taking over--,my devotion to you fell by the wayside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time your<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>transition to CBS occurred--with all
the accompanying controversy and hoopla, rememer?--I was following with scant
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I did watch enough
to generate some memories of your first years on CBS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Sometimes I confuse memories of those early CBS years with
your NBC years--such as the Manky Patinkin/Tony Randall skits).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when did you stop those brilliant
“interviews” with Charles Grodin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you guys still talk?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>I’m
sorry I lost touch with you, Dave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mostly after you moved to CBS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What with more theater, more work, commitments, relationships…my
television compadres were limited to prime time must see comedians like
Seinfeld, Reiser, and “Frasier” on your old network.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d visit occasionally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I was one of your few defenders when you hosted the
Oscars! (What was all the bitching about?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now, even SNL found it’s footing thanks to Hartman, Hooks
et.al.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, you had a hand in
giving showcases to so many of the newer talent gracing Lorne’s stage--Sandler,
McDonald, Farley and the rest of the young SNL Rat Pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, Dave, the guys coming up in the
world also came up in your world…like I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are now becoming a Kingmaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like the newly retired Carson was.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>Well,
Dave, upheavals in my life….huge events good and bad, major losses, great
wins….led to a move to Austin to become a filmmaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now, my time was filmed with, well, film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regular TV viewing was limited to a few
programs throughout my self-prescribed cinema master class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>So
I wasn’t there for you during your heart surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t started contemplating my own mortality yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You were as old then as I am now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>And,
Dave, I wasn’t with you when “comedy” changed after that fateful day in
2001.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you and Tina Fey--the
queen of SNL--and Leno and all the rest decided it was best to “keep America
laughing” and “celebrate our heroes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was sincere, Dave, and I share your anguish over world events….but it
did kill comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The edge was gone
as politicians now used you and other comedy shows for stump speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jon Stewart was ushering in the news as
a comedy show to reach those young people….like you reached my generation…to
use comedy as a sharp beacon of the truth rather than skirt the painful
realities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, Dave, I quit you
around this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your guests were
deferential to you and afraid to rile you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The audience applauded at every line you provided, funny or
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Top Ten list had a
corporate sponsor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You allowed
politicians on your show to promote their agendas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Movie stars became your admirers and a mutual appreciation
society was formed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you still
kept to yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a matter of
fact, you may have become more insular than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You were now an institution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I could barely watch.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>You
just became part of the news cycle with your scandals now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always admired how you stayed out of
the limelight, but now….Hey, I had lost my edge by this time as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My performing was relegated to short
student film appearances, character actor stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>So,
Dave, a year after I turn fifty I see you retiring in your late sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you aged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in a bad way, but I think “Where did those years
go?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I watch the parade of
VIPs…Presidents and Movie stars…I feel I missed your party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t there, Dave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I missed your boat and mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I watch with a wistful regret.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My eyes tear up when I see those comics (who I remember
starting) pay loving tributes to what you did for their careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I nod my head in agreement when
celebrities recount their first visits on your NBC couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I watch you, nearing retirement, I
sense a retirement of my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>I
hate to admit it, because you probably could care less, but you were a huge
influence on my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it
was corny local TV, theater performances, drunk party bits, young salesman
ice-breakers…..coping….coping with a “world I never made” (Howard the Duck, you
know the reference, Dave?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Appreciating those that blazed the trail before us, recognizing those
that stand out beyond the grand morass of digital entertainment, calling out
the frauds and the fakes….your tastes and my tastes were the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize that now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>You
said in your new Rolling Stone interview that you were “motivated by fear and
guilt.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave, I feel the same
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your neuroses and mine are
probably extremely similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although I have never shied from the limelight--if I had ever been in
your position, who knows?--I too am an outsider, an observer, ready to comment,
condemn or congratulate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in my
way, I’ve dangerously flirted with movie goddesses; supported dreams of
others--opened up avenues for burgeoning talent; kept open that window to the
past-- to nurture and inspire rather than to escape. But where we are
different, Dave, is whether or not you want it--you are a superstar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s uncomfortable watching you be a
hesitant rock star….probably because you and I were the same--once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And part of me wishes I could partake
in your success rather than be sitting here writing this thing no one will
read.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t it belong to both of us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt your pain, to quote one of your
favorite leaders.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>Dammit,
Dave I was told in high school that I would be the next Johnny Carson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I met Jay Leno in a Hollywood
bookstore, he signed his copy of “Headlines” to “my replacement.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to listen to all those stories….I’ve
always been a great listener.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
wanted to be a “great host”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
life has been a talk show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for
thirty-three years, you were the producer.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Big Caslon";"><b>For
that, I thank you, Dave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
thanks for the memories.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-10543144348509458502015-05-02T16:55:00.000-07:002015-05-04T18:32:05.670-07:00Memories...A little more than a corner of my mind<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m giving myself less than an hour and a beer to write this
note on nostalgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every once in
a while I go<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>through our family
storage unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told once that we hoard old shit
(clippings etc) because we are afraid to lose the memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that’s fine…I don’t want to lose
the memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My</span> memories give me
strength, my memories are what build my character, my memories guide me when I need to remember WHO I was and WHAT I did; my memories remind me of who loved me and when; my memories balance out any unhealthy
and wrongheaded assumptions time may gift me with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have many trunks in that storage unit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big
trunk has all my childhood stuff:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>souvenir programs, maps, old postcards I collected, items from my four
years at Friday Mountain Boys Camp near Austin (used targets, woodcrafts),
cartoons I drew and sent to cartoon studios, toys I won through the back of
cereal boxes, McDonald’s chatchkis (yes, sorry..you have no idea the joy of
each and every “opening” in those days), my dad’s souvenirs from his days in
various organizations…usually gags and plaques, photos and photos and photos I
memorized over the years of my treasured visits with family:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aunt Fan and her extended clan in
Austin; Uncle Bob and family in Waco, Uncle Jim and his family in Ponca
City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Items of note from myriad
trips to Port Aransas, Nuevo Laredo, Junction (one of my grandmothers) and our
myriad Grand Canyon/Las Vegas trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus all my report cards and accolades (yes, there were those) from two
years at Lanark Daycare Center, two years at a private Catholic school, St
Thomas More (I was the only non-Catholic in the entire school save Mrs. Wolf),
one year at the military academ San Antonio Academy. and then the lake years:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McQueeney Elementary, AJB middle school
(Seguin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus lots of school
clippings of my fun years in drama and speech activities at Seguin High
School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a subsection of
stuff from my four years at Southwest Texas State University mostly including
materials related to my activities in Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And lots of “love” letters from
unrequited loves over the years:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Farrah-maned cheerleaders (I wish), South African transfer students (a
long-distrance treat), and cute sales clerks from my first job at Montgomery
Ward at Windsor Park Mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
first autographs are in there:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Iron Eyes Cody, Myron Floren, Forrest Tucker and the cast of Johnny Be
Good (my first film…pizza boy number two…number one was John Hawkes himself!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
trunk has all the comic books I bought from the late 1960’s through the early
80’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot describe the joy of
walking into those convenience stores and picking a comic….or going to a flea
market and finding an older one for CENTS I tell you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have since bought the same comics online for twenty
dollars each or more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And reading
them at taverns while Dad knocked back a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In retrospect, that was pretty damn cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I got Gold Key and Charlton,
some Dell…..TV and cartoon tie-ins were huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent most of my time in front of a TV…mostly Saturday
morning cartoons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
seventies, it was a wonderful time for TV….the best sitcoms (I watched most of
them); the most LSD inspired kids shows (Krofftt: Sesame Street started on my
watch), action and Sci-Fi unparalleled (Charlie’s Angels and Six Million Dollar
Man); variety and game shows which were basically cocktail parties; and the
reruns consisted of the best from the “innocent” 60’s--in living color (Star
Trek, Wild Wild West, Brady Bunch, Hooterville and Mayberry).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to comics: later I started getting DC,
Marvel, Harvey and Archie titles….especially weirder ones like Plop (DC) and
Mad House (Archie).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And flea
markets provided a treasure trove of Dells which I had no idea existed outside
of my 1976 overstreet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have every
comic I bought in this trunk and they smell great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have all of the Hanna Barbera comics catalogued and
organized in bags, boards and boxes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
21/2: This is a heaven for cartoon freaks...my Hanna Barbera collection....toys, records, Viewmasters, dolls, coloring books, Golden books, Big Little Books, Kenner Give-A-Show projector slides, frame tray puzzles, models.....everything Hanna Barbera. I have no idea why I kept or started collecting this stuff. Since I was a kid, I drew the HB characters...Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Jetsons etc....and something about the simplicity of these guys really spoke to me. The promo tie-ins, the Hoyt Curtin music, the schtick. Rather than waxing on the theatrical classics from WB, MGM, Famous, Lantz or Disney, I was charmed by the "TV toons"....even Jay Ward counts here. I can't explain the joy of those cheesy TV themes and lines....I wasn't looking for quality, just familiarity. And my family came from Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
trunk is all the stuff that came with working with my Dad in his promotional
products business. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was one of
the pioneers in the business in San Antonio and had damn fine accounts (mostly
financial institutions)….He did a lot of cool chatskis for Lone Star Beer (I
have great memories of being at the brewery…King William area…and putting
together packets for the distributors).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Various samples of koozies, key tags, Quill pens etc which gathered dust
in our “showroom” in Monte Vista are present in these bins as well as the FIRST
orders placed with my accounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hated sales but my clients turned out to be great friends….that’s why it
worked!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lesson to be learned
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus all his desk items
which he obsessive-compulsory touched before he left the office that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any neurosis I have he gladly handed
them to me and in my old age I say, “Thanks, Dad” because he loved me and in
hindsight I realized what a great man he was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stuff includes the Greater SA Chamber of Commerce
newsletters which sometimes included some tidbit about my meager contributions
to promoting business….other than wisecracks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are my
parents memories in another trunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My dear mother’s items from her years in Waco, Washington DC (during the
war) and San Antonio (as an independent career woman in insurance).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photos of our days at the lake, all the
cocktail parties (I think they were called “Attitude Adjustment”)…real
interesting folk from this place in the middle of Lake McQueeney called
Treasure Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all ran
businesses of some sort…a very eclectic and interesting crew of older (hell, my
age) people that had one thing in common:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>a good time and polyester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus I kept most of the books my mom and dad collected over the
years…except the reader’s digest condensed books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
trunk is all theater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
program and review from every play I did from 1987 until 1997 in San
Antonio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>STAGE at Bulverde,
Harlequin Dinner Theater, San Antonio Little Theater (now San Pedro Playhouse), Alamo Street Church, tours with Spear Productions, Actor’s Theater of SA, Josephine Theater, Steven Stoli Playhouse, and the Jump
Start with the Firelight Players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, programs of every play I ever saw during those years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those were some of the most productive
and creative years of my life….and lifelong friends were made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you look at the mess I am today,
you would not believe how confident and talented I was then….getting a date was
not a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That I can (or
will) remember! Hah.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, the
Austin trunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I decided to
pursue my dream and become a filmmaker on the Third Coast I fell in love with
the Austin independent film scene that was less than ten years forward from
“Slacker.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Austin Filmworks, I
met more lifelong friends and co-produced a feature (the director has made
quite a name for herself!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gripping, pulling cords, still some acting, script supervision,
scheduling, producing and writing….Every piece of paper related to every film I
worked on is in there….storyboards I drew, call sheets I “minimized”, headshots
that are presumed thrown away (hmmmm…)…SXSW and AFF programs…the film festivals
were incredible and fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Alamo Drafthouse guides and Austin Film Society ephemera from the most
wonderful self-education in the history of cinema provided by a myriad of
special screenings:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>foreign
flicks, documentaries, indies that will never be seen again, old classics I
never saw and those revisited (mostly at the Paramount).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Used videotapes bought at Vulcan Video
and Waterloo that were probably viewed by the filmmakers themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other “half” of my Austin trunk is
related to another family: those I worked for in a public relations
firm….articles and clippings about those incredible people I came in contact
with…some great friends….some of the biggest movers and shakers in Texas….my
education in TX politics became part and parcel of my love for Austin…the other
part of Austin….which led to my four year long journey through a screenplay
melding the world of TX politics and Indie film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all came together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And there are stacks of books and videotapes…all the dvd’s
are at home on my wall….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The POINT is…..yes, my life is in that unit….and when I look
at the world now, changes I cannot (or maybe will not) keep up with in
technology and culture, when business practices are micromangaged to
nonsensical proportions for lawsuit-avoidance, when entertainment is not so
much dumbed down but trashed out by overt crudity and shock, when politics has
turned into the worst form of divisive bile in history (thanks in part to
social media) and all the progress I saw in the seventies in terms of civil
rights and democratic ideals--in the face of utter disappointment (Watergate,
Vietnam), yes…turn into a level of out and out hate that I see now…when I look
at this world now….I don’t see that storage unit as a crutch but as strength….as
that hope that will return…if we let it.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-58320585745549025992015-03-03T18:19:00.000-08:002015-03-03T18:37:31.758-08:00An Ode to Maddie and David: Moonlighting Turns Thirty.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlgU-vZJe2UkEV42uatVogc85YzsiXuog2UWKms9-OH4GPyHXRc-oN6ZpOEGgCzfhduG4DsTD1NuSsuYH0X02KLN8YBIrIFAAYIXJKKymp7lArMKgtfNFrTA6ahcB1YLYEtQGvtj4Bls/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlgU-vZJe2UkEV42uatVogc85YzsiXuog2UWKms9-OH4GPyHXRc-oN6ZpOEGgCzfhduG4DsTD1NuSsuYH0X02KLN8YBIrIFAAYIXJKKymp7lArMKgtfNFrTA6ahcB1YLYEtQGvtj4Bls/s1600/images.jpeg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Thirty Years ago today, "Moonlighting" premiered on ABC. <br />
<br />
Starring an unknown actor/bartender named Bruce Willis and an ex-movie star diva Cybil Shepherd, this light romantic comedy/mystery took television in a completely new direction. Occasionally, the fourth wall was broken (hadn't happened since "Green Acres.") Humor was dark as it was mixed up with light-hearted moments and slapstick. Witty banter ensued, pages per minute had to have been written, spawning a generation of television viewers weaned on jam-packed dialogue filled with topical, even obscure references. Unattractive nerds were supporting characters, but given non-supporting story lines and a real relationship. Music was an integral part of the proceedings: an extravagant song and dance number may break out at any moment.<br />
<br />
Is it too much to say that without "Moonlighting" there would be no "Ally McBeal," no "Gilmore Girls," no "West Wing," "Lois and Clark," no "Scrubs," no "Six Feet Under," no "Cop Rock," (that's right, forgot?) and no "Game of Thrones." OK, that last one is a stretch, forget it.<br />
<br />
The 80's, the Age of Reagan, was a decade bereft of television viewing after a decade under the influence (the 70's) when I devoured television--mostly sitcoms, Saturday morning shows, CBS's Tiffany lineups, ABC's T and A revolution, NBC's failed big events (all three under Fred Silverman's successive helms.).<br />
<br />
During my first college years (before I learned the art of "partying), it was mostly NBC: Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, Fame, Cheers, David Letterman, and SCTV. All the sitcoms were in their waning years and--with the exception of Taxi, Barney Miller, and WKRP--nothing was worth watching. CBS allowed the surging 60 Minutes and a new version of Newhart. ABC provided the nightly news. During the mid-80's starting a working life, apartment living, alumni affairs and a new pursuit of acting kept my social calendar pretty full except for an occasional foray into the beginnings of NBC Must See TV (let's call it Convenient See TV): Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers, Golden Girls--I never got into Night Court for some reason. <br />
<br />
Some of my friends, fellow alumni from my business fraternity, turned me on to "Moonlighting" during it's second season. And I was hooked. The only reason I turned to ABC in the 80's. I'm so lucky I discovered it. It's possible that as I had the new freedom to pursue creativity in theater and acting classes, delving into the frothy misadventures of David and Maddie were just the tonic I needed as I was juggling my identity as an up and coming "Yuppie." Actually, that may have been the magic, the spark for that intoxicating leap into whimsy and unrequited love (up to the last season of course) which fueled so much of the passion for great writing and character development in the 90's. And that, in turn, led to the new Golden Age of Television, first on cable's premium channels and now on pretty much any and all delivery systems. <br />
<br />
During this decade, I spent most of my "me" time in the movie theater, like most of America. The 80's saw a resurgence of the box office after the quality TV of the 70's kept people at home, muffling the pop vibrations of the golden age of 70's cinema. By 1981, Spielberg and Lucas laid claim to the world with their franchises. Summer and Christmas tent poles became the standard of exhibition. Saturday Night Live (pretty dead during the early 80's except for Mr. Murphy) gave us an entire new cast of comedy legends for film-dom. Even musicals made a gritty comeback ("Flashdance," "Fame," "Footloose'). John Hughes ushered in the literate and lightly crude romantic angst that would become the godfather of the "indie" sensibility. "Moonlighting" fit very well with this new dynamic.<br />
<br />
Well, "Rambo" and "Terminator" are a different story. But then Mr. Willis became the third leg of the Planet Hollywood stool with his new career as a worldwide action hero (thanks to "Diehard" among others) so I guess it all comes around.<br />
<br />
"Moonlighting" was appointment television and that didn't occur again until "Twin Peaks" in 1990. And then NBC started the whole shebang over again with "Seinfeld," "Frasier," "Mad About You," "Friends," "Newsradio" etc etc--all well-written sitcoms in the mold of the best seventies product (see MTM). But the "will they--won't they" aspect of "Moonlighting" (and Sam and Diane of "Cheers") became a long-running gag in many of these sitcoms: Niles and Daphne, Rachel and Ross--even "Caroline in the City" used it for it's entire four year run. Cue "Ally McBeal."<br />
<br />
I was fortunate to meet creator Glen Gordon Caron at the Austin Film Festival one year. He was screening a pilot he did. I told him he gave me reason to watch TV in the 80's. He smiled.<br />
<br />
I have the first seasons on DVD and I'm afraid to revisit them. Quite often I am disappointed as time works it's evil on many fine memories of TV and film. I may find it too precious, too cute, too forced, tired and stale. Or I may remember that older has-been actress had lit a fire in my heart with her sexy dismissiveness; or how that smart ass guy gave me hope that I, too, may make it on chutzpah and fast-talking patter. Sometimes, the opposite happens: it's even better. But the point is--what "Moonlighting" brought to me at that time in my life was priceless and influential. <br />
<br />
<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-20505351756646291932013-10-02T18:23:00.000-07:002013-10-02T18:23:35.546-07:0070's SITCOMS EPILOGUE: THE 80'S AND BEYOND<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Many of my younger peers have
a fondness for the eighties sitcoms in much the same way that I am endeared to
the seventies comedies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tended
to start dropping out of the television habit at a progressive rate due to
college<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and subsequently life in
general.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first half of the
eighties saw a decline in output.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many of the seventies hits were still generating ratings and were being
stretched thin in terms of quality, held on only by strong ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My previous chapter detailed the
remaining years of the seventies holdouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this chapter, I will examine the main players of the
seventies and where they headed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
will also look at the eighties in general and how the sitcoms changed and were
influenced by the previous decade, itself marked by rapid change.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The four seminal events in
that time frame were:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">The record-breaking ratings
and sociological impact of the final episode of <b>M*A*S*H</b>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;">The demise of “Taxi”
coinciding with the premiere of the low-rated <b>Cheers</b>, given a chance due to
critical acclaim leading to an incredible eleven years run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">The landmark contribution
made by <b>The Cosby Show</b> to the fabric of the family sitcom, ushering in a
fresh new dynamic in the portrayal of African-American families and creating a
new demand for the family sitcom, hearkening back to the fifties but with a
more modern sensibility.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>The Golden Girls</b> brought
back class acts from the seventies to acknowledge an aging audience as the baby
boomers started hitting middle age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the end of the eighties, sitcoms
starting looking more like the fifties and sixties<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with some high concept fare (the alien “Alf” for instance
and “Perfect Strangers”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
multitude of family-oriented formats, some becoming inhabited by a new honest
reality--not so much political, but economic--mixed with modern crudeness
(“Roseanne” and “Married…with Children”).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s look at the major
players of the seventies and show where the eighties (and beyond) took<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>them:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>THE NORMAN LEAR UNIVERSE<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BUNKER RESIDUE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After revolutionizing sitcoms
(and TV in general), Lear settled into more of a consulting role by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His programs anchored a hit Sunday
night lineup throughout the early 80’s on CBS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carroll O’Connor was in charge of “Archie Bunker’s
Place.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edith was killed off in
the second season but Jean Stapleton would make her only other sitcom
appearance with Whoopi Goldberg in the TV version of “Baghdad Café.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rob Reiner would become a major
Hollywood director (“This is Spinal Tap,” “Princess Bride,” and “When Harry Met
Sally” among many others.) Sally Struthers returned for a one season spinoff <b>Gloria</b> in 1982 and would join the cast of <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-Jefferson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
movie spin off
“Nine to Five” for it's syndicated run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bunker legacy was quietly put to rest in 1983 without fanfare. Later, O’Connor played a different type of racist in the drama “In the Heat of the
Night.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But </span>somehow the household
itself would have it’s own series in 1994 (see below). "The Jeffersons” implausibly
continued to garner hit ratings for five more years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sherman Hemsley would continue as Deacon <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Frye in “Amen” and Marla Gibbs, after a quick
spin off of her <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIw1EH86lTe5GI30ckzS7yaehk83qXjIaTMic3V3_SJyVVulyGe9fEOrULu-gNLCsRIWgkpRSVMENBjiD3oKQRHduy1wDI8XGRLu95V5vttvH0s55nUsfpEREMZT4IiLdXci39hyTPLvg/s1600/AMANDA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIw1EH86lTe5GI30ckzS7yaehk83qXjIaTMic3V3_SJyVVulyGe9fEOrULu-gNLCsRIWgkpRSVMENBjiD3oKQRHduy1wDI8XGRLu95V5vttvH0s55nUsfpEREMZT4IiLdXci39hyTPLvg/s1600/AMANDA.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fawlty Remake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Florence character “Checking In”
would headline <b>227</b> (from Lear’s
new Embassy label) until 1990.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“One <span class="Apple-style-span">Day at a Time” </span>would continue on with family crises and cast
changes and additions until 1984.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bea Arthur and Rue McLanahan of “Maude” would reunite for “Golden Girls”
after Arthur would briefly play the John Cleese part in a “Fawlty Towers”
remake called <b>Amanda’s</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>POST SANFORD </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for the “Sanford and Son”
family, Demond Wilson would be one half of the New Odd Couple for Garry
Marshall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Redd Foxx would return
during mid season of the 1980 season with the second retooled season of the
followup “Sanford” on NBC adding Lawanda Page and Whitman Mayo for good
measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series still couldn’t
recapture the earlier success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Foxx went back
to ABC with the <b>Redd Foxx Show </b>where he <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqTJDu_CmjDn1h8F5Lkb2HjellV5qT_pnGFtwMygAMoL-fCS8buX6bgUe3TYfm_-uLUqA0o11KOHNKJE584v4dQrVQ3o-DV7FKIq5BDpb1qet-1sPw3fopEMBbWdBGDH5hEpjLc5jbMs/s1600/REDD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqTJDu_CmjDn1h8F5Lkb2HjellV5qT_pnGFtwMygAMoL-fCS8buX6bgUe3TYfm_-uLUqA0o11KOHNKJE584v4dQrVQ3o-DV7FKIq5BDpb1qet-1sPw3fopEMBbWdBGDH5hEpjLc5jbMs/s200/REDD.jpeg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Read Foxx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
played a newsstand owner who
befriends a runaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After teaming
with superstar Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor in the big screen “Harlem
Nights,” Murphy produced <b>The Roya</b>l <b>Family</b> (CBS, 1991) re teaming Foxx with
Della Reese as a postal worker and his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a tragically ironic moment, Foxx died on the set during
taping…clutching his chest with a heart attack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>FUTURE LEAR</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lear’s production company would
continue to produce “Diff’rent Strokes,” “Facts of Life,” the spin off <b>Silver</b> <b>Spoons</b>,<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JMBtnI0Ft-cI1wSqkllArcHXIPzTi9JSD1StkEYfa5oORrBVX7eoKtDfIrttUnKywWg82AVzYBDCx2CoISOTHENNBwnjSnp7ARb4YONNESBKjzv39vOjOmf3FO6Cgf4ApA1xaJ4hmUA/s1600/WHOS.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JMBtnI0Ft-cI1wSqkllArcHXIPzTi9JSD1StkEYfa5oORrBVX7eoKtDfIrttUnKywWg82AVzYBDCx2CoISOTHENNBwnjSnp7ARb4YONNESBKjzv39vOjOmf3FO6Cgf4ApA1xaJ4hmUA/s200/WHOS.jpeg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">80's Trend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Who’s the Boss </b>with Tony
Danza (“Taxi”) and Katherine Hellmond (“Soap”), and the aforementioned <b>227</b>. Sadly, none of these shows offered the bite and satire of
the seventies shows. Only the single-season <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSmNtw-Srp1nphS-qA_SMAAJPKesmnup6zhFLppKfnPoTpKbtmGb8DL8U2k1r_QKFN3JrjT30xaLHf5gEDh12q6dX5J92iPXQb4Vvrh7Sb05qp6AaZEDRuhW_KqVaa5xgEtV25RrS8EM/s1600/SQUARE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSmNtw-Srp1nphS-qA_SMAAJPKesmnup6zhFLppKfnPoTpKbtmGb8DL8U2k1r_QKFN3JrjT30xaLHf5gEDh12q6dX5J92iPXQb4Vvrh7Sb05qp6AaZEDRuhW_KqVaa5xgEtV25RrS8EM/s200/SQUARE.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliques in the City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Square Pegs</b> offered a cultural touchpoint by representing the eighties in a high school setting and launching the career of a young Sara Jessica Parker by way of SNL scribe Anne Beatts.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Lear </span>did have a
more creative and direct hand in four more series into the nineties which
hearkened back to the topicality of year’s past (each bears mention for it’s
boldness and a sense of Lear’s balanced yet ironic take on politics and life):<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK46omEIoLFtXwF5mj4mRmbWRrH7d2HY4-c1omgfifWVAGLB2-eS4NrTJ3pl7JT95v0jRQ8Wgaxp77jVGzegvTXZYT_LCOCO2hgqZitOr5h8Bm_BvVvz1HEjffhy3lwh_hyTGlEw1KK4/s1600/PABLI.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK46omEIoLFtXwF5mj4mRmbWRrH7d2HY4-c1omgfifWVAGLB2-eS4NrTJ3pl7JT95v0jRQ8Wgaxp77jVGzegvTXZYT_LCOCO2hgqZitOr5h8Bm_BvVvz1HEjffhy3lwh_hyTGlEw1KK4/s200/PABLI.jpeg" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Stereo-tripping</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>AKA Pablo</b> (ABC, 1984): Paul Rodriquez appropriately played a
stand up comedian whose stand up routine-mocking the Latino lifestyle--offended
the sensibilities of his traditional Hispanic family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sunday Dinner</b> (CBS, 1991):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert Loggia played the patriarch of a large Catholic family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His loving relationship with a younger woman (Teri
Hatcher) created a lot of animosity with the traditional values of his grown
children (with problems of their own).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet it was the girlfriend, who was devoutly religious AND socially
liberal--as an environmentalist--who would have a conversation with God in each
episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The examination of the
issues of the day was the closest sitcoms had come to “All in the Family” since
that series left the air.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Powers That Be</b> (NBC, 1991).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In this, one of the cleverest political satires, Lear left no one untouched in
Clinton-era Washington DC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John
Forsythe was the philandering, <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LBE66H8j3gBk3kHmj82F8wu7-JzsltI85GzhglpEK3W9TWQYUCIyBPi3ksQIIogLWC43etWG9Wz5IfDjZ0XXt9CI8K5VHJJruthpU6Do62Rs654LEGjGHdPqXT0W7PloGCwXLtQPp-4/s1600/DownloadedFile-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LBE66H8j3gBk3kHmj82F8wu7-JzsltI85GzhglpEK3W9TWQYUCIyBPi3ksQIIogLWC43etWG9Wz5IfDjZ0XXt9CI8K5VHJJruthpU6Do62Rs654LEGjGHdPqXT0W7PloGCwXLtQPp-4/s200/DownloadedFile-3.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power-Ful Cast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
pandering Democratic Senator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holland Taylor (“Two and a Half Men”)
played his bitchy Nancy Reagan-esque wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had an anorexic daughter married to a suicidal
Representative played by David Hyde White (“Frasier”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Macnichol (“Ally McBeal”) played
the spineless press-aide--a “spin-meister”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph Gordon Leavett (“Third Rock from the Sun”) played the
computer-hacking grandson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
senior senator Powers even had a Jewish illegitimate daughter who worked with
him and dispensed better advice than any of his cronies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>704 Hauser</b> (CBS, 1994)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Definitely a sign of the times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIAWZZwqXT8CPTZUlhdLVHadpR2pnlea26nYobF549_0P7aJD2sxKworZjfquHiPll4XvRVXdH30h1rCc718siykArrO960-wN8YIU9quiEz8pTaP8PDlZ3YuEacYOuwbz1_5KK7Q4uE/s1600/704.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIAWZZwqXT8CPTZUlhdLVHadpR2pnlea26nYobF549_0P7aJD2sxKworZjfquHiPll4XvRVXdH30h1rCc718siykArrO960-wN8YIU9quiEz8pTaP8PDlZ3YuEacYOuwbz1_5KK7Q4uE/s200/704.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parallel Bunker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
order to confront the growing neoconservative movement, Lear switched
gears on the current tenants of the Bunker household.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Amos played the father, a traditional working class
liberal black man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His son,
however, was a conservative married to a white Jewish woman played by Maura
Tierney (“Newsradio”). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>As you can see by all these
short-term series, Lear was ahead of the curve in examining society and the
flaws inherent in dogma in any form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I suppose this is why he became a consultant to the take-no-prisoners
“South Park.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God bless Norman
Lear.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFDthyphenhyphen5y98d_L6nn8g_wPOzf4z9hXGefK_Jnt0-CbJ__fNkiSc4P3fuiRfCR9NiJ2he7Js2O_6Izd8xhiIW42xPFSBAsnc_ocXhYuJr0F5VVSmD34TbsSgvDTRGUhevYyftM_CTUqyx8/s1600/BOYS.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFDthyphenhyphen5y98d_L6nn8g_wPOzf4z9hXGefK_Jnt0-CbJ__fNkiSc4P3fuiRfCR9NiJ2he7Js2O_6Izd8xhiIW42xPFSBAsnc_ocXhYuJr0F5VVSmD34TbsSgvDTRGUhevYyftM_CTUqyx8/s200/BOYS.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comedy Lessons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>TOY STORY: BUD YORKIN</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lear’s old partner, Bud
Yorkin, only produced one more sitcom: 1982’s <b>One of the Boys</b> starring Mickey Rooney as an old guy going back to
school and rooming with his <br />
grandson and his buddy played by future stars Dana
Carvey and Nathan Lane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
“What’s Happening,” still a hit through reruns, was brought back with most of
the original cast in <b>What’s Happening Now!.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
follow-up which was syndicated from 1985 until 1988 featured a young Martin
Lawrence in it's final season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ_9_bzb7bbTMZI3C4nRCFT12cgZurqufn8CRPXk9qDlaDALFgpoEno4SJrdyf8FCYbovHn9XXieUj8TqrUoISdtPP8gFWcGeZ628uXrobjoD8y33VoIEoeMUQaJWajsNsWPR-7dc-vI/s1600/E:R.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ_9_bzb7bbTMZI3C4nRCFT12cgZurqufn8CRPXk9qDlaDALFgpoEno4SJrdyf8FCYbovHn9XXieUj8TqrUoISdtPP8gFWcGeZ628uXrobjoD8y33VoIEoeMUQaJWajsNsWPR-7dc-vI/s200/E:R.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PRE-R</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Saul Tutletaub and Bernie
Orenstein--Yorkin’s partners with TOY--went back on their own. On CBS, In the
fall of 1984, for Lear’s new production company Embassy Television, the two
writers created <b>E/R</b> set in a Chicago emergency room. Film<br />
star Elliott Gould
and Mary McDonnell played the two main doctors with George Clooney actually
playing a recurring role in a different version of future his breakout
show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another film star, Karen
Black, would appear intermittently as Gould’s ex-wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in order to generate crossover
appeal, Sherman Hemsley appeared in the first episode, as George
Jeffersons--uncle to one of the nurses (Lynn Moody).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gimmick didn’t work as "E/R" had much more of a dramatic
style than “The Jeffersons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turtletaub and Orenstein would also produce a teen twin romp for NBC
called <b>Double Trouble </b>and Jack Klugman's return to sitcoms with John Stamos in <b>"You Again?" </b>(NBC, 1986)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoi64E_-2CXf-CjO7gZjWpgAOmAeDk2Bry8vLa3kowdlBols418eOjCBUghSOyjaZcTjp0BTNUc0kEoyRE-gHXQtI1JcdAKDwy71XP6Ls7P4e9RL4RK1xV8dv9MlTnQtu6u_5Tj41JkA/s1600/HOOPER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoi64E_-2CXf-CjO7gZjWpgAOmAeDk2Bry8vLa3kowdlBols418eOjCBUghSOyjaZcTjp0BTNUc0kEoyRE-gHXQtI1JcdAKDwy71XP6Ls7P4e9RL4RK1xV8dv9MlTnQtu6u_5Tj41JkA/s200/HOOPER.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack's Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>NRW</b> would continue to produce
“The Jeffersons” and “Three’s Company” until 1985.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Three’s Company” Co-producer Don Taffner would continue the
series one more <br />
season as <b>Three’s a Crowd</b> with only John Ritter. Ritter
would continue in sitcoms until his surprisingly early death in the 2000s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Co-produced by Steven Bochco, he played
a San Fransisco detective in the seriocomic<b> Hooperman</b> from 1987-1989.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And continued on with <b>Hearts Afire </b>and “8 Simple Things.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suzanne
Somers would recover from her bad PR regarding her contract disputes and 1981 exit
of the show by starring in the syndicated “She’s the Sheriff” and the
family hit “Step By Step” while promoting a popular series of books ant tapes
related to exercise and health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW_6feIe51qZtpABGsZYNVKL-xx2k-AhL_K1YaPZScmEtd7HKGznT3NI1OYEyifS0rEVXyjJOTuomqUYPY9OINBbQCM-s6cbz9TD9EKCy_6nMgY0EeWOipIGGlCWayogjHqj2sAOhFXo/s1600/nell.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW_6feIe51qZtpABGsZYNVKL-xx2k-AhL_K1YaPZScmEtd7HKGznT3NI1OYEyifS0rEVXyjJOTuomqUYPY9OINBbQCM-s6cbz9TD9EKCy_6nMgY0EeWOipIGGlCWayogjHqj2sAOhFXo/s200/nell.jpeg" width="155" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Aaron Ruben who, with an incredible rap sheet that included Andy Griffith and Dick Van Dyke, had co-produced "Sanford and Son" during it's hit run and developed "CPO Sharkey." In the 80's, he created <b>Teachers Only</b> for NBC. The faculty included Lynn Redgrave (fresh off of her "House Calls" fiasco) and Norman Fell (fresh off of his "Ropers" fiasco.). Finally,</span>Mort Lachman, Rod Parker and Hal Cooper, known mostly for “Maude,” created <b>Gimme a</b> <b>Break</b>” (NBC 1981-1987) a 1980’s staple featuring Broadway musical star Nell Carter helping to raise the kids of a crusty cop (Dolph Sweet). The long run occurred despite constant schedule changes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>MTM ENTERPRISES:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></u><o:p></o:p></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVB5dlC9fZnq8X4iMoVYdOHmwFcpNM2Gu4rQXvgAgQYXjsUXBbZ17C4rADHNll9oUIYAPw7f36IWUmSdSyXChLQDRySdN7tp8Z8R0YXWgT31pb2RGaWrJL-MTpd5wRKcmOCHXKWivJCM/s1600/Hill_Street_Blues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVB5dlC9fZnq8X4iMoVYdOHmwFcpNM2Gu4rQXvgAgQYXjsUXBbZ17C4rADHNll9oUIYAPw7f36IWUmSdSyXChLQDRySdN7tp8Z8R0YXWgT31pb2RGaWrJL-MTpd5wRKcmOCHXKWivJCM/s200/Hill_Street_Blues.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Let's Be Careful Out There"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Grant Tinker would carry on
the MTM banner not with sitcoms but with high quality dramas:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stephen Bochco’s “Hill Street Blues”
and Bruce Paltrow’s “St. Elsewhere” would set the <br />
tone for dramas with an
ironic sense of humor and showcasing the dark underbelly of warped humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These series would represent the golden
age of programming in the eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>MTM continued “Lou Grant” until 1982 when star Ed Asner’s left-wing
politics ired the CBS brass and they unjustly cancelled the award-winning
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the two aforementioned
series garnered enough Emmy Awards to make up for that loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only other MTM hour-long series
which generated a following was “Remington Steele” with future James Bond
Pierce Brosnan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ94oNOOtG3Bi_-dvIb-IQy_RP-CFgP4vdZTpCdaC5958jmFq9UnBMemhv1iuLaURZo0H9SeI4jFbpl_WkInkEXcQKpkABtVz_zXh6mTVMTVqq44OTW7qjm5SIVnkB1jUmSdgmWpL-E6c/s1600/DUCK.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ94oNOOtG3Bi_-dvIb-IQy_RP-CFgP4vdZTpCdaC5958jmFq9UnBMemhv1iuLaURZo0H9SeI4jFbpl_WkInkEXcQKpkABtVz_zXh6mTVMTVqq44OTW7qjm5SIVnkB1jUmSdgmWpL-E6c/s200/DUCK.jpeg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Carrey in fowl form.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Other than “WKRP” and the hit
“Newhart” (see below), MTM’s only other foray into sitcoms was<b> The Duck
Factory </b>(NBC, 1984).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MTM scribe
Alan Burns returned to his cartoon roots<span class="Apple-style-span"> ( “Bullwinkle and Rocky”) in this
ensemble piece about the wacky employees of an animation firm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Short-lived, the series was notable for
one of it’s main stars:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a young
Jim Carrey!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>AFTER WJM:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Following a critically-acclaimed
short-term foray into features (“Ordinary People”) and Broadway,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary Tyler Moore attempted twice to
recapture her original magic with her MTM label:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mary </b>(CBS, 1985) had
Mary--this time around she got the divorce---working for a Chicago
tabloid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The formula matched her
first series with a love/hate boss relationship (James Farentino) and a group
of office loonies (John Astin and future Peg Bundy, Katey Sagal).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three camera show, created by Ken
Levine and David Isaacs, did not last past it’s thirteen episode run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she tried again with:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Annie Maguire</b> (CBS,
1988).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time she was divorced
and remarried with kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this
time, politics took center stage as she had lively discussions with her husband
and their respective parents with differing views (Eileen Heckert and John
Randolph).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, no go with the
audiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, her
original TV husband Dick Van Dyke would return in a new sitcom, <b>The Van Dyke
Show</b> following “Annie Maguire.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It featured his son, Barry Van Dyke and Whitman Mayo (“Grady”).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moore would return to
television many times in dramas, none being successful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Valerie Harper (Rhoda) would return
in the sitcom<b> Valerie </b>in 1986 but due to creative differences she would drop
out and the show would end up as “The Hogan Family” with Sandy Duncan taking
over as the harried mother figure to, among others, a young Jason Bateman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harper would go on to a successful
Broadway career and a couple of sitcom attempts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMt2s_-Uh0fk053RCMNXWH9ClUNJ6fzZhJHxBAFu0F6ZXm2eqyslc-RAimOfWEoifttKKxRY3tQNAcfHILkN5Q06NyhFaXvzxcwUk5_I80qiCQqVZOcjrKR28HOab-yrcRHkuIOZ-a20/s1600/MARY+RHODA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMt2s_-Uh0fk053RCMNXWH9ClUNJ6fzZhJHxBAFu0F6ZXm2eqyslc-RAimOfWEoifttKKxRY3tQNAcfHILkN5Q06NyhFaXvzxcwUk5_I80qiCQqVZOcjrKR28HOab-yrcRHkuIOZ-a20/s200/MARY+RHODA.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Moore and Harper would team
up in a 2000 ABC made-for-tv film reunion, “Mary and Rhoda.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devoted fans of the original were
disappointed by the melodramatic reunion (sans the balance of the cast).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The updated punk-rock theme version of
the show generated more interest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Ted Knight would continue
with a successful run on ABC with <b>Too Close for Comfort</b> where he played a
harried cartoonist dad to two attractive daughters in San Fransisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Don Taffner of ‘Three’s Company”
behind the scenes, the show <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGfVsnTjWCrUihNBXBF3FyAbhlwdfpQoHKxx_6CjLYV2q3aK_K4jORV1kq0VXsLC4v19qFalr4Qn1aOWaScptIGxYu0O3Css2dg5rgWjwqAogIb_3eEv3J7yMVwHVQhYI0rsJKBXRnQs/s1600/TED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGfVsnTjWCrUihNBXBF3FyAbhlwdfpQoHKxx_6CjLYV2q3aK_K4jORV1kq0VXsLC4v19qFalr4Qn1aOWaScptIGxYu0O3Css2dg5rgWjwqAogIb_3eEv3J7yMVwHVQhYI0rsJKBXRnQs/s200/TED.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knight Moves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
relied on lots of sexual innuendo and skimpy
outfits for more well-endowed daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the three year run on ABC, the show would continue on in syndication
for a few years as “Ted Knight Show.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before his very untimely death, Knight made a mark on feature films as
the uptight judge in the hit “Caddyshack.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gavin Macleod would continue
on as Captain Steubing on “The Love Boat” before retiring from acting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Post “Lou Grant,” the outspoken Asner
would be featured in a number of sitcoms but gain fame in his eighties for
voicing the main character in the animated Pixar film “Up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leachman would continue to be featured
in motion picture comedies (even playing “Granny” in the big screen “Beverly
Hillbillies”) and took over as den mother for the final season of “Facts of
Life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her appearances continue to
this day in many modern sitcoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Georgia Engel would have recurring roles in “Coach” and “Everybody Loves
Raymond.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after her
award-winning turn in “Golden Girls," Betty White would become a media darling at
ninety years of age with honors and tributes and books and film roles and a new
hit sitcom on the cable nostalgia channel TV Land “Hot in Cleveland.” All of the attention started with a TV commercial airing during the Super Bowl.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just last month (as of this
writing) all the women of the original "Mary Tyler Moore Show" reunited in an episode of <br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<b>Hot in
Cleveland</b> along with it’s younger stars including <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH83tZ7WMaRuG4Dy9c7EgbJ3M3CL5EPl8uBVuwI3iXajptDpWAUZbDj-B-CVEffs7hBJI-fGFLu9qVZAuSBKG9ncshfP9S4II4Q-jIxJwP0jB_FmALieFWOUGjTUyq-fqsjL4AWNslFqo/s1600/CLEVELAND.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH83tZ7WMaRuG4Dy9c7EgbJ3M3CL5EPl8uBVuwI3iXajptDpWAUZbDj-B-CVEffs7hBJI-fGFLu9qVZAuSBKG9ncshfP9S4II4Q-jIxJwP0jB_FmALieFWOUGjTUyq-fqsjL4AWNslFqo/s200/CLEVELAND.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Valerie Bertinelli.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was heartwarming to see the five
actresses together again in a three camera format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harper battling newly diagnosed cancer and Moore with her
debilitating diabetic condition made brave appearances with Engel and the aging
twin dynamos of White and Leachman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The series was known for bringing back older sitcom stars from the
seventies and eighties in guest roles such as Asner, Hal Linden, Bonnie Franklin, Carl
Reiner, and Tim Conway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>MARY’S LEGACY</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Diane English created
<b>Murphy Brown</b>(CBS, 1988-1998) starring Candice Bergen--with her ensemble
newsroom setting in Washington DC--it was heralded as the second <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzYIw0Wux-xQyJKx-gIPlz_8A8WhbGKOIlW2P3jtP7imREO99fR2GUjQCsp0wxutaK1QEO3zkdrRxMldWwAEGwMaBMm3YtWhm4k7aZMQnLEpfrvK7S4RJonHNGqq_sWwvpUyR-eMyUjs/s1600/MURPHY.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzYIw0Wux-xQyJKx-gIPlz_8A8WhbGKOIlW2P3jtP7imREO99fR2GUjQCsp0wxutaK1QEO3zkdrRxMldWwAEGwMaBMm3YtWhm4k7aZMQnLEpfrvK7S4RJonHNGqq_sWwvpUyR-eMyUjs/s200/MURPHY.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Kid in Town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
coming of Mary
Richards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially with
headline-grabbing plot lines such as Murphy becoming a single mother and the overtly
liberal political activism as Murphy battles with Dan Quayle, the
highly-acclaimed series lacked the gentle subtlety of the WJM crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>And nearly three decades after Mary hit Minneapolis, the single career girl took another turn along with the sitcom. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C_q0gh0Yh4knqMRxFzBuzr5cm-PYx8L7-lq383Nk4NIkKXmDR4DPd-r2pnkGUMLfN_H8kdI7skuqeEer89ngkiEQs199PD6NDzTgrU-kpyB7JNaIHGLZuVdjcwYgYjeQkEm1pq22WFE/s1600/moon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C_q0gh0Yh4knqMRxFzBuzr5cm-PYx8L7-lq383Nk4NIkKXmDR4DPd-r2pnkGUMLfN_H8kdI7skuqeEer89ngkiEQs199PD6NDzTgrU-kpyB7JNaIHGLZuVdjcwYgYjeQkEm1pq22WFE/s200/moon.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What you talkin bout, Willis?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Much as "Moonlighting" turned TV comedy on it's fanciful head with the old fashioned romantic comedy-murder mystery romp mashing it up with a hip and light eighties sensibility (as well reviving Cybil Shephard's career and launching bartender Bruce Willis into stardom), "Ally McBeal" did the same thing with Calista <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaZmnI8oDOnrTCoPIWko6shmav7b2zLSKx8hXD1nqW5MpOYhc03PjEdDDudnTl7FevSvuoY41CHOePckU-rmKZUelVs284pMNXEe11_pDZ-6MiQTROyaXozFXtfoU1sQJFwzQYrSrqcU/s1600/ally.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaZmnI8oDOnrTCoPIWko6shmav7b2zLSKx8hXD1nqW5MpOYhc03PjEdDDudnTl7FevSvuoY41CHOePckU-rmKZUelVs284pMNXEe11_pDZ-6MiQTROyaXozFXtfoU1sQJFwzQYrSrqcU/s200/ally.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's to the 90's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Flockhart playing the lovelorn waif in a Boston law firm launching into musical daydreams with an ensemble cast of quirky yet stylish yuppies.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
And yet one of the greatest
tributes to Mary Tyler Moore was <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT6UQfZDh5Z4bShOEBdDgPNhXUMDP2pNnIBxOiQi31o30LiOD1L7K9WFGMg-T0XYbRjkjlhkX8r6B7DRyzv_Bigg-51ZThpil7WRw_62zzMWqhZ4ZAcVYbewlxTDX9g2FO2moRcRxrSs/s1600/30.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT6UQfZDh5Z4bShOEBdDgPNhXUMDP2pNnIBxOiQi31o30LiOD1L7K9WFGMg-T0XYbRjkjlhkX8r6B7DRyzv_Bigg-51ZThpil7WRw_62zzMWqhZ4ZAcVYbewlxTDX9g2FO2moRcRxrSs/s200/30.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary and Lou on acid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
by Tina Fey,<span class="Apple-style-span">star and creator of <b>30 Rock.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comedy show </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
producer Liz Lemon was
patterned after Mary--a bit more whacked out--and her love/hate relationship
with archconservative corporate mogul/network head Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin)
was a more appropriate love letter to the greatest ensemble sitcom ever.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nyVjl2pG_kLRw1evm9Ipe6TRUZuQAKFOskAYwj2jW1oa0gZneZm-PM63KtnPD-X-RKOYx6qiczJby5YFIz0eyvVuPfAYU-CgJUVnY0hO9ALVlQQYkBQKx01j-uf5r3fHcjBdVtghwbE/s1600/tina.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nyVjl2pG_kLRw1evm9Ipe6TRUZuQAKFOskAYwj2jW1oa0gZneZm-PM63KtnPD-X-RKOYx6qiczJby5YFIz0eyvVuPfAYU-CgJUVnY0hO9ALVlQQYkBQKx01j-uf5r3fHcjBdVtghwbE/s320/tina.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From Mary to Tina</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>WHAT ABOUT BOB?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Like White, Bob Newhart would
keep on going with a rabid fan base that appreciated his gentle and
sophisticated brand of comedy in “The Bob Newhart Show”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1980, he made an ill-advised detour
into features with the crude “First Family.” In 1982, he returned to CBS in <b>Newhart</b>, MTM’s only hit sitcom in the eighties other than the remaining
years of “WKRP”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Videotaped the
first year and wisely reverting to three camera for the remaining seven years,
the series cast Bob as a <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKr20yabpwJSldNB2957SbW5_256UVcx_O_tic3LaQYIbirh8MdvCRL0G24RnWUHvCBBjrwtPu-ajdnLUjONCjkXytBkhZt8q_TGfZtWlMpzi7h8yg8r9j8fVzRP_3-gsopk20GKFXZw/s1600/NEWHART+BETTER.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKr20yabpwJSldNB2957SbW5_256UVcx_O_tic3LaQYIbirh8MdvCRL0G24RnWUHvCBBjrwtPu-ajdnLUjONCjkXytBkhZt8q_TGfZtWlMpzi7h8yg8r9j8fVzRP_3-gsopk20GKFXZw/s320/NEWHART+BETTER.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Heartland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Vermont inn owner with another beautiful wife (Mary
Frann) and a supporting cast of goofballs including Tom Poston as his bumbling
handyman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the greatest
moment for geeks like myself occurred when, in the final episode in 1990,
Newhart’s character Dick gets hit on the head with a golf ball and wakes up in
bed with Emily (Suzanne Pleshette).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, the entire followup series was merely a dream by psychologist Bob
Hartley in Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that’s
creativity!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bob would continue to play
variations of himself:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <b>Bob</b>
(1992) he would play a comic book cartoonist (from the creators of
“Cheers”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the second season of
that series, he would work for a greeting card company run by none other than
Betty White.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1998, he would
return in <b>George and</b> <b>Leo </b>where he and Judd Hirsch played the battling
personality <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZZNvsFhMff-ZAioU_hGfJyUHPduguVQQ-t8n06AoQLmQKlkj9AfccYKjAp0ne4JRwlgxm2KJjks1jYf15CTnDxYRVT_CFqAvsdeGvSXNOqn76eVNiiqoTFj_HcCu2oD1EyswNL7n4xc/s1600/george.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZZNvsFhMff-ZAioU_hGfJyUHPduguVQQ-t8n06AoQLmQKlkj9AfccYKjAp0ne4JRwlgxm2KJjks1jYf15CTnDxYRVT_CFqAvsdeGvSXNOqn76eVNiiqoTFj_HcCu2oD1EyswNL7n4xc/s200/george.jpeg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob and Judd: The Sequel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
game living with their respective married kids (including Jason
Bateman, again.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Newhart
would continue to make appearances on network TV such as a rare dramatic arc in
“ER” and a hilarious guest stint on “Big Bang Theory"--just last week he won his first Emmy for that appearance. And as for Emily:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suzanne Pleshette would make her sitcom comeback to little notice in
<b>Maggie Briggs </b>(CBS, 1984) and continue on into the 2000’s with “Good Morning, Miami” and
a stint on “Will and Grace” before her death in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Bonerz would go on to sitcom directing except for a
short stint as the boss on the TV version of “Nine to Five."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marcia Wallace (Carol) would play the
maid on the sick yet brilliant Parker-Stone sitcom parody “That’s My Bush.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The incredible group of
writers and producers that created the sophisticated character comedy of “Mary
Tyler Moore Show” and graduated to “Taxi” continued to create innovative concepts
into the next couple of decades in TV while dabbling in feature films.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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James L. Brooks would do more
than dabble as he won an Academy Award for his first feature as writer and
director, “Terms of Endearment.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His success would continue with “Broadcast News” (in the newsroom
again!), “As Good as it Gets,” and “Spanglish.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he produced a comedy anthology series for the new Fox
network, “The Tracy Ullman Show” which led to a little-known spin off:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>The Simpsons</b>(featuring the voice of
“Rhoda’s” Julie Kavner.) The animated family <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzzfSbKzZdlhdZG73sbuWyVRoXmiVcwXFUbBs_4IBGZY1NNJRmYdeEoLB7cles2B_IGNF2-Dagx0rZpjnW_F07jCAOmGdV8gQS7NJ8o-rKCnQA6XtseehN3motwrPmjlqiDoGVCrux04/s1600/flint.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzzfSbKzZdlhdZG73sbuWyVRoXmiVcwXFUbBs_4IBGZY1NNJRmYdeEoLB7cles2B_IGNF2-Dagx0rZpjnW_F07jCAOmGdV8gQS7NJ8o-rKCnQA6XtseehN3motwrPmjlqiDoGVCrux04/s200/flint.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Caveman to Caveman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
would overtake “The Flintstones”
as the longest running prime time sitcom and pretty much set the tone for
subversive family programming such as the crude and cruel “Family Guy” up to
the present day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my humble
minority opinion, this is a step backward from the thoughtful, gentle
programming he originated in 1970.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrbDlC-skS1usVysGmBped5QcbU4lJUOHVIgVXRwgDVGg5qp4GBs6FbBUFZDJzW1iywH0O1_vMyG4x67lp-C2fAWKSa1Zjmb5UxP-YcmohRJvCCRu4W9jplSKCxBRldYKafdr4uFWaaI/s1600/BEST.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrbDlC-skS1usVysGmBped5QcbU4lJUOHVIgVXRwgDVGg5qp4GBs6FbBUFZDJzW1iywH0O1_vMyG4x67lp-C2fAWKSa1Zjmb5UxP-YcmohRJvCCRu4W9jplSKCxBRldYKafdr4uFWaaI/s200/BEST.jpeg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grin-Smoke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The team that left MTM to
create “Taxi” for Paramount created another critically acclaimed series for ABC
in fall of
1981.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Best of the
West</b> was a well-written three camera sitcom taking place in the Old West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like “Taxi” the series had a crack
cast playing well-drawn characters but the premise couldn’t last past one
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqsGPaur6rIgSUHiNSAUzSoZRi8ObbUjgszdhaD_dzNwBxDiOCHCLzL2HkdS-7iln9W3x8zbXbnEmvIGpKIY-XrKinWNoAWKibI0rJLLN1SXuosZp1vZOUOyDlBM-x5eUg5PM4GoQZeY/s1600/SMITH.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqsGPaur6rIgSUHiNSAUzSoZRi8ObbUjgszdhaD_dzNwBxDiOCHCLzL2HkdS-7iln9W3x8zbXbnEmvIGpKIY-XrKinWNoAWKibI0rJLLN1SXuosZp1vZOUOyDlBM-x5eUg5PM4GoQZeY/s200/SMITH.jpeg" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subtle Humor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>Ed. Weinberger and Stan
Daniels of the group would create interesting sitcoms in the 80’s:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Mr. Smith</b> (NBC, 1983) had an brilliant
orangutan running a government agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H2N9ORsRL1q3F3QxWmOwLvaAzA6pIOWd50cz-oGNLK45p1GGoFq31nXZphiItVXqTgo-87JeG3Z8-Y5lOkKTS54p2oEeq3hKCUVkg4iTCugntuN2k4nC1XeGimIE5vy6RvQT88vU33c/s1600/PRESIDENT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H2N9ORsRL1q3F3QxWmOwLvaAzA6pIOWd50cz-oGNLK45p1GGoFq31nXZphiItVXqTgo-87JeG3Z8-Y5lOkKTS54p2oEeq3hKCUVkg4iTCugntuN2k4nC1XeGimIE5vy6RvQT88vU33c/s200/PRESIDENT.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howl at the Chief</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Mr. President</b> (FOX, 1987) had George C. Scott as a widowed commander
in Chief featuring Conrad Bain and Madeline Kahn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
</div>
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Weinberger would make TV
history as co-creator of<b> The Cosby Show.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill Cosby would return along with MTM director Jay Sandrich
to create the most important series in the eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gentle family series <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7zXTpxhwn11CgbzP_HX-Opje8jRxHNhsGPltZhDiFQszZZ_wqVCOZUJoCY0-hIRF1b5-mSQ4-c47xLaQZDCeX2LJ2C6bSBku2DFmRBwlaRgh8DHFTdq87wswGJxQRjiL07puuziLabM/s1600/COSBY.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7zXTpxhwn11CgbzP_HX-Opje8jRxHNhsGPltZhDiFQszZZ_wqVCOZUJoCY0-hIRF1b5-mSQ4-c47xLaQZDCeX2LJ2C6bSBku2DFmRBwlaRgh8DHFTdq87wswGJxQRjiL07puuziLabM/s320/COSBY.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Cosby to the Rescue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
anchored the “Must See TV”
Thursday night lineup on NBC up to the early nineties along with “Cheers,”
“Family Ties” and “Night Court.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What Cosby did was effect the portrayal of an upper middle class African American family
without the buffoonery of “The Jeffersons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He opened cultural barriers with the Huxtables who
exemplified the modern American family with all the traditions therein while
maintaining an appreciation and acknowledgement of their ethnic roots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But also “The Cosby Show” brought the
family sitcom back to it’s nuclear roots with the kids, grand kids, etc at the
same time “Married..with Children” would tear it all down by celebrating the
dysfunctions inherent in same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speaking of “The Jeffersons” Weinberger brought back Sherman Hemsley as
a Philadelphia deacon in <b>Amen</b> another African -American <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGqZ1KdIIAjXnafgefeued1Zxy_4SYaQE4jOvVgNo7YoGEwekZUhqSfyc_eanV1nlb3MXSRj8q8f1D2cSl5wTENe7qm7vYoZovovNhmb_x5DNMFxbObkXI0XZAe5ZXKtFvMUXDPplPKw/s1600/AMEN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGqZ1KdIIAjXnafgefeued1Zxy_4SYaQE4jOvVgNo7YoGEwekZUhqSfyc_eanV1nlb3MXSRj8q8f1D2cSl5wTENe7qm7vYoZovovNhmb_x5DNMFxbObkXI0XZAe5ZXKtFvMUXDPplPKw/s200/AMEN.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really Movin On Up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
ensemble piece
featuring Clifton Davis (“That’s My Mama”)--an actual preacher by now--and Anna
Deveare Smith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with Marla
Gibb’s “227” these series tended to reflect a more middle of the road portrayal
of black life like Cosby did, while still reverting (to a lesser extent) to stereotypes
that audiences seemed to respond to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is interesting (and sad) to note that, prior to the Cosby premiere,
ABC attempted to launch a sitcom in 1983 about a black genie and his white
master “Just Our Luck.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Needless to say, the NAACP demanded a hand in the show’s direction and
it was just thankfully cancelled.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i>The Carsey-Werner company that produced "The Cosby Show" would represent the new standard in the eighties sitcom. After presenting the hit Cosby sequel "A Different World" with daughter Lisa Bonet's college life at Hillman <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrFYmk8ivWQTt-_3QrmfPBfQUQUCCo7toE8fzFb__ExVweU9ardEV8E-sOuI0CN9aI77RzlbyLAsNiAPVVFi8TtW-CMm2S95liUkjcUFTDTpR0Y9ptnZWASaloOM7xXSlm5wjwasIB9s/s1600/MARRID.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrFYmk8ivWQTt-_3QrmfPBfQUQUCCo7toE8fzFb__ExVweU9ardEV8E-sOuI0CN9aI77RzlbyLAsNiAPVVFi8TtW-CMm2S95liUkjcUFTDTpR0Y9ptnZWASaloOM7xXSlm5wjwasIB9s/s200/MARRID.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Normal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
launching a new ensemble of young hip students, Carsey-Werner grabbed another stand-up comedian, Roseanne Arnold, and took the family sitcom to a different level with the plain crass blue-collar brood. Not long after the new Fox network lampooned the typical American family with "Married..with Children" and the horribly crude and unethical Bundys, "Roseanne" featuring the utra-talented John Goodman and Laurie Metcalfe reached</i><br />
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<i></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2JNnTxHoczMLcpU4BvI11wZ0ejCHmQSVFIBX8CWtAl6mAqdMJZsy_1FpOJrEuxzrEqiHv4I8_fYY-G_mZbEdWWmtnygv_RpKwZAMvSYu7ON5SyHikJkouryouk-Rtn4F4eLU6n5QSJk/s1600/ROSEANNE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2JNnTxHoczMLcpU4BvI11wZ0ejCHmQSVFIBX8CWtAl6mAqdMJZsy_1FpOJrEuxzrEqiHv4I8_fYY-G_mZbEdWWmtnygv_RpKwZAMvSYu7ON5SyHikJkouryouk-Rtn4F4eLU6n5QSJk/s320/ROSEANNE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>mainstream heights with it's portrayal of adults who had not quite grown up raising kids as best they could with job changes, economic challenges and a modern permissiveness that put "Father Knows Best" to a final resting place. Carsey-Werner would continue into the nineties with "Home Improvement." </i></div>
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Daniels would also try his
hand in updating the African American sitcom on Fox in 1991 with <b>Roc</b> featuring
Charles S. Dutton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Roc” didn’t
shy away from the serious issues facing lower income blacks--Roc was a
Baltimore garbage worker-- and morphed from sitcom fare to some very <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
dramatic
episodes during it’s three year run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also for Fox in 1992, Daniels would have a hand in <b>Flying Blind</b> a very funny
romantic comedy about a conservative young man living with a flighty free spirit (Tea
Leoni in her breakthrough role) in the “slacker” world of Bohemia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses,
creators of “Bob Newhart Show” and “Tony Randall Show” would detour into crude
features with “Up Your Academy” before returning to TV <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Open All Night</b> (ABC, 1981) about a
24-hour convenience <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc1ZPosniy_F4QhkrrfftTgysI9r3jLClVmRjaHogvWDNqoyibumv0Qyav3qaK5BMIwKPayGO5JsLWqvvFEz3Fn1oQ3uNRe8jtJaskzx1x48tCXHufD0-7JKmfwqBGxvyC6sSCQdYSEE/s1600/BUFFALO.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc1ZPosniy_F4QhkrrfftTgysI9r3jLClVmRjaHogvWDNqoyibumv0Qyav3qaK5BMIwKPayGO5JsLWqvvFEz3Fn1oQ3uNRe8jtJaskzx1x48tCXHufD0-7JKmfwqBGxvyC6sSCQdYSEE/s200/BUFFALO.jpeg" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not your father's Bill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
store featuring cult actress Susan Tyrell and the
critically acclaimed <b>Buffalo Bill</b> (NBC, 1983-1984) featuring Dabney Coleman
as the irascible unlikeable host of a local interview program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tarses would bring <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIjxLM97D_BMiPas3KqSRRVfryCMVYf3rRF80blRZldGwJOdJRMho0BaNpX_1Lo57W5pwsBRJdFLMvuqbzVg2q9LnVoT9eakAXXwb3KSPRYXQyCXSyqGrPUc4-vBvK62J4WzKe7XdAvk/s1600/ALF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIjxLM97D_BMiPas3KqSRRVfryCMVYf3rRF80blRZldGwJOdJRMho0BaNpX_1Lo57W5pwsBRJdFLMvuqbzVg2q9LnVoT9eakAXXwb3KSPRYXQyCXSyqGrPUc4-vBvK62J4WzKe7XdAvk/s200/ALF.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coleman back in
another unlikeable character on ABC with <b>The</b> <b>Slap Maxwell Story </b>in 1987.
Individually, they created hit series such as <b>Alf </b>(NBC, 1986-1990) and
critical favorite <b>Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEe6z4cn_5Te0FbrXkHoaNrtI8Si_UYxkdS5ZLAYicy76FAehsqRstZzs4taIZnppzxzwZBUTIK2DJsJ9P0XKB77qHaDRaiJvZKtWjR5-jd111NVXFtB78ZeIoNU1gyPlaFpqbe7l2ug/s1600/TIES+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEe6z4cn_5Te0FbrXkHoaNrtI8Si_UYxkdS5ZLAYicy76FAehsqRstZzs4taIZnppzxzwZBUTIK2DJsJ9P0XKB77qHaDRaiJvZKtWjR5-jd111NVXFtB78ZeIoNU1gyPlaFpqbe7l2ug/s320/TIES+2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Divide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gary David Goldberg would go
on to produce one of NBC’s must-see sitcoms <b>Family Ties</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This family comedy was an appropriate
snapshot of politics during the Reagan years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Keatons (Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter) were liberal
activists by nature with their hippie <span class="Apple-style-span">lifestyle in the 60’s behind them as they
raised a family and worked for public television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But their oldest son Alex was a budding conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michael J. Fox expertly played the role
to multiple Emmys and a <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TXY48vih4eaVOw4l7zOSEgzllu1T-2dgn1me4PFnHkVDhJBCbukg0RcfNeuBfCfa_yqfZhdWJ2xPLpaGSeSqDWsi7cV-whTKenBK2szbiFk3Ty9rfJ6KL4T_AaWDY5dqmfaYoxQ5cvE/s1600/FOX.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TXY48vih4eaVOw4l7zOSEgzllu1T-2dgn1me4PFnHkVDhJBCbukg0RcfNeuBfCfa_yqfZhdWJ2xPLpaGSeSqDWsi7cV-whTKenBK2szbiFk3Ty9rfJ6KL4T_AaWDY5dqmfaYoxQ5cvE/s200/FOX.jpeg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future Tea Partier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
feature film career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This series did a good job of blending comedy with the
inherent family dramas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goldberg
would team up again with Fox in <b>Spin</b> <b>City </b>for ABC in 1996.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hugh Wilson would complete his work
for “WKRP” in 1982 and go on to direct features such as “Police Academy” and
“First Wives Club.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would
create a couple of series for his “WKRP” alumni: one not so successful--<b>Easy
Street</b> with Loni Anderson and Jack Elam (NBC, 1987) and one that was highly acclaimed and
honored, <b>Frank’s Place </b>starring and co-created by WKRP's Tim Reid (CBS 1988).</span><br />
(1982-1989).<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The longest lasting
legacy of these writers and directors was <b>Cheers</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Burrows along with Glen and Les
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ-0pgIuv-RUBR8aqLoLkIyhq_kyKdWscLtFpCRfngE4YKzbapTXUni8vE3sqc2ehzME0J1sbCfNGdXNItd7zxRr7kf7osfYYJGXsuG_E1J33pDDy6x53i4d3cRvNDu-Sht4D9XkL8n8/s1600/CHEERS.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ-0pgIuv-RUBR8aqLoLkIyhq_kyKdWscLtFpCRfngE4YKzbapTXUni8vE3sqc2ehzME0J1sbCfNGdXNItd7zxRr7kf7osfYYJGXsuG_E1J33pDDy6x53i4d3cRvNDu-Sht4D9XkL8n8/s1600/CHEERS.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let me tell you bout Sam and Diane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Charles (director and writers who cut their teeth with MTM and found their
voice on “Taxi”) created this ensemble piece about the denizens of a Boston
Sports Bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Cheered" starred many actors
who were featured on “Taxi”: Ted Danson as the washed-up baseball star owner
hiring an over-educated Shelly Long as a barmaid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rhea Perlman lasted the entire run as the wiseacre barmaid
Carla and Woody Harrelson and Kirstie Allye would join the award-winning cast
during the eleven year run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Kelsey Grammer, as the obtuse psychologist Frasier Crane would carry on the<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZABgam_xbC4Z9UIFwYwwNts3-Xsl49VlwqT7BFUtEkVrnxb2fMrUE14TSHmKhN9pW12CU88MMjf-8yjIdVexbWKHMFpGKHd4Lsv1EI1r9yPhoeyiuQ5BpjyRZFGUihaiIUMgPoDPjkgo/s1600/frasier.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZABgam_xbC4Z9UIFwYwwNts3-Xsl49VlwqT7BFUtEkVrnxb2fMrUE14TSHmKhN9pW12CU88MMjf-8yjIdVexbWKHMFpGKHd4Lsv1EI1r9yPhoeyiuQ5BpjyRZFGUihaiIUMgPoDPjkgo/s200/frasier.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Frasier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
franchise through (gulp) 2004 with the spin off “Frasier” itself an award-winning
mainstay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Cheers” carried on the
excellent character writing and portrayals of the MTM model (work as home) but
as the series dragged on the humor became a tad predictable with the Greek
Chorus of Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger)--a victim of a long
run in general--and the sexual tension between Danson’s Sam and Long’s Diane
(and eventually Alley’s Rebecca) lent the show a voyeuristic bent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arguably, the model--even though helmed
by the best and brightest--fed into the lazy low-brow comedy stylings that
would feed into the Bush-era anti-intellectualism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Frasier brought a classy drawing <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdxxSgr9apgobprG5WAcHWi0wc8f-rrNr61CyON2SxkLc9u_7o-t0IAIi66N2HwyNeWJlCpRJEs2Cq5SNMqr2YrLP8tHfvGv4BznUA8BAIRlddfYHdtfptNtPxnBnTaCojMlsftFxxLU/s1600/N+OFM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdxxSgr9apgobprG5WAcHWi0wc8f-rrNr61CyON2SxkLc9u_7o-t0IAIi66N2HwyNeWJlCpRJEs2Cq5SNMqr2YrLP8tHfvGv4BznUA8BAIRlddfYHdtfptNtPxnBnTaCojMlsftFxxLU/s200/N+OFM.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody Knows His Name</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
room comedy element
back to the forefront in the nineties along with the excellentthree camera
character studies seen in the nihilistic “Seinfeld,” the insightful “Mad About
You,” the political “Spin City,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the insane “Newsradio,” the style-setting “Friends” and the broad “Third
Rock from the Sun.” Burrows and his colleagues would have a hand in many other
sitcoms throughout the nineties and beyond, especially “Wings” and “Will and
Grace” until the mid-2000’s when “The Office," “30 Rock,” and "Modern Family" would herald a new
laugh-track free single camera self-conscious revolution in the sitcom form.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>GARRY MARSHALL/MILLER MILKIS:</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
After creating the ABC
ratings bonanzas of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy"--all of which inexplicably continued to decent ratings throughout the early
80’s--Marshall, like Brooks before him, started working in features directing
“Young Doctors in Love,” “Flamingo Kid,” “Beaches,” and the mega-hit “Pretty Woman.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much as his <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8IEuceaTGt_rntVngjEuG2rUjij2wbff1m8LIULMQxb8XxkUEf6xpc1Gsq9_QhKrwXESlJ0vddQtzbJgm2WIhlok__FbG3rQhSlrBde_xQB4EJ3Bl0ayX5UXLrArLIkO7LUxRfWyXjs/s1600/nothing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8IEuceaTGt_rntVngjEuG2rUjij2wbff1m8LIULMQxb8XxkUEf6xpc1Gsq9_QhKrwXESlJ0vddQtzbJgm2WIhlok__FbG3rQhSlrBde_xQB4EJ3Bl0ayX5UXLrArLIkO7LUxRfWyXjs/s200/nothing.jpeg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1986 Film</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
TV fare, many of his films
were designed to pander to a class conscious emotionality, successfully
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making Julia Roberts a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>household name (as he did with Robin
Williams and tried to do with Tom Hanks) also deems him a kingmaker to a degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <b>Nothing in Common </b>(NBC,1987)was a sitcom based on my favorite</span> Marshall film of the same title starring Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason-- in his final masterful
performance. The forgettable three-camera TV show had Bill Macy
(“Maude”) in the Gleason role.The film though was father/son saga consisting of an expert blend of comedyand drama with a tutorial on the
advertising business thrown in for good measure.Marshall also brought back “The Odd Couple,” this time with
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T4rm1dwC6JPXAJP_bxNdV9rsDI1euEywK4hyphenhyphenfZ5jMJk54_d8LvRakzhG5kPAiPvXijNrKVuMAgPNg0sf1hH43AwXEIUP0p0FuE3uJAb8OB-VE_f7ZJoUcpvdIX2FvAMPLL-B-UZQb_4/s1600/ODD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T4rm1dwC6JPXAJP_bxNdV9rsDI1euEywK4hyphenhyphenfZ5jMJk54_d8LvRakzhG5kPAiPvXijNrKVuMAgPNg0sf1hH43AwXEIUP0p0FuE3uJAb8OB-VE_f7ZJoUcpvdIX2FvAMPLL-B-UZQb_4/s200/ODD.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mod Couple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
an African-American cast in 1982.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>The New Odd</b> <b>Couple</b> featured Ron Glass (“Barney Miller”) in the Felix
role and Demond Wilson (“Sanford and Son”) inthe Oscar role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, the “Happy Days” spin off <b>Joannie
Loves Chachi </b>reared it’s ugly head as detailed in the previous chapter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for Marshall’s co-horts in
the Miller-Milkis Paramount team, the most creative series was <b>Bosom Buddies</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Premiering on ABC
in 1980 and lasting only two seasons, this series was an update on Billy Wilder's “Some Like
it Hot.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMqe_xwr8OXYEm-2BCNyxiNyUs9fdR2HWdyLnjFx1LkKFdDfWe5hniVKhXnz8zF7Xg6ng7jThzHAt5s9-NVVtN7BAefUC5u9_YeQL5j_-xsjVCRpXIcdVb1PrQ5dQ-jst1uESXSzK7R8/s1600/BOSOM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMqe_xwr8OXYEm-2BCNyxiNyUs9fdR2HWdyLnjFx1LkKFdDfWe5hniVKhXnz8zF7Xg6ng7jThzHAt5s9-NVVtN7BAefUC5u9_YeQL5j_-xsjVCRpXIcdVb1PrQ5dQ-jst1uESXSzK7R8/s200/BOSOM.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Like it Not</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
pre-filmgod Hanks and
Peter Scolari played a couple of ad execs (the unintentional precursor to “Nothing
in Common”) who moonlight in drag in order to stay in a cheap apartment--a women
only hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series had an
impressive pedigree of the New Hollywood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The improvisational style of the dialogue made the high concept series
fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also featured were Holland
Taylor, Wendy Jo Sperber and Donna Dixon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Otherwise, Miller-Milkis had
pretty standard sitcom fare--mostly of the “buddy” variety--the most noteworthy
being the <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqZepMQbD8kDsJT20PYtx5VmxJaeq-ky6k7eL0_5YoHkgiKXh2dZDq2gdlNO_wS4JWoNE9v6vnw2dygQTnn_dffZpeyN2vlaJiN_Ug41Qe_FFajBor84GOboID-wtk5MaQPAz48pmnAg/s1600/PERFECT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqZepMQbD8kDsJT20PYtx5VmxJaeq-ky6k7eL0_5YoHkgiKXh2dZDq2gdlNO_wS4JWoNE9v6vnw2dygQTnn_dffZpeyN2vlaJiN_Ug41Qe_FFajBor84GOboID-wtk5MaQPAz48pmnAg/s200/PERFECT.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debalki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
inane but much more popular <b>Perfect Strangers </b>(ABC, 1986-1992) and
it’s sequel <b>Family Matters</b> which introduced Urkel to America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Family Matters” was part of a huge
push for family fare ABC attempted as a Friday night format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with Robert Boyett (the new
partner), Miller-Milkis brought the family comedy <b>Full House</b> to ABC in
1987.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This long-lasting sitcom
about three men raising kids (including the Olsen twins) was presaging the
same-sex parenting issue which would dominate social politics in the next
millennium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Suzanne Somers
would return to sitcoms in 1992 in an updated version of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Bradys in <b>Step by Step </b>also
produced by Miller-Milkis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
also helmed the aforementioned series starring Valerie Harper which became
<b>The Hogan Family.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for Marshall’s original
hit “The Odd Couple,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony
Randall and Jack Klugman reunited for a made for TV movie update in 1993.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The film cast --Jack Lemmon and Walter
Matthau--would reunite for a sequel to the 1968 film in 1998).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Klugman’s long-term success in
the crime-drama “Quincy,” he would star briefly in the sitcom <b>You Again? </b>for
NBC in 1986 for Yorkin’s old TOY partners Turtletaub and Orensentein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Randall would play an aging gay man
in <b>Love, Sidney </b>on NBC from 1981-1982.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Based on a sentimental TV Movie where Sidney takes in a single mother (played by
Swoosie <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfc-rR2t_OaYpXRo1hYhIXLYnnYUaRzEoa7TFPG8NnTdzSXiOgKIiLKa0V84MEDeP4vOTNTMVun04Pqw2i3NAzmVC9-mAOVo2ib6O9hpe9VC8yub7GNA6UgsxJh5dWO-ZwdMB-WMExPhg/s1600/love-sidney-gay-sitcom-tv-show-1980s-swoosie-kurtz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfc-rR2t_OaYpXRo1hYhIXLYnnYUaRzEoa7TFPG8NnTdzSXiOgKIiLKa0V84MEDeP4vOTNTMVun04Pqw2i3NAzmVC9-mAOVo2ib6O9hpe9VC8yub7GNA6UgsxJh5dWO-ZwdMB-WMExPhg/s200/love-sidney-gay-sitcom-tv-show-1980s-swoosie-kurtz.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randall's Requiem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kurtz in the series), the sitcom started out with very oblique
references to Sidney’s sexuality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But when Hal Cooper and Rod Parker (“Maude”) took over in the second
season, there was more of an attempt to deal with the character’s homosexuality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Randall and Klugman would
both continue to play character parts in features, TV and Broadway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Klugman trudged on even after debilitating
throat cancer and Randall (always mocking his stodgy image) trudged on through
young wives and fatherhood until their respective deaths in the late 2000's.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>WITT-THOMAS-HARRIS</u><o:p></o:p></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having established comedy
bonafides with “Soap” and the spin off “Benson” (running until 1986) the WTH
production company featuring Susan Harris and Danny Thomas’s son, Tony would
hit it’s stride in the 80’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
fall of 1980, Diana Canova would leave “Soap” to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>team up with Danny Thomas himself in a father-daughter
comedy featuring Martin Short, <b>But I’m a Big Girl Now.</b> The other premiere,<b>
It's a Living </b>was a sexier premise about waitresses working in a swank <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHC6n8c3MMReYDczUeAwwcSTwNyObj3ojwxBRFK_QkSeyD1Bh7H8-fDah0RvUAPS7i1_tjwSX6-Q99gsrc0wWkzhDtniDlUspWcqeaAouDNoIPiX2HOfCHzir0K9h9TmW8kf3se1x2eE/s1600/LIVING.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHC6n8c3MMReYDczUeAwwcSTwNyObj3ojwxBRFK_QkSeyD1Bh7H8-fDah0RvUAPS7i1_tjwSX6-Q99gsrc0wWkzhDtniDlUspWcqeaAouDNoIPiX2HOfCHzir0K9h9TmW8kf3se1x2eE/s200/LIVING.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upscale Alice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Los
Angeles hotel restaurant/bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann
Jillian<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as the saucy and sexy
Cassie was the breakout star in this ensemble show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show was retooled a bit for it’s second season (now called <b>Making a Living</b>) adding
Louise Lasser to the cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it
would be a staple in syndication after it’s two season ABC run throughout the
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w1LEBYNHNBGrZaaiirCnNgMvlffrD1OibCjd4FLVkTLUFbuhaAwiV8gDG8EB9rbHR45aUyOl9H7pHfcpCPHSz-ATle3hFFofcWCAY9Sr7t98y68YVYPH1OkHXm9i5-MT1UQrVVaFI3E/s1600/CONDO.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w1LEBYNHNBGrZaaiirCnNgMvlffrD1OibCjd4FLVkTLUFbuhaAwiV8gDG8EB9rbHR45aUyOl9H7pHfcpCPHSz-ATle3hFFofcWCAY9Sr7t98y68YVYPH1OkHXm9i5-MT1UQrVVaFI3E/s200/CONDO.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stevenson's Last Stand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
eighties with various cast alterations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Witt had a hand in McLean Stevenson’s fourth comeback attempt, <b>Condo</b> on ABC in 1983…a show that also featured a Latino family living in the suburbs
instead of the barrio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Child actress
Patty Duke tried twice with the production team for ABC: In <b>It Takes Two</b> (1982) Richard Crenna takes part in a dueling
political debate again (first was “All’s Fair” in 1976) but this time he is a
liberal doctor married <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzXM0l1tjJDKlq4168xQkfvXRTkfWOpJejoxK5T9biBttC3wv1EZPNkh5zRVqTV7rvM7TIE6dkvjSnF3_rwLeM0q6fBShk8H-lZ6gkBplXQ3VO9yS6ERcMwAJe07yf4qpnvV8Gt_CHgk/s1600/TWO.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzXM0l1tjJDKlq4168xQkfvXRTkfWOpJejoxK5T9biBttC3wv1EZPNkh5zRVqTV7rvM7TIE6dkvjSnF3_rwLeM0q6fBShk8H-lZ6gkBplXQ3VO9yS6ERcMwAJe07yf4qpnvV8Gt_CHgk/s200/TWO.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mad About Two</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
to Duke’s conservative lawyer. (She started out liberal
but her work at the DA’s office brought out her conservative side.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have two kids played by future stars Helen Hunt and
Anthony Edwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Duke returned in
1985 with the serialized political farce <b>Hail to the Chief</b> as the nation’s
first female President and Ted Bessell as her husband. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Things changed for the trio
in 1985.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bea Arthur and Rue
McLanahan teamed up with MTM’s Betty White in the pop culture landmark<b> Golden
Girls.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As sitcoms were becoming
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvqfNAlHhMVQ6_V17qsnlmCltZ7rBzCTdC-6lYQqSEln6dC2zES6V6nyZ0JM_v_6E42tU08Q7utUDM1onHjaS9fCy8cDXWjO1zhQa10mGWUnkXGqfGapP_iSrtdMFBly9KsLiNa6T8Rg/s1600/GOLDEN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvqfNAlHhMVQ6_V17qsnlmCltZ7rBzCTdC-6lYQqSEln6dC2zES6V6nyZ0JM_v_6E42tU08Q7utUDM1onHjaS9fCy8cDXWjO1zhQa10mGWUnkXGqfGapP_iSrtdMFBly9KsLiNa6T8Rg/s320/GOLDEN.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greatest Generation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
more family and youth oriented, Susan Harris decided there was an aging
audience that would appreciate the ribald adventures of a group of single women
in their fifties living together in Miami.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arthur (Dorothy), McLanahan (Blanche) and Rose (White) saw
their careers revive with this seven-year top ten run, a Saturday night staple
on NBC. With Broadway’s Estelle Getty providing ample support as Dorothy’s
mother Sophia who suffered from comic dementia--coming across more like a borscht
belt routine than a debilitating condition of the elderly--the cast was extremely
well-rounded and the comic timing exquisite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(White and McLanahan wisely switched characters at the last
minute, showing a true acting range.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As the series would be rerun more than the sixties hillbilly shows and
the castaways on Gilligan’s island, Arthur and McLanahan’s roles in “Maude”
would be forgotten and White would keep plugging away into her nineties as a
show biz icon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(See “Hot in
Cleveland” above).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WTH and NBC
pulled the cross-over trick with a couple of series until the mid-nineties:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richard Mulligan (“Soap”) would return
to the producers as a Miami widowed veterinarian with two adult daughters and a large dog in <b>Empty
Nest </b>(1988-1995) which led to <b>Nurses </b>(1991-1994) with Loni Anderson (1991-1994).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don Reo worked with Witt and Thomas on
three series: First was the modern farm-themed <b>Heartland</b>(1989, CBS) with Brian Keith. Then Ted Wass (also of “Soap”) played the
dad in <b>Blossom</b> (1991-1995, NBC) which gave “Diff’rent Strokes” a run for it’s
money in the “very special episode” category. Finally, the dark <b>John</b> <b>Larroquette
Show</b>(1993-1996, NBC) which saw visits from Getty as Sophia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these WTH series would mimic
the Norman Lear shows in their videotaped dramatic moments but the schtick was
amped up to almost unrealistic levels at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The casts though were always the best in TV comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Harris would return to the
serialized format on her own in <b>Good and Evil</b> for ABC in 1991 starring Teri
Garr with little fanfare except it’s controversial portrayal of a blind
character (Mark Blankfield) that generated protests from the National
Federation of the Blind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final Witt Thomas series
would be <span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Everything’s Relative</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> (1999, NBC) featuring Jeffrey Tambor and Jill
Clayburgh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mitchell Hurwitz, the
creator, worked with the team for many years and in 2003 would create one of
the most highly acclaimed and transformative sitcoms, “Arrested Development”
starring Tambor and Jason Bateman and featuring the voice of (producer) Ron
Howard and Henry Winkler…two seventies powerhouses by way of the fifties in the
2000’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WOMEN IN SITCOMS</span></u></b></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>KOMACK CHRONICLES: NINE TO FIVE.</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">James</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b> Komack would get out of sitcoms in the eighties, only producing the final season of <b>Nine to Five. </b>Based on the hit comedy film in 1980 about a trio of secretaries dealing with a sexually </span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYMb7SULxp1YJAH8DYzj6SlOSMSegKhb3rZQ9fsWbZObqhwxp6gWe5NosWiR_PZZFs4SzPY1zZXJ0x6phvQMaMUGwBv8YlNQVj5mbbrlzVgexiI4Ump2vzBzNpuCP0bDjIF8k9gzaClg/s1600/NINE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYMb7SULxp1YJAH8DYzj6SlOSMSegKhb3rZQ9fsWbZObqhwxp6gWe5NosWiR_PZZFs4SzPY1zZXJ0x6phvQMaMUGwBv8YlNQVj5mbbrlzVgexiI4Ump2vzBzNpuCP0bDjIF8k9gzaClg/s200/NINE.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 To 5 Not Working</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">
aggressive boss, the series, starring Rita Moreno would would start in 1982 on ABC with Jeffrey Tambor playing the abusive superior to be replaced by Peter Bonerz (“Bob Newhart Show”). Jane Fonda left as producer the third season, when Komack took over and changed a few things. The series came back in syndication for many years in 1986 with Sally Struthers taking over the Moreno part. What started as a satire on workplace harassment just became another goofy ensemble piece. Komack would go on to direct “Porky’s Revenge.” Enough said.</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>THE CRAP BEFORE THE STORM.</b><br />
Speaking of working women,
“Alice” would<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>somehow last until
1985 with a new southern waitress to replace Diane Ladd’s Belle:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Celia Weston’s Jolene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show just became a silly vehicle
with guest appearances and outlandish slapstick situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, with Lucy’s old producers
Madelyn Carroll and Bob Davis in charge, it was no surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The spin off “Flo,” which started
off with huge ratings in it’s mid season 1980 premiere would falter in it’s
second season, the power of a bad time slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With guest stars such as Forrest Tucker (as Flo’s wayward
dad) and George Lindsay (“Goober”) the show provided lots of rural throwback
that was rearing it’s ugly head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Carroll and Davis would bring Lucille Ball back in 1986:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ABC’s much-anticipated fall premiere
“Life with Lucy” was a huge flop as the geriatric Ball and Gale Gordon try to
rekindle the old magic with stale jokes and pathetic slapstick.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Davis and Carroll brought
another big screen hit to the small screen for Warner Brothers television:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Private Benjamin. </b>Lorna Patterson played the Goldie Hawn
part and the recently<br />
departed Eileen Brennan (winning two Emmys) and Hal <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliIZacnc8EW66uwWVtdmWjoKe3Xp4e4S4fWPP7R-JoiAZkf-1JwjGihpMUV0YQbLs4-5LIZKvnNPBl74Nw6d7GFuuw_V-dB2g6qBGzn3Bz5bUyb97Bh2dyy4LuBsYiNLV83rUJkLIOSM/s1600/EILEEN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliIZacnc8EW66uwWVtdmWjoKe3Xp4e4S4fWPP7R-JoiAZkf-1JwjGihpMUV0YQbLs4-5LIZKvnNPBl74Nw6d7GFuuw_V-dB2g6qBGzn3Bz5bUyb97Bh2dyy4LuBsYiNLV83rUJkLIOSM/s200/EILEEN.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilarious Captain Lewis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cooper reprised their
feature roles in the story of a "Jewish American princess" joining the armed services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The single camera show started strong in spring
of 1981 (as a lead-in to M*A*S*H) and ended weak after changing to a three camera videotaped format in
it’s third season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never
ventured into anything more topical than sexual stereotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not surprising since the
old-school creative team from “Alice” and “Lucy” were behind the show along
with veterans William Asher and William D’Angelo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Not surprisingly, Laverne and Shirley had just had an experience as army recruits in the 1979 with even less dignity. </span><i>Jimmie Walker (“Good Times”) returned in another single
season military comedy for ABC in 1983 called </i><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>At </b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><b>Ease </b>as a new version of
“Sgt. Bilko.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh Mostel and
David Naughton, both of whom failed at bringing the big screen to sitcom world
in the 1970’s also starred with “M*A*S*H” veteran Hy Averback behind the scenes
for Aaron Spelling Productions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The military sitcom would return only one more time: “Major Dad” (CBS) in
1989.</i></span><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT AFTER ALL</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of female ensembles,
Linda Bloodworth-Thomasen, a writer who made a name for herself penning a
“M*A*S*H” episode, created a serialized sitcom called <b>Filthy Rich</b>-- sort of a “Soap” by way of “Dallas.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The original pilot was cut up <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJPqk9C6k_I6YpuL8FIc4HFK4XYMbvL4JjEUU6-fGf7RBH7f9g2XcpwFvc2AHWz3WoA41KEZu20vt5OkjIAidBqYvRqz_q6ykb26mdOSKotaK2-gcUVjvijfoE19f2pSfML9hVASvAbU/s1600/FILTHY.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJPqk9C6k_I6YpuL8FIc4HFK4XYMbvL4JjEUU6-fGf7RBH7f9g2XcpwFvc2AHWz3WoA41KEZu20vt5OkjIAidBqYvRqz_q6ykb26mdOSKotaK2-gcUVjvijfoE19f2pSfML9hVASvAbU/s200/FILTHY.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petti-Soap Junction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
into three episodes by CBS and aired after
“M*A*S*H” in the summer of 1982.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>high ratings begged
it’s return in the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
the Memphis setting was bucolic and the situations were extremely raunchy, the
series was misunderstood at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The deceased family patriarch (Slim Pickens in the pilot, Forrest Tucker
thereafter) gives his greedy progeny video instructions weekly in order in order
to affect certain behaviors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
dialogue was ferociously sassy and with Ann Wedgeworth (“Three’s Company”),
Dixie Carter and Delta Burke providing the southern sauce, the series was
clearly out it’s league with the rest of the CBS corn pone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lasting legacy of this spoof was
the relationship between Bloodworth, Carter and Burke who would reunite in 1986
for the classic<b> Designing Women. </b>At the time billed as “The Golden Girls With <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOCiVRhK87UOoHH7GLrRCwU3_oQ0CGcEp4kj56lyopB8l0OgPiJPpmvhuUtc6NfCpfOfZ3eFdHetxoRt0b6jH2ICimsTq7KRQiz0uNH_bvTv7tG7PplDzqV7OtRc6V6YOJ26q6xhx_OE/s1600/DESIGNIN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOCiVRhK87UOoHH7GLrRCwU3_oQ0CGcEp4kj56lyopB8l0OgPiJPpmvhuUtc6NfCpfOfZ3eFdHetxoRt0b6jH2ICimsTq7KRQiz0uNH_bvTv7tG7PplDzqV7OtRc6V6YOJ26q6xhx_OE/s320/DESIGNIN.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quiet Before the Storm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Accents,” the long-running
series followed the Sugarbaker sisters (Carter and Burke) along with Annie
Potts and Jean Smart as they ran an interior design firm in Atlanta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bloodworth and her husband/partner
Harry Thomasen provided lots of liberal soapboxing, especially for Carter--who
could let the words flow at such an incredibly artful pace in insult or
proclamation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the Thomasens,
close friends with Bill and Hillary from their Arkansas days, would set a new
tone for rural comedy into the 90’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Politics, very liberal politics along with "Murphy Brown," would be the order of the day and
audiences were not left with Lear’s balanced satire or the dumbed down yoakum
of Hooterville or the gentle conservative moralizing of Mayberry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team would continue this trend into
the 90’s with <b>Evening Shade </b>starring Burt Reynolds and Marilu Henner (“Taxi”)
and <b>Hearts Afire </b>with John Ritter, Markie Post and Billy Bob Thornton.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>DANNY ARNOLD AND FUTURE LAW:</u></b></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After “Barney Miller” finally wins it’s
Emmy in it’s final season, Arnold took a sitcom break until 1986 when he
brought <b>Joe Bash </b>to ABC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
Boyle played Bash, a <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3nVDhoyMf2GNPAJqyrjevs5LIvUXzes0mJvQpHKj8AyAV-lYTWAxrJJvCA97I06OxbeNSltpTPVpdkWyLai5-9xL7NEYGUlzhssyRl2xNo9ov0ZbDvoJteWPWq0L4U-Om4IpdyDcLhs/s1600/BASH.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3nVDhoyMf2GNPAJqyrjevs5LIvUXzes0mJvQpHKj8AyAV-lYTWAxrJJvCA97I06OxbeNSltpTPVpdkWyLai5-9xL7NEYGUlzhssyRl2xNo9ov0ZbDvoJteWPWq0L4U-Om4IpdyDcLhs/s200/BASH.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blarney Miller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
slightly corrupt cop biding his time until his upcoming retirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also videotaped on a
single “precinct” set, the show differed from “Barney Miller” in that there was
no audience or laugh track allowing more of a dramatic tone to the darkly comic
show.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Barney Miller” writer
Reinhold Weege, however found more success in the eighties with <b>Night Court </b>in 1984. Sort of a “Barney Miller” in the courtroom, this series--starring
magician Harry Anderson as Judge Harry Stone--had a much higher wackiness factor and more standard sitcom
conventions. Nonetheless, thanks to it's placement on the hit Thursday <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2MwaRJEubd-LMFAFvstq45x5bvm62JgXjUw1xigDLJPjre9yPEuerCg8Hsz_CTy28geaYCzS3Lnopa3MH8KjahjpNTn9QZ_QLRRr3-Ir2dxB2EXiMNQHT90KR9J9Xgy1y8zRCRxvpgM/s1600/NIGHT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2MwaRJEubd-LMFAFvstq45x5bvm62JgXjUw1xigDLJPjre9yPEuerCg8Hsz_CTy28geaYCzS3Lnopa3MH8KjahjpNTn9QZ_QLRRr3-Ir2dxB2EXiMNQHT90KR9J9Xgy1y8zRCRxvpgM/s1600/NIGHT.jpeg" /></a></div>
night NBC lineup for most of
it’s eight-year run, "Night Court" was highly rated with a rabid fan
base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The above-mentioned
Larroquette would become the highest-awarded comic performer from the series
playing the insufferable prosecutor Dan Fielding.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The original “Barney Miller”
cast would remain best loved for that series and never really break out into
any other roles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abe Vigoda would
basically parody himself for years and play off the fact that he was still alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to this day, “Barney Miller” is
considered one of the finest comedy programs ever created for television and is
held in reverence by lovers of quality programming.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A couple of other cop
comedies in the 80’s would usher in the single camera, non-laugh track format
that would take over in <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK4LbLQfdHrmVdMp4pCm5eldXxrxDJ9YbJDg8i2udW1ruEZusBGQuP2MqvPTuNGn0JHWO4Rv4APRdZK0Q8_sldZTqR-YT6MsnJMMlqUr_O48b9c2z25yQ8CO6cTCrcouPdYm3cICyLG8/s1600/police-squad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK4LbLQfdHrmVdMp4pCm5eldXxrxDJ9YbJDg8i2udW1ruEZusBGQuP2MqvPTuNGn0JHWO4Rv4APRdZK0Q8_sldZTqR-YT6MsnJMMlqUr_O48b9c2z25yQ8CO6cTCrcouPdYm3cICyLG8/s200/police-squad.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Drebin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the 2000’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The incredibly short run of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Police Squad </b>starring Leslie Neilson would showcase the zany
nonsensical satire of the Zucker Brothers as evidenced in their hit film
“Airplane.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their popular “Naked Gun”
film series was a continuation of this 1982 summer show that was too expensive
to continue producing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1986, D’Angelo had
a hand in creating <b>Sledgehammer </b>a parody take-off of the “Dirty Harry” cop
genre.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>AFTER AFTER M*A*S*H:</u></b> </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eighties would be huger for the
4077th than the seventies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
the syndicated reruns extremely popular on college campuses and Alan Alda
already nurturing a feature film career as writer/director/star a la Woody
Allen, the series became even more “important” as the Korean War went on for a
total of eleven years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cast
remained pretty much the same to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And where so many of the seventies sitcoms just petered out in the eighties
with no fanfare or resolutions after lengthy runs, M*A*S*H went out with quite
a bang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two and a half hour TV
movie event, “Farewell, Amen and Goodbye” saw the end of the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also remained the highest rated
single televised program until 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quite a feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much like “Barney Miller” the
cast would never live down the roles they played to devoted audiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alda would produce <b>Four Seasons </b>a sitcom on CBS in
1984 based on his hit 1981 with Carol Burnett and go on to be a reliable character
actor after his directing career ebbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jamie Farr would have a golf tournament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than that, it was dinner theater and cameo appearances
for the cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry Morgan, Farr,
and William Christopher would remain in character for two more seasons in <b>Aftermash</b> chronicling
Potter’s running a Kansas City veteran’s hospital with Klinger and Mulcahey in
tow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Larry Gelbart returned
for bit of creative heft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
after a nice start, the series ended with a whimper at the start of 1985 ending
a very important franchise in sitcom history.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>With this blog finally coming to an end, I must say that it has been a blast to relive the sitcoms that I watched from second grade through my junior year in high school. There were only three networks and there was no VCR. The syndicated reruns in the afternoons and on weekends were made up of the rural, family, and fantastical sitcoms of the sixties. And growing up in South Texas, the only fifties sitcom we saw in reruns was "I Love Lucy." So I got the best of both worlds: I got to enjoy the simple fun of the sixties while concurrently taking in the progressive and topical sitcoms of the seventies. I didn't always understand the humor but, in retrospect, I feel that I learned so much about life--at a time when the turmoil of the sixties was morphing into the moral crises of the seventies--from Norman Lear. Garry Marshall and his ABC takeover in the later part of the decade was also something I experienced viscerally--the excitement of the youth-oriented dynamic and, well, going through puberty it didn't hurt to have the T and A element. I didn't appreciate the MTM library until later in life but still remember the warm feelings of the real characters in their cosmopolitan settings. As I got busy with graduation from high school and life in college in the early eighties, I was too distracted to pay much attention to sitcoms....I did follow the news, "Hill Street Blues," "Star Trek" reruns, SCTV and this new David Letterman show. Fortunately, I found time to check in with the Cosby/NBC sitcom revolution in the eighties and renewed my sitcom fanaticism with NBC's new Must See sitcoms in the 90's with "Seinfeld" and "Friends" leading the pack. While those could be as funny if not more so than the seventies, they lacked a certain sophistication. They were well-written and expertly acted--especially compared to the staginess of the videotaped predecessors. But the ironic tone and casual morality seemed to make these shows less endearing to me. And with the self-aware and mean-spirited material in comedy in the 2000's--along with a nostalgia that referenced all the classics I have documented to the point of a derivative meta-experience--it was much more satisfying to sit back with a DVD of Bob Newhart or the Bunkers and still find new places to laugh and revel in a special time: political confusion, a mid-life crisis of disco and loud suits, pre-political correctness but post-sugar coated sentimentality, and in my humble opinion, a portrayal of a flawed humanity that was honest, sometimes tragic, mostly humorous--just like life. Thanks for watching!!</b><br />
<br />
Before saying:<br />
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I will say:</div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"THOSE WERE THE DAYS"</span></i></b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>AND OF COURSE:</b></span></h3>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"You're Gonna Make It After All!"</span></i></b></h2>
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<!--EndFragment-->scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-90171674491133778912013-09-23T20:29:00.000-07:002013-09-23T20:31:35.091-07:00ONWARD: SEVENTIES SITCOMS INTO THE EIGHTIES PLUS THE BEGINNINGS OF RETRO<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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It is difficult to imagine now how the sitcoms that defined the seventies ethos lasted well into the eighties. In this chapter, I will explore how they continued on. I will also touch on the re-emergence of the sixties sitcoms as nostalgia. In the next chapter, I will discuss the new sitcoms of the eighties.</div>
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The reason we saw the continuation of shows that became irrelevant was due to continuing high ratings. CBS had a powerhouse Sunday night lineup anchored by the remnants of the Norman Lear universe as well as M*A*S*H on Monday night which became even more popular if less irreverent until it's blockbuster feature-length finale. ABC's Tuesday night lineup remained popular despite the lack of material and the devolution of the characters into stock sitcom hell. NBC started the 80's sitcom revival with it's family-oriented "Diff'rent Strokes" universe until the critical favorite "Taxi" moves to the network from ABC to usher in a new group from a Boston sports pub.</div>
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The most interesting "continuation" involved psychiatrist Bob Hartley. Bob Newhart's signature series ended it's run in 1978. But he returned with his droll sense of humor in 1982 with "Newhart" on CBS as Dick Loudon, a self-help author who runs an historic inn in Vermont. Once again, he was surrounded by a beautiful wife (Mary Frann) and a cast of loonies: Tom Poston as the bumbling handyman; Julia Duffy as the spoiled housekeeper; Peter Scolari as her yuppie boyfriend (80's alert!); and William Sanderson leading a trio of backwoods hillbillies--Larry, Darryll and Darryll. The comedy was sophisticated wacky--like the original--but the series long run (eight years) led to predictable character jokes and contributed in a strange way to the re-ruralization of CBS. The ratings were decent on Monday nights until the end. And that's where things get crazy.</div>
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The amazing finale in 1990 is why "Newhart" is actually an extension of a seventies classic. As Dick gets hit in the head with a golf ball hit by some Chinese investors who are buying the inn. When he wakes up, he is in bed with....Emily! In Chicago. And Bob Hartley stammers out the incredible (eight-year) dream he just had. Brilliant.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>RUNNING OUT OF TIME.</u></b></div>
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Following are synopses of the remaining burnouts of the seventies sitcoms as they leeched into the eighties. Surprisingly, many maintained high ratings until mid-decade. In alphabetical order:</div>
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<b>Alice </b>(CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the strangest candidate for longevity into the eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flo’s replacement, Belle (Diane Ladd)
leaves in 1981 to be replaced by Celia Weston’s Jo-Lene, an even more inane
sassy southerner. The show continued with the <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpXQHCXH6hAZRVHxdie3cdRthrD7y6k8XJcQNHk28w3E26RbKsqyi7HTmFNsnYfzQpVw75gHAqgMh1OG_37Wi-3ekkRwRjMEsXeyCR0V8Bwp0__b1sc9Pb1FpD3s0afu8O7C4Xvb7zyA/s1600/jolene.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpXQHCXH6hAZRVHxdie3cdRthrD7y6k8XJcQNHk28w3E26RbKsqyi7HTmFNsnYfzQpVw75gHAqgMh1OG_37Wi-3ekkRwRjMEsXeyCR0V8Bwp0__b1sc9Pb1FpD3s0afu8O7C4Xvb7zyA/s200/jolene.jpeg" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jolene Too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
premise of Alice, Vera and Jolene
teaming with Mel in slapstick misadventures and aiding overly contrived
“musical and comedy” celebrity has-been cameos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martha Raye appeared too many times as Mel’s mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doris Roberts appeared some as Alice’s
mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vera’s marriage with a mild
cop was a highlight. Alice gets a singing gig in Nashville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, Mel sells the diner and gives
the waitresses huge bonuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
the exception of one season, the show was comfortably ensconced in the CBS
Sunday night schedule throughout the early 80’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Linda Lavin’s real-life husband--country singer
Kip Niven--playing her new suitor and a guest appearance from “Boss Hogg”
(Dukes of Hazzard), it was obvious that the series was a corn-ponent of the
rural renewal. Eighties alert:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mel
throws a group of break dancers out of the diner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZfKp8eBSTY6iT691wJ-hDOkI7pFnnRMfJtJf1uhZ40zMj55TjP61a36jhJd3wOKVexjecH5Zn2WW6decl6FCg-6S28JVO-pbgs5ds8bBelnQ_GVCS2SbTWlicTc-6c0OHczLd-cHLFM/s1600/floforrestpolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZfKp8eBSTY6iT691wJ-hDOkI7pFnnRMfJtJf1uhZ40zMj55TjP61a36jhJd3wOKVexjecH5Zn2WW6decl6FCg-6S28JVO-pbgs5ds8bBelnQ_GVCS2SbTWlicTc-6c0OHczLd-cHLFM/s200/floforrestpolly.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flo-Troop</td></tr>
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<b>Flo</b> (CBS) continued for a less successful second and
final season due to a time slot change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other than a Thanksgiving guest shot by Forrest Tucker as Flo’s
estranged (go figure) dad, nothing much happened and Flo had nowhere else to
go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Archie Bunker’s Place</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The flagship show on Sunday night saw the slow and uncelebrated demise
of Carroll O’Connor’s Bunker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jean
Stapleton bowed out completely in 1980 as her much-loved Edith died leaving Archie
to mourn and eventually date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>O’Connor actually allows Bunker to break down in a dramatic
emotionally-purging scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then
becomes a “house mother” when another niece, Billie, comes to live him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he transitions <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye, Edith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
into a champion of
racial harmony when he defends his new black housekeeper from injustices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin Balsam leaves after the second
season to be replaced by another Jewish business manager played by child actor
Barry Gordon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His character has an
ongoing relationship with Billie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Younger niece Stephanie starts liking boys and trying to train in song
and dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don Rickles made a rare
sitcom appearance in one episode as a boarder at Archie’s house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sally Struthers returns in
two episodes with son Joey after she leaves Mike who has run away with a
student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fall of 1982, she
gets her own series, <b>Gloria</b>, where
the “little goil” moves to the country to become a veterinarian’s
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-J30ciB6ZzsWwca76eJ-Q0r2QE56m0L6idVjn9TqU4nPyTl76p2CUQreNbN_XJHlqdKBWo5Qlue9nOcs2iFVsyXsVg1sgu06_Fzaim_HreeayUrjEPcn13PXtgdRQx_lcUHWl-MDpNc/s1600/gloria.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-J30ciB6ZzsWwca76eJ-Q0r2QE56m0L6idVjn9TqU4nPyTl76p2CUQreNbN_XJHlqdKBWo5Qlue9nOcs2iFVsyXsVg1sgu06_Fzaim_HreeayUrjEPcn13PXtgdRQx_lcUHWl-MDpNc/s200/gloria.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mourning Gloria</td></tr>
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assistant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does well in the
ratings (following Archie on Sunday nights) but by this time CBS decided to do
away with all things Bunker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>O’Connor was upset at the sudden cancellation with no chance for
closure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the series
continued to court controversial subjects, the execution was ham-handed and
uneven as Archie softened up and lost his bite amidst a new ethnic mix and
teenage girls--leading to a loss of satire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had
become, to a degree, a Queens Mayberry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Barney Miller</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The final two seasons, although well-written and well-acted, were
showing signs of repetition and plot re-treads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The squadroom became a homicide-only unit for a while
leading to grittier situations. Luger appeared more as he dealt with the
travails of a mail-order bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Harris fought a plagiarism lawsuit over his book and even directed a
porn film in one episode (as a cover).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only new cop introduced was Paul Leiber as Dorsey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t last long as he seemed like a
laconic version of Deitrich with a more conspiratorial bent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At series end, Barney passes up his
long-awaited for promotion and, in a plot twist that seemed more appropriate
for “Alice,” the station house is torn down due to the discovery of
Native-American artifacts and the precinct is thusly relocated leading to the
dissolution of the unit and a dignified farewell episode honoring the series long
run.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Barney Miller” would finally
be awarded the Best Comedy Series Emmy in its final year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A deserved honor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Benson </b>(ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This show becomes a Friday night staple for six more years so it’s more
of an eighties show than a seventies show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there is the requisite break-dancing episode!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1980 season saw three appearances
by young stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld as the wisecracking driver for the
governor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t fit in with
the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghe62XKxEUNqQKI9RAlGAj6NR9Flk4labto-mF-hWmIOekR8Efvz0__rzYoDHBKKczoCVhhWtiZ1k8TlykEKIdkH0eSKUgFSwupYha9gfdPA0MN2cszjDmbwRqhVD1oh8qKoFXhvQWOU0/s1600/benson.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghe62XKxEUNqQKI9RAlGAj6NR9Flk4labto-mF-hWmIOekR8Efvz0__rzYoDHBKKczoCVhhWtiZ1k8TlykEKIdkH0eSKUgFSwupYha9gfdPA0MN2cszjDmbwRqhVD1oh8qKoFXhvQWOU0/s200/benson.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benson and Seinfeld</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
perfect sense as
the series fell into the silly plot device trap what with the numerous
cameo-filled murder mystery episodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Politics was satired to a degree as Benson dates a congresswoman and is
promoted to State Budget Director, then to Lieutenant Governor and eventually
even runs against the governor for the main office ending in a
cliffhanger--apropos of it’s parent show “Soap.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of “Soap” the ghost of Jessica Tate appears in the
third season, possibly wrapping up an unresolved story thread from that series
(see below).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After five season, Robert
Guillame won his second Emmy, this time for lead actor in “Benson.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Diff’rent Strokes</b> (NBC/ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much like “Benson” this series became known more as an eighties sitcom,
lasting until 1986.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
two<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>housekeepers replacing Mrs.
Garrett (see “Facts of Life” below).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Drummond’s Aunt Sophia (Dodie Goodman) would try to find him a wife and
he ended up marrying a woman played by Dixie Carter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When NBC gave up on the show and ABC picked it up for a
final tired season, Carter gladly left for “Designing Women” and was replaced
by Mary Ann Mobley (who ironically played a date of Drummond’s in the first
season).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor Dana Plato started
having substance abuse problems by the sixth season and her appearances were
limited after the producers decided not to incorporate her pregnancy into a
storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plato eventually
committed suicide after a life of drugs and pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Todd Bridges as Willis had a post-show
life of cocaine abuse and attempted murder but redeemed himself in the
nineties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recently departed
Coleman, whose Arnold character had a number of young friends for
misadventures--with Willis becoming less relevant--had a life that parodied his
own sad celebrity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So it is interesting that
“Diff’rent Strokes” ushered in the “very special episode” concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whereas, Lear would deal with
controversial topics in the seventies within his character’s lives-- attempting
valiantly to keep the humor intact-- this new trend tended to over dramatise the
situation and eventually<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
break the third wall in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sermonizing sap-fests that actually became a staple trait of
family sitcoms for a decade or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were episodes dealing with bulimia and epilepsy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one episode Arnold and Kimberly get
kidnapped by a man who has an intention of raping her, with Conrad Bain,
stepping out of character, giving information regarding teen runaways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nancy Reagan topped this when she
co-opted <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKv2opr_647FPkCU6X5WvcNbBJfQcgS8PLZ43y3nvfAY358CLVc6ZJGRB43ShTt85wEqBwivFoQV3yT10ENDRRL0jScmocF4PmiE2NSxJT_yGvGx4I1SJYBYLoQAAskG5ZIbxRMGoMBPg/s1600/nancy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKv2opr_647FPkCU6X5WvcNbBJfQcgS8PLZ43y3nvfAY358CLVc6ZJGRB43ShTt85wEqBwivFoQV3yT10ENDRRL0jScmocF4PmiE2NSxJT_yGvGx4I1SJYBYLoQAAskG5ZIbxRMGoMBPg/s200/nancy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just Say What?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
one episode to promote her “Just Say No” anti-drug agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the most damning of all was the two
part episode where Gordon Jump plays a pedophile who is thwarted in his
attempts to molest Arnold and his friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it didn’t stop there--<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Facts of Life</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The head brass at NBC couldn’t figure out how this “Diff’rent Strokes”
spin-off could outlast it’s parent show by two years into (gulp) 1988.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The format changed in the fall of 1980
and the basic cast remained the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With all of the girl characters ensembled in the initial <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY1me2zlz5IxS3XkS_ZdZULqYMVM5Qgu5Rs6RqdM6PQW-v5GcTW6bxodAIegVJPGxAkDnml-xsFydBJW3FECjawTS-PXzkj_ylj4jdepFo-tf5kb1NC-MKajpkReHA4Fb93oyubiWNKI/s1600/jo:george.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY1me2zlz5IxS3XkS_ZdZULqYMVM5Qgu5Rs6RqdM6PQW-v5GcTW6bxodAIegVJPGxAkDnml-xsFydBJW3FECjawTS-PXzkj_ylj4jdepFo-tf5kb1NC-MKajpkReHA4Fb93oyubiWNKI/s200/jo:george.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo and George: Mullett wars</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
series tryout<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>blending together into a wasp-ish mass,
it was <br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
decided to pare the show down to Blair, Tootie, and Natalie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nancy McKeon was added as Jo, the
streetwise one--replacing three or four entitled debutantes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That provided plenty of comic contrast
to the spoiled Blair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t
bother to enumerate the “very special episodes” but the whole series was
practically a very long very special episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls eventually graduate and, in true sitcom form, they
run a sweet shop together with Mrs. Garrett . When that burns down, they run a
curio shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charlotte Rae leaves
the show and in an effort to keep the decently rated sitcom afloat, Cloris
Leachman is brought in as the girl’s new moral leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some trivia: It turns out
that budding stand-up Natalie lost her<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1cwHVoA_MfmzRS6DSEg_aO0mXLOdQsEL3Tf_Dk0rS1YpeQGrPy3HR-3PTw_aH_Icrg0hclHFbH7vJNLgtV7Q7ja3x24ANauzZf33vt2-ckx_r4uhOw2STtzvGFum0ieGWO8nUE0lGRA/s1600/jewell.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1cwHVoA_MfmzRS6DSEg_aO0mXLOdQsEL3Tf_Dk0rS1YpeQGrPy3HR-3PTw_aH_Icrg0hclHFbH7vJNLgtV7Q7ja3x24ANauzZf33vt2-ckx_r4uhOw2STtzvGFum0ieGWO8nUE0lGRA/s200/jewell.jpeg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Acts of Life</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
virginity first because Lisa Whelchel
(Blair) refused to appear in the episode due to her strong religious
beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geri Jewell, an actual
stand-up comedian with cerebral palsy played a semi-regular part as Blair’s
cousin….the first regular character portrayed with the condition on the sitcom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jami Gertz was Boots St. Clare (not
that significant, but it’s a great name) and George Clooney was a regular for a
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Crispin Glover showed
up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Happy Days</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The final four seasons of this show took place around the early
sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t really matter
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could call it “Fonzie
Knows Best.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the final season,
the celebrated hood was questioning his rebelliousness and even reverted back
to his white jacket in protest of his insecurity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richie was off to Alaska on military duty now so <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3zv8L1QqNhE8_PIIEh8UHD8q3sl0yiGFBbQsouEZD1j6itmG7YXO1JZJGkBPA_upM8tMQrqlRhUCWHWA3jaiFxb3pz78Sn1opDhCVkd7dgYtH44Cur3KFY9S4WOes0NYcPJa-TeBeTQ/s1600/fonzie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3zv8L1QqNhE8_PIIEh8UHD8q3sl0yiGFBbQsouEZD1j6itmG7YXO1JZJGkBPA_upM8tMQrqlRhUCWHWA3jaiFxb3pz78Sn1opDhCVkd7dgYtH44Cur3KFY9S4WOes0NYcPJa-TeBeTQ/s200/fonzie.jpeg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From "Heyy" to "Awww"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fonz was
the main guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He became a teacher
at Jefferson High just to prove what a “square” he was now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was still co-owner of the newly
remodeled “Arnolds.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He found the
love of his life, a divorcee (Linda Purl) with a young daughter (Heather
O’Rourke---“they’re here!!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and it
ended right before he was able to adopt his ‘little brother” in the final
episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richie’s new wife
Lori-Beth couldn’t live in Alaska, but she returned from a visit with
child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ron Howard would appear in
two episodes the final season having completed his duty and decides he wants to
be a Hollywood screenwriter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
against his parent’s wishes, off he goes to LaLa Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al marries Chachi’s mother (Ellen
Travolta) and Pat Morita returns for the final two years as, you guessed it,
Arnold!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the hubbub in the
final years involved Joannie and Chachi with their on-again, off-again romance
and their musical careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one
point they spun-off with Al and his new bride in the musically-tinged
cringe-inducing “<b>Joannie Loves Chachi”</b> based in Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
started out strong but fizzled out in it’s second season, leaving the curiously
odd couple to return to Milwaukee with a wedding to mark the series finale and
a return of all cast members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Howard, Marion and Potsie would remain through all seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
As for the new characters,
Ted McGinley (“Married…with Children”) took over Richie’s duties as Roger, the
straight-laced counterpart to the now-tame Fonzie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He played Marion’s nephew who moves in with the Cunninghams
and ends up teaching at Jefferson with Fonzie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roger’s tough younger brother Flip arrived to add some
rebelliousness to the show now that Fonzie and Chachi have been effectively
neutered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil Silver’s daughter
Cathy played the previously unseen Jenny Piccollo (Joannie’s nasty friend)--the
sitcom <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cyvD0bV4QVAu05gMxQAJzsrV6AYDzRXMwFreWtDrdJ-s1mjUWLKXFCvPNBKGYMkwvk8lZKQMyaNyTDwoV_d-7-AqR5lAPPnxHTN5tci8LVyaaXITeEzF4IzsNGYj_WmcPbkVgrlUGmY/s1600/hanks.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cyvD0bV4QVAu05gMxQAJzsrV6AYDzRXMwFreWtDrdJ-s1mjUWLKXFCvPNBKGYMkwvk8lZKQMyaNyTDwoV_d-7-AqR5lAPPnxHTN5tci8LVyaaXITeEzF4IzsNGYj_WmcPbkVgrlUGmY/s200/hanks.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fonzie Vs. Forrest Gump</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
legend himself made a guest appearance--and Crystal Bernard (“Wings”)
was brought in to fill the Joannie/Chachi gap as KC, the Cunningham’s niece
from Texas who also moved in with Mr. and Mrs. C. But when future two time Oscar winner Tom Hanks arrives <o:p>to take out Fonzie in a karate match and loses, you know that it will still take a lot to take down Fonzie.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>House Calls</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This series only
lasted two seasons into the eighties in a rather unremarkable fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buoyed by it’s post-M*A*S*H time slot,
the series garnered some headlines when star Lynn Redgrave was supposedly fired
at the start of the third season for breastfeeding her baby on the set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was replaced by Sharon Gless
(“Cagney and Lacey”) but other than one episode dealing with medical marijuana,
the series was gone soon without much controversy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Jeffersons</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is astounding to think this show went on another five years with high
ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It basically tent poled
the successful Sunday night lineup until 1985.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A review of the story lines indicates more of the same and
some retreads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, George
and his money were the stars of the show (even Donald Trump made some
appearances.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George and Tom
Willis became Laurel and Hardy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Louis and Helen Willis teamed up at the Help Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lionel and Jenny (pretty much absent
for the last couple of seasons) had marital difficulties, moved to Japan and
returned to announce their separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Jenny hung around more at the end with little Jessica).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul Benjamin left the series for
awhile but returned as Bentley for the final season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charlie the bartender and Ralph the doorman had a few
featured episodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Florence
with her gospel singing took center stage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoUaGxQUJcUAO3-dElg4RtH4fTfva3vxhVVqlHPd2KBtJ0ugEWBG2j6zLxCBQznOlJ4_UsiMu3N3c_wcRqXoFG4cWgGf_6iGqIBR3L9VxneUHQqcA-GbhDnUQ7whFFSg3iNV_J9upArU/s1600/checking.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoUaGxQUJcUAO3-dElg4RtH4fTfva3vxhVVqlHPd2KBtJ0ugEWBG2j6zLxCBQznOlJ4_UsiMu3N3c_wcRqXoFG4cWgGf_6iGqIBR3L9VxneUHQqcA-GbhDnUQ7whFFSg3iNV_J9upArU/s200/checking.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Checking Out</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Florence had a spin off series
late in the 1980 season, “Checking In”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>where she worked for a hotel with Larry Linville (Frank Burns of
“M*A*S*H”) as her manager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
ended up back on “The Jeffersons” the next season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few shows dealing with the topicality inherent
in race relations but the silliness overtook everything with many episodes
being costumed “dream” sequences, celebrity cameos--Sammy Davis Jr. played
himself in a wacky episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spoofs
on other TV shows such as a “Mission Impossible”spoof reminiscent of the
Sanford’s <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_FtiZY1vaL8X9a1780mxacQpFxmuBFbnD_gTommd7aByJ3qWpIo0usvN0698407zFaCO-XxOEaZeWq_Dhefc708L-o53v7uYobssQ225nDcD0nzc2GxFjEICXUlgEk1OyyFsT7Un_zE/s1600/sammy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_FtiZY1vaL8X9a1780mxacQpFxmuBFbnD_gTommd7aByJ3qWpIo0usvN0698407zFaCO-XxOEaZeWq_Dhefc708L-o53v7uYobssQ225nDcD0nzc2GxFjEICXUlgEk1OyyFsT7Un_zE/s200/sammy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sammy and Weezy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hawaiian escapade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
yes, there was a Hawaiian episode<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>where Tom and George get lost in a wayward boat. And of course, the
“murder on a train” show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
show was ignominiously dumped without the cast’s knowledge after the “let’s put
on a show” episode and George and Tom seeing how many times they could ride an
elevator up and down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much for
“Movin’ On Up.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The show, never receiving
much Emmy attention, won an award for star Isabel Sanford as best actress in
1981.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acting opposite scene
stealer Sherman Hemsley had to pay off somehow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Laverne and Shirley</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The girls were back in their Tuesday time slot and back in the ratings
after their 1979 scheduling fiasco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In what was basically a “Lucy” move to <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWYUxt5pHVHPU_HE6jxfjeZCE25zuiBIWIzivzhnzp_bcZBQMyxfhmWzZg82SebFruKxlK8kKL2rR5rkpHXzloVla4nFMw8-BEAAxcQ2M4jDfwEo6fhnwt1ohD9sX30f5YB-ISOUCPO4/s1600/laverne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWYUxt5pHVHPU_HE6jxfjeZCE25zuiBIWIzivzhnzp_bcZBQMyxfhmWzZg82SebFruKxlK8kKL2rR5rkpHXzloVla4nFMw8-BEAAxcQ2M4jDfwEo6fhnwt1ohD9sX30f5YB-ISOUCPO4/s200/laverne.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Way Out" West</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
justify lots of guest stars in
lieu of good scripts, the whole crew pick up and move to Burbank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laverne and Shirley try to get into
movies--they work in a department store to get by--couldn’t they have done that
in Milwaukee?, Frank and Edna run a cowboy-themed barbecue joint (?), Carmine
tries to make it big and who knows why Lenny and Squiggy joined them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leslie Easterbrook plays their
neighbor, an egocentric aspiring actress and Ed Marinaro played stunt man Sonny
the first season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edna silently leaves
during the 1981 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to
contract disputes and a pregnancy, Cindy Williams left the show in the final
season--Shirley gets pregnant and married to a soldier--leading to a show that
should have been called “Laverne.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final season just became
“The Penny Marshall Show”with Laverne getting in crazy situations sans her old
roommate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In keeping with the
sixties time setting during these final years, her exploits involved becoming a
Playboy Bunny, robbing a bank with a gang of radicals leading to a death
sentence, and joining a convent with nuns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guest stars were the focus <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1NNTqmhmJXCcrF92CHklQ0GpOuEDIItTRQVGdEL3EV9_0MsjHyQZCDJueEM0nClj37aKRLqPQpWFXdFIFQBk39UE9rWDgFtMir6iHJGxbDFpDgO7VDb16MQGeH89fMGQ8XnMN8CpOp8/s1600/playboy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1NNTqmhmJXCcrF92CHklQ0GpOuEDIItTRQVGdEL3EV9_0MsjHyQZCDJueEM0nClj37aKRLqPQpWFXdFIFQBk39UE9rWDgFtMir6iHJGxbDFpDgO7VDb16MQGeH89fMGQ8XnMN8CpOp8/s200/playboy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Princess Lea in Wonderland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time-appropriate cameos by Tab Hunter, Joey Heatherton and
Adam West were mixed up with guest appearances by the who’s who of the new
Hollywood: Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Harry Dean Stanton, Carrie Fisher,
Laraine Newman, Carol Kane, , Louise Lasser,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Jay Leno.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The set must have just been a big party because there was not much of
draw to be involved quality-wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Penny Marshall wisely turned down an offer to continue into 1968.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>M*A*S*H</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“M*A*S*H” remained one of the highest rated and celebrated episodic
series all the way through it’s record-setting two and a half hour finale in
the spring of 1983.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Co-star Harry
Morgan admitted that by 1980 the seams were showing what with the Korean War
now heading into it’s eighth year and plot lines hard to come by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But audiences didn’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The laughs were more subdued as Alan
Alda’s creative team headed by Burt Metcalfe allowed for a little of the old
wackiness amidst the high drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But for the most part “M*A*S*H” became more of pedestrian ensemble
piece-- albeit critically acclaimed-- preaching the horrors of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series was oft-nominated for
directing and writing--many times the duties were done by the stars
themselves--especially Alda and even Morgan and Jamie Farr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of the more unusual episodes in the
final years involved a ghost only seen by Klinger traveling through the 4077th
and another episode having Hawkeye writing his will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting guest stars in this time frame include Lawrence
Fishburne, Patrick Swayze, Andrew Dice Clay, Craig Wasson and Joe Pantoliono.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The finale movie, up until
2010 the highest rated single television event, was an exercise in Bergman-esque
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hr0gKtjui0VCyF9xhIE_-8HljASmd3Rxx9ohkwx5n67hKy1ssthJLm60o6UuABJ6gTaWJ2Amueuc-4bwHrbpbiCMqj8Fh4sURO5SlAamcx1bWm7UCZ0I2ZVP_miTXT_MkB-c6RwkYkQ/s1600/goodbye.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hr0gKtjui0VCyF9xhIE_-8HljASmd3Rxx9ohkwx5n67hKy1ssthJLm60o6UuABJ6gTaWJ2Amueuc-4bwHrbpbiCMqj8Fh4sURO5SlAamcx1bWm7UCZ0I2ZVP_miTXT_MkB-c6RwkYkQ/s200/goodbye.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eleven Year War</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
gamesmanship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The war comes to an
end and everyone goes home, but not before Hawkeye has a nervous
breakdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fall of 1983,
some of the characters continued in “AfterM*A*S*H” where Potter is chief
surgeon at a veteran’s hospital back home in Missouri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is joined by Klinger (now married to
a Korean woman) and Father Mulcahey (with hearing loss from the final
episode).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series had a strong
first season but <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5Jdcd1I0mq3M_ORQcOB24gGSAhtXWDyFuCT5oyKgrl84EIzGR1V8EGNlX47b3CSEuJ6c0ykE0D-TNn7TcIgWBVzr4RZA4llaDwNkVflRkDUaSbYVNlleTDTu9BRwm0bXFcqwsgY3qvY/s1600/aftermash.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5Jdcd1I0mq3M_ORQcOB24gGSAhtXWDyFuCT5oyKgrl84EIzGR1V8EGNlX47b3CSEuJ6c0ykE0D-TNn7TcIgWBVzr4RZA4llaDwNkVflRkDUaSbYVNlleTDTu9BRwm0bXFcqwsgY3qvY/s200/aftermash.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Aftermash</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
was moved from Monday night in the second year leading to an
early cancellation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Larry
Gelbart returned to write a few episodes, it was time to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Garry Burghoff appeared as “Radar”
leading to a failed pilot called “W*A*L*T*E*R.” where the former camp clerk is
a cop.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4o9S3KCMMAT2X25fH9I2n07LXBqzv8JHYkiW_bzyBe4kzPmx3a1omQ2VaIa5XTOCqI0SxUFr4wCJIphnfxs-bjQVEqPQTvnYbbfI-7QdYQpWz4IPD08O965W2do-2yxssHz8fl5oMF-8/s1600/alda.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4o9S3KCMMAT2X25fH9I2n07LXBqzv8JHYkiW_bzyBe4kzPmx3a1omQ2VaIa5XTOCqI0SxUFr4wCJIphnfxs-bjQVEqPQTvnYbbfI-7QdYQpWz4IPD08O965W2do-2yxssHz8fl5oMF-8/s200/alda.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although the series was
heavily nominated in it’s final seasons, it only captured two Emmy awards-- for
acting --between 1980 and 1983:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Alan Alda and Loretta Swit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mork and Mindy</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the overwhelming cast explosion during the last low-rated season,
ABC decided to basically keep them and just feature them sporadically as well
as bringing Mindy’s dad back as a regular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they still <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaRZIpurY8yB1wjX1fSnjws4mHRlAwLnEK-uOHIG36GOF4sdJq_mpBe0FKwz1khi045amzxrwfanvAP_uWWQkIYJAK91Wcjw3VE_qGVfaDvs7T3fQhIMUyY4OCU8oYWuKpZgyrI12ozY/s1600/mork.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaRZIpurY8yB1wjX1fSnjws4mHRlAwLnEK-uOHIG36GOF4sdJq_mpBe0FKwz1khi045amzxrwfanvAP_uWWQkIYJAK91Wcjw3VE_qGVfaDvs7T3fQhIMUyY4OCU8oYWuKpZgyrI12ozY/s200/mork.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winters Hatching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
decided to add a best friend for Mindy who
now works at a TV station as a reporter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That leads to drunk stand up comedian Foster Brooks being brought in as
her boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mork works in a day care
center leading to more kid characters including Corey Feldman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Struggling, the series returned for a
fourth season, probably due to Robin William’s star status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a lot happens:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mork marries Mindy and takes her to
Ork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mork gets pregnant and lays
an egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Born is Mearth played by
Jonathan Winters (Robin Williams comic inspiration)--babies age backward on
Ork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having Williams comic
inspiration on the set led to even more improv-style humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lots of aliens showing up
this final year <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTVQbt211tx2Sj3WbjYy42m5_sh2lHz7_esYUxstTEv7P-vyeOP6wz-Hev-KRgMZ7M7eUOStY0f3vVomZ8mZgYbyPOj2jDfSTEH1JJUVwuxM5THFDJ-YgaTGJ2tidVFARE4WHQcL4Qz8/s1600/shatner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTVQbt211tx2Sj3WbjYy42m5_sh2lHz7_esYUxstTEv7P-vyeOP6wz-Hev-KRgMZ7M7eUOStY0f3vVomZ8mZgYbyPOj2jDfSTEH1JJUVwuxM5THFDJ-YgaTGJ2tidVFARE4WHQcL4Qz8/s200/shatner.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Trek: The Next Generation?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(John Larroquette played one) and even a cameo by William
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Shatner as himself giving the show even more cheesy sci-fi credibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Williams himself even cameo'd as himself, the comedican, who meets lookalike Mork.Probably the most bizarre event took place when Shelly
Fabares--already in eighteen sitcoms--appears as Mindy’s dad’s new wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show ended with an episode directed
by Williams himself where Mork proves to Orson that he must stay with Mindy on
earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he went on to become,
well, Robin Williams I guess.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>One Day at a Time</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The final four seasons sort of had the f eel of “My Three Sons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, there were marriages
and kids and breakups and family additions of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series stayed highly rated on the
Sunday night lineup but faltered in it’s final year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happened?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This has to be done chronologically:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Season one:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann decides to form her own ad agency
with Nick,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a divorced graphic
artist she met (Ron Rifkin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
has a son Alex (Glen Scarpelli).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Barbara decides to drop out of college and get a job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann and Nick hook up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Season two:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nick dies in an auto accident so Alex
becomes the defacto son in the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Julie shows up without Max and announces she is pregnant and leaving
Max.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out Julie had the
affair, not Max.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They move in with
Ann.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barbara starts dating Mark
(Boyd Gaines), a dental student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ann goes into business with her old nemesis, Francine (Shelly Fabares).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Season three:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barbara and Mark get married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julie has little baby Annie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann starts dating Mark’s dad Sam
(Howard Hesseman).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone
(including Mama Romano) end up moving in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>with Ann.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann marries Sam.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Season Four:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann adjusts to a new marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barbara also adjusts to marriage as
Mark opens a practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone
babysits baby Annie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex
dates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Barbara considers
adoption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may be sparks
between Max and Barbara.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whew. It
all ended with Ann moving to London with her agency.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nanette Fabray as Ann’s
mother and Shelly Fabares as Francine played regular roles these final
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mackenzie Phillips was in
and out of rehab so the character of Julie <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
appeared sporadically to leave her
husband, give birth and desert her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wasn’t around at the end of the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(80’s alert:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex gets hooked on video games).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for Schneider, he was
basically a part of the family:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he
fell for a younger woman, experienced hearing loss, and spent fatherly time
with Alex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final episode was
actually a <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOW1uBP_x7y_ff3H1GXe0CDISK0w0lj69MMiy-N1iQQEoqtpsztnQBVj3UvABA-7QtfIpps-xZtGaJKvH44sgh6Pu_cZWG36f44WuIIkfhYQKcDeTcriSdutQjfB83SJbziZCrimzEXs/s1600/one.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOW1uBP_x7y_ff3H1GXe0CDISK0w0lj69MMiy-N1iQQEoqtpsztnQBVj3UvABA-7QtfIpps-xZtGaJKvH44sgh6Pu_cZWG36f44WuIIkfhYQKcDeTcriSdutQjfB83SJbziZCrimzEXs/s200/one.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
possible spin off for Pat Harrington with Schneider becoming<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the legal ward for his wacky niece and
nephew when his brother dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
never<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>happened, ending the Romano
legacy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One Day at a Time” won it’s
only two Emmys this season when Alan Rafkin was honored for directing the
episode where Barbara discovers she cannot have children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pat Harrington Jr. finally won his
supporting award for his long-time portrayal of Schneider--forever going
through a mid-life crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sanford </b>(NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The revival of Fred Sanford returned in the middle of the 1980 season
and was as unsuccessful as the last season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was despite a complete retooling of the show where the
relationship with the upper crust family of his new paramour was dropped in
favor of more misadventures with redneck Cal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to recapture the old magic, now-widowed Aunt Esther
and Grady reappeared on a Friday night time slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To no avail.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Soap</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Things slowed down some in the final season in 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessica woke from her coma to get
involved with South American revolutionaries (Gregory Sierra and Joe Mantegna).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary gives birth and experiences
alcoholism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burt and Danny get
blackmailed with pornographic photos by a corrupt sheriff (Hamilton Camp),
leading to Danny getting shot and needing a kidney from Chester--who is
revealed to be his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Danny
is involved with a prostitute and subsequently with Chester’s new
paramour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jodie hires a detective
(Barbara Rhoades) to track down his baby and falls for her before becoming
hypnotized as an old Jewish man (future Billy Crystal schtick).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jimmy’s spurned teacher tries to
(literally) destroy the family throughout the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burt gets <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMty_gHi1CWMsI61SjcxjOjeXj6_Ouc6uazOPOiZRYyVnY6YLc7xaD44LKXMLed66n2trGMgodH0NVTgjxgOuftM8cV83suUiE3QfEq-L8B4f_n2rdms8zURU8rUbyLi0lc41Ld3Jpgw/s1600/jessica.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMty_gHi1CWMsI61SjcxjOjeXj6_Ouc6uazOPOiZRYyVnY6YLc7xaD44LKXMLed66n2trGMgodH0NVTgjxgOuftM8cV83suUiE3QfEq-L8B4f_n2rdms8zURU8rUbyLi0lc41Ld3Jpgw/s200/jessica.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready..aim...cancel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
involved in politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diana Canova (Corinne) had left to be in her own series with
Danny Thomas, leaving Eunice to have the sexual adventures with Dutch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The season ends in a cliffhanger
with Jessica facing a firing squad, Chester holding a gun to Danny, Burt
walking into an ambush and Mary and Jessica estranged over the
revelations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no
resolution to any of these plots as the series was unexpectedly cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(See “Benson” above for Jessica’s
ghostly reappearance.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Taxi </b>(ABC/NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Emmy awards and nominations<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>kept this show--which never gave up it’s quality pedigree--on the air
despite sagging ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
expert cast pretty much stayed together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Struggling actor Bobby was dropped after the third season and Latka’s
girlfriend Simka took a larger role in the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the final season, Latka and Simka got married and their
romantic experiences created many <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlF5TXXxSrQ4frFENiI7TfbQmCfnmFsWDWZO4gY-y3LVo6cdnCu7RhsFKvQ4nFXuA88mtP8e0isVxVYzRQctswoT7YG5qF1Mm1aQcj25ILy8fWB8wbSwoU-StebFgPEov8Pdsxl8rSe4/s1600/latka.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlF5TXXxSrQ4frFENiI7TfbQmCfnmFsWDWZO4gY-y3LVo6cdnCu7RhsFKvQ4nFXuA88mtP8e0isVxVYzRQctswoT7YG5qF1Mm1aQcj25ILy8fWB8wbSwoU-StebFgPEov8Pdsxl8rSe4/s200/latka.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vic Ferari</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
memorable moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Latka explored other personalities such as a sleazeball
lounge lizard and even a version of lead cabbie Alex allowing Andy Kaufman’s
amazing talents to escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex,
Elaine and Louie all experience love trials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex reunites with his neurotic ex-wife (Louise Lasser) a
couple of times and Louie continues his on again off again courtship with Zena,
even dating a blind girl in one tender chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2ke5jzy4R3khRFf71JgStOKz4u5hsk1Nm258q-Oe6fLb4_6EkD_u0EwPFYHVlttO5vi_S95dyrTv9bl5Rx256ujCAjJNpknfzowzK1wWvyb1HL6EN_cLQV1E3KvrXc2RXo7rs_BnFkM/s1600/lasser.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2ke5jzy4R3khRFf71JgStOKz4u5hsk1Nm258q-Oe6fLb4_6EkD_u0EwPFYHVlttO5vi_S95dyrTv9bl5Rx256ujCAjJNpknfzowzK1wWvyb1HL6EN_cLQV1E3KvrXc2RXo7rs_BnFkM/s200/lasser.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lasser and Louie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
quits boxing and has comebacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one time Sunshine goes bankrupt and the cast decide their
fates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But still ABC cancelled the
show in 1982 without a resolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Danny Devito hosted Saturday Night Live and mocked the decision as HBO
pondered picking up the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>NBC took the bait and “Taxi”followed it’s new distant cousin “Cheers” on
Thursday nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But “Taxi” didn’t
return for a sixth season and “Cheers” took over the awards gathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at the end, Reverend Jim, who spent
many episodes trying to get to his vast inheritance, ends the show giving away
money to all the cabbies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The guest stars were a
veritable who’s who of Hollywood royalty, past and present and future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Past stage and screen:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack Gilford (as Alex’s dad), Victor
Buono, Dick Sargent, Barry Nelson, Keenan Wynn, Al Lewis;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>current acclaimed film actors:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eileen Brennan, Paul Sand, Dick Miller,
Julie Kavner, Wallace Shawn, Anne Desalvo, Andrea Marcavucci, Vincent
Schiavelli, Allen Garfield; future film and TV stars:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom Hanks, Ted Danson, George Wendt, Ernie Hudson, David
Paymer, Martin Short, and future “Moonlight-er” Allysse Beasley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Marcia Wallace and Penny Marshall
play themselves in two unrelated, uncontrived cameos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The regulars would reunite some fifteen years later to
recreate the filming of the show in “Man on the Moon,” the biopic of the
mysterious Andy Kaufman, who passed away not long after the series ended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie, directed by Milos Forman
(“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) and produced by Devito (“Louie”) would even
portray the famous incident where Kaufman’s alter-ego, Tony Clifton, was to
make an appearance and ends up getting thrown off the set.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Emmys kept coming until
the end though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judd Hirsch picked
up two as lead actor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devito
received one supporting actor and Christopher Lloyd as burnout Jim received two
supporting nods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carol Kane added
a second supporting actress statue to her previous win. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add one more Best Comedy Award
(1980-1981), one directing honor for Jim Burrows and two writing wins (Michael
Leeson in 1981 and Ken Estin in 1982) and you have a very well-honored program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burrows and many of the writers would
go on to provide their winning services to a sports bar in Boston but there
names were already known.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Three’s Company</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suzanne Somer’s contract disputes led to her leaving the series during
the fifth season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After only two
full appearances, she was relegated to telephone “cameos” for the
duration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime, her
clumsy cousin Cindy Snow (Jennilee Harrison) moved in to provide blond
bamboozlement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry and Furley
played larger parts in the activities by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the Ropers made a guest appearance (gracefully) where
Helen and Furley got together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the 1981 season, Priscilla Barnes joined the cast as the <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sV4Cb9qUrY6z2kJLp1gfVD77_JZvpsobkIcbznrWvtvXCyWrjNFPfnz3kgGjUazy7YIgstp88qJciuCYeBhUWqBfwZic6OjmpjYqbkeCIPNM2ZtZ7OdeShg65InGU3A-mjVXuCXUCA4/s1600/barnes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sV4Cb9qUrY6z2kJLp1gfVD77_JZvpsobkIcbznrWvtvXCyWrjNFPfnz3kgGjUazy7YIgstp88qJciuCYeBhUWqBfwZic6OjmpjYqbkeCIPNM2ZtZ7OdeShg65InGU3A-mjVXuCXUCA4/s200/barnes.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different Blond, Same schtick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
new third roommate,
nurse Terri, and she remained until the show’s run was over three years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show continued to rely on
misunderstandings for comedy and the only real development occurred as Jack
opened his own bistro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
slapstick antics became the main source of humor by this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucille Ball, of all people, hosted a
retrospective in the 1981 season by praising the “pure” comedy as opposed to
the topical “garbage” that Norman Lear put out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It was known that Ball had a blood feud with Bea
Arthur--“Maude”--during the filming of the “Mame” movie and this probably
contributed a lot to her choice of this inane show to champion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeffrey Tambor, fresh off of “The
Ropers” played a number of different characters during these seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other interesting guests were ex-Brady
Barry Williams, future Pain-wife Joanna Kerns, future Mrs. Hanks Rita Wilson,
and Dick Shawn as Jack’s dad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ratings were still decent
by the end of the 1984 season, but the producers surreptitiously lured Ritter
into a followup as Jack Tripper sans Janet, Terri and Furley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of that <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvFJOttlC8ElHsvo-6JDlN3EUMrVJqrRgonIpBoUFIEOV6wSBuGl1_pGiZe1N4xf4p7O6Cw8dG7lLlHlRxXRCgi0F9wc0mS0Vjr2aiRG3vbqqHg-hfM3y9gMNr7lGWxcXCyc9S6GwuL0/s1600/crowd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvFJOttlC8ElHsvo-6JDlN3EUMrVJqrRgonIpBoUFIEOV6wSBuGl1_pGiZe1N4xf4p7O6Cw8dG7lLlHlRxXRCgi0F9wc0mS0Vjr2aiRG3vbqqHg-hfM3y9gMNr7lGWxcXCyc9S6GwuL0/s200/crowd.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Crowd-sourcing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
season, Janet was
married off and Jack met a stewardess and fell in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new series, “Three’s a Crowd”
chronicled Jack living with his new love and her domineering father (Robert
Mandan of “Soap”) being their landlord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jessica Walter (decades later to be Tambor’s wife on “Arrested
Development”) would play Mandan’s ex-wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new series did ok, but ABC felt it was time to put the
now-dated franchise to an end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Towards the end of the run,
John Ritter took home the only Emmy Award this show ever received--for Best
Actor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was finally rewarded for
all the bruising pratfalls he performed, not necessarily for thoughtful,
insightful acting work which he would be known for later in his shortened life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>WKRP In Cincinnati</b> (CBS)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In retrospect, I don’t remember seeing any episodes from the final two
seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like much of America,
this underrated series was lost as CBS bounced it around the schedule, allowing
only a core devoted audience to keep it on the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I was surprised to see the range of topicality (almost
ahead of it’s time) explored in the final two years: a WWII pilot hijacks the
news helicopter to bring <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbmHlri0sVu13xTg5RR3vhq6uzuqcxSsMN2UQ6VdnfLpUF2IYy8Ro0_5XjKvGuPvNFv_leTiJtWTpErGjFh4VUePZpCVP_HmBcO12aXBbRtuJuD0xEWGYMJrGnrYxe2N-gn2hXT26tPo/s1600/rip+tde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbmHlri0sVu13xTg5RR3vhq6uzuqcxSsMN2UQ6VdnfLpUF2IYy8Ro0_5XjKvGuPvNFv_leTiJtWTpErGjFh4VUePZpCVP_HmBcO12aXBbRtuJuD0xEWGYMJrGnrYxe2N-gn2hXT26tPo/s200/rip+tde.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rip Tide lives.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
attention to veteran’s rights,; Les’s father is
accused of communist ties; Carlson fantasizes after eating Johnny’s pot
brownies; Herb deals with alcoholism due to his business “lunches;” the station
deals with terrorist bomb threats; the equal threat of unionization crops up
(irony attached) as an issue with the dj’s; a right wing minister leads a
boycott of the station due to objectionable content; Les deals with an escort
service, not realizing it is a front for prostitution; Bailey fabricates a story
for newsworthiness; an advertiser sells speed masqueraded as diet pills; Venus
experiences issues relating to black identity; Les and Herb attend a 3-D porn
movie; and even reality TV is foreshadowed as Herb’s family is targeted for an
“American Family” style TV profile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pat O’Brien plays an older paramour of Jennifer’s who drops dead during
a date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnny Fever gets caught
up in his disco identity of “Rip Tide.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Guests included future “Coach” Craig T. Nelson and future “Newhart” wife
Mary Frann and Tim Ried’s wife Daphne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The series was unexpectedly
cancelled (although ratings were very low) as the fourth season ended with the
announcement that WKRP will change to an all-news format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was such a groundswell of
love for the series through reruns that Carlson, Les, and Herb returned in 1991
for two seasons of a new WKRP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What’s Happening Now!</b> (Syndicated).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Raj, Dwayne and Rerun returned in 1985, six years after it’s 1979 ABC
cancellation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the original
cast members (except Mama) returned as Raj, now a writer, is co-owner of the
diner where Shirley works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rerun
is a used car salesman and Dwayne a computer programmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raj is also married now and he and his
wife become foster parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
again, Fred Berry as Rerun has contract issues so he leaves in 1986.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Future comic Martin Lawrence joined the
cast in 1988 for the final season of the incarnation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><u>From Mama Harper to Harper Valley: Mayberry II</u></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the new onslaught of dumbed down rural
characters, it took a high-class pedigree to trickle down to the mind-numbing
exercise of <b>Mama's Family</b>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Carol Burnett’s “Family”
characters from her hit variety show would live on into the next decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1982, CBS aired a made-for-TV
videotaped movie update called “Eunice” named after Burnett’s title
character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the spring of 1983,
NBC decided to bring the characters back for a weekly series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burnett appeared in a few episodes and
Harvey Korman (who played redneck husband Ed originally) portrayed an erudite
narrator here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the new show
was named after “Mama” Harper played by much younger Vicki Lawrence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was no Aunt Bee but the show
definitely resembled Mayberry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ken
Berry <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9_FMyFfMadCdItIwu3ZOCTcraPcuIDgyKhQ3Y3VwCSPJApWQYAmlB4ycp95YGlv3zTxCAqLoIFODqBkk4bwfajULBK7ZD1RmnDTMgrLOUHcY4InQhqeYWRfuiD42KEhyphenhyphenupElhT-gNss/s1600/mama.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9_FMyFfMadCdItIwu3ZOCTcraPcuIDgyKhQ3Y3VwCSPJApWQYAmlB4ycp95YGlv3zTxCAqLoIFODqBkk4bwfajULBK7ZD1RmnDTMgrLOUHcY4InQhqeYWRfuiD42KEhyphenhyphenupElhT-gNss/s200/mama.jpeg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Harper Girls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(unsurprisingly from “Mayberry RFD”) played one of her sons and he and his kids moved in
with Mama and met his future wife (Dorothy Lyman) the next door neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rue McLanahan played Mama’s sister
roommate and Betty White played her snobby daughter Ellen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two actresses would go on to sitcom gold in “Golden Girls” after this version of the show was not renewed for a third season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1986, however, the "Mama's Family" was pared
down for syndication and had a healthy late eighties run with only Berry and
Lyman remaining from the first cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The show never ventured into anything other than a simple-minded rural
farce with the cantankerous Mother Harper getting most of the forced laughs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1981, Barbara Eden
returned to sitcoms as she reprised<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxiftnMdeZuZ4O6R3GMzCXPP904QwYBFBW0hfeMdoHcXz6TgX-gaPW46kNZuo7Wbc_O1t9rXlnmC_vymBLQs9uOcA1rU599liroB99aXz9jp6UCBRIevkVKzWNYh6zJNcLvV9xNkY5vA/s1600/harper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxiftnMdeZuZ4O6R3GMzCXPP904QwYBFBW0hfeMdoHcXz6TgX-gaPW46kNZuo7Wbc_O1t9rXlnmC_vymBLQs9uOcA1rU599liroB99aXz9jp6UCBRIevkVKzWNYh6zJNcLvV9xNkY5vA/s200/harper.jpeg" width="152" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy Mayberry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
her role from the 1977 low-budget
sex-comedy <b>Harper Valley PTA.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The single camera series, with old comedy stars like George Gobel and
Louis Nye, hearkened back to Mayberry much as Mama’s Family did, but with a bit
more cleavage and debauchery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b>BRADY REDUX:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another family from the past
had a blast of nostalgic renewal:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Bradys would cement their franchise value in this decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the disastrous 1977 variety
show, NBC and Sherwood Schwartz brought the family back for a TV movie "The Brady Girls Get
Married".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immediately <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtnuAENsfeFDXhjBVChuvLDlMX9iV8XmoozkEvQk0aiIvFRPp-W-Sd4RByhzuQL-ntaXllCy2Bz9_EkXKE-3J0hM0I1BqGaZVT-z4k3DFZUyWUB55NFFqUUhh_gF7MiK6LMdB38hYdIg/s1600/bradt.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtnuAENsfeFDXhjBVChuvLDlMX9iV8XmoozkEvQk0aiIvFRPp-W-Sd4RByhzuQL-ntaXllCy2Bz9_EkXKE-3J0hM0I1BqGaZVT-z4k3DFZUyWUB55NFFqUUhh_gF7MiK6LMdB38hYdIg/s200/bradt.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bradys-In-Law</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
following in
1981 was a short-lived sitcom <b>The Brady Brides</b> with only the parents, Eve
Plumb and Maureen McCormick starring with the new husbands (a sort of "Odd
Couple" pairing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This series was
filmed before a studio audience, differing from the original show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the reruns of the original became
more and more popular, CBS produced the TV film A Very Brady Christmas in 1988
which also led to a <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMiBZ6-rWjn4JB-Ukt7w_PkMX-fuudbj4NVSM13reyzUFB_T4Shw72LYqyrYrCNFnDD78iN5FCQ4Wpjgzdk93Lo8Ac8eNK7lVLH6NDj6uFDnnHj0y9HNVidTHAV0TxAwMfplYw53ALI0/s1600/brady+drama.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMiBZ6-rWjn4JB-Ukt7w_PkMX-fuudbj4NVSM13reyzUFB_T4Shw72LYqyrYrCNFnDD78iN5FCQ4Wpjgzdk93Lo8Ac8eNK7lVLH6NDj6uFDnnHj0y9HNVidTHAV0TxAwMfplYw53ALI0/s200/brady+drama.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All in the Brady</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
time the whole cast (sans McCormick) was reunited in "The Bradys" (1990) in an
hour long dramatic format that made the Bradys look like the Bunker’s:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bobby was a paraplegic, Marcia an alcoholic
and Jan couldn’t have kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
whole Brady phenomenon was spoofed in two big screen hits in the nineties
bringing it all into perspective.<o:p></o:p><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>RETRO RETRO:</b></div>
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Audiences seemed to be hungry
for the sixties in the eighties rather than the seventies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The least successful rehash was the embarrassing return of
Lucy in <b>Life with Lucy </b>in a much-hyped fall premiere on ABC in 1986. The series provided a <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOew5JyBPumt0e_qogYWiYmWJyqVPZNlEDjykEFN9Q5PfeUrgJAtjtAOSsZ0aRBR8wWJ_29gva6Q8WaaGB9uZa8nPuspOBLFtC_-O-wZ-nABQQCAs1Lf07JJT5lNAYzEg__xR8XeV-Ko/s1600/lucy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOew5JyBPumt0e_qogYWiYmWJyqVPZNlEDjykEFN9Q5PfeUrgJAtjtAOSsZ0aRBR8wWJ_29gva6Q8WaaGB9uZa8nPuspOBLFtC_-O-wZ-nABQQCAs1Lf07JJT5lNAYzEg__xR8XeV-Ko/s200/lucy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There Go's Lucy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
sad ending to a legendary career as the geriatric queen of comedy teamed up with Gale Gordon in an ill-timed attempt to recreate the old Desilu magic. “Leave it to Beaver” even returned
with a TV reunion movie “Still the Beaver” followed by a syndicated series
with most of the original cast (including Jerry Mathers)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from 1984-1989. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ron Howard returned to TV
with Andy Griffith and Don Knotts and most of Mayberry in the hit NBC film
“Return to <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YKLmXVzAtOl3SihD-tGE7e-EJRojWQXsFyFlyLaE85NdWPA0PwRjbZON-Q6p2j7wTCHnmoE-ak4hVrKQfAINSYjXZu4F7rGPLodIgVC5hTBJL491XItCgtavd67YJFYlcWG90AMjJcU/s1600/jeannie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YKLmXVzAtOl3SihD-tGE7e-EJRojWQXsFyFlyLaE85NdWPA0PwRjbZON-Q6p2j7wTCHnmoE-ak4hVrKQfAINSYjXZu4F7rGPLodIgVC5hTBJL491XItCgtavd67YJFYlcWG90AMjJcU/s200/jeannie.jpeg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I Dream of Trapper</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mayberry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The
Beverly Hillbillies” had a CBS reunion movie in 1981 with Imogene Coca replacing
the late Irene Ryan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fellow Hooterville
residents the Douglasses also returned to CBS in a “Green Acres” reunion film in 1990.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wayne Rogers replaced Larry
Hagman in an “I Dream of Jeannie” reunion <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
film on NBC directed by “Bewitched”
creator William Asher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course,
“Gilligan’s Island”--in which creator Schwartz started the whole retro thing in the seventies--had
one more NBC TV movie where they meet the <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4_E5PTTyC7PkLS5zDDSWP1eUehU2Zc-nPQkQBmj1Vhu9cyVrW3hq3x7k0HKMJou3Sc4U_zgkQ78fXP_iPoTiaF-RjiLLo3eN3ZqCNLrSNInf93YeyiDYcvcAoMFuvnJKNhGM2UiLEso/s1600/gilligan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4_E5PTTyC7PkLS5zDDSWP1eUehU2Zc-nPQkQBmj1Vhu9cyVrW3hq3x7k0HKMJou3Sc4U_zgkQ78fXP_iPoTiaF-RjiLLo3eN3ZqCNLrSNInf93YeyiDYcvcAoMFuvnJKNhGM2UiLEso/s200/gilligan.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gilligan's Fever Dream</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Harlem Globetrotters. To add to the wierdness it also featured Martin Landau and Barbara Bain of “Mission Impossible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Munsters would return in a
syndicated series from 1988-1991 with a whole different cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And The Addams Family would continue to
creep out audiences for generations with animated series, two hit feature
films, a Canadian series in 1998, and a Broadway show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Family Affair” would return with a new
cast in 2002 produced by the Krofft brothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don Adams would return as Maxwell Smart in a big screen
return flop “The Nude Bomb” in 1980 and the series would reboot with a new cast
in 1989 on ABC. Even Fred Silverman would bring back “The Flintstones” to prime
time NBC in a series of specials in 1980 during the actor’s strike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And “The Jetsons” would return with a
new season of syndicated episodes in 1985. In 2004, the cast of “The Dick Van
Dyke Show” would reunite for a three-camera TV event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of these original sitcoms along with the best of
the seventies would be revealed to younger generations through the cable
network “Nickleodean” and then “TV Land” lessening the need for remakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feature films would be the venue,
though, to remake many of these sixties sitcoms with lovingly ironic tones, big
name casts and strange plot twists such as with the big-screen
“Bewitched.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sgt. Bilko,” “The
Honeymooners,” “The Flintstones,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Car 54,” “Beverly Hillbillies,” “Get Smart,” “McHale’s Navy, and “My
Favorite Martian.” The fact that the sitcoms of the seventies have not been "remade" or "reimagined" for the big screen is a testament to their quality and originality.<o:p></o:p><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>SO</b> <b> WITH THE SIXTIES IN VOGUE AND THE EIGHTIES IN PLAY,WE SAY TO THE SEVENTIES:</b></div>
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<br />
Bob and Emily: twelve years later.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZgdUWXf8jJk" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Lucy and Ritter: Slapstick bookends:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/V2IcRuPEdVY" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Fonzie Vs Hanks:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/46oAEdudoDk" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Edith's farewell:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-UKrAYD3zX8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-8184797495226198662013-08-25T21:09:00.001-07:002013-08-26T15:39:49.170-07:00SEVENTIES SITCOMS: 1979-1980. A TREE GROWS BACK IN BROOKLYN. A RETURN TO MAYBERRY.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31TTVCH96yfL7MOxisrBwLEf_43TCXqT9ftv-1YG3cOOl6xV1MAWaBdCHsuX3b7p9Q-W9xSArJhA5_ab_wbwafuzYQiedk8RmkNL-Y-nXZhhsIwCiO2DO1ojg377gPKRHlDwp1ktIkoA/s1600/flo+agian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31TTVCH96yfL7MOxisrBwLEf_43TCXqT9ftv-1YG3cOOl6xV1MAWaBdCHsuX3b7p9Q-W9xSArJhA5_ab_wbwafuzYQiedk8RmkNL-Y-nXZhhsIwCiO2DO1ojg377gPKRHlDwp1ktIkoA/s1600/flo+agian.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The theme of my final
installment is one that is not new:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything old is new again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it only took nine or so years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To recap:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CBS “cut the trees down” and
de-ruralized sitcoms at the very beginning of the 70’s with Mary Tyler Moore’s
series and the Norman Lear tsunami headlined by “All in the Family.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No more Hooterville and Mayberry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>African-Americans, post “Julia” were
represented with more frequency and in more racially-aware scripts, even if
still mired in fifties-era stereotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The urban workplace became the “home” for many and diversity in
ethnicity and sexuality became the norm in ensemble casts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Story lines dealt with real-world issues
and courted controversy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they
didn’t explore outside the provincial sitcom boundaries (a la the Garry
Marshall 50’s universe), they still provided an outlet for a more ribald and
ironic sense of humor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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By the end of the decade,
thanks to the resurgence of the rural landscape in Hollywood big screen farces
(led by future sitcom star Burt Reynolds) and innumerable Roger Corman low
budget drive-in fare, network chiefs saw fit to abandon the sophistication and
introspection that had been nurtured and return to the simple-minded<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>corn-pone of yesteryear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just more tight and low-cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CB Radio was a “craze” that carried
this revival, far outlasting the failed televised attempts to homogenize the
disco revolution (“Saturday Night Fever”), frat house slob humor (“Animal
House”) and the gritty urban landscape of “The Godfather,” “Rocky,” and “Taxi
Driver.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, “Smokey and the
Bandit” won out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alice” began in 1976 as a
story about a widow and her son readjusting to a new environment amidst
emotional transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
sassy Texas waitress at Mel’s Diner Florence Jean Castleberry becoming the breakout
character, network brass saw the crack forming for an audience tiring of Norman
Lear’s weekly social navel-gazing and growing weary from trying too hard to
understand the subtle character humor inherent in the MTM oeuvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Polly Holliday’s Flo would spin-off
this season to huge ratings as she moved back to Texas.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>HAZZARD AHEAD</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiodkBW6o8t3nZTyKLR1_81Bln_FFlRMkrbkDYnZQhlh9ib33lrL_sv2_ftFopCGcFPY92m-djBClu6Gm2Xz4Hz0gboAY2DErKAiBVqs6AkME9um4S7uq3LV10ag9ldEaPba_o1N0Irpc/s1600/dukes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiodkBW6o8t3nZTyKLR1_81Bln_FFlRMkrbkDYnZQhlh9ib33lrL_sv2_ftFopCGcFPY92m-djBClu6Gm2Xz4Hz0gboAY2DErKAiBVqs6AkME9um4S7uq3LV10ag9ldEaPba_o1N0Irpc/s200/dukes.jpeg" width="200" /></a>And a couple of things
premiered on CBS--the network that cancelled “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Green
Acres,” and “Mayberry RFD” (not to mention “Hee Haw”--which went on to be
highly successful in syndication):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Dallas” premiering as a night-time serial (starring Larry Hagman as JR,
after trying hard to re-enter sitcoms this decade and not succeeding)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and “Dukes of Hazzard.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Dukes” was basically a sitcom couched
in an hour-long “adventure” format about two good ol’ boys running from an
imbecile sheriff and his “boss Hogg.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were lots of car chases, skimpy outfits (courtesy of Daisy Duke),
and broad slapstick humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
matter of fact, the doltish repartee of these hicks was more juvenile and
dumbed-down than anything viewed in the sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But without a laugh track and with lots of action, the hour
long series was never actually categorized as a sitcom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When “Dukes’ premiered in early 1979,
NBC countered with “BJ and the Bear” about a trucker and his chimpanzee, also
running from the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This series
was more derivative of Clint Eastwood’s “Any Which Way you Can” films than
anything Reynolds dreamed up with Hal Needham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And both series returned this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“BJ” already graced the network with a
spin-off in the fall:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The
Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo” also an hour-long car-chase with overly broad
characterizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So basically,
Mayberry was back and Barney Fife now came across as Gary Cooper in
comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fall of 1980,
“Dukes” would even have a spin off featuring a law enforcement stooge:
“Enos.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where Claude Akin’s
Lobo was more like Andy Griffith: down-home yet shrewd, Enos was basically
Gomer Pyle--he even ended up in a fish-out of water situation with the
LAPD!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So basically, we are back to
1970.</div>
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But before audiences in the
eighties discovered new classics with Cosby, the “Cheers” gang, the Keatons and Golden Girls,
they could seek quality with the new critical darlings of the Sunshine Cab Company
and the returning exploits of the 12th Precinct and WKRP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 4077th would continue to garner
acclaim and ratings but at the expense of, ahem, comedy.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
But before moving forward:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3p5roa9k9h62-rShdejiLblDD6MqlLztF4qpHx1Fo0U2yvhp0MuTCr0ROFZXuoNhlkCmApeE4rRpRDN8sOu6vmAciZ_nVL5F8yxNdbSrdVgajPqR6I8kR3Gj1CvZ1nu4MqWQUQ7A7Po/s1600/furley.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3p5roa9k9h62-rShdejiLblDD6MqlLztF4qpHx1Fo0U2yvhp0MuTCr0ROFZXuoNhlkCmApeE4rRpRDN8sOu6vmAciZ_nVL5F8yxNdbSrdVgajPqR6I8kR3Gj1CvZ1nu4MqWQUQ7A7Po/s320/furley.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Return to Form--ula</span></td></tr>
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<b><u>RATINGS WINNERS 1979-1980</u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lg4L3cqikOhwI0WpRyeCdK78pwFCpedhazPCSmK99vYkRYHpoZjKmqw0OkxJ5q3ZHgOK-fiBbFheIfF9J2VA0AEK71jJV8pA1uHySiSx-cYg34JBzRlaqVAxPuKcb5JBo50I4X7nuf0/s1600/furley+and+crissy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lg4L3cqikOhwI0WpRyeCdK78pwFCpedhazPCSmK99vYkRYHpoZjKmqw0OkxJ5q3ZHgOK-fiBbFheIfF9J2VA0AEK71jJV8pA1uHySiSx-cYg34JBzRlaqVAxPuKcb5JBo50I4X7nuf0/s200/furley+and+crissy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Crissy does Mayberry.</span></td></tr>
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<b>#2. Three's
Company (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Obviously, the middle-aged Ropers had nothing to do
with the astronomical ratings of this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they left for their own doomed sitcom (see below), the
oversexed “kids” maintained imperial status as the highest rated sitcom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TV comedy legend Don Knotts, after
winning Emmy’s as Barney Fife, becoming a comedy film star and then headlining
Disney fare goes “blue” and joins a swinging sex comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may not be Mayberry, but Knotts
expert buffoonery and cartoony persona was another nail in the coffin of the
sophisticated fare that the seventies wrought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the over-confident ladies man Ralph Furley, Knotts
gained a new generation of fans--just minus the critical accolades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furley’s outlandish outfits at the time
seemed appropriate for the misguided “swinger,” but now it’s difficult to
discern the strangeness amidst the seventies retro hype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack’s “gay ruse” plot device continued
under Furley…less homophobic and more ridiculing, although in one episode
Furley catches Jack in a heterosexual situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Three’s Company” did become “serious”…as serious as it
could get, as Furley becomes suicidal and Crissy is mistaken as dying of an
illness….all played for cheap laughs of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But basically, stuff happens:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack and Crissy get handcuffed together; neighbor Larry
falls hard for Janet;Jack must dress in drag to avoid the FBI; Crissy gets
caught up in Furley’s strip poker game. Speaking of Crissy, this would be the final season for Suzanne Somers as contract negotiations break down. She would make a few "phone" appearances next season and her Texas (of course) cousin Cindy would replace her before Teri moves in for three years.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another short-lived regular
character would be introduced to compensate for the lack of Ropers: new
neighbor Lana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Played by Ann
Wedgeworth as a man-hungry southerner, she had the hots for Jack--who didn’t
respond in kind….but Furley had the hots for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This provided a lot of comic steam until the producers
figured out that she didn’t really fit in very well with the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But sadly,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAqw8taamYy97vwtEtYxmrDD6qbf9l8ef-rW5Fti00DQ9U_3UMVyeVnnLts8OZGu0_r9XBCIiX3HHOW-cXkOB9HvztvcNilnZciSjBlltzTMbPq8ZeTpo9DthaMgeKILY0VMhaTJzUck/s1600/roper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAqw8taamYy97vwtEtYxmrDD6qbf9l8ef-rW5Fti00DQ9U_3UMVyeVnnLts8OZGu0_r9XBCIiX3HHOW-cXkOB9HvztvcNilnZciSjBlltzTMbPq8ZeTpo9DthaMgeKILY0VMhaTJzUck/s200/roper.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The ol' Roper--dope.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Ropers</b> (ABC) didn’t fit in with their own show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being slotted on the powerhouse
Tuesday night schedule in their successful tryout last season, Stanley and
Helen were booted to the now-weak Saturday night family hour for their second
and final season, limping along for the season until cancellation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The TV tabloid mill has it that the
network basically engineered the move to dump Norman Fell and Audra Lindlay
and their expensive contracts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(By
the time “The Ropers” was cancelled they could not return to the flagship
series--where Knotts had already taken off.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, ABC tried:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the season premiere had Jack, Crissy and Janet visit for a
disco party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the season,
the Ropers experienced more class conflicts with their snobby neighbor (Jeffrey
Tambor) and attempted to adopt a child (they were deemed too old).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helen got a dog and battled with her
snobby sister (Dena Deitrich).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
in a contrived attempt to help the ratings with the now-treasured youth
demographic, they discovered a young woman living in their storeroom…she ended
up moving in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t make that
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in keeping in touch with
the racy roots of the show, there were still sniggering story lines such as
when Stanley’s men’s magazines accidentally get donated to a church rummage
sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, the humanity!</div>
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#4. <b> Alice </b>(CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Leading the pack on the now strong CBS Sunday night schedule (which
would continue throughout the early eighties), this series would provide another
signal of the decline of the sitcom via high ratings and nothing else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much happens here, except
traditional sitcom tripe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
“I Love Lucy” show runners still in charge there were plenty of celebrity
cameos--Telly Savales and Dinah Shore as themselves, and as more of a nod to
sitcoms past, Eve Arden and Art Carney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The most controversial episode involved Flo driving a truck through
Mel’s Diner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of Flo, her
popular character is spun off into her own series this season in the
spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one of the strangest
casting moves, she is replaced by acclaimed film actress Diane Ladd (as Belle),
who actually played Flo in the dramatic film this series was based on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would continue on through 1980 as
the “sassy country” component until she had enough of the inane scripts and
would be replaced by another corn-pone waitress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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#5. <b>M*A*S*H</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Already outlasting the Korean War by four years, the 4077th provided a
welcome relief from the juvenile humor found at the top of the Neilsons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although with Alan Alda in charge, the
scripts were more heavy handed and Emmy voters responded extremely well to the
pathos and experimentation, this season saw a brief excursion into the
playfulness and satire of the first three years of the extended war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such as:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hawkeye decides to bill the government for his medical services; stuffy
Charles gets drunk and married in Tokyo; a crusty colonel makes a visit on
April Fool’s Day; the gang take over Rosie’s bar while she recovers from
surgery; and Hot Lips (or Margaret as she is called now) is labeled a Communist
sympathizer by a visiting Congressional aide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Character actor GW Bailey as the scheming head of the motor
pool added some comic relief as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Klinger’s cross-dressing antics were toned down as he replaced Radar as
the company clerk, thus becoming to Potter what Radar was to Henry Blake, with far
fewer laughs. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Yes, Gary Burghoff, as Radar
O’Reilly, would leave the series this season after a few episodes adding
another blow to the original format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His character gets a hardship discharge and when a generator goes out on
the base he feels it his duty to stay--but in the end he must go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dinner theater awaits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There would be an attempt to spin off
the character in 1984 but that would never get off the ground.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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As the popularity of the
show would increase (thanks in part to the successful reruns of the first
seasons), the cast would take it upon themselves to garnish the legacy on their
own:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cast members Alan Alda, Mike
Farrell, and Harry Morgan would all direct episodes (a sure sign of a show
degenerating by feeding on it’s own renown) and Alda (with Burt Metcalf)
would pretty much run the creative control of the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which meant more “special” episodes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtNc4yCMzAfJFdrMaHJUIckMBwknaU4nwFWUYhiujf_THRIF3bS4-73cflKOg2_aPLkSvhdsxXLdIBYX9kUtgVY-rlzFLk4ejE-yv-SoziAlQy3D9PDFMU5bKNpnSnFzkgdYmyFIjzK4/s1600/mash+dream2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtNc4yCMzAfJFdrMaHJUIckMBwknaU4nwFWUYhiujf_THRIF3bS4-73cflKOg2_aPLkSvhdsxXLdIBYX9kUtgVY-rlzFLk4ejE-yv-SoziAlQy3D9PDFMU5bKNpnSnFzkgdYmyFIjzK4/s200/mash+dream2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First do no arm.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LRh_yyODvaPVaHRGc8THKJI3flwiiLi5QsSL6yTbImqZskgCQJUtKtKpoVfNhdoGhI0s0D1bgYT0F7w5bBeKtigi7NPLCj10VhjzhU4J4tYbK_xSDkUdenaOB4zrORsY8C_asi24T1s/s1600/dreams5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LRh_yyODvaPVaHRGc8THKJI3flwiiLi5QsSL6yTbImqZskgCQJUtKtKpoVfNhdoGhI0s0D1bgYT0F7w5bBeKtigi7NPLCj10VhjzhU4J4tYbK_xSDkUdenaOB4zrORsY8C_asi24T1s/s200/dreams5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dream Cleaver</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF55oi_FuQTA2PDtlxK6OfaGBf8ETOBHsTt-ubJPDOmSrgKvCLGi8xdNSuvADtAVcUo3vXlkGMqKmKjMmff_8ya0XmiN8-Dc0LqJV3E-0hTbfIogK1mDT99ieysK6YWipZtOra7Fx1pk/s1600/bloody+dream.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF55oi_FuQTA2PDtlxK6OfaGBf8ETOBHsTt-ubJPDOmSrgKvCLGi8xdNSuvADtAVcUo3vXlkGMqKmKjMmff_8ya0XmiN8-Dc0LqJV3E-0hTbfIogK1mDT99ieysK6YWipZtOra7Fx1pk/s200/bloody+dream.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"We lost the laughs in there!"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the infamous episode where
an onscreen clock depicts the surgeons battle to save the life of a soldier;
the “dream” episode where the character’snightmares are visually re-enacted to
express the brutality of war; Mako plays a Korean soldier who accuses a female
counterpart of being an enemy guerrilla; one of the wounded solders, a pianist,
must deal with his crippled hand;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>another patient (played by Sidney Lassick of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest) is suicidal. Hawkeye and BJ get lost in enemy territory with crucial
anti-biotics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Local Koreans play a
larger part in episodes as when a group of refugee orphans arrive at the camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the dramatics are not limited to
war as the two new “moral standouts” have marital issues: BJ is tempted to
cheat on his wife and Potter’s long-term wedded bliss is in danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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With the show’s critical
cache came quality guest stars:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Edward Herrman, Ed Begly Jr., Susan St. James as a war correspondent,
and future sitcom diva Shelly Long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even Alda featured his brothers Robert and Antony in an episode--another clue as to the inclusiveness of
the new “regime.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Although “M*A*S*H” picked
up an incredibly high volume of Emmy nominations this year, Loretta Swit and
Harry Morgan took home the only statues for supporting performances in a
comedy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>this year--probably more
for the dramatic arcs than the comic bits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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#7. <b>Flo</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Back to inanity:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
mentioned above, sassy man-hungry Texan Flo (Polly Holliday) as the breakout
character on “Alice” must naturally break out into her own series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So her mid season solo show has her
moving back to Houston but stopping off in Fort Worth along the way to visit
her family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her journey ends there
as she buys a roadhouse and turns it into a honkytonk restaurant, deeming
it “Flo’s Yellow Rose.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though there were some interesting guest stars--James Cromwell, Robert Englund
(“Freddie”) and Arlen Dean Snyder as her ex-boyfriend--the show was basically
designed to appeal to the “trucker” culture now prevalent with the Dukes and
BJ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Future Scientologist Geoffrey
Lewis (fresh from his Clint Eastwood orangutan films) played the bartender--who
would provide the romantic sparks with Flo during the show’s brief run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The initial six episodes would take
off, but just as "The Ropers" on ABC, the series would be relegated to time-slot
hell on it’s return in the fall leading to an early demise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTLDYEm2X9n5X_Rmg0NuVOSJi_xbKujDoh35z39ZLKLy2i6DJWfsM00QnOfebT2epBahMANhyM_iyuZmksWPL6eguvrmFtvnuEB1Jaw6QG2wYlM_oTyyc6TV_VqFH4SMuSmEHyMwLAyo/s1600/rabbit+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTLDYEm2X9n5X_Rmg0NuVOSJi_xbKujDoh35z39ZLKLy2i6DJWfsM00QnOfebT2epBahMANhyM_iyuZmksWPL6eguvrmFtvnuEB1Jaw6QG2wYlM_oTyyc6TV_VqFH4SMuSmEHyMwLAyo/s200/rabbit+2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Carrot top-icality.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
#8. <b>The Jeffersons</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After two seasons of being bounced around the prime-time schedule, the
network put Norman Lear’s upwardly mobile African American family in a Sunday
night lineup where it would flourish through the first half of the next
decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Lear created the
series the team behind “Three’s Company” basically ran the show, so there was
not as much serious social content as in “the old days.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Evans did return as son Lionel
(after being replaced by a different “Evans”) and he and wife Jenny (Berlinda
Tolbert) played prominent roles this season: Baby Jessica is born leading
George to angrily ruminate on the possibility of a “white” grandson and Mike
experiences serious work-a-holic tendencies with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his new job and potential relocations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some cinematic derivative highlights
for George: he accepts a “small” businessman award not realizing it was in
reference to his height; he is mistaken as a patient when visiting a mental
hospital (a la “Cuckoo’s Nest”); he coaches Tom Willis on how to “act black” (a
la “Silver Streak”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the really
silly department: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Louise spots a murder by a giant “killer rabbit” through a telescope leading to a sad tribute
to two Jimmy Stewart films; and George tells baby Jessica the story of
“fighting inflation” with the cast inhabiting royal garb and Arthurian tropes
led by King George.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charlie the
bartender and Marcus the helper at the dry cleaners play more prominent
supporting roles and Florence the maid--the breakout here--has many featured
story lines--leading to her failed spin off in the 1980 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ3KTIGxsWYE6sKmil5eMNdhzS1osSsL-K_1YYBY6aoeq7w8M464jpYaluB1kn707x9WInaofFVUXq5WkIE24H68bU3hRQqCaYaV_MVJkPZgbpjzzIF1NzUEGzzWWtYvoi6vEZ2Em_Is/s1600/king+george.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ3KTIGxsWYE6sKmil5eMNdhzS1osSsL-K_1YYBY6aoeq7w8M464jpYaluB1kn707x9WInaofFVUXq5WkIE24H68bU3hRQqCaYaV_MVJkPZgbpjzzIF1NzUEGzzWWtYvoi6vEZ2Em_Is/s200/king+george.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jeffersonian politics.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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To be fair, there were a
few thoughtful serious episodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Louise, while being feted in a documentary about her work at the help
center, is actually overlooking the needs of a client who attempts suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a flashback episode, the series
chronicles the opening of George’s first store--on the day Martin Luther King,
Jr. was assassinated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>#9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Dukes of Hazzard</b></i><i> (CBS).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh0tBcsiFyP8C0Oxe-lpyNWwt7qOF24bEjh46qFKlb61CGNDuyfNTRQh6QuEOHEmCnN-PyXKdPkq21BUSQGOcajG4qIqf0uTNzj-gtOSy9nZ_ze6aGIQaVn7QbuhnT2RPBFKEge5iaDk/s1600/one.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh0tBcsiFyP8C0Oxe-lpyNWwt7qOF24bEjh46qFKlb61CGNDuyfNTRQh6QuEOHEmCnN-PyXKdPkq21BUSQGOcajG4qIqf0uTNzj-gtOSy9nZ_ze6aGIQaVn7QbuhnT2RPBFKEge5iaDk/s200/one.jpeg" width="200" /></a>#10. <b>One Day at a
Time</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another of Lear’s holdouts that found it’s strength on the
Sunday night lineup was the continuing saga of divorcee Ann Romano in this, the
show’s fifth season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actress
Mackenzie Phillips had been having serious troubles due to her addictions and
her appearances were limited this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The “plot device” was to have her marry airline attendant Max (Michael
Lembeck) and move to Houston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
couple did show up quite a few times this season, with story lines involving
continued unemployment, credit card debt, and--in the opening episode--a
question of rather the “right” man was at the altar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly however,the show dealt with the romantic life of Ann
and daughter Barbara.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Valerie
Bertinelli had a rising star among young male viewers and her exploits with
dates and college life--Ann even joins Barb in classes--were of paramount
importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann herself dates a
comedian, deals with many workplace issues at Connors and Davenport (John
Hillerman as Connors was featured prominently, pre-Magnum) and even has a heart
attack due to work-related stress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even maintenance man Schneider (Pat Harrington, Jr.) is featured with
many mid-life crisis issues such as when his male modeling job is not what he
thinks, or when a lover having a fatal heart attack during sex causes the
self-proclaimed Lothario to experience impotence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much for Schneider being the comic relief.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Balsam and Vinegar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
#11. <b>Archie
Bunker's Place</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the Bunkers-- who started it all--now are a staple on the Sunday night lineup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Jean Stapleton limiting her appearances as Edith,
the series focused on Archie (Carroll O’Connor) running his new bar and the title
was changed to “Archie Bunker’s Place.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Film actor Martin Balsam was added as Murray Klein, Archie’s liberal
Jewish partner in his attempts to turn the bar into a restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allowed Murray to provide the ammo
for Archie’s continued (yet more cuddly)trademark intolerance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Archie’s domestic life would take a
back seat as new characters were introduced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edith would make a few appearances before being “killed off”
in the 1980 season next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, little niece Stephanie would continue to be featured to provide the
younger audiences with someone to relate to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with the rogues gallery of overacting bar hounds and
cronies familiar to viewers (Jason Wingreen as Harry the bartender, Danny
Dayton as Hank and of course Allan Melvin as Barney), viewers were introduced
to the blind patron Mr. Ranseleer (Bill Quinn) and occasionally, Dottie the
hooker played by Sheree North.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ann
Meara was added as as the alcoholic cook, Veronica Roony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meara’s real-life husband Jerry Stiller played her
ex-husband in one show and the character’s gay nephew became a waiter--Archie
even tried to “convert” him in one episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the loss of a live audience, O’Connor’s continued
editorial input, and tired direction the landmark series lost it’s bite in episodes
such as that above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t help
when other controversial topics came up:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Murray’s anti-napalm protests during Vietnam come back to haunt him as
do previous mob ties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The energy
crisis, city hall corruption and construction bureaucracy popped up a lot as a
nemesis when the restaurant reopened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Although Jack Carter
guested as a loan shark, the biggest cameo event was Sammy Davis Jr. returning as
himself (seven years later) to help promote the bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, this was proof positive of “All in the Family” turning
into a sort of gritty Lucy show in it’s remaining years.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49EjDfWZBSXpRYvf-afxr8-ZMgAQZ5Q0SrO1WQnkoZshqtCM4Hg4P8ouM6UL2QrxLtGIhBk0cHsLXHmt5OGi26dbHHYmwE14aFRr4W_nCaHg9f0oj1TxZQW6BCHJc1QAzOUsFQnwsn2o/s1600/archie+and+sammy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49EjDfWZBSXpRYvf-afxr8-ZMgAQZ5Q0SrO1WQnkoZshqtCM4Hg4P8ouM6UL2QrxLtGIhBk0cHsLXHmt5OGi26dbHHYmwE14aFRr4W_nCaHg9f0oj1TxZQW6BCHJc1QAzOUsFQnwsn2o/s200/archie+and+sammy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Here's Archie!</span></td></tr>
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<i>#12. <b>Eight is
Enough </b></i><i>(ABC)</i></div>
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<i> </i>#13. <b>Taxi.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The denizens of the Sunshine Cab
Company became the new media and critical darlings thanks to major Emmy
consideration and great audience numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rightfully so as--along with “Barney Miller” and “WKRP"--this was one of
the few sitcoms left with expert comic writing and characterization. (The word
“comic” takes “M*A*S*H” out of the equation.) It got even better his second
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with the other
ex-MTM maestros, future “Moonlighting” creator Glenn Gordon Caron even got his
start as a TV scribe here this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And sixties burnout Reverend Jim became a regular as he took his driver's test in one of the funniest moments on TV. </span>One of the most celebrated episodes had Elaine (Marilu Henner) as the
new shop steward forced to go on a date with the lecherous Louie (Danny
Devito).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two-part episode,
ending with of the funniest kisses in TV history, was proof that comedy could
persevere through ugliness and still end with a big laugh and wistful
pondering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine got competition
this season as the only female cast member.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Film actress Carol Kane was introduced mid-season as a
fellow resident of Latka’s unnamed country of origin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although of a lower caste, Kane’s Simka captured the heart
of Andy Kaufman’s Latka and the result was comic magic in an unknown
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Rhea Perlman would play
Louie’s new girlfriend Zena the candy machine girl--a shy and introverted counterpart
to Louie’s demonic demeanor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Perlman would eventually become Devito’s long-time wife and would
herself play an award-winning nasty character on “Cheers.”)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaYWTBB3X_1fwHuwW54YJsk3y5wkh6xWERZcbER4C9rVyAfwLrb5q9gQIuXCug8UaPBX_jLk8Qcz4AXpc9O9yb022m5MOSw8V4dnBCIlCj7Oe8nzC_6KFzdBS11QBRgk1vS8oeTk7KUQ/s1600/rhea.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaYWTBB3X_1fwHuwW54YJsk3y5wkh6xWERZcbER4C9rVyAfwLrb5q9gQIuXCug8UaPBX_jLk8Qcz4AXpc9O9yb022m5MOSw8V4dnBCIlCj7Oe8nzC_6KFzdBS11QBRgk1vS8oeTk7KUQ/s200/rhea.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Romance did loom large this
season among the cabbies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alex is
revisited by Angela, the frumpy woman from the previous season, this time
looking much different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
dates a soap star played by Dee Wallace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bobby dates his new agent played by Susan Sullivan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony continues to have heartbreak in
the ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actors were clamoring to
be on the show as if it were a Woody Allen film:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom Ewell played Elaine’s therapist; Jack Gilford played
Alex’s dad; Joan Hackett played his sister; Dick Butkus, Erik Sevaried and
Lassie rounded out the eclectic guest list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The latter can’t be helped
when the season finale involves a visit by Herve Villachaize (“Tatoo” in
“Fantasy Island”) prompting the cast to imagine their fantasies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This highly entertaining episode that
culminated in a spectacular musical number with the cast performing “Lullaby of
Broadway.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the most
appropriate way to show off the casts musical abilities rather than the “let’s
put on a show for the retirement home” tripe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Taxi” rightfully picks up
it’s second Emmy for best comedy and adds a directing Emmy for Jim Burrows for
the season premiere where Louie asks out Zena.<o:p></o:p></div>
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#14. <b>House Calls</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although it seemed odd to base a sitcom on a hit film about two
adult characters in a sophisticated romance in these youth-oriented days, it
actually worked due to scheduling magic and one other thing: a nostalgia for
the original “M*A*S*H.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s
how:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wayne Rogers, who--as Trapper
John-- was a much funnier cohort to Hawkeye than Mike Farrell’s BJ could ever
be , reminded audiences of how funny that series could be if it stopped
proselytizing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So CBS decided to
let Rogers take over the Walter Matthau role of a middle-aged divorced Los
Angeles-based surgeon in an on-again, off-again sparring relationship with a
British hospital administrator--played by Glenda Jackson in the film and Lynn
Redgrave here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray Buktenika (from
“Rhoda”) played Richard <br />
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Benjamin’s part as the fellow surgeon and David Wayne
played Art Carney’s befuddled chief of surgery role with less vindictiveness
and fewer signs of oncoming Alzheimer’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With Jerry Paris (“Odd Couple”)--having successfully transferred another
Matthau vehicle to the small screen--in charge for Universal and
ex-“M*A*S*H”-er Hy Averback helping out, “House Calls” captured the wackiness
of medical life mixed in with a bit of human drama and some saucy sexy
humor with an adult sensibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The filmed series also was single camera, letting a subtle laughtrack
color the proceedings rather than a videotaped studio audience--now almost
passé.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to schedule the
midseason show right after “M*A*S*H” on Monday nights was a stroke of
genius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for teen heartthrob
Lief Garrett, aging heartthrob Fernando Llamas and future neurotic heartthrob
Richard Lewis in guest roles.</div>
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<i>Earlier in the fall
though, CBS--without the blessings of the new “M*A*S*H” co-conspirators but
with the help of Richard Hooker, author of the original book--created an
hour-long medical drama (with comic overtones) based on the Trapper John
character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Trapper John MD” had
Pernell Roberts play the title character some thirty years after the Korean War
fighting with hospital beauracracy as a surgeon in San Fransisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His supporting cast included a sexier
young version of his old self, appropriately called “Gonzo.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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So audiences yearning for
the old 4077th had TWO versions of Trapper John to satiate their nostalgic
yearnings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's come to this.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
17. <b>Happy Days.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
sixth season would be the final season with Richie as a regular. In his
swansong he continues his investigative journalism and, in one final fling,
suffers the results of spiked punch at a frat party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, though, the show belongs to Fonz:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cue the violins--Fonzie falls for a
deaf girl; Fonzie hires a disabled assistant at the garage; Fonzie takes a
pledge of nonviolence; <span class="Apple-style-span">Fonzie even steps in for a theater performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joannie and Chachi’s relationship
starts heating up--Joannie even poses nude for a modeling gig (a little behind
the curve on this one, so to speak).</span></div>
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The crossovers
continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laverne and Shirley
showed up to save Richie and Fonzie in the opening episodes as they get engaged
to the “farmer’s daughters” in a ridiculous take on the joke when the gang
visit the countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
also a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dream
sequence where Chachi sells his soul to the devil’s nephew and an angel shows
up to save the day--Jimmy Brogan plays the angel in an attempt to "Mork" the series--see "Out of the Blue" below. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other interesting guest
shots:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ron’s brother, Clint--the B
Movie favorite; a young Julie Brown; Bob and Ray; and Hank Aaron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a Roaring 20’s flashback
featuring Pat O’Brien and the cast donning the appropriate period attire and a
“let’s put on a show” episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This season also featured a girl gang led by Kat Mandu.</div>
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The most surprising
incident this season was a fire (accidentally started by Chachi) that burns
down Arnold’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Fonzie partners
up with Al to reopen a new hangout, called Arnolds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Fonzie and Archie Bunker are both now proprieters of eating
establishments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That must be where
fading sitcom characters go to burn out!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The producers felt that the audience needed a change in look heading
into the sixties and the new set looked more like a Steak n Ale to attract the
Beatnik crowd I guess. <o:p></o:p></div>
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#20. <b>Barney Miller</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The season opened with a witchhunt over a homosexual cop in the
precinct--that was Dino Natali as Zatelli, the first portrayal of a gay police
officer on television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well-dressed Harris, whose book is coming along, disappears after going<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"The Detective School ain't workin ' Barn."</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
undercover as a vagrant and also refuses to wear a new standardized
uniform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deitrich goes undercover
in drag in one episode and in another gets arrested during a nuclear protest
leading to one of many visits by internal affairs. Lugar refuses to retire and
ponders killing himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stationhouse
falls victim to possible sniper targeting cops and the release of a viral
strain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wojo gets hypnotized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Barney gets passed up for a
promotion again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A very special guest.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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As for the crazy visitors
this year:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an inventor who steals
his own plans; an architect threatening to blow up his own building because he
doesn’t like it; a nuclear engineer who splashes people with toxic liquids; a
man claiming to be Jesus Christ; another man predicting he will spontaneously
combust; a suicidal suicide hot line worker; a man who shoots up a Muzak
machine; a monk who hires a prostitute; an eccentric gun collector; a violent
census taker; a woman who is convinced her husband is a clone; another woman
who thinks soap operas are reality; an Amish victim who won’t use the phone;
and a “time traveler”--who convinces Harris to adjust his stock
portfolios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guest stars this
season included James Cromwell, Stuart Pankin, Joanna Miles, David Paymer, and
“Soap”’s Diana Canova.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Barney Miller” won it’s
second Emmy, this time for writing:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bob Colleary for the episode “Photographer.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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#22. <b>WKRP In
Cincinnati </b>(CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the station hounds
settled down in a secure pre M*A*S*H time slot, this supreme series was able to
actually garner some decent ratings before being bounced around into oblivion
the following two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although, WKRP successfully mixed pathos and humor, much like “Taxi,”
sometimes the show would linger on drama or sentimentality without a joke
making it a tad more uneven than it’s filmed counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the writing was always
topnotch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnny Fever was featured
prominently:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he’s threatened with
palimony and another time he hears the voice of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Newsman Les gets a groupie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Miss America announcer Bert Parks makes an interesting cameo as <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WKUP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Herb’s
flamboyant father who escapes from a nursing home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sports are not left out as Sparky Anderson makes an
appearance. Activism roots it’s ugly head as the dj’s encourage garbage to be
dumped on the steps of city hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And like Fonzie, the gang finds out that Jennifer, the gorgeous super-receptionist,
spends her Christmas alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russian
defectors engulf the station office.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Controversy was not alien
to WKRP: Jennifer is photographed in the buff inadvertently
in a changing room and the crew go after the perpetrator to get the
photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Station manager
Carlson finds out his wife is pregnant at middle age and his stern mother wants
the baby aborted. Venus Flytrap experiences many race-related tribulations
(affirmative action is a theme in one episode)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and underlying racism is explored when Andy’s sister dates
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in an extremely
timely and serious episode drawing on real life, months after a stampede at a concert at Riverside
Stadium results in eleven deaths, the station experiences a sense of loss and
responsibility.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From Tate house to Statehouse</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
#23<b>. Benson</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert Guillame, fresh off of his Emmy win for playing the sardonic
straight man butler in “Soap,” is given his own series this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He works for the governor (James Noble) as the head of household affairs in a northeastern state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In true cross-over fashion, the head of
state happens to be former employer Jessica Tate's cousin and Katherine Hellmond
makes a couple of appearances in this premiere season just to remind audiences
of his pedigree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Soap's Susan
Harris, Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas continued their involvement with
“Benson," the show lacked the biting humor of it’s
predecessor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A</span>lthough
politics took center stage--there were scandals, bugging incidences, Soviet
chess defectors--the series was more family-oriented as Benson would take charge of Governor Gatling’s young daughter (Missy Gold)--except when he accidentally
lets her sneak away to a Kiss concert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the zany regulars were populated by ex-“Soap” players:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inga Swenson as his nemesis, the cook
Kraus and Caroline McWilliams as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marcy
the receptionist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lewis Stadlen
would only be featured one season as the governor’s scheming chief of staff.</div>
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Benson’s droll delivery
gave the comedy a sophisticated bent, even in outlandish situations such as his
impersonating a visiting African dignitary, getting stuck in the basement with
Gatling--the relationship between the daffy and naive governor and the cynical
and levelheaded Benson would be a hallmark of the long-running series--and his
investigation of a possible haunting in the mansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus he gets involved with a woman (Beverly Todd) who
happened to be a state senator!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Guests include Denise Nicholas,Roscoe Lee Browne (his replacement on
“Soap”), and David Huddleston as senior Gatling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In comparison to “Soap” the highest level of intrigue this series
experienced was when Benson’s past in the Korean War became a security
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although never much of an
award winner, the series would end up being a Friday night fixture on ABC throughout the first half of the eighties.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>#24. <b>Love Boat</b></i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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#25. <b> Soap</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The serialized hi-jinks of “Soap” were still as outrageous in this third
season as they were at the beginning of the run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens this season?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of infidelity, that’s for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Jessica chooses Chester
over Donohue and Chester rewards her by fooling around on her again--even with the
daughter of the minister (John Hillerman) who counsels them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Billy is rescued from the cult only to
get into a romantic relationship with his teacher, leading to threats of
suicide and homicide from her when he breaks it off. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh no you din't.</span></td></tr>
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(Another example of
something you would never see in a sitcom today, no matter how
off-the-wall.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aliens that
captured Burt have sent a duplicate to earth and he is a sexual dynamo with
Mary who becomes pregnant with a child who could possibly be an alien.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Burt returns to earth, he runs for
sheriff (with Danny’s help) and fights a corrupt incumbent (Hamilton
Camp).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Danny escapes from the mob thanks
to the leader’s girlfriend (Candy Azzarra) who gets involved with Danny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she gets enough of the family,
Danny falls in love with a black woman (Lynn Moody) leading to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>family adjustments and racist threats
from the neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jody (Billy Crystal) sees
his son when Carol’s mother brings him to her doorstep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However she insists he dump his lesbian
friend and then he has to go to court to defend himself against Carol’s
horrendous lies to keep the baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prisoner Dutch moves in with the Tate’s and becomes the family cook but
when Eunice cheats on him, he cheats with Corinne, who has decided to leave
ex-priest Tim after the fiasco with the demon baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burt finds out he is going to die so he tries to set world records and then finds out it was
a mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, at
season’s end, Jessica contacts a mysterious illness and falls into a coma but
not before being courted by Malou, Chester, the marriage counselor (Allan
Miller) and her new doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
season ends with Jessica dying and Mary going into labor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Eugene Roche returns as
lawyer Malou and Jack Gilford has an <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Soap Trek</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
extended cameo as the alien Saul who helps
Burt get back to earth and travels through time sharing famous moments in
history with<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No kidding. At times the UFO sequences looked like a bad Saturday morning Krofft show with the costumed creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after helping Billy escape the Sunnies, Benson leaves
for his own show to be replaced by Roscoe Lee Browne as Saunders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Soap” would go on with crazy plots for
one more season to be unexpectedly cancelled leaving many threads unraveled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Soap” picked up it’s only
two Emmy awards this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cathryn
Damon and Richard Mulligan both received lead performance awards as Burt and Mary
Campbell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be for
convincing <br />
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acting in a story thread dealing with becoming impregnated by an
alien doppelganger or dealing with Burt’s impending death?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both expert comic actors, Damon would
pass away much too soon and Mulligan would go on to win another Emmy for “Empty
Nest” in the eighties after starring as Blake Edward’s alter ego in the
brilliant Hollywood satire “S.O.B.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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#26. <b>Diff'rent
Strokes</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NBC’s only hit sitcom starts it’s
second season with Arnold running away with the young girl sharing his hospital
room after experiencing the racism of her father (Dabney Coleman).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Race plays heavily in the story lines
this season, some serious and some for laughs:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kimberly’s boyfriend shuns her due to her new brothers;
Drummond is mistaken for being African American by a dating service and receives a welfare application; and
Whitman Mayo (“Grady”) plays the boy’s Uncle Jethro who tries to thwart the
adoption proceedings and return them to their original home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guest stars include Mary Ann Mobley as
Arnold’s teacher who dates Drummond, James Cromwell as a priest, a young Melora
Hardin (“The Office”) as Kimberly’s schoolmate and sports heroes Muhammed Ali
and Reggie Jackson as themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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the name of the game with network chief Fred Silverman and he valiantly
attempted to start a successfully spawning franchise here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The successful:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mrs. Garrett would leave by mid season
to start her new guiding role in “The Facts of Life” which would last longer
than the parent series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nedra Volz
would be the short-time replacement as the Drummond’s housekeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The not-so-successful:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McLean’s Stevenson’s Larry Alder would
make two trips to Manhattan with his teenage daughters to do business with
Drummond--once even sharing Thanksgiving dinner--but it didn’t help “Hello,
Larry” in it’s second embarrassing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See below for more information on both of these series in
the 1979 season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2LhNSP63bjzKWmsBO63wBqqV2ROJRs8MiUokG9z51msw0VIP0o0aGuMf4hagzcqlJly03GbxmdLhSwyY-oglqZiWSiU3H1MvxPXUTz31lmGOcWC7FYQFtEPNc30iGOADsDtn98vrAhA/s1600/shrink+mork.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2LhNSP63bjzKWmsBO63wBqqV2ROJRs8MiUokG9z51msw0VIP0o0aGuMf4hagzcqlJly03GbxmdLhSwyY-oglqZiWSiU3H1MvxPXUTz31lmGOcWC7FYQFtEPNc30iGOADsDtn98vrAhA/s200/shrink+mork.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Audience shrinkage.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
#27. <b>Mork and
Mindy</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a hugely successful premiere
season, ABC decides to move the series from it’s new Thursday night flagship to
the dead zone of Sunday family hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ironically, they also tried to make the show hipper and younger by
changing the cast members around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The show suffered the “Rhoda” syndrome:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>too many characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And that was so unnecessary when you had Robin Williams carrying a
show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Mindy’s dad and
grandmother were out as was young Eugene (Conrad Janis would return as the
father later in the season--as if there weren’t enough characters).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jay Thomas and Gina Hecht were the
brother and sister owners of a deli--a new hangout. Garry Marshall couldn’t seem
to keep his Italian heritage out of his sitcoms--not that there’s anything
wrong with that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim Stahl was
Mindy’s waspish city councilman leading to Mork’s takeoffs on politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And grumpy neighbor Bickley and crazy
man Exidor would feature prominently as well this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exidor would have a girlfriend played
by Georgia Engel of MTM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
Ronnie Schell of “Gomer Pyle” would show up here and there as Bob Faith. That’s
a lot of characters when you consider that Williams would change personalities
frequently during the course of one episode.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the show lost half of it’s
new audience by trying to be more <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Special guest stars.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
topical and edgy, focusing on the two main character's relationship more than Mork’s adjustment to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trippy season opener had Mork shrinking
into nothingness (by taking cold medicine) examining the essence of good and
evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show tried to trend
topical as well:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mork deals with
white supremacists; Mork may have gotten a girl pregnant; Mork becomes a priest;
Mork discovers a radiation spill when he joins the air force; and Mork becomes
addicted to television advertising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But there was science fiction parody as well:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raquel Welch has a character arc as the voluptuous leader of
a race of sexy aliens who kidnap Mindy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Roddy McDowall voices the reboot of Robby the Robot from “Lost in
Space.”</div>
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But regardless of the
circus, it was still the Robin William's show and the network would learn it’s
lesson by cutting most of the characters and returning the show to Thursday
nights where it would remain for two more less than successful
seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flame burned hot and
bright at first only to fizzle into mediocrity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>RETURNING SERIES</u></b><u> (in alphabetical order)</u><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<b>Angie</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much like “Mork” and “Rhoda” before it, this romantic comedy gained too
many characters, burdening the relationship between Brad and Angie, turning off
audiences in this second and final season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that the newlyweds are settled in, they move out of the
brownstone into a lower-income neighborhood where Brad actually practices
medicine out of the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
her new found wealth (and confidence), Angie buys the coffee shop and later
opens up a beauty salon with her mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The new characters, over the course of the year, include some nuns
(childhood friends of Angie'<span class="Apple-style-span">s) who were played by Valri Bromfield and Nancy Lane
and Gianni, a flamboyant gigolo-like hairdresser played by Tim Thomerson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, Angie’s mother and sister
would have generous camera time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>guest star roster was a
who’s who of Paramount’s stock players for Garry Marshall:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ellen Travolta, Lorna Patterson, Peter
Scolari, Adrian Zmed, and Leo Rossi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman would show up in different episodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As well as child actor Corey
Feldman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most memorable event
was Brad’s upper crust family (led by John Randolph) squaring off with Angie’s
brood in “Family Feud” hosted by Richard Dawson.</span></div>
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<b>Bad News Bears</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie spin off returned in the fall before
being dropped after only a few episodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The remainder of the series was burned off during the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much happens other than coach
Buttermaker having to explain the facts of life to Amanda and proposing to her
mother.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Detective School</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is obvious that networks were in the mode of dropping shows
immediately if they didn’t perform well in the ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a bad omen in some
instances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In others it may have
been a godsend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one barely
lasted into the fall after it’s strong summer premiere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as “Bad News Bears” this one was
dumped for a quick death in the now-desolate Saturday night prime time schedule. <span class="Apple-style-span">Bruno Kirby would make an
early guest appearance. At least James Gregory could return to "Barney Miller."</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctfTQ6sds_kawZ-ZeWjpONuVYphzCBW1EGIB0ypQmt7r-6MuRKJqOIweabKb6_6wRQF8hpE7hEqiMhq81Be1yVCoVXOt-D9A7-MeTNK98M_CG2_BHfmmdHaT3Y9agNxMh6jjaGiheoVk/s1600/facts+molly.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctfTQ6sds_kawZ-ZeWjpONuVYphzCBW1EGIB0ypQmt7r-6MuRKJqOIweabKb6_6wRQF8hpE7hEqiMhq81Be1yVCoVXOt-D9A7-MeTNK98M_CG2_BHfmmdHaT3Y9agNxMh6jjaGiheoVk/s200/facts+molly.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bratty Pack Ringwald</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Facts of Life</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As the summer tryout returned mid-fall, the series looked nothing like
the long-running “Facts” most audiences would be familiar with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before tomboy Jo would appear, Blair,
Tootie, and Natalie were joined by a large gaggle of waspish classmates as series regulars including a very young Molly Ringwald (right off of "Annie")<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEayZ68nL242ZTgJouZu41vNjG6Z_yVSQOIaCjWcH2IXLeVVrEc93ZJCzJr2Eu1rKrojMpe_uTCnYoQLPqM814YsuWT-H-wzZb55GkwWbS5Ot7nDJUCt-SJv0ELSUnoDkM546MoW51-I/s1600/facts-of-life1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEayZ68nL242ZTgJouZu41vNjG6Z_yVSQOIaCjWcH2IXLeVVrEc93ZJCzJr2Eu1rKrojMpe_uTCnYoQLPqM814YsuWT-H-wzZb55GkwWbS5Ot7nDJUCt-SJv0ELSUnoDkM546MoW51-I/s200/facts-of-life1.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Debs of Life</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
John Lawlor played the
bumbling school headmaster for this season only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Edna Garrett left Manhattan and “Diff’rent Strokes” to
become a nutritionist at the upstate private girl’s school, she would end up as
the “den mother” when dealing with issues inherent in growing up as a young
woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This first season alone she
had to comically tread minefields such as sex education, plagiarism, weight and
body image issues, the dangers of marijuana, and divorce. Blair would ponder
the loss of her virginity and Natalie would find out she was adopted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls would even band together to
help rescue the school horses from a flood.</div>
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<br />
Even though Norman Lear was
not actively involved in this show produced by his company T.A.T., it had
the trademark dramatic <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy3ztj1mVrNwM_YxeWbiuhAN8y5sJBdNfaMhvs1CV1UwHcvhAE-FykSxrzVcZxwVlhGrDR9hJWwigd8qJGjBIcI8P9ikDVSTyyjL9E_D38NpXiHWUeyP_i9O8tx0z4q290uYU_xnfxuM/s1600/facts+group.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy3ztj1mVrNwM_YxeWbiuhAN8y5sJBdNfaMhvs1CV1UwHcvhAE-FykSxrzVcZxwVlhGrDR9hJWwigd8qJGjBIcI8P9ikDVSTyyjL9E_D38NpXiHWUeyP_i9O8tx0z4q290uYU_xnfxuM/s200/facts+group.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jo-less show</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
moments jarringly interrupting the stagy comedy that
represented his now routine and more family-friendly formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By next season, the producers would get
rid of the excess characters--Blair, Natalie and Tootie had pretty solid comic
personas whereas the other girls all kind of blended together as bunch of
privileged young debs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Well, future Brat-Packer Ringwald would do OK for awhile.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnrqqqtllLfiIPUP1lYIHeCBI0emGS5x5SW168_R98fT-PjBP0ca_9miXZlkrDB_1ZlEeQ95-mS2dnCsYffqJvH2Jna40B73cD15uDwv17JQ4K3QJf74LjpBc8SOHA6r43k10doqoyFw/s1600/larry-drummond.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnrqqqtllLfiIPUP1lYIHeCBI0emGS5x5SW168_R98fT-PjBP0ca_9miXZlkrDB_1ZlEeQ95-mS2dnCsYffqJvH2Jna40B73cD15uDwv17JQ4K3QJf74LjpBc8SOHA6r43k10doqoyFw/s200/larry-drummond.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Crossover Hell.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Hello, Larry</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As mentioned above, the “Diff’rent Strokes” cross-overs did not help
this series find an audience in it’s sophomore season as Arnold
and company would visit Portland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The producers decided to focus more on Larry’s home life raising his two
daughters and less on his radio job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That meant re-casting one of his girls into a better-looking model
(Krista Erikkson) and adding Meadowlark Lemmon playing himself as a neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That only cemented the show’s position
as one of the worst sitcoms in network history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if that wasn’t bad enough, it<span class="Apple-style-span">was decided
that adding Larry’s father as roommate would help the ratings towards the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just added to the
embarrassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shelly Fabares
appeared a few times as Larry’s ex-wife (adding to the similarities to “One Day
at a Time”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He experiences a
mid-life crisis and gets fired at one point, leading to the New York trip to
the Drummonds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls have
their typical problems including the standard “drinking” episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was some comedy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the girls has a blind date that
is actually blind; a neighbor dies in the apartment; and Larry has to strip
down to emcee a nude beauty contest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, one out of three ain’t bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Guest stars included film legend Gloria Dehaven in a small role<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Joey Travolta as a rock star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enough said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Norman Lear wisely kept his name off of this one as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred Silveran sadly had to
take the credit.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlleFnJTjh8104BMH9zAKObn_nD4ZZVMSDvwhUouxnzSQ12AxZJtxeQhT_2sm_s9ehv8uokeQpoIEw2cb_Z3jYGuvzAn0IuzT9Lzmrv0x14Q4tSw2IBLibcMQl7AYdBDlQ4dHL-7_aOU/s1600/meadowlark.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlleFnJTjh8104BMH9zAKObn_nD4ZZVMSDvwhUouxnzSQ12AxZJtxeQhT_2sm_s9ehv8uokeQpoIEw2cb_Z3jYGuvzAn0IuzT9Lzmrv0x14Q4tSw2IBLibcMQl7AYdBDlQ4dHL-7_aOU/s200/meadowlark.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No Ade from Lemmon.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Laverne and Shirley</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>his was the season that wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>ABC decided to move the girls to Thursday night and away from it’s
post-“Happy Days” slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not
sure what it says about the show when the ratings drop out of the top 30 and it
isn’t even airing on the weekend!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, they tried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
opener was the second part of a “Happy Days” crossover regarding the farmer’s
daughters and the faux marriage to Ritchie and Fonzie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Audiences were catching on and tuning
out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The overarching storyline
this season involved Laverne and Shirley <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ratings Fatigues</span></td></tr>
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joining the army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be a prescient thrust
into<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a prevalent theme in sitcoms
over the next couple of seasons what with the release of Goldie Hawn’s hit
comedy “Private Benjamin” a year later--women in uniform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vicki Lawrence, of Carol Burnett’s
troupe, would play the commanding officer as the girls provided slapstick
situations in the barracks such as acting in a training film that was about
venereal disease and enduring a survival test.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As with “Happy Days” the
time frame was now the early sixties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, Shirley became a beatnik in one episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But basically the era had nothing to do
with the silliness:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Squiggy
believes he is the Duke of Squigmond as he sleepwalks; the girls waitress for
Lenny when he opens a cafe; Laverne and Shirley date a couple of dwarfs; and
the girls can’t escape when they chain themselves to a power plant protesting
high rates and a bomb has to be defused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And there is a takeoff on “Silver Streak” as the gang solve a murder
aboard a passenger train (Scatman Crothers, Wilfred Hyde-White, and Charlene
Tilton are suspects).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laverne’s
dad, Frank, finally proposes to Edna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Art Garfunkle makes an appearance as well this
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ed Marinaro, who would
play a completely different character next season (when L&S move to
Hollywood) plays Laverne’s cousin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Pat Morita…well..doesn’t play Arnold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t ask.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A very special episode.</span></td></tr>
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Oh, there was some
melodrama:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ed Begley Jr. returns
as Shirley’s alcoholic brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Carmine is involved with loan sharks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in one of the strangest sitcom moments ever, Ted Danson
plays a firefighter who is dating Laverne until he is killed in the line of
duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laverne mourns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they will be back on Tuesday the
next season and they can run out the next three years with much more favorable
Neilson numbers.</div>
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<b>The Ropers</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>See “Three’s Company” above.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Stockard Channing Show</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Channing returns mid-season with a re-tooled starring vehicle as CBS
tries to anoint her the new “Mary."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only her status as a newly divorced woman looking to start life anew in
West LA remained the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But,
like Mary Tyler Moore, she worked for a TV show this time: a consumer affairs
segment on the local news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
like Doris Day, this allowed her to go undercover in many disguises. But also
like Mary, she had a love/hate relationship with her crusty but lovable advocate
journalist boss played by Ron Silver (“Rhoda”) and she had a Rhoda in her
apartment building played by the same actress that played her best friend in
the previous Channing incarnation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Broadway showman Max Showalter played the flamboyant station owner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Channing’s attempt last season<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had decent ratings but now,with the changes, the show had no ratings at all and left the airwaves much
quicker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The single woman making
it on her own was now a relic of the past in sitcoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nuclear family would be back in vogue in the
eighties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until “Murphy Brown” of
course.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>NOTABLE PREMIERES</u><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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At this point in time,
series had to make it big in a hurry or risk being unceremoniously dumped after
a few airings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, the quality:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Associates</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>James L. Brooks and the crew behind “Taxi” had high hopes for this white
collar version of urban wit on the fall schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the pedigrees and publicity and even Emmy nominations,
it is surprising that ABC did not give this show a chance outside of it’s
doomed Sunday night time slot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
what a <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Short-changed</span></td></tr>
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cast:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin Short (before
SNL and SCTV) had his first American sitcom role as the one of the law students
starting up the ladder at the prestigious NY law firm headed by the affable and
addled senior partner played by Wilfred Hyde-White.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Short’s character was of the Midwestern “outsider” status
and he dated the other newcomer, a blue blood with a bleeding heart for the
unfortunate and an activist bent, slightly misplaced at this practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was played by Alley Mills (before
“Wonder Years”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shelly Smith
completed the newbies as the sexy yet smart one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joe Regalbuto (before “Murphy Brown”) played the junior
partner, Streeter, with his comic avarice and ambition driving a lot of the
comedy (such as when he kills a fellow lawyer in a squash game).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim Thomerson rounded out the ensemble
as the horny mail boy, Johnny Danko.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kings-feld.</span></td></tr>
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The nine episodes that
aired (most were burned off during the summer) had such guest stars as Danny
Devito, Jack Gilford, Cloris Leachman, Georgia Engel, John Ritter, Stuart
Margolin and Jonathan Frakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
the most creative casting was having John Houseman play his signature role of
Professor Kingsfield from “The Paper Chase” in an episode that has him dealing
with ex-student Streeter and his stuttering problem. Sadly, with Paramount’s
best writers and directors courtesy of the John Charles Walters Company, this
filmed three-camera show was set up to be another unrequited sophisticated classic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>United States</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another Silverman attempt at novelty was this domestic “dramedy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comedy writing legend Larry Gelbart,
distanced from “M*A*S*H” and working on feature films (including the upcoming
“Tootsie”) was the main scribe behind this seriocomic exploration of marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beau Bridges and Helen Shaver played
the suburban LA couple and the show dealt with some very touchy issues that
sitcoms<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>usually didn’t fare well
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mid season videotaped
series did NOT have a studio audience (or laugh track) or bumper music so the
effect was similar to watching a one-act play. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The camera work was inventive though and would focus on the
character’s hands during a dialogue scene for instance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And <br />
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there was a lot of dialogue, mostly without closure:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>infidelity, financial troubles, their
kid’s learning disability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
storyline involved how to deal with the fact that your child has hooked up with
a gang that likes to kill cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Bridges’ husband character even cries in one episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of heady, sensitive stuff
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But audiences didn’t care
amidst the new Daisy Duke set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
the show that promised to “do for marriages what M*A*S*H did for war” became an
interesting footnote in TV history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Six O’Clock Follies</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speaking of "M*A*S*H," Silverman had another highly nuanced quality tryout
series in the spring--this time it took place during the Vietnam War., This
series revolved around the exploits of the reporters and staff of the Armed
Forces Vietnam Network<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(News and
Sports) in 1967 Saigon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with
their Korean counterparts--“M*A*S*H” was really about Vietnam anyway--the wacky
hi jinks were melded with drama and insight about the wages of military
conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t hurt that the
director of the news show also owned a bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But with only three episodes airing and guests such as
future stars Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton and Phil Hartman, this
three-camera series from Warner Brothers which starred Phillip Charles
Mackenzie as the Hawkeye surrogate, didn’t have a chance to do much
pontificating or practical joking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Good Time Harry </b>(NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This summer tryout series was created by Steve Gordon, soon to bring
“Arthur” to the big screen and die very young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go-to guy Ted Bessell returned to sitcoms as a philandering
sportswriter for a San Fransisco newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series would generate a lot of critical buzz what with
Charles H. Joffe (Woody Allen’s producer) producing for Universal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like “Six O’Clock Follies” the
filmed series was framed like a three-camera series but it was questionable
whether a live audience was providing the subdued (almost muffled)
laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At best it recalls the
“feel” of “Buffalo Bill” in the eighties in that respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also starring were Eugene Roche as the
editor, Marcia Strassman (fresh from Kotter), and former child star Barry
Gordon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“The Love Boat” would
continue on through the eighties and “Eight is Enough” would end by next season
at the top of the ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
rural comedy-adventure shows mentioned at the top of this segment would play a
large part for a few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as
for any laugh track-laden hour-long comedy-dramas, this season only saw two
entries:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Shirle</i></b><i>y (NBC) had Shirley Jones (“The Partridge Family”)
return to TV as a widow moving to the big city with her three kids and one
stepson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rosanna Arquette played
one of the teens in this typical family show from Universal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>When the Whistle
Blows</i></b><i> (ABC) was a seriocomic
examination of the blue collar lifestyle featuring a group of construction
workers and their wild and crazy exploits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dolph Sweet (future star of “Gimme a Break”) led the
pack.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jack's back.</span></td></tr>
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<b>Struck By Lightning</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paramount was probably inspired by “Young Frankenstein” to a degree
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Science teacher Ted Stein
inherits a Massachusetts inn and decides to sell it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the caretaker, Frank, just happened to be the 231-year
old Frankenstein’s monster and Ted just happened to be related to the good
doctor himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cock-eyed
character actor Jack Elam found the perfect role playing the “monster.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fall series lasted only a few
episodes but showed promise as an inspired spoof of the horror genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one show, the mansion is actually
used to film a monster movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus
zany comic/contortionist Bill Irwin had an early role as a real estate
agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joel Zwick was the producer
of the filmed series.</div>
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<b>Working Stiffs</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paramount teamed with a lot of Garry Marshall’s alumni to come up with
this three camera filmed series that was heralded as the male “Laverne and
Shirley.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None other than Michael
Keaton and Jim Belushi played the brothers who toiled as janitors and planned
to work their way up as their uncle owned <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"It don't get better than this!"</span></td></tr>
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the building where they toiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slapstick was the order of the day here
and both actors had expert comic timing to insure genuine laughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lorna Patterson and Allan Arbus played the
couple who owned the restaurant above the boy's cellar apartment. (That's right, another cellar apartment.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laverne herself, Penny Marshall, even
directed the first episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
this one actually nearly set the record for early fall cancellation with only a four week
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keaton and Belushi wouldn’t
be hurt one bit by this as both would go on to decent film and television
careers into the new millennium.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Support our Tropes.</span></td></tr>
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<b>Goodtime Girls (</b>ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Patterson came back mid season in another Paramount comedy, this time in
a lead role for Garry Marshall’s production company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marshall once again mined the past with this sitcom about a
group of working women during WWII who live in a boarding house together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annie Potts played the defacto leader
of the group, Patterson was the daffy one who wanted to be a singer, and
Georgia Engel played the war bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, this being Marshall, Francine Tacker was added as the “snobby”
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Potts at the helm, the
moralizing made the show seem like a forties version of “Designing Women” and
the sentimentality--one episode revolves around a veteran who needs to rallied
after dealing with the loss of both his legs--was right out of the Marshall
canon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of Marshall, the
regulars were a who’s who of his recurring players--right off of his fall
flops:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with Patterson and
Engel there was Adrian Zmed and Peter Scolari--hoofer Zmed's presence allowed plenty
of “boogie” dance sequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Guests were also well represented by Marshall’s other series:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott Baio as young enlistee and
Michael McKean (Lenny) as the above mentioned wounded veteran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with the serious themes and war
backdrop, the writers had some fun as when one of the girls keeps marrying
soldiers overseas to boost their morale and one of the returns stateside
unexpectedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But much as “Happy
Days” started to look like the early sixties by way of the seventies, this
three camera series with a studio audience was influenced too much by the
current sensibilities to be a true period piece. Steven Spielberg's comedy flop "1941" had just hit theaters and Marshall may have been banking on a WWII fad.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Angels and Orkans, O My!</span></td></tr>
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<b>Out of the Blue</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the final Paramount sitcom covered this year was the fall premiere of
this Miller-Milkis cross-over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Trying to capitalize on the success of “Mork and Mindy,” Henderson
Productions enlisted another stand up comedian, Jimmy Brogan, to play an
angel-in-training living with a group of orphans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the typical “group home” themes (runaways, thievery),
the three camera filmed series was “Fish” with magical special effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of “Designing Women,” Dixie
Carter would play the house mother and Eileen Heckert played the “boss
angel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the deepest portals of
the geek interwebs, there is a controversy surrounding the status of the “Happy
Days” episode where the angel character helps Chachi in a dream:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>crossover or spin off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, this is deemed highly
anxiety-inducing amongst some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Your guide here is nowhere near that obsessive).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when Mork made an appearance
on the pilot episode to kick off the series--an angel teaming up with an alien,
think of the metaphysical consequences--that was clearly a crossover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But competing with Disney and “60
Minutes” during the Sunday night family time with the tame Brogan (compared to
William’s manic energy) was not a fair fight.</div>
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<b>A New Kind of Family</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This videotaped family series was paired with “Out of the Blue” on the
Sunday family hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eileen Brennan
again attempted to capture the sitcom zeitgeist as a widow with
three kids who ended up sharing an LA house with a divorced mother of one thanks
to an unscrupulous real estate agent. Rather than fight over the lease, the two
women (with different ways of handling motherhood, natch) decided to save money
and just share the domicile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a relatively dour contrivance to set up the scenario, telling of the
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Future Brat Packer Rob Lowe
got his start playing one of the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The series was shut down after a few episodes and retooled for a return
later in the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time,
the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>white divorcee was replaced by
a black divorcee and her daughter (Telma Hopkins of Tony Orlando and Dawn and,
again, Janet Jackson).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon
provided some creative input to the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Future film star Eric Stoltz would also make an early
guest<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>appearance on the show.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Me and Maxx</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This family comedy was produced by James Komack and was slightly based
on his relationship with his daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Basically, it was a videotaped “Family Affair” with Manhattanite Joe
Santos (“Rockford Files”) playing the cynical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>swinging dad that unexpectedly ends up with his precocious
daughter after her mother decides to go off and “find herself.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silverman, still trying to remake
NBC,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reportedly cast the show by
watching the actor’s clips side by side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Melissa Michaelson was being hailed as the next big child star with her
worldly delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
sentimental parts of the show rang false and the comedy was forced leading to
an early demise of the spring tryout series.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Nobody’s Perfect</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This series was also hotly hyped as a fall premiere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t show up though until the
summer for some reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
critics liked this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Get
Smart”’s Arne Sultan and Chris Heyward, failing with “Holmes and Yoyo,” tried
another single camera buddy cop comedy for Universal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time Ron Moody, the artful dodger from “Oliver” was
cast as an anachronistic Scotland Yard detective Roger Hart assigned to the San
Fransisco Police Dept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course,
there was plenty of slapstick as the accented clueless accident-prone
crime-solver (in the vein of Inspector Clouseau) cavalierly maneuvered his
way through the big American city with his female partner (Cassie Yates).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tone of the series seemed like a
throwback to the sixties style of sitcom yet sometimes the humor would be
quite contemporary in a farcical way--as when Hart inadvertently startled a man
attempting suicide and he actually jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the show would have done better
with it’s original title:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hart of
the City.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Semi Tough</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actor Bruce McGill, who played D-Day in the film and TV version of
“Animal House” tried again in a feature film adaptation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time he played the Burt Reynold's
part in “Semi-Tough.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series was based on a 1977 film about<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>modern professional
football players. Michael Ritchie's film was a couple of years old by this
time and an odd choice for a three camera videotaped sitcom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it didn’t really matter much
how audiences reacted with only four episodes airing during the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Hasselhoff played the Kris
Kristofferson role as the other player for the New York Bulls as he and McGill
shack up with the owner’s cute but savvy daughter (played by Jill Clayburgh in
the film).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whereas the source book
by Dan Jenkins focused on the new permissive culture powering the sports business, the
film focused a bit more on sexual politics and the new age movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sitcom didn’t have a chance to
touch on any of these issues with any depth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Last Resort</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With MTM Enterprises focusing mostly on dramatic series now, it’s only
new entry in the fall seemed like a late tag along to the parade of “slob”
comedies that had failed so horribly the previous season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, this three camera filmed
ensemble piece dealt with a group of students and ne’er do wells working in the
restaurant of a high class resort in the Catskills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was appropriate that Judd Hirsch made a guest appearance
as the show seemed like a cross between “Delta House” with it’s subversive and
juvenile characters (including an overweight irreverent Walter Olkeiwitz) and
“Taxi” with the themes of characters lost in a lowly job watching their dreams
fade away while they serve the elite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Larry Breeding led the cast as an aging med student slowly paying for
tuition and Stephanie Faracy played a wealthy woman who runs away from her
husband to become a pastry chef to add to the class confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the chef was a stereotypical
Japansese character who only pretended not to speak English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ronny Cox guested as Breeding’s
estranged dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was Gary David
Goldberg’s last creation for MTM before he would strike gold with Michael J.
Fox and “Family Ties” three years later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Norman Lear had a
relatively lower profile by this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As with MTM, he was working on dramatic series. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In March, he collaborated with Alex
Haley, Jr. (“Roots”) in “Palmerstown USA.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CBS series examined the issues of race in 1930’s small-town America, similar in setting to network’s hit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Waltons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It generated enough of an audience to
return a second season but the series, dealing with bigotry in a much less
abrasive manner than Lear’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bunker
dynasty, was known more for being the first series featuring Canadian Michael
J. Fox in an early serious role.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>So Lear had little else
to say at the cusp of the eighties as far as sitcoms were concerned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Archie Bunker’s Place,” “The
Jeffersons,” and “One Day at a Time” were far removed from their original
topicality, bite and electricity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lear’s production company was heavily focused on NBC’s new family of
sitcoms derived from “Diff’rent Strokes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The following five series this season represented the final remnants of
Lear’s empire:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Joe’s World</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lear’s TAT produced this new variation on “All in the Family” with Larry
Rhine and Mel Tolkin of that series being the head writers here in this taped
mid season tryout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ramon Bieri played a working class house painter with a long-suffering wife (K Callan) and five
kids (including an older post-Brady Christopher Knight).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issues the series examined were
less explosive than it’s earlier counterpart although Misty Rowe played one of
Joe’s work partners who breastfed her new baby on the work site--that may be
one issue not touched on yet on TV..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Financial difficulties were more the order of the day than social
prejudices. Joe was an old-fashioned disciplinarian and had difficulty dealing
with the raising a family in the new decade. A young Megan Fellows makes an
appearance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Sanford</b> (NBC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With Joe hearkening back to the Bunkers, Silverman decided go back to
the network’s roots (after many failed experiments) and bring back Redd Foxx as
Fred Sanford in a mid season run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once again, Lear wisely stayed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Arms were gone and so was Lamont (working on an
oil pipeline in Alaska).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he had
a new partner in the junkyard represented by Dennis Burkley (recently passed
on) as a somewhat obese white redneck character so popular on TV these
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He provided a decent foil
for Fred <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Petticoat Sanford</span></td></tr>
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with his naive country ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nathanial Taylor returned as Rollo as did the local cops Hoppy and
Smitty (Howard Platt and Hal Williams).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Donna wasn’t around but Fred was romancing a wealthy Beverly Hills widow
(Margarite Ray) and his dealings with her snobby class-conscious family
provided lots of Sanford-style comic fodder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry Rhine and Mel Tolkin from “All in the Family” took the
reigns here and even having Sammy Davis Jr. not only guest star but direct a
couple of episodes couldn’t bring back the magic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the series was
still relying on stereotypes and silly humor, it now seemed even more trite and
tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dealing with Cal’s weight
issues wasn’t the same as the father-son conflicts with Lamont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silverman couldn’t even make the old
formula work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sanford” returned later
in the fall the next season with Grady, Aunt Esther and her grown son as new
regulars--getting rid of the Beverly Hills snobs--but that didn’t help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>One in a Million</b> (ABC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speaking of “Sanford and Son,” Lear’s co-creator on that hit, Bud Yorkin
had no sitcoms of his own by the fall of ’79 through his own TOY
productions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in January, he
brought back Shirley Hemphill from his “What’s Happening!!” in this tale of the
African-American cab driver in New York that ends up inheriting controlling interest
in a major Wall Street corporation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like “The Jeffersons” this taped series could lampoon racial and class
issues in one fell swoop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But with
Hemphill’s one-note delivery and the unrealistic scenario, the show never
became anything but a one-note novelty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Richard Paul (from Yorkin’s “Carter Country”), Keene Curtis (as the
token elitist nemesis) and veteran Carl Ballentine provided ample support on
both sides of the divide.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Phyll and Mikkhy</b> (CBS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lear’s production company had nothing to do with this one, but Rod
Parker and Hal Cooper, who developed Lear’s “Maude” were the creators of this
odd taped sitcom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In anticipation of the 1980 Olympics, CBS conceived of this Cold War comedy:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a Russian track star defects and
marries a US track star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They move
in with her crusty dad and he is hounded by a comical KGB officer (Michael
Pataki).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Russia invaded
Afghanistan and President Carter pulled the US out of the Olympics, “Phyll and
Mikkhy” got shelved and then burned off during the summer of 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Populated by soap opera stars, the guest
stars provided more notoriety: cult film star Mary Woronov as as Mikkhy’s
ex-girlfriend trying to lure<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>him
back to the Soviet Union; and F-Trooper Larry Storch as a rogue Russian agent<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Baxters</b> (Syndicated).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Norman Lear actually took an active hand in developing this unusual
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, the first half
of the series was a typical taped domestic sitcom with a studio audience
exploring all the hot button problems of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The father of the St. Louis clan was an insurance
agent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anita Gillette played the
stay at home mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second half
would revert to a different studio audience from the local affiliate with a
moderator allowing said audience to chime in with questions and comments
on the actual issues that the family explored<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>even discussing possible endings for the episode.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The series was conceived by a
Boston TV station and Lear liked the idea enough to bring it to Hollywood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A harbinger of issue-related
audience-driven discussion shows that would flourish in the decades to come--Phil
Donohue was the only personality at the time doing it on a large scale--the
experiment failed and Lear dropped out, leaving the series to move to Canada
and then drop out of sight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPThbB7AwZAKsYwxRIAm5S8Yd9be3Kf4tMFoK1o_v9ARdtBtpsCrEB6kVVpwYbamYJlro8MsZ_dHh_a-gmZbNR1s72yP2J7XPk8k0-QfJKbVrnRu94liydwlnezTrsyRLtNclby-XZV8/s1600/lear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPThbB7AwZAKsYwxRIAm5S8Yd9be3Kf4tMFoK1o_v9ARdtBtpsCrEB6kVVpwYbamYJlro8MsZ_dHh_a-gmZbNR1s72yP2J7XPk8k0-QfJKbVrnRu94liydwlnezTrsyRLtNclby-XZV8/s1600/lear.jpeg" /></a></div>
<b>So it is appropriate
that the man who ushered in the seventies sitcom revolution by generating
discussions at home regarding the most taboo and unexplored themes would, by
the end of the decade, actually instigate the concept of replacing thoughtful
home-based discussion and introspection with the banal and self-conscious opinions
of a group of televised strangers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The discussion shows of the eighties would eventually give birth to the
dreaded reality television in the nineties which is far removed from the
sophisticated and subtle programming that made up the seventies and what makes
those like me celebrate and rhapsodize the innovation and quality of that
decade in comedy. In the meantime:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HUnUT0tgY71NHeFOOBdIYtFmncYf3R1aRWKtfNmUbQyvoo8wXcMEWgwg9EbsXVcRvr1p2KMF14WYdkza9rm650m9RzMhiUEyic2zw_vjwh-Yin5YWkkxiaSWsvInYHa3m8j5aL26Dpc/s1600/kiss.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HUnUT0tgY71NHeFOOBdIYtFmncYf3R1aRWKtfNmUbQyvoo8wXcMEWgwg9EbsXVcRvr1p2KMF14WYdkza9rm650m9RzMhiUEyic2zw_vjwh-Yin5YWkkxiaSWsvInYHa3m8j5aL26Dpc/s1600/kiss.jpeg" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b>Video Nuggets:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b>Reverend Jim's driving test:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pvn-tBeLpCk" width="420"></iframe></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b>Taxi's Lullaby of Broadway:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nqrMu1pbaNM" width="420"></iframe></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b>And the seventies ended with this:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JXroB-yhtfU" width="420"></iframe></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><b>And you didn't believe me!</b></span></div>
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-33999208043705932592013-07-27T12:30:00.000-07:002013-08-23T18:19:53.436-07:00SEVENTIES SITCOMS: 1978-1979 CABBIES, DJ'S AND ALIENS RULE. THE EDUCATION OF FRAT SLOBS; AND THE DEATH OF DISCO.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LyQ3Q9-O4vXyvEnKKD_5w9Mlbpg7JXuotRouiqBegpk7-AzzEWLc_lm9REA8oeCFTKbcWD9jwRqj3G0skqf_5DNxM7IR0brpdHLvI73tWF1-NnGTsvEly8P_YMkMJy1Nsj0qP8Dyx9M/s1600/loiue+and+latka.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LyQ3Q9-O4vXyvEnKKD_5w9Mlbpg7JXuotRouiqBegpk7-AzzEWLc_lm9REA8oeCFTKbcWD9jwRqj3G0skqf_5DNxM7IR0brpdHLvI73tWF1-NnGTsvEly8P_YMkMJy1Nsj0qP8Dyx9M/s1600/loiue+and+latka.jpeg" /></a></div>
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This was a busy year on the Paramount sound stages. Over the course of the season, Garry Marshall was producing six three camera shows (four of them huge hits) with his Miller-Milkis/Henderson Productions. Two single camera sitcoms were produced there as well. And MTM's James L. Brooks formed his own production company and moved to Paramount for his new critical landmark followup to WJM: "Taxi." With sitcoms veering towards the videotaped "family formulas" or the filmed "workplace family setups," the seventies were starting to morph into the eighties and beyond at this point. And this year saw the first large wave of talent that would pretty much shape comedy (and drama)--not only on TV but film and otherwise--up to this day. And the content of the programs--the topicality and shock value-would take a back seat to plain old entertainment, star power and family values.<br />
<br />
The main themes of the programs this season (besides the fluffy sexual fare of large leggy female ensembles) was the slob vs. snob element what with all three networks providing a light-weight version of the hit R-rated comedy "National Lampoon's Animal House" with the mindless pranks of frat house rejects substituting ignorance and brutishness ( in service of educational equality) for sophisticated class-conscious banter. Even Marshall's "Angie" approached the class issue within the context of a romantic comedy...minus the abrasiveness and obviousness he displayed in directing his mega-hit "Pretty Woman" eleven years later. The closest that sitcoms came to "commentary" was a mid season attempt about a single mother raising her baby.<br />
<br />
<b>BIRTH OF THE NEW HOLLYWOOD</b><br />
The talent coming from the Paramount comedy lot (mostly for ABC) would read like a who's who of the Hollywood power list over the next forty years--in some cases winning Oscars: Ron Howard, Brooks, Marshall, sister Penny, and Lowell Ganz would be behind the scenes as directors, writers and producers. Danny Devito and Henry Winkler would do double duty. Penny's husband Rob Reiner would team up with co-star Michael McKean and frequent guest stars Chris Guest and Harry Shearer for "Spinal Tap" leading to stellar careers for the group. Christopher Lloyd, Jim Belushi, Tony Danza, Doris Roberts and Marilu Henner would have extensive careers as character actors on screen, large and small. David Letterman, Jeffrey Tambor, Tom Selleck and a very young Anthony Kaedis would even make guest appearances. And then there's the enigma of Andy Kaufman. Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks would be gracing the studio for Henderson over the next couple of years. Billy Crystal, John Travolta and a certain pop star/famous sister were on their way with other production companies and even Steve Guttenberg made his odd quiet debut. And his "Police Academy" director Hugh Wilson premiered his classic comedy at MTM.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VhA-rGcXFTJAZZbro2qGdPwFfPqeCXKkQxnUnbkjSqmhb7a4xdU_X7t1vbae0zNh012FwhYF83RG-FdIpkTP0XE4t7XRsfMbmPSvjjaf1iCXfPNMLK9PHZ-OnNG2UjHELgH2-x-Cgn4/s1600/mork.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VhA-rGcXFTJAZZbro2qGdPwFfPqeCXKkQxnUnbkjSqmhb7a4xdU_X7t1vbae0zNh012FwhYF83RG-FdIpkTP0XE4t7XRsfMbmPSvjjaf1iCXfPNMLK9PHZ-OnNG2UjHELgH2-x-Cgn4/s200/mork.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Future Looks Bright</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And Robin Williams. Nightclub comic Williams had made a few appearances on TV up to <br />
now (including a failed "Laugh-In" revival). Marshall fell in love with the zany improvisational guru and cast him as Mork from the planet Ork in a dream sequence on "Happy Days." Well, the schizoid appearance went over so well (with an audience already sizable due to that show's popularity) that Marshall gave him his own series "Mork and Mindy" set in present day Boulder, Colorado. Of course, the previous dream sequence was re-edited to make it seem that Richie and Fonzie were actually visited by this alien in the late 1950's and he performed a mind-erasing exercise on them (as if that were necessary). So in 1978, he hooks up with Mindy (Pam Dawber) who works for a local TV station, naturally. She takes him in as she mistakes him for a priest--he was wearing his suit backward when they met in the dark. The show was written to allow Williams to go into extended manic non-sequiter rants about everything from politics to show biz to sex to religion--basically his act minus the swearing and vulgarity. And with the outer space inhabitant full of naivete and innocence his inquisitive nature was allowed to shine and lead to no penalties or shame. He would speak to Orson from his "egg" at the end of each episode to add a little more comedy insight. Over the four year run, there would be a number of supporting players but it was William's show all the way. From here his career would lead to decades of film roles--some dramatic, some very dark, an Oscar, huge box office, Disney-fied repetition with family films and a place at the table with the greats of Hollywood film comedians. It is also interesting to note that this was the first three-camera sitcom with a studio audience that had a "magical" premise. Perhaps the onlookers were laughing so hard at Williams that they didn't notice the drudgery of setting up special effects shots.<br />
<br />
<b>QUALITY FARE</b><br />
ABC was in the midst of it's ratings bonanza leaving CBS with the few Norman Lear hits (already fading in quality) and "M*A*S*H" as it's "tiffany" bulwark. Fred Silverman would leave ABC to do his magic for NBC this season creating a mess of over-budgeted, over-hyped dreck but introducing through the network a certain Gary Coleman and company as it's sole comedy franchise. And as ABC's sitcom hits were mostly of the harmless family variety or the harmless titillation genre, it did have "Barney Miller" and "Soap" as critical darlings. MTM Enterprises on CBS was producing dramas now and it's final original hit "Rhoda" was in a painful decline. James L. Brooks, the creator of "Mary Tyler Moore Show" formed the aforementioned production group, John Charles Walters Company-- at Paramount with his co-conspirators in thoughtful, intelligent comedy: Stan Daniels, Ed Weinberger, and David Davis. Glen and Les Charles came in as writers and Jim Burrows would direct. The series they made was "Taxi." <br />
<br />
Most of Marshall's output was derivative of the current New York-city based disco craze and had a strong Italian-American flavor. Travolta's "Saturday Night Fever", Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" and Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets"/"Taxi Driver" one-two punch featuring a up-and-coming Robert Deniro contributed to this as much as "The Godfather" films did in the earlier part of the decade. (Marshall would even produce a sitcom version of the Tony Manola's "Fever" saga this season). The more WASP-ish fare coming from the Midwestern settings of the MTM stable and Lear's highly urban programs featuring the lions-share of African American content were on the wane. The denizens of "Taxi" represented the new emphasis on the big-city gritty lifestyles of the Italian-Jewish melting pot that more accurately represented the backgrounds of a majority of the sitcom writers successfully working by this time. <br />
<br />
Based on an article that Brooks read in The New Yorker about cab drivers and wanting to pursue characters that were all striving for a dream while toiling in dreary jobs, the Manhattan-based series was born. Divorced Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch) was the main "voice" in the crew. He had grown daughters and was resigned to be a cab driver and his sardonic humor reflected that surrender. Tony Banta (Tony Danza) pursued a boxing career and his slightly dim-witted persona revealed the blows to the head. Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) was a struggling divorcee working two jobs as she pursued her talents pursuant to <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Last Try </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
being a well-regarded artist. Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway) had the unenviable task of being a struggling actor in a city awash with thespians. Danny Devito would create one of the most celebrated characters in TV history with his vile and cruel dispatcher Louie Depalma. Christopher Lloyd, as the "Reverend" Jim Ignotowski was the well-heeled Harvard educated man of promise who ended up burned out on drugs. And the undetermined East European character of Latka Gravas (along with his many alter-egos) would simply be a plot device (albeit a very funny one) to showcase the bizarre comedy stylings of the mysterious Andy Kaufman. The three-camera setup was filmed in a gritty, dark manner with a mellow almost tranquilizing theme music and transition score. This look provided a contrast to the bright, colorful and stagy sitcoms of the day, despite it's zany characters and sometimes broad comedy. "Taxi" would win many Emmys in all categories and represent a second wave of Brooks-created sophistication in workplace-based situation comedy. Burrows and the Charles brothers would form their own company in the next decade and create an even bigger sitcom bonanza with "Cheers." As with Mary Tyler Moore's program, a single dramatic scene (punctuated by a gentle riff on the theme music) would lead to a score with a well-timed punchline. These series never left you with an audience applauding or gasping in response to a melodramatic ending. But "Taxi" was the perfect bridge to "Cheers" in the way the characters and their almost pathological "togetherness" led to a predictable and familiar pattern rather than a distinct level of excellence that allowed the actors and the script to remain authentic and not resort to cheap laughs no matter how well-written they may be.<br />
<br />
Brooks would go on become an Academy-Award winning writer and director with more hits than misses. Devito would parlay his many Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Depalma into a very successful film comedy career in the eighties leading to his own career as director and collaborator with such luminaries as Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. He would marry Rhea Perlman who he met playing Louie's shy love interest and she too would create Emmy gold as Carla on "Cheers" playing a character not too far off from... Louie Depalma. Lloyd would become a beloved character actor in films-- blending in with each of his personalities especially "Doc" Brown in "Back to the Future" franchise. And Kaufman's bizarre short life has been chronicled in many books and documentaries, his stint on "Taxi" reenacted in the film "Man on the Moon."<br />
<br />
<b>MAKING RADIO WAVES</b><br />
With "Rhoda" nearing it's tired end this season, MTM's sole entry in the sitcom race was "WKRP In Cincinnati." Another expert workplace comedy, Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) comes to Cincinnati to revamp the Muzak-flavored, floundering radio station with an older demographic. Bumbling Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) was the station manager--his wealthy overbearing mother owned the station. Loni Anderson played the aptly named Jennifer Marlowe--the anti-Chrissy Snow if you will--who was the level-headed, beautiful receptionist and the antithesis of the "dumb blond" stereotype. Her style brings to mind no-nonsense, statuesque Joan from the sixties-set "Mad Men." Travis hired flashy and hip DJ <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9XdlxKaOSbZvWQSjxQf51FOY9qcjZ7tzDQauPJq7Cr5NhKwaOt0sYajUuDMiROt2V29CrrUBU53y_z0BSOYMxWd2iBWWIXTMs-k4B1sgf_cdg2JcYdfZucwx7E3XqHmg1_ULbcimqrg/s1600/fever.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9XdlxKaOSbZvWQSjxQf51FOY9qcjZ7tzDQauPJq7Cr5NhKwaOt0sYajUuDMiROt2V29CrrUBU53y_z0BSOYMxWd2iBWWIXTMs-k4B1sgf_cdg2JcYdfZucwx7E3XqHmg1_ULbcimqrg/s200/fever.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glenn Beck in 1978</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) for the night shift. He joined burnout Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) who spun discs at WKRP after getting fired elsewhere (for saying "booger" on the air.) Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) was the leering and scheming ad rep--hitting on Jennifer despite his married status. Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) was the inept and insecurely egotistical newsman. Bailey (Jan Smithers) rounded out the cast as the shy ingenue trying her hand at everything. The music industry was parodied in a timely and true fashion. Radio personnel would comment that the show was an accurate representation of the AM/FM life much as "Barney Miller" would be for law enforcement. The music played on the show (for editorial reasons or as part of the DJ's "work") would be extremely current and relevant. MTM chose to videotape this three-camera series created by Hugh Wilson ("Tony Randall Show"), rather than film it in order to get better rates on the song rights. The series would lose it's audience as it eventually got bounced around the schedule and never found a home. But in reruns the show would gain popularity. The comedy was sometimes hilarious, sometimes gentle, sometimes outrageous and sometimes outright farcical. Even politics was lampooned as the conservative Herb and staid Nessman would lock horns with the more laid-back and nihilistic DJ's, especially Fever.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," having been off for a year saw many of the cast members trying to branch out "on their own." Ed Asner and Gavin McLeod found success in the hit programs "Lou Grant" (drama) and "Love Boat" (romance) respectively. Betty White and Ted Knight would have unsuccessful namesake series only to return in the eighties with popular sitcom characters. Moore however decided to try variety in the fall with a highly anticipated weekly revue on CBS. Her regulars included David Letterman, Michael Keaton, Swoozie Kurtz, and Dick Shawn. "Mary" unfortunately only lasted a few episodes despite being hailed as the next "Carol Burnett Show." </i><br />
Not giving up, Moore retooled the show in the spring as an hour-long pseudo-sitcom . In <b>Mary Tyler Moore Hour </b>(CBS) she played the popular star of a variety show. She had regular characters in her life including her secretary (Joyce Van Patten), her producer (Michael Lombard), her head writer (Keaton again) and her maid (Dody Goodman, fresh from "Mary Hartman"). The background situation would be interspersed with the actual performances with the guest stars in the "show within a show," including fellow sitcom stalwarts Bonnie Franklin, Lucille Ball, Bea Arthur, Nancy Walker and Linda Lavin (who played themselves of course). Even Dick Van Dyke appeared as he and Moore revisited their sixties couple Rob and Laura Petrie in a sketch routine. Alas, the second attempt failed for Mary and she would go on to Broadway and film until the mid-eighties.<br />
<br />
<b>DIFF'RENT FOLKS</b><br />
As for Lear, his production company started a new franchise on NBC with very little input (no name on the credits). Wanting to create a new vehicle for Conrad Bain of the suddenly cancelled "Maude" and break out the pint-sized wiseacre Gary Coleman, he combined the two in "Diff'rent Strokes": Park Avenue millionaire Phillip Drummond takes in the two sons of his deceased African-American housekeeper from Harlem and raises them as his own in his ritzy apartment. The show would deal with issues of race and class but in a condescending, family-friendly way. A staple of the eighties, this taped sitcom would often veer into<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future of Comedy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
uncomfortable pathos with it's "very special episodes" usually dealing with issues that were a tad above the Brady's level of topicality. But it was basically "The Brady Bunch" of the eighties--a safe family-oriented sitcom with some lessons amidst the laughs. Bernie Kukoff and Jeff Harris who created the series for Tandem Production, didn't allow the social satire to raise above the level of a Sunday morning lecture. The comedy once again came from the antics of the diminutive "Arnold" (Coleman) as he interacted with his brother Willis (Todd Bridges) who preferred his life on the streets and his new sister Kimberly (Dana Plato), Drummond's daughter. Nonetheless, with new NBC head Silverman in charge, the show created a number of spin offs--his hallmark-- including "The Facts of Life" as new housekeeper Edna Garrett would end up working at Kimberly's all-girl prep school and stay there for over seven years.<br />
<br />
<b><u>RATINGS WINNERS (1978-1979)</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#1 Rated Program.</td></tr>
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#1. <b> Laverne and Shirley </b>(ABC). It's hard to believe, in retrospect, that this was the #1 rated program on network TV again. In it's fourth season, the girls had not had any Emmy-winning moments. Well, Laverne did talk to her mother's grave this year..... Following along with Marshall's Italian-American themes, the gang go to New York to see Laverne's grandmother and Frank tries to win a trip for her at a street festival. This leads to a greased-pole climbing contest. And that's how the season started. Other than her animal-rights crusade, Shirley got involved with an older man (Robert Alda) and was mistaken for a stripper. Laverne tried out for West Side Story (with Toni Basil as choreographer) and dated "Eraserhead" ("Cheers Paul Willson). Together the roommates go on a shopping spree, become maids, go back to school, and put on (you guessed it) another Schatz Talent Show. We meet Shirley's brother (Ed Begley, Jr.) and Laverne's grandmother. Lenny and Squiggy have way too much involvement. Jay Leno plays a date. And the Lucy and Ethel (oh, excuse me) Laverne and Shirley flashback to their move into the apartment. All good clean fun in late fifties Milwaukee. Or are we in the sixties yet? Who cares?<br />
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#2. <b>Three's Company</b> (ABC). Basically, the soft-core powerhouse continues to dominate the ratings. Things get a little tamer as audiences start to bond with the developing characters...but not much. Janet and Mrs. Roper get trapped au naturel when at a nude beach protest. Otherwise, Crissy gets a majority of attention: she falls for a self-proclaimed guru; she is suspected of being a kleptomaniac; Mr. Roper thinks that she is pregnant--one of those misunderstanding things! Speaking of Roper, his wife suspecting him of having an affair (with Ruta Lee) is the last misunderstanding they will experience with the "kids" downstairs: they spin off mid season to their own series.<br />
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#3. <b>Mork and Mindy</b> (ABC). Audiences fell in love with Robin William's Mork this first season. The alien and his down-to-earth "live-in' Mindy are getting to know each other in this first go round. But just in case audiences don't fall in line, ABC execs made sure to include Laverne and Fonzie in the first episode--Mork goes back in time to visit his buddies there..from last season. This is the strangest tie-in in the history of sitcoms. But it works as Mork strongly anchors the Thursday night lineup (as the Fonz does with Tuesday nights). In this premiere season, we see Mork fall in love with a mannequin and age himself up and <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her Favorite Orkan</td></tr>
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down (thanks to William's incredible improvisational abilities). The regulars the first season were Mindy's dad (Conrad Janis) who owns a music store in Boulder and her "hip" <br />
grandmother. Just to prove he wasn't in the fifties, Marshall added a young black character, Eugene, as Mork's confidant. The recurring players lined up ad nauseum: Robert Donner's crazed street prophet Exidor who gave Mork a run for his money in the "zany" department: he actually claimed fealty to OJ Simpson in one episode; Morgan Fairchild as Mindy's snobby friend; and later in the season Tom Poston as the grumpy near-alcoholic neighbor Mr. Bickley. All these character types were simply fertile ground for Mork's wild observations on the human race. Even David Letterman would guest as a motivational speaker, his cynical personal going mano y mano with the untarnished alien Mork. (See video nuggets for Dave.)<br />
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#4. <b>Happy Days</b> (ABC). Where you do go post-shark jump? Well, out West naturally. So the season opens with the crew travelling to a dude ranch owned by Marion's uncle and getting involved in an adventure as they try to save the ranch from falling into the hands of a crooked neighbor. Of course this ends up with Fonzie riding a bull (to save the day) and Joannie getting caught up in a runaway hayride wagon. The outdoor shots always seemed a bit out of place when edited together with the three-camera sets. But, hey, it was Tuesday night on ABC! Put your seat belts on: The Drama: Fonzie is temporarily blinded. The Pathos: Fonzie refuses to accept a Christmas gift from his estranged father. The Life Lesson: Fonzie breaks Joannie of her new smoking habit. The Intrigue: Is Richie the famous Kissing Bandit? The Coming of Age: Joannie celebrates her Sweet 16. The History Lesson: the Cunninghams recreate the first Thanksgiving (literally). The Excitement: Fonzie reveals his black belt abilities as he defends the Cunningham's honor from a snobby <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sappy Days</td></tr>
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French exchange student. The Farcical: Is Fonzie allergic to girls? The Gothic: Al gets exorcised of a demon. The mystical: Richie experiences a personality change after a hypnosis experiment. The Educational: Fonzie convinces Potsie to stay in college. The excitement: Goons threaten to take over Arnold's. The Murder Mystery: When Fonzie gets involved with the mob, his garage blows up and the Fonz, presumed dead, is the star of his own funeral attended by none other than cross-over kings Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Arnold (Pat Morita)! So by this time, Fonzie has gone from becoming a shady supporting player to the grand savior of all things Cunningham, Milwaukee, and the American Way of Life. Oh, and yes you read it right: An exorcism is performed on Al. Do I need to repeat it again? Welcome to the TV Funhouse that is "Happy Days."<br />
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Chachi and Lori Beth appear later in the season as the respective actors try their hands at NBC in another Marshall series(see below). They are back by mid season. <br />
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#5. <b>Angie</b> (ABC). In this Romeo and Juliet scenario, Gary Marshall and his Miller-Milkis group land in modern-day Philadelphia. Donna Pescow, cute as a button fresh off of her supporting stint in "Saturday Night Fever" is Angie Falco--a struggling waitress at the Liberty Coffee Shop. She meets a patron, the doctor Brad Benson (Robert Hays, soon to have a drinking problem on "Airplane!") and it's love at first sight. So this partial premiere season saw the couple elope, have their first spat and adjust to marriage. All this while condoning their battling families. Angie's Italian-American blue-collar mother (played by Doris Roberts, in her first regular starring role) and saucy sister (Debralee Scott) clash with Brad's blue blood sister and father (John Randolph). In the meantime, they have moved into Brad's expensive town home with butler in tow. In true class comedy fashion, the butler likes Angie as does Brad's young niece. Although the mid season three-camera show started strong, replacing "Laverne and Shirley" on Tuesday nights after "Happy Days," it is known more for it's cheesy Maureen McGovern theme song than it's study of class warfare. See video nuggets for the opening.<br />
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#7. <b>M*A*S*H</b> (CBS) Now entering it's seventh year of the three-year Korean War, "M*A*S*H" was still garnering stellar ratings. Margaret (as she is now called, way too frequently) is divorcing Penobscott. The 4077th deals with a heat wave, a snow storm and operates out of a cave in one episode. Father Mulcahey is a centerpiece to many stories this season. One show takes place entirely in Rosie's Bar. This year saw the famous "Point of View" installment, as the entire program was seen from the eyes of a patient. And for comic relief, Colonel Flagg made an appearance and Klinger amped up his attempts at getting a section 8...not sure if he wanted to escape Korea or the relatively staid surroundings on the Fox lot.<br />
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Alan Alda one his first directing award for the episode "Inga." In it, he directs himself as Hawkeye falls for a visiting Swedish doctor (Mariette Hartley) and has to confront his sexist attitudes toward women.<br />
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#8. <b> The Ropers</b> (ABC). At the time, many viewers were wondering how you could base a comedy show on a middle-aged couple who had sexual issues. Well, the premise behind this "Three's Company" spin-off had more to do with class wars than snickering impotent jokes. Jack, Crissy and Janet's landlords Stanley and Helen Roper (Norman Fell and Audra Lindlay) sell the the Santa Monica apartment complex and move into an upscale town home not too far away . Like it's progeny, "The Ropers" was based on a British sitcom "George and Mildred." Also like that show, the wife is constantly embarrassed by her oafish husband as they try to insinuate themselves into a higher class structure. That structure was <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello or goodbye?</td></tr>
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represented by their neighbors the snobby realtor Jeffrey Brooks III (Jeffrey Tambor) who despised his nouveau riche neighbors and his sweet wife (Patricia McCormick) and son who adored them. There was a sexy neighbor as well for Stanley to ogle over the hot tub. The episodes in this initial six week run were directly based on the British plots. And the producer Don Taffner as well as the director Dave Powers came right from "Three's Company." Even Jack's bud Larry made a guest appearance. And, as the followup to the parent show in March, "The Ropers" had incredible ratings and were primed and ready for a fall return. But......<br />
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#9. <b>All in the Family </b>(CBS). This ninth and final season served as a sort of buffer between the Mike and Gloria years and "Archie Bunker's Place." Originally, the producers were going to call the continuation of the series "Archie and Edith." But the concept stayed the same as the Bunkers ended up gaining custody of their little niece who was abandoned by her father. So the legendary barrier-breaking program was starting to be a comfy feel-good family show where you knew what you were getting. With Carroll O'Connor more in charge now than Norman Lear, Archie became a cuddly grouch (he was aging into a more tolerant character, but not completely!). And, at O'Connor's suggestion, the show was now taped without a live audience and the edited show would be screened to an audience for live responses. Thus the show had less snap, more closeups (huge closeups!) and the acting lacked the timing that a live audience requires.<br />
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Archie had to face his demons further when he finds out that little Stephanie is part Jewish. Along with the inherent dilemmas of raising a child (Stephanie steals in one episode, in another her wayward father returns in an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim her), the Bunkers <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigot Knows Best</td></tr>
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dealt with the pressures of owning a neighborhood pub. And the frequently seen Hank the bartender and Harry the barfly were a Greek chorus of middle-aged cornball wisdom as was Archie's pal Barney Heffner (Alan Melvin), whose travails with his wife (Estelle Parsons) took up a lot of screen time. Watching these veteran actors--Melvin went back to "Sgt. Bilko"--ham it up was almost a huge step backward in the evolution of the sitcoms as we have seen. Edith had a few issues as well, with an attack of phlebitis working at the bar and an assisted death at the Sunshine Home where she still volunteered. Fortunately, Isabel Sanford made a return appearance as Louise jefferson as did Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers: Archie and Edith take a trip to California only to find out that MIke and Gloria are splitting up leaving little Joey with divorced parents. So much for the family. Well, they still had Stephanie and a bunch of old drunks.<br />
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Nonetheless, O' Connor won yet another Emmy this year for his portrayal of cuddly Archie. And Sally Struthers finally won her Emmy as Gloria (after many nominations) for her performance in the multi-part California episodes.<br />
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#10. <b>Taxi</b> (ABC). This critical darling got off to a huge start it's first season, aided and abetted by it's slot on ABC's powerhouse Tuesday night line-up (oddly following the inane "Three's Company."). Whatever it takes. Although Alex was the "voice" of the show, this first season saw Randall Carver play a regular character of John Burns, a small-town boy who just didn't fit in with these rough denizens of the Big Apple (for the outsider perspective). He didn't return after this season because he didn't add any laughs to the show despite marrying a woman after one date. His replacement, Reverend Jim, would make his first appearance in a single episode where he "performs" an arranged marriage for immigrant Latka. The comedy was sharp and the dramatic moments were carefully placed amidst the laughs--mostly involving Alex: he attempts to visit his estranged kids in the first episode; he fights a return to his gambling addiction; he gets shot by a fare and rethinks his life's direction: and-- in a very poignant show--he asks out a woman based on her voice on an answering service and when she turns out to be overweight and self-deprecating, Alex shows his true humanity in a difficult situation. Class issues arise when Elaine invites Alex to an art opening with her affluent gallery comrades. The despotic Louie even breaks down and talks to God in one episode. Bobby has auditions leading to hope and despair and Tony has boxing matches leading to hope and despair. On a lighter note, Alex dates Latka's mother and has a great time. The guest stars were reflective of the show's cache: Martin Mull plays a director wanting to "capture" the cabbie experience; Jeffrey Tambor plays a sleazy Congressman who dates Elaine; Mandy Patinkin and Tom Selleck also make appearances. And Ruth Gordon--see below.<br />
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"Taxi" picked picked up it's first Emmy for Best Comedy right off the bat in it's premiere season. After all, with the MTM shows dying off, Lear's brands softening up and becoming <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex and Maude</td></tr>
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the "norm," "MASH" believing it's own press, and Marshall's pablum numbing minds across America "Taxi" was our new best hope. Also, "Taxi" won Best Actress for veteran film and stage actress Ruth Gordon still glowing in her cult status from "Harold and Maude". Her guest appearance as an eccentric older woman that Alex befriends earned her the award. This was before the "guest" categories on sitcoms.<br />
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<i>#11. <b> Eight is Enough</b> (ABC).</i><br />
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#13. <b>Alice</b> (CBS). Not much happens here that doesn't involve Mel's Diner: the diner gets robbed, Thanksgiving turkeys are stolen and Mel and the waitresses fight to get the diner back from it's unscrupulous new owner. There is a "play" and a "commercial" allowing some over-the-top theatrics from the over-the-top cast. Mostly, the show is about guest stars--not yet in the "playing themselves" mode. Up and comers Nancy McKeon (Phillip's sister--soon to be on "Facts of Life"), future burn-out Corey Feldman, future Oscar nominee James Cromwell (?), and future "Vern" Jim Varney (that's more appropriate). Plus the veterans: Gary Collins plays Tommy's principal who dates Alice; Hans Conreid plays the aforementioned new owner of the diner; Forrest Tucker plays Flo's wayward daddy; and in the first of many appearances, Martha Raye plays Mel's brash momma Carrie Sharples.<br />
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#16. <b>Barney Miller</b> (ABC). More classic episodes result from another quality season, still safely couched on Thursday nights now between "Mork" and "Soap." The 87th Precinct is visited this season by a rabbi running a casino out of a synagogue; a disorderly mime; a paranoid spy; a man with a voodoo curse; an aging Native American who wants to die in his park; a 1960's radical(Jeff Corey) who stirs everyone up with his Vietnam protestations; and a claustrophobic prisoner (Sidney Lassick). The station house put on an open house and only vagrants showed up. Leavitt gets hooked on pep pills. Deitrich saves Harris's life. Wojo gets bitten by a rabid dog. The season opens as the squad deals with a kidnapped department store owner. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLZpRJLJeSCaTW4MmvglcmmTWrxGeRYfaktYnegS1NBtEW23RY3-fm14uUoX-z_Jl1GKWBerfyYwZzhokO1VHiV0qcdEJr17rZpZd847qYpVzfcgyX0gi2q7OY_T_06hVSFJ0f1zy-f8/s1600/soo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLZpRJLJeSCaTW4MmvglcmmTWrxGeRYfaktYnegS1NBtEW23RY3-fm14uUoX-z_Jl1GKWBerfyYwZzhokO1VHiV0qcdEJr17rZpZd847qYpVzfcgyX0gi2q7OY_T_06hVSFJ0f1zy-f8/s200/soo.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Barbara Barrie returns in a few episodes as Barney and his wife Liz decide to separate due to the pressure of being married to a cop. The show steps out of the station house as Wojo moves in with his ex-prostitute girlfriend in what was to be a pilot for a "Wojo" spin-off that never happened. And, sadly, Jack Soo passed on during this season and the final show had the cast gather to share memories of working with the great character actor as he drew so many laughs as Nick Yemana, maker of the bad coffee.<br />
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"Barney Miller" finally won an Emmy: for direction (Noam Pitlik) in an episode where Harris is mistakenly shot by a rookie cop.<br />
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<i>#17. <b>The Love Boat</b> (ABC). The copycats were already coming in. This season saw the "airplane" version of the light romantic comedy with guest stars: "Flying High" on CBS. Featuring three stewardesses this series already hearkened back to 1971--just with skimpier outfits. And, as part of Fred Silverman's grand re-branding of NBC, the over hyped "Supertrain"--a comedy-mystery probably playing upon the hit film "Silver Streak." "Supertrain" is considered one of the most expensive, biggest flops ever on network television.</i><br />
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#18. <b>One Day at a Time</b> (CBS). What's happening to Ann and her growing daughters in the fourth season? Well, Ann loses her child support as her ex is having financial difficulties (with a new wife) and later in the season she dates a married sportswriter. Flowering Barbara vies for rock star status with Julie as they battle over a rock star (Greg Evigan). Barbara's boyfriend Cliff is the father of a child by one of Barbara's girlfriends. And, as what happens to young girls who are blossoming, Barbara gets her nose broken by an errant door leading to much anxiety a la Jan Brady. With Mackenzie Phillips in and out of episodes due to drug issues, Valerie Bertinelli took center stage this season as her misadventures working in a fast food restaurant with friend Bob were chronicled. On the home front J. Pat O'Malley plays an aging tenant who holds the family hostage when he is evicted and Steve Franken plays a master pianist who sets up musical shop in the Romano household when his instrument is mistakenly delivered there. Jay Leno plays one of many dates in a very prolific year for Jay Leno appearances as a date. And, finally, Nanette Fabray makes her first appearance as Ann's mother.<br />
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#19. <b>Soap</b> (ABC). The hubbub over this serial parody's subject matter died down as audiences realized it was actually funny and pretty harmless in it's new Thursday night time slot. The season starts with Chester admitting he killed Peter Campbell--letting Jessica off the hook. So Chester escapes from prison with convict Dutch (Donnelley Rhodes) and they hide out in the basement of the Tate house. Dutch falls in love with Eunice Tate then gets captured. Chester escapes and then loses his memory, exhibiting multiple personalities until he returns to discover a brain tumor has caused the murder and the memory problems. Jessica has an affair with the daffy detective (John Byner) she hires to find Chester. Corinne, pregnant by the priest, marries him much to the ire of his mother (Doris Roberts) who puts a curse on them both before she dies. And the season ends with an "Exorcist" parody as the baby turns out to be a demon from hell. Son Billy joins a cult, the Sunnies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest</td></tr>
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As for the Campbells, Burt is blackmailed by his receptionist Sally when, thinking Mary is having an affair with her night school professor, gives in to her advances. Danny is forced into the marriage with mob daughter Elaine (Dinah Manoff) and eventually falls in love with her before she is killed. Burt and Danny track down and find the killers before Burt has a "close encounter" with a UFO. And gay son Jody actually gets his girlfriend pregnant and decides to marry her before she leaves him and he falls in with a lesbian (Randee Heller) who helps him raise the baby.<br />
<br />
Nothing happens to the Tate butler, Benson. But he is the only sane member of this crew and Robert Guillaume wins an Emmy for Supporting Actor for holding his own amidst the craziness with well-timed retorts and a good amount of common sense. Next season, he will have his own show and remain sane amidst the real loonies in the political world.<br />
<br />
#20. <i><b> Dukes of Hazzard </b>(CBS).</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9IgL-LjyAuL7S2SeyV9GjDIc23zOOXoMJFhQR4FPZxUHWquYlnMbTE2tl6qr39On0IizEt_N_Hki5janA_vVdRSYZKvILH2Uwjxo6gq2Fj6IWZ6HFs1kAHWFos05sG8mTQrWHHyl378/s1600/stockard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9IgL-LjyAuL7S2SeyV9GjDIc23zOOXoMJFhQR4FPZxUHWquYlnMbTE2tl6qr39On0IizEt_N_Hki5janA_vVdRSYZKvILH2Uwjxo6gq2Fj6IWZ6HFs1kAHWFos05sG8mTQrWHHyl378/s200/stockard.jpeg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so Mary.</td></tr>
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#26. <b> Stockard Channing in Just Friends </b>(CBS). CBS chiefs fell in love with Broadway and film actress Stockard Channing after her winning turn as Rizzo in the film version of "Grease" starring "Kotter" star John Travolta. So they offered her a show mid-season, <br />
hoping to turn her into the next Mary Tyler Moore. So where Mary couldn't be a "divorcee," Channing's character could so "Susan Hughes" leaves her failed marriage in Boston and heads to LA where she works in a Beverly Hills Health Spa. Her boss (Lou Crisculolo) is a fitness-freak Jack Lalaane type and her zany co-workers are played by Sydney Goldsmith and underground comedy superstar Gerrit Graham. Mimi Kennedy played the snobby sister who tried to get Susan out of this meager existence. So with a lot of network push and a cozy post-Bunker Sunday night time slot in the spring, Channing's TV debut went quite well. But.....<br />
<br />
<br />
#27. <b>Diff'rent Strokes</b> (NBC). In it's premiere season, with a mid-fall launch, this series put NBC back on the map in it's post-"Sanford and Son" sitcom drought. The first season launched the storyline that would continue for seven more years. There were many episodes dealing with the culture clash between the Park Avenue Drummonds and the new Jackson brothers from Harlem in their household. The show started out with some sharp laughs what with Gary Coleman's catchphrases and facial expressions catching on early. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling Peacock.</td></tr>
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The "very special episode" syndrome had not started yet (unless you count the one where Arnold fakes bed wetting to get attention). Lawanda Page made a welcome appearance as did other sitcom vets Jack Riley and, even Elinor Donohue as Drummond's girlfriend. And "Diff'rent Strokes" set a record by having a retrospective episode no later than the middle of the first season's run. Fred Silverman, new to NBC from his success at ABC, decided to parlay his success of the spin-off model right off the bat to his new hit. Thus the housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) visits daughter Kimberly's all-girl prep school upstate and decides to stay and become a nutritionist. That allows the matronly Garrett to become a de facto Mom to a lot of privileged young women and, for four summer tryout episodes, teach them--<br />
<b>The Facts of Life</b> (NBC). There are a lot of regular characters at the genesis of the show (we will go into that in the next chapter) and it's a bit top-heavy. But the social lessons start right off the bat as snobby Blair accuses a tomboy of being gay. Robert Alda (very busy this year) plays Edna's ex-husband in one episode. Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon from Carol Burnett's series created the series and wrote most episodes during it's early run.<br />
<br />
#29. <b>What's Happening!! </b>(ABC). This is the final season of the show, thanks to the many demands of the cast--especially Fred Berry as the popular Rerun. And it would be the last time a lower middle-class African-American family would be featured in a high rated TV program with The Jeffersons on their way back up and Bill Cosby re-emerging in the eighties with a whole new paradigm for the black experience. And the ratings were helped when ABC put the show back on Thursday nights (post-"Mork") rather than move it around the schedule. Mama is not around (she has a night job) so waitress Shirley--with a larger role in the show this year--moves into the house with Dee providing the domestic laughs. Roger and Rerun have moved into an apartment and Dwayne (still in high school) lives with his politician father. The season starts out with Rerun entering a disco contest of course. Some new characters are introduced: neighbors in the apartment include Big Earl and Little Earl, a white detective and his son (with a crush on Dee) whose sole purpose seemed to be to add some diversity and possibly to show racial harmony. Future comedian John Witherspoon appears as a DJ at a party. In one strange episode, the guys fantasize about being characters in "Three's Company" and "Happy Days"--talk about a weird cross-over stunt. And the season ends with the cast doing a benefit show for a teen center. That probably involved Rerun dancing. The cast would return in the mid-eighties for a syndicated three-year run. Berry would only remain for the first year of "What's Happening Now!"<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>RETURNING SERIES </u></b><u>(in alphabetical order)</u></div>
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<b>Carter Country</b> (ABC) The satire of racial politics was pretty much removed in this second and final season. Roy ran for mayor against Burnside and the station house experienced an encounter session. Clinton Corners was visited by a hurricane and a stranded Soviet Ballet company seeking asylum. A young Melanie Griffith makes a couple of appearances as a cub reporter in the small town. Towards the middle of the season, Roy's mother and a young runaway (Kyle Richards) become recurring characters. And the series, which was unceremoniously bounced around the schedule (not helping the ratings) ended with Deputy Baker planning to marry Lucille. Oh wait, no. It ended with the cast "putting on a show" for the Clinton Corner Follies. Just as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Good Times</b> (CBS). Esther Rolle returned for the final season as the producers promised to upgrade the quality of the scripts. No word on what happened to her new husband Carl--she just returns. Winona and Penny (Janet Jackson) now lose the spotlight but there is a story arc where Penny's mother tries to get her back. The main story thread this season involves Thelma (Bernadette Stanis) meeting and marrying pro football player Keith (Ben Powers). Well, Keith ends up with a career-ending injury (thanks to JJ) and has to drive a cab. This leads to a drinking problem in one episode. JJ and Florida both experience unemployment. JJ decides to teach art independently (and takes a back seat due to Rolle's influence) and still is involved with low-lives like Sweet Daddy Williams (Teddy Wilson). Florida ends up driving a school bus, leading to one dramatic show dealing with a hearing-impaired child. Single episodes involve Michael deciding to shack up with a white girl and Florida experiencing a nightmare free clinic visit. Sheryl Lee Ralph plays JJ's girlfriend and Bubba Smith makes early guest appearances as Sweet Daddy's crony. But with the low ratings and scheduling mishaps, the final episodes are burned out during the summer as all turns out well for the Evans clan: Kieth is miraculously cured and goes back to a high paying football job. He and Thelma can afford to move out of the projects and take Florida with them. They just so happen to be neighbors again to Winona and Penny in their new digs. And JJ gets backing to feature his superhero creation in a comic book! Sadly, no one was paying attention by this time.<br />
<br />
<b>The Jeffersons</b> (CBS). This series was falling victim to chaotic scheduling as well but garnered enough viewership to extend it to next season where it would flourish in a new Sunday night spot. This season however, saw Lionel and Jenny disappear while the Willis's son Alan became a new regular. George got to call him a "zebra" as well....but whereas Jenny was black, Alan was white. So for this one season, George had a different sparring partner in the activist-minded college student. And the few times the show had serious themes, they just segued into silliness and farce as when Louise gets mugged resulting in amnesia or when George experiences impotence. Otherwise, silliness ensues when George getting disco fever or Louise taking a nude painting class. This season had Louise and Helen actively involved in the help center and George dealing with real estate issues--being Stan to Tom's Ollie. And Billy Dee Williams makes a guest appearance--as himself, pre-Lando!<br />
<br />
<b>Operation Petticoat</b> (ABC). It is hard to understand why the network brought back this WWII-era single camera show about sexual tensions aboard the pink submarine. They changed show-runners (Bernie Kukoff and Jeff Harris) and the entire cast save two. The new leads were played by Robert Hogan, Randolph Mantooth and Jo An Pflug. Jim Varney was one of the holdovers. Bad sign. Four episodes into it's second season, it pretty much sunk.<br />
<br />
<b>Rhoda</b> (CBS). Sadly this series--with it's royal pedigree-- just limped along during it's final year. After being slightly revived the previous season by a decent time slot and Julie Kavner's Emmy, CBS paired "Rhoda" with "Good Times" on the now-dead Saturday night schedule in a lame attempt to bring back the "Tiffany" magic. Only five years later, the shows were already fondly remembered for better times. Once again, sister Brenda got the juicy focus with her relationship with Benny heating up--they ended up near marriage at the end of the run. Benny's brother (George Wyner) would pursue Rhoda who was still working at Doyle's Costume Shop. Her co-workers there never really caught on, even with the addition of Valley Girl-like Nancy Lane. Rhoda continued to play straight-man as Ida decided to reunite with her husband Martin leaving their older daughter as the only character on the show with no laughs and a possibly un-romantic future. A very sad farewell to the last of the original MTM sitcoms.<br />
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<b>Welcome Back, Kotter</b> (ABC). Speaking of Travolta, he was billed as "Special Guest Star" in his dozen or so appearances on the show this year. With "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" now buring up the box office and redefining the movie musical and "Urban Cowboy" in the works, producer James Komack was lucky to get Vinnie Barbarino at all. In his absence Komack brought in a dapper charming Sweathog from the south (Beau played by Stephen Shortridge) in an extremely unlikely scenario reeking of desperation. Kotter became vice-principal this year allowing Gabe Kaplan to limit his screen time as well. Wife Julie, however, became a secretary at the school giving her the de facto duty of raising the motley group of thirty-year old students. The season opened with a slapstick outing where the group attempts to work part-time in the hospital where Vinnie Barbarino is an orderly and where Julie's now-motherless twins were born. During the season, suicide and alcoholism were addressed; the Sweathogs inadvertantly screen an X-rated film; and Horschack actually ties the knot. Barbarino featured prominently in the Travolta shows: he has an apartment now and even delivers a baby in an episode. But he couldn't deliver ratings in this fourth and final season where the Sweathogs found themselves scheduled on a Monday night. The first night of school.<br />
<br />
<b>HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE FOR SITCOMS BASED ON DISCO? NOT VERY.</b><br />
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<b>Joe and Valerie </b>(NBC). The mid season return of this short comic/musical mini-series was even shorter than the previous run. Only a couple of episodes for the disco-obsessed lovers to get married. Arlene Golonka ("Mayberry RFD") took over the role of Joe's mom this time. </div>
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Even hit-maker Garry Marshall, teaming up with the producer of "Saturday Night Fever" (Robert Stigwood) and using actual Bee Gees music from the film couldn't save</div>
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<b>Makin' It</b> (ABC) In this version, David ("He's a pepper") Naughton played Billy Manucci the part-time college student who worked at an ice cream parlor by day while reigning supreme on the dance floor at night. This one focused more on Billy's relationship with his carousing brother (Greg Antonnaci) and his childhood buddies. In this way, it resembled Paramount's previous "Busting Loose." That's no surprise, with that show's creators Lowell Ganz, Mark Rothman and Joel Zwick at the writing table. Billy's large Italian-American family also played a large part in the proceedings, with his mom (played by Tony Manero's actual sister, Ellen Travolta) reuniting with his dad. Denise Miller ("Fish") played his little sister. Set in Passaic, New Jersey, the three camera filmed series definitely reflected the urban film-centric grit of the New Hollywood--Billy even tried to pull off being Al Pacino in one episode. With Stigwood on board, the series actually had license to use the popular songs which defined the film and the era. Unfortunately, the disco sensation was already wearing thin and this was the only failure coming from the lucrative Miller-Milkis/Henderson on ABC this year. On the bright side, Naughton did release his own hit disco single based on the theme and title of this show while selling lots of Dr. Pepper. He would eventually get eaten by a werewolf. See video nuggets for the theme song.<br />
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<b>Flatbush</b> (CBS). CBS was smart to avoid the heavy influence of the dance club in it's version of the urban Italian street punk sweepstakes. So they just put the punks in. Adrian Zmed led the cast of young actors playing the five Brooklyn high school graduates who formed a benign street gang called the Flatbush Fungos. Charming. Who wasn't charmed? The Brooklyn borough president who had this embarrassment yanked after a few episodes due to offensive stereotyping. Lorimar produced this single-camera fiasco.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oooh. Bad Move.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>OTHER NOTABLE PREMIERES:</u></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Who's Watching the Kids? </b>(NBC). Garry Marshall finally put his Vegas showgirls to rest after this final attempt to capitalize on the "t &a" phenomenon. To recap: he made adjustments to his "Happy Days" spin off "Blansky's Beauties" starring Nancy Walker by dumping her and the kids (Scott Baio et al), moving to NBC and from the 1950's to 1978, focusing on the showgirls at the Club Sandpile and amping up the sexual content. This high-rated pilot was called "Legs." So by the time he premiered the Paramount three-camera series this fall he changed the name and brought the kids back--borrowing Baio again from "Happy Days" and adding a bumbling Las Vegas news anchor (Larry Breeding) and his schlubby camera man (Jim Belushi) as neighbors who often were tasked with looking after the younger siblings of the two showgirls played by Caren Kaye and Lynda Goodfriend (both patient holdovers from all versions). But Chachi and Lori-Beth (Baio and Goodfriend) were back in 1950's Milwaukee by January. This series was known for kickstarting the career of Jim Belushi, who's ill-fated brother John was making comedy history on "Saturday Night Live" and the film "Animal House." Also, look for future music icon Anthony Kaedis in a small role.<br />
<br />
<b>FRATHOUSE FOLLIES IN THE FAMILY HOUR:</b><br />
And with "National Lampoon's Animal House" breaking all comedy box-office records in movie houses across the nation during the summer 1978, the networks couldn't pass up an opportunity to cash in--maybe a little more successfully than their disco ventures.<br />
<b>Delta House</b> (ABC). This was the only actual true spin-off from the John Landis movie with Matty Simmons, Ivan Reitman and the National Lampoon people behind it. Universal backed the single camera series and brought in hip Lampoon scribes such as John Hughes and Carl Gottlieb to contribute. The setting changed very little from the film: 1962 at Faber College where the pranksters and miscreants of the Delta House fraternity were a bane to the existence of Dean Wormer (John Vernon, reprising his role) and the snobby Omega <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belushi-lite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
fratboys. Rather than try to re-cast Belushi's outrageously rude Bluto Blutarsky, Josh Mostel came on board as his younger brother Blotto. Also reprising their film roles were Stephen Furst, Bruce McGill and James Widdoes as Flounder, D-Day and Hoover respectively. With the series being limited by the boundaries of a laugh-track family-hour sitcom, the sexy stories never really could go as far as the R-rated movie in raunchiness. This allowed the show to parody other elements of the time-frame such as bomb shelters, draft notices and the Cold War--which "Happy Days" covered more benignly in it's early years. But the pranks never hit the ribald territory audiences expected--switching letters on the frat house and tormenting a house mother were as wild as it got--and that affected the ratings. The show did well enough to return but was too expensive to produce what with the talent in front of and behind the camera. In recurring roles were Gloria Dehaven as Mrs. Wormser and future movie starlet Michelle Pfeiffer as "The Bombshell" possibly fore-shadowing her roles in "Hollywood Knights" or maybe "Grease II."<br />
<b>Brothers and Sisters</b> (NBC) The NBC version was basically the same show, just set in the present day and sporting a three-camera setup with a studio audience. The Paramount series featured Chris Lemmon (Jack's son) as "Checko" the leader of a group of, yes, troublemakers, living in the basement of the Pi Nu house known as Le Dump. William Windom played the dean of the Crandall College and Mary Crosby was one of the female regulars (targets). Ron Leavitt and Brian Levant who worked with Marshall on "Laverne and Shirley" and "Makin' It" (and later would create "Married..with Children") would create this series for Paramount. Surprisingly, Marshall was NOT involved in this. Also premiering mid-season with "Delta House", this one also ended mid season.<br />
<b>Co-Ed Fever</b> (CBS). CBS premiered it's videotaped version right after the much-hyped premiere of "Rocky" on national TV. And that's as far as it got. One episode. At least the plot was a little changed up. The all-girl college started admitting males. And shenanigans start. So there you go. Future TV star Heather Thomas and future film star David Keith were regulars.<br />
<br />
So basically, the R-rated "Saturday Night Fever" and "Animal House" did not quite translate well to the small screen in a sitcom format. Another popular big-screen comedy however had a bit more juice but not much.<br />
<b>The Bad News Bears</b> (CBS) Jack Warden took the Walter Matthua part and Tricia Cast played the Tatum O'Neal role in this small-screen version of Michael Ritchie's satire on the Little Leagues in Southern California. But once again the novelty of a group of misfit, multi-ethnic, foul-mouthed, and crude kids being coached by an alcoholic pool cleaner was muted by the restrictions of family-hour TV. Leavitt would once again take the reigns for Paramount in adapting the film to this single camera comedy--assisted by veteran comedy director William Asher ("Bewitched"). The mid season replacement did well enough to return for a small run next season.<br />
<br />
<b>An interesting take-away from this is how the raunchiness that was "sanitized out" of the sitcoms would be considered more than fair game on today's network television. However, the topicality that was inherent in Lear's comedy would be untouchable, uninteresting or politically incorrect on most televised offerings today.</b><br />
<br />
Norman Lear attempted to reclaim some of his magic during the season with a couple of premieres.<br />
I<b>n the Beginning</b> (CBS). This was the second attempt for McLean Stevenson to warm to America's heart after his winning turn as Henry Blake in "M*A*S*H." Lear basically cast him as a conservative priest running a ghetto mission in Baltimore with a liberal nun (Priscilla Lopez, from Broadway and "A Chorus Line.") Jack Dodson (from Mayberry) played the monsignor. So Lear had a chaste version of his "All's Fair" from a couple of years ago. There were plenty of 'colorful" street characters to balance the ecumenical setting but the cultural clashes between the father and sister didn't interest audiences enough and the videotaped show was cancelled post haste. Even pop star Rick Springfield playing a threat to the sister's avocation didn't help stir things up.<br />
<b>Hello, Larry</b> (NBC). Lear didn't give up on Stevenson though. His production company Tandem produced this vehicle on a different network. This time, our harried star played a radio talk show host who gives advice but can't control his own family (sound familiar?). After a divorce, Larry Alder moved from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon with his two <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Help! Get me off this crazy thing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
teenage daughters (one a tomboy played by Kim Richards). With two producers from "One Day at a Time"--Dick Bensfield and Perry Grant--and the problems a single parent has raising two teenage girls (the pill, losing the virginity) the show seemed like a male-centered version of the Romano family. Even Shelly Fabares played Larry's ex in a few episodes. But Larry balanced the chaotic home life and his work at the station with his liberated producer (Joanna Gleason) and his comically obese engineer. New NBC chief Silverman decided to apply his clever ABC cross-over gimmick here: As a follow-up to the new hit "Diff'rent Strokes" (also produced by Tandem), it was deemed advantagous to have tycoon Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) buy the station so he and Gary Coleman could make a convenient appearance on the show. So, "Hello, Larry"--deemed one of the worst shows ever--was nudged into a second season based on this strategy.<br />
<br />
<b>Apple Pie </b>(ABC). Just as "Diff'rent Strokes" was designed to showcase a post-"Maude" Bain, Lear adapted this show for Bain's previous co-star and "wife" and best friend to Maude (Vivian) Rue McLanahan. Lear didn't court controversy on this one: Based on the play "Nourish the Beast" by Steve Tesich, McLanahan played Ginger Nell Hollyhock, a hairdresser in 1933 Kansas City who decides to create a family by advertising in the classifieds. A con-man (Dabney Coleman) answered the call for husband and Jack Gilford played the blind (literally) candidate for her father. The teenagers were characters right out of "You Can't Take it With You." This period comedy was a strange premise for a videotaped Lear sitcom and it barely lasted a couple of episodes in the fall. Lear stalwart James Cromwell and Ken Berry (more at home here) made guest appearances. Peter Bonerz (Jerry the dentist) directed.<br />
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So Lear found new showcases for Bain and McLanahan as they were written out of the final season of "Maude." The main character was going to leave New York and become a Congresswoman in Washington DC. Only before the fall season, Bea Arthur decided she was tired of the role and dropped out. Using the same supporting characters of Maude's Capitol staff, Lear brought back John Amos ("Good Times") as an ex-football star who runs for office: "Onward and Upward." Amos however wasn't happy with the production and Lear shot another pilot with Cleavon Little ("Blazing Saddles") playing the African-American Congressman: "Mr. Dugan." This version was considered too racially offensive in Lear's post-race world. So, in an act of desperation, Lear retooled the cast and setting once again: <br />
<b> Hanging In </b>(CBS) Bill Macy (who played Maude's husband, Walter) returns to the sound stage but as an ex-football star who is now a university president for public relations reasons. So the congressional staff (featuring Barbara Rhoades and the very recently departed Dennis Burkley) is now the staff of the Office of the Dean and the four episodes that aired at the end of the summer dealt with the hilarious tribulations of higher-education fund-raising. Actually not that far off from the legislative world. And thus ends the saga.<br />
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<b>The Baxters</b> (Syndicated). Lear took his concept of examining social issues to the extreme with this experiment. Based on a series in Boston created by a divinity student, Lear created a Hollywood version. Basically, the first eleven minutes was a sitcom about the Baxter family. It dealt (as most Lear shows did) with a topical or controversial subject inherent in raising kids or being an adult in 1978 America-- a post-Bunker America I might add. The final half of the show would revert to the local studio affiliate where a host would question a studio audience about what they just saw and how they would handle the issue. In a way, by embellishing this concept, Lear also had a prescient vision of reality TV and interactive dialogue which would be a staple of the medium up to today. Sadly, today's "opinions" and "viewer comments" are mostly scripted, vulgar and uninformed.<br />
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<b>Miss Winslow and Son </b>(CBS). Since Lear was falling short in the topicality department, it took another production team to shake things up a bit in this mid season replacement. <br />
Darlene Carr played a single mother who just gave birth to a baby. Roscoe Lee Brown <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rabbit died.</td></tr>
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played her stuffy neighbor in the New York brownstone who sometimes assisted with the baby and gave sage, sarcastic advice. Of course, her high-class family were aghast at this development. This was adapted from a British series (aren't they all) and TTC, the company that adapted "Three's Company" for American audiences was behind this less sexy but more edgy videotaped series. At this point, the sitcom has come a long way, baby, from Mary Richards.<br />
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<b>WKRP In Cincinnati </b>(CBS). Speaking of Mary, MTM's sole half-hour sitcom entry this fall was this classic. The show had enough critical acclaim and fans to make up for the lackluster ratings it received in this first season. Audiences got to know the beloved characters this first season--probably more than they wanted. There were some standard work-place sitcom scenarios: a tornado hits the station; a baby is left on the doorstep; a hostage situation occurs on a live remote. But, the dark humor inherent in the show (DJ's deemed it extremely accurate) started to rear it's ugly and hilarious head. Johnny Fever leaves the station on a lark and is replaced by a cocaine abuser. New DJ Venus Flytrap is revealed to have a double life as an Vietnam deserter. Newsman Les Nessman attempts to jump off a ledge after being labeled "gay" by some sports figures. The station's resident "reverend" is fired for misleadingly hawking junk on his show. And in one of the funniest moments in 70's sitcoms, bumbling station manager Arthur Carlson comes up with the misguided promotion of dropping turkeys out of an airplane on Thanksgiving Day. His reply after the disaster: "As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly." (See video nuggets for this scene.) Hoyt Axton made an appearance as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe's ex who threatens to take her back. And Herb Tarlek, always hitting on the buxom yet sensible Jennifer, decides to leave his dowdy wife.<br />
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This series provided a good foreshadowing of the culture wars that would dominate politics <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orwell in a plaid sportsuit.</td></tr>
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(and talk radio) to this day. The show opens with a group of older listeners protesting the change to a rock and roll format. At one point this season, Herb, with his polyester suit and salesman's swagger educates simple-minded Les, with his bow tie, about the differences between "us", the upstanding, responsible ones and "them" the laconic, value-less DJ's: the "suits" versus the "dungarees" as he puts it. In other words: "red" vs. "blue." <br />
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<b>13 Queens Blvd. </b>(ABC) Bud Yorkin ventured into the large ensemble sitcom with this entry from his TOY Productions. Popular film and Broadway actress Eileen Brennan and sitcom stalwart Jerry Van Dyke led the cast of characters that made up the residents of a Queens garden apartment complex. Van Dyke was the only male character as females rounded out the group: Marcia Rodd, Helen Page Camp and Frances Lee McCain. This spring tryout series, premiering post-"Ropers" to decent ratings, returned to burn off episodes in the summer but never returned.. The series, with Nancy Walker directing some episodes, was marketed as an "adult" comedy--read: sophisticated--but that was a dying art form.<br />
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<b>Dorothy</b> (CBS) Another popular Broadway veteran played the lead in this summer series. Dorothy Loudon, who gained critical raves for creating the role of Miss Hannigan in the musical "Annie" came to TV as a showgirl turned music and drama coach at a prestigious all-girl's school. Of course, her brash ways offended many of the parents and faculty. Linda Manz (of Terence Malick's "Days of Heaven") would play one of the students in this videotaped entry from Warner Brothers. With Madelaine Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. behind the taped production and John Rich directing, the short run didn't allow all the experienced talent to find an audience.<br />
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There were many mid-season replacement series in spring of 1979 starting a trend in short-run spring series replacing short-run fall series--none of which get a chance to find it's audience. Among the spring replacements were some extremely high-concept sitcoms, hearkening back to an earlier time on television before the advent of "relationships" on standard television.<br />
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<b>Detective School...One Flight Up</b> (ABC) James Gregory--, who had been expertly playing cranky but lovable Inspector Luger on "Barney Miller"--was cast here as Nick Hannigan, the owner of a low-rent detective training school. Unfortunately, his motley crew of students including the zany Taylor Negron as Silvio and Lawanda Page ("Aunt Esther") as Charlene would get the class involved in actual murder investigations. Producers Bernie Kukoff and Jeff Harris would bring back Randolph Mantooth and Mindy Naud from their failed "Operation Petticoat" reboot earlier in the fall. The series was taped but I doubt a live studio audience was used by the nature of the set requirements. The prime time slot right after "Three's Company" on Tuesday nights insured that the summer show would return in the fall.<br />
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<b>Turnabout </b>(NBC) John Schuck and Sharon Gless would headline this single camera fantasy sitcom about a husband and wife who inhabit each other's bodies due to a magic statue. Of course, with Schuck being a sportswriter and Gless a cosmetics executive, the sexual stereotyping was rampant in this role-reversal shtick. Universal produced with Sam Denoff and William D'Angelo producing. D'Angelo had just recently produced some fantastical sitcoms for Saturday morning and wasn't too far off here except for the slightly blue humor related to "being late" and possible pregnancy. Writer Stephen Bochco ("Hill Street Blues") added some class to the project. Rick Springfield, making yet another sitcom appearance this year, did not.<br />
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<b>Highcliffe Manor</b> (NBC). Alan Landsburg produced this Gothic serialized series that seemed like a cross between the newly appreciated "The Addams Family" and the current hit "Soap." Euginie-Ross Leming created the taped series (and played a character as well) that drew well upon the trappings of the macabre thriller. Shelly Fabares played the widow who inherited the mansion, home of the Blacke Foundation, where he inhabitants--all creepy and sinister (some were actual monsters)--were trying to do her in. Interestingly, future Ghost Buster Ernie Hudson would be a recurring character.<br />
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<b>Billy</b> (CBS). This mid-season show was based on a 1960 play called "Billy Liar." Billy worked in a funeral home and spent most of his time daydreaming. And this series would chronicle those daydreams vividly a la Walter Mitty. His mother thought he was a chronic liar but Billy knew better. John Rich was behind this single camera sitcom from 20th Century Fox. And 80's film legend Steve Guttenberg would play the 19-year old lead.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before CGI.</td></tr>
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<b>Waverly Wonders</b> (NBC). Right before Fred Silverman took the helm at NBC, the network tried to prove just how low it could go. The special effect in this high-concept show was casting NFL superstar Joe Namath as a high school history teacher slash basketball coach. <br />
It was brilliant casting as the character knew nothing of history. And, of course, a la "Bad News Bears" his team was a group of misfits with an outstanding girl player, an attractive female principal and a nemesis played by Ben Piazza (he of the film "Bad News Bears"). But this taped series lasted a month on the fall schedule and Namath's no-nothing educator, who was forced to teach, said more about the crumbling educational infrastructure than did any Norman Lear tutorial<br />
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Even though Maude got out of the game, politics still played a part in sitcoms.<br />
<b>Hizzoner</b> (NBC) David Huddleston, who must have owned stock in NBC, got to try his hand at yet another short-run taped summer sitcom. This time he was a happy-go-lucky Midwestern small-town mayor --a widower of course--who was too naive for his own good, except when he wasn't. He would even break into song and dance occasionally. His hippie son and civil rights attorney daughter (played by Walter Cronkite's daughter, Kathy) contrasted with "Hizzoner"'s conservative ways.<br />
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<b>Grandpa Goes to Washington</b> (NBC) This was one of those rare hour-long sitcoms. Jack Albertson played an retired political science professor who gets elected to Congress in a special election when the incumbent is caught up in a stripper scandal and his opponents are caught up in corruption schemes. Of course, he uses his old-school honesty and low-level cronies to get things done for his constituents. Larry Linville provides his trademarked brand of comic relief as his boneheaded military son and Sue Anne Langdon plays his daughter-in-law and mother of his many grand kids.<br />
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Where are these two guys when we need them?<br />
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There were a couple of syndicated pseudo-sitcoms this season which add nothing to the discussion and are here for obsessive-compulsive completion purposes only.<br />
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<b>The Beach Girls</b> (Syndicated). I will go to my deathbed convinced that I saw this show at 6:30 during the syndicated half-hour before prime-time in San Antonio, Texas. It was a videotaped sitcom with live-action segments about a bunch of bikini-clad girls that lived and played on the beachfront. I cannot find any information on this show anywhere on the interwebs. If I am wrong, then my imagination was much more powerful than I thought and the influence of "Jiggle TV" on a high school sophomore was extremely powerful.<br />
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<b>Hee Haw Honeys</b> (Syndicated) was basically an extension of the "Hee Haw" franchise. Three country girls that worked at a country diner had Hi-larious situations and introduced Nashville musical acts that were much more impressive than the sitcom portion of the simple-minded show. Kathie Lee Gifford (known then as Kathie Lee Johnson) was one of the honeys along with Misty Rowe. Gailard Sartain and Loulou Roman would reprise their "Hee Haw" characterizations for this series.<br />
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So beach bunnies and corn pone humor were a great representation of what the seventies would end up with after a decade of insight and investigation. Lear tried to delve further into the issues of the time with "The Baxters" but bikinis and banjos would prevail.<br />
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And banjos would play an even larger part as this season saw the mid season premieres of "Dukes of Hazzard" (CBS) and "BJ and the Bear." More on this topic in the next segment, but these comedy/adventure shows would set the tone for a return to the rural humor that was effectively dismantled when Mary and Archie and Fred hit the airwaves in the early seventies.<br />
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Video Nugget:<br />
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Funniest scene this year:<br />
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David Letterman and Robin Williams, 1978:<br />
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Cheesy Successful Garry Marshall Theme #1:<br />
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Cheesy Successful Garry Marshall Theme #2<br />
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Timeslot TNT:<br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-2005983089639311322013-07-13T15:05:00.000-07:002015-12-24T11:56:06.255-08:00SEVENTIES SITCOMS: 1977-1978. THE RAUNCH REVOLUTION AND THE FIRST SHARK JUMP<br />
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The 1977 fall season could be considered "the beginning of the end" in regards to the quality sitcom programming of the era. But it depends on how one defines "quality." If you define it by a respect for the viewing public, you will bemoan the previous loss of the Mary Richards, the impending demise of "Bob Newhart Show," relish in the ratings resurgence of "Barney Miller," or feel redeemed by the resurrection of James L. Brooks into the three camera sitcom world the next season ("Taxi"), you may be lacking with a glimpse of hope for the future. If you define "quality" by prurient content, sappy resolutions, pandering catchphrases and audience-pleasing contrivances then you will be satiated by the immediate popularity of "Three's Company," the comfortable safety of Gary Marshall's 50's world, and the fading repetitive topicality in the Norman Lear universe and thusly witness the pinnacle of prime-time network comedy achievement. And then there's "Soap."</div>
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<b>THE SILVERMAN SPOON</b></div>
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A history of seventies sitcoms is a history of Fred Silverman. As a programmer for daytime TV for CBS in the late sixties, Silverman championed the "superhero/mystery solver/breakfast cereal" tropes of Saturday morning kid's TV. After being promoted to programming chief in 1970, he proceeded to "cut down the trees," cancelling many old rural favorites and replacing them with sophisticated and daring urban fare. As we saw at the beginning of this blog series, that resulted in the MTM and Lear blockbusters. He also pioneered the concept of "spin-offs," creating even more ratings gold for CBS. For example, "Good Times" was a twice removed spin off of "All in the Family" and it knocked Marshall's sweet, nostalgic homage "Happy Days" off the ratings map in it's second season. So when he moved to ABC in 1975 (a move covered mightily by the press), not only did he bring "Scooby Doo" with him, he changed the dynamic (again) to focus on sensationalism, reliability and star power. It is unfair to focus on the "T and A" aspect of Silverman's strategy: he was responsible for the mini-series format--namely "Roots"--and for trying to launch a new vehicle for critical darling Nancy Walker. But when he made the bra-less Farrah Fawcett a worldwide poster child for, well, posters, he found his new strength: youth, excitement, and sex. And with a safely-neutered (figuratively speaking of course) street punk being highlighted along with a manic studio audience, "Happy Days" retook the Tuesday night crown from the pseudo-reality of ghetto life in "Good Times."</div>
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<b>SHAKE AND AWE: THE NEW TWIN PEAKS OF ABC COMEDY.</b></div>
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By 1977, Silverman had cemented the Fonz, Laverne and Shirley and Vinnie Barbarino in pop culture iconography. In doing so, he wrapped up the family/youth market leaving only JJ and the Cooper girls for CBS's teen fandom. But in 1976, producer Aaron Spelling brought Fawcett and "Charlie's Angels" to ABC, altering the tastes of discerning viewers and pre-teen males (like myself). It wasn't good enough to be on the cover of TV Guide. The stars of the new programs must also grace the front of "Time," "Teen Beat," and "Playboy." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first official jiggle </td></tr>
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Don Nicholl, Bernie West and Michael Ross Americanized the saucy British sitcom "Man About the House" much as Norman Lear had done with "Til Death Do Us Part": "All in the Family" which the three writers had worked on previously to conceiving "Three's Company."<br />
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Unlike Lear's offerings, one will never find a dramatic moment or pregnant pause in the antics of Jack, Crissy and Janet. The "nervous breakdown" of the decade was taking hold: Vietnam and Watergate were fading from the headlines; civil rights studies were moving off the book shelves to make way for in-depth studies of the "me" generation and the resulting disco craze. And five years earlier, "Deep Throat" broke box-office records and ushered in the middle-class fascination for pornography. This new lifestyle phenomenon, part of the swinger culture, ushered in "porno chic." "Normal" citizens were now experimenting with mind-opening drugs, pot being the least controversial. Soon in 1978 "Debbie Does Dallas" would create more buzz for this new liberated art form. "Three's Company," with no nudity, no overt sex and no pulsing techno soundtrack gave audiences a safe outlet for their<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thinking inside the box.</td></tr>
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opening libidos and pharmaceutical experimentation through innuendo and Suzanne Somer's bouncing assets and tight shorts. Has anyone examined the subtle hints through the characters names? John Ritter as Jack "Tripper." Somers as Chrissy "Snow" (a missed opportunity for an excellent porn star name). Joyce Dewitt as Janet "Wood." And to make the show more relatable to the poor schlubs at home--after all, who gets to live in a swinging Santa Monica apartment complex during the era of free love?--the landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Roper (Norman Fell and <br />
Audra Lindlay) are a sexually frustrated wife with her "non-interested" husband. And in order for the extremely heterosexual Jack to co-habitate with sensible Janet and ditzy but hot Crissy, he has to convince the Ropers that he is gay. A modern parlour comedy. Allowing audiences to feel as they are watching "adult" material even though the sophistication and intellectual stimulation was, well, lacking.</div>
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I can remember the controversy this season when the "surging" ratings (sorry) allowed "Three's Company" to be paired with a new show that was being condemned by pretty much every special interest group, especially the Moral Majority. When a sitcom is criticized by both gays and Catholics you know you've reached the mother lode of satire. Writer Susan Harris ("All in the Family") teamed up with Tony Thomas and Paul Junger-Witt (her husband) to create "Soap." Although their previous collaboration, "Fay," was controversial in it's own right, it failed to capture any attention in 1975. But that wasn't the case with "Soap." The take-off on soap operas, what with the multiple story lines dealing with mostly sex and murder, outdid Lear's "Mary Hartman" in terms of public outrage and private outrageousness. And it was a hell of lot funnier. Actually, it was pretty much the funniest show on TV at the time. And that was it's saving grace. So after the "adult content" warnings (one of the few since "All in the Family" did it six years earlier) and the local ABC affiliate's relocation to the 9:30 (C) time-slot right before the nightly news (if not outright refusal to air) and the protests about inaccurate portrayals of homosexuality and offensive portraits of Catholic priests, the show settled into it's audience to become an extremely well-acted, well-written comedy appointment. All four seasons saw a continuing serial format with the announcer reviewing the previous week's events and commenting on next week: "What will happen to...?" "Well, find out on next week's episode of ..."Soap!"</div>
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A comedy goldmine: Two sisters--Jessica Tate (Katherine Hellmond) and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon). The Tates: philandering husband Chester (soap vet Robert Mandan), daughters Corinne (Diana Canova--offspring of Judy) and Eunice (Jennifer Salt--offspring of Waldo), son Billy (Jimmy Baio) and sardonic butler Benson (Robert Guillame). The Campbells: insane husband Bert (Richard Mulligan), mobbed-up son (Ted Wass), ventriloquist step-son with extremely sarcastic dummy (Jay Johnson) and, in his first major television role, Billy Crystal as gay son Jody. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best. Cast. Ever.</td></tr>
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Not shabby at all. Although the critics defined their opinions of the show by the level of shocks, it is only now that those who appreciate good comedy can see the high level of quality in the no-holds-barred writing and performances. Most of the time the laughs come from the characterizations and isolated situations rather than the topicality itself (unlike a lot of Lear's output). The show seems almost quaint now, but still funny. And allowing the drama--there was some--to blend with the laughs rather than jolt the audience into a moral position, "Soap" never took itself too seriously. And there was nary a bra-less jiggle in sight.</div>
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Speaking of Lear, this was the final "real" season of "All in the Family." Mike and Gloria would leave Archie and Edith at the end of the year in a powerful finale. The series would continue it's exploration of controversial themes (including the notorious episode where <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So long, kids.</td></tr>
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Edith fends off a rapist on her fiftieth birthday) while showing signs of it's age with self-conscious directing (mostly by Paul Bogart) and less-crispy dialogue. Archie and Edith would continue a few more years and the series--with less direction from Lear and more from star Carroll O'Connor--would ramp up the pathos and sentimentality and ham-fisted acting and (gulp) even add a cute kid.</div>
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<b>Oh, and brace yourself--somebody jumps a shark this year</b>.</div>
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<b><u>RATINGS WINNERS 1977-1978</u></b></div>
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#1. <b>Laverne and Shirley</b> (ABC). At the pinnacle of it's popularity, this series offered no more than slapstick antics. For example, the girls get attacked by a giant robot at a toy store. There were parodies of "Airport" and TV wrestling. There was a cruise ship adventure. There was a talent show (courtesy of Schatz Brewery). And another retrospective. Lenny found out he was in line for the Polish throne. Laverne trains as a cop. Frank and Edna's relationship heats up. Fabian makes an appearance just to remind us we are still in the fifties. Lonely Laverne dreams that she and Shirley end up with Lenny and Squiggy. The most topical the show got was when Laverne tries to save Buttercup the horse from being shipped to a glue factory. And there was some sweet drama to cut the craziness: Lenny dates Edna's mentally challenged daughter. There would be more bit part appearances by Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Along with Michael McKean ("Lenny"), it is amazing that so many elements of the future Guest film company ("Best in Show," "Waiting for Guffman") would gestate from this high-rated inanity. Even Rob Reiner, who would start the trend with "This is Spinal Tap" was married to star Penny Marshall, a future director herself, at the time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">History is Made!</td></tr>
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#2. <b>Happy Days</b> (ABC). Fonzie jumps a shark in the opening multi-part episode. That's right: This is where the "shark jump" comes from. And it accurately represented the trend: a show having hit it's peak and going downhill fast. Like it's spin off above, "Happy Days" was a huge ratings hit but offered no more than sitcom silliness and cheap thrills. In this story arc, Fonzie (a superhero by this time) goes to Hollywood for a James Dean-style screen test. He fails but Richie ends up with a contract (sort of apropos considering Ron Howard's future reign as Hollywood royalty). And through some convoluted plot device, Fonzie ends up jumping over sharks--a tribute to the "Jaws" phenomenon no doubt--on water skis. Sadly, he makes it. That gives him a chance to be more human: when Richie falls into a coma from a motorcycle accident, Fonzie prays and cries. It was a request from educator groups that Fonzie show more emotion. And, as opposed to Norman Lear using extreme close-ups and uncomfortable coughing from studio audiences, Garry Marshall loved to ramp up the saccharine by adding sentimental music to sappy scenes. But it must have been effective--ratings never nosedived even though the sharks were unfed. He even dated a ballerina to show how sensitive he could be. And as a sign of the contrivances involved in maintaining a hit series, Fonzie actually ended up on a jury with Howard "Mr C." Cunningham in a "Twelve Angry Men" take-off. Milwaukee's not that small of a city.</div>
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Richie, Potsie and Ralph actually got a lot of attention this season. Starting college, they would pledge a fraternity, date college girls, and live in a dorm but end up sharing an apartment together. Richie moved back home and that provided a segue to a Potsie and Ralph Malph spin off that never materialized. (Another spin off would come next season, though....see below). Richie became enamored of investigative journalism. And Erin Moran's little sister Joannie started coming of age. She shows her rebellious side when she wants to join Leather Tuscadero's all-girl rock band. Oh, did I mention Suzi Quatro as Pinky Tuscadero's reform-school little sister? The tough gal would share the leather jacket mystique with Fonz. She even sang a ballad while Richie recovered from the aforementioned tragedy, backing up Fonzie's soul-searching chat with God. This ain't your daddy's "Lords of Flatbush". Other guest stars popping up would be Danny Thomas as Howard's retired cop dad (a nod to the era) and Dr. Joyce Brothers as herself (definitely a nod to 1977). Even Morgan Fairchild made an appearance as a snob. And an unknown nightclub comic named Robin Williams would be introduced to mass audiences as an alien from another planet in a dream that Richie had. The alien's name was Mork. And the episode would be re-edited to take the "dream" ending out for obvious reasons. Mork would need to reappear in 1978 in Colorado so he could anchor Thursday nights on ABC. So it's obvious that "Happy Days" was barely hanging on to it's authentic charm in reflecting the depicted time frame of the late fifties and delving into audience pleasing stunts and stretches of credulity.</div>
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Also this season audiences meet Chachi Arcola played by Scott Baio. A slightly less threatening version of Spike from previous seasons, Baio would join the ranks of teen heartthrobs for playing a shaggy seventies-era post-pubescent confused youth in a sitcom set in the clean-cut fifties. And Lynda Goodfriend would join the cast as Richie's main squeeze ("sweet knees") Lori-Beth. Both Baio and Goodfriend would jump over from Miller-Milkis's previous flop "Blansky's Beauties" and end up going back to Vegas next season on NBC on the Garry Marshall Vegas showgirl-themed merry-go-round. The pilot for that show, called "Legs" had an hour long pilot premiere this season as NBC tried to complete on the "scantily-clad" sweepstakes. The airing had good enough ratings to return with a slightly more family-friendly format and a different title in the fall of 1978.</div>
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#3. <b>Three's Company</b> (ABC). The soft-core antics would abound as this series returns from it's successful tryout run last season. In keeping with the general themes of the new lifestyle: Crissy is mistaken for a prostitute; Mr. Roper ends up in bed with Jack after a wild party; neighbor Larry borrows a 16 mm projector to screen a porn film (it turns out to be something else); Mrs. Roper inadvertently grows a marijuana plant from some seeds that the kids give her; Jack may have gotten his girlfriend pregnant; Crissy dates a married man. But in a break from the mindless sex humor, we had mindless situational humor as when the roommates babysit a parakeet or get stuck with an actual baby. Although Gidget is long gone from the beachfront property, her TV dad Don Porter makes an appearance as Jack's scheming uncle and Loni Anderson appears as Jack's ex-girlfriend. In another nose-thumb to propriety, audiences meet Crissy's dad--the Reverend Snow.</div>
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#6. <b>All in the Family</b> (CBS). This was the final season with Mike and Gloria. The show would never be the same without them. After seven years the Meathead--Archie's motivation for his small-minded stubbornness--would leave the premises with "Little Goil" and grandson Joey when a teaching job becomes available in California. The last few episodes, chronicling the misunderstandings and misplaced priorities inherent in such a huge familial upheaval, awkwardly revealed the camouflaged father-son dynamic between Archie and Mike. Just as sentimental--earlier in the season when the two get locked in a cellar and get drunk together--Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner provide a heart-tugging two-act play about Archie's father and how that dynamic informed the closed-minded Bunker mindset. This episode, somewhat jarring by it's emotional immediacy, was another example of the soon-to-be departing hilarity of the long-lasting series. See video nuggets below. On a lighter note, one episode re-enacted the circumstances surrounding Mike and Gloria's first meeting bringing the show full circle.</div>
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The Bunkers certainly didn't hold back this season. Unemployed Archie buys Kelso's Bar but forges Edith's signature in order to get the loan. Archie gets hooked on pills to ward off depression. Mike and Gloria have severe marital problems. A local branch of the Klu Klux Klan threatens to burn a cross in Archie's front lawn. Edith finds out that her Cousin Liz was a lesbian. Archie's bar gets robbed during the Superbowl. When transvestite Beverly laSalle is brutally murdered by thugs, Edith loses her faith in God. In one of the most harrowing episodes, Edith fends off an attempted rapist on her fiftieth birthday. With all the drama, reviewers were comparing "All in the Family" to the live television anthologies of the fifties. The laughs were there but the tragedies were never ending.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q6aO7rsxW4Y41P2quH_O9G8rJo_iJDytW2llScBfDibe8rtg78HsTTPFp4J4o2jjN94uYTOly9cFwVhXjJBGlFsIwWAJLTqpzM62akT5P6LtsHLhn6ciCp3X-eVrmNEpi_Xn8deeT4I/s1600/edith.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q6aO7rsxW4Y41P2quH_O9G8rJo_iJDytW2llScBfDibe8rtg78HsTTPFp4J4o2jjN94uYTOly9cFwVhXjJBGlFsIwWAJLTqpzM62akT5P6LtsHLhn6ciCp3X-eVrmNEpi_Xn8deeT4I/s200/edith.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Audiences felt the pain with the Bunker's as they willingly rode the roller coaster of life with them over the past seven years. So they were forgiving when the producers offered up <br />
melodrama in the service of character development and thematic resolution. "All in the Family" swept every category of comedy Emmy's this year, except supporting actress. Jean Stapleton, who we sadly lost during the writing of this blog, rightly won another award for the "50th birthday" episode which also won the directing honor for Paul Bogart (a frequent director this season). The episode dealing with Cousin Liz won for Best Writing. And Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner both received followup acting trophies, most likely for the touching bonding incidents spread throughout this emotionally revealing year.</div>
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Now nested in his new Sunday night time slot, Archie would once again anchor a successful night of comedy. The formats would change and the show would become less daring. By the end of this season for all intents and purposes, the groundbreaking sitcom was beginning it's slow wind-down to mediocrity.</div>
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#8. <b>Alice</b> (CBS).Nesting with "All in the Family" on Sunday, "Alice" was granted better ratings allowing it to build an audience despite it's rather spineless comedy. Along with it's rural setting (suburban Phoenix), the show was becoming a throwback to the silly comedies of yesteryear (at least on CBS) what with Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. of "I Love Lucy" brought on as show-runners and William Asher ("Bewitched") providing some creative duties. Davis and Caroll would continue through most of the long run, making "Alice," like "Laverne and Shirley" a step backward from the thought-provoking and challenging material that defined the seventies sitcom. Guest shots by Morey Amsterdam, Desi Arnaz and even George Burns (as God, of course) couldn't help but celebrate those days of yore this year. Still staying true to it's setting, Native Americans played a large part in the plots this season as Mel's Diner was said to be sitting on sacred burial ground and when a local tribesman predicts an earthquake in the neighborhood. Plus Jerry Reed and Burton Gilliam would pop in to add some bucolic flavor. There was an episode dealing with gangsters and Flo dates an Arab sheik in another. Dangerous food additives were a topic for one show adding a little bit of topicality. The relationship between Alice and her son Tommy was already taking a back seat to the wacky goings-on at the Diner with the customers, Flo, Vera and Mel. Speaking of customers, it is this season that comedy veteran Marvin Kaplan plays Henry--one of many diners that provide a borscht belt Greek chorus to the shenanigans rather than an appropriate interstate trucker contingent--reflective of the bi-coastal comedy roots of the veteran writers on board now.</div>
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#9. <b>M*A*S*H</b> (CBS). Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds were no longer involved in the show by now. Larry Linville was replaced as the foil by the aristocratic Charles Emerson Winchester played by David Ogden Stiers. Alan Alda took creative control of the show. And "M*A*S*H" is no longer a funny satire with bursts of tragedy but a weekly commentary on war that is long on melodrama and leaving comedy to the cute cookie-cutter quips and observations. Hot Lips Houlihan (Loretta Swit) becomes "Margaret" reflecting her new found humanity and feminism as she deals with the problems in her new absentee marriage. Hawkeye is less prankster and more of an existential Chekhovian figure as he falls in love with a Korean villager and actually has a tryst with Hot Lips (excuse me, Margaret) as they are trapped behind enemy lines. And the series begins it's standard "three-story" format, usually allowing one for comedy and two for hard-hitting medical or psychological dramas. For example, this season the 4077th deals with a disfigured soldier contemplating suicide, a patient getting hooked on morphine, a hostage taker in the surgery tent demanding to be sent home, and a stolen batch of much-needed penicillin. Sort of like "Medical Center" or maybe even "ER." Winchester jumped into drama right off the bat when he became addicted to pep pills in his new environment. But to be fair, "M*A*S*H" didn't forget it was a sitcom thanks to Klinger's antics (wearing a dress less now), Radar getting a tattoo, Hawkeye and BJ refusing to shower until Charles gives up the French horn, a mouse race, and the M*A*S*H Olympics. Even old sitcom hands such as George Lindsay ("Goober") and Bernard Fox ("Bewitched") paid visits to add laugh track levity. Keye Luke and James Cromwell also made appearances this season. Father Mulcahey (William Christopher) would become a major regular player and Johnny Haymer would begin appearing as the scheming Sgt. Zale. Midway through this season, M*A*S*H would move to Monday nights where it will dominate the ratings for the next five or so years.</div>
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#10. <b>One Day at a Time </b>(CBS). The season starts with multi-parters of Julie having a serious relationship with an older man (Jim Hutton) and ends with Julie moving out of the apartment to go into the fashion world. In between, she allowed little sister Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) to experience "the facts of life." Barbara came into her own this season as she is constantly torn between sweet guy Bob and not-so-sweet guy Cliff. She even runs off with Bob to a hotel room to prove her independence. Barbara gets into multi-part territory as well with story involving a clingy girl friend who threatens suicide. She also has a lot of activity at her high school (Alice Ghostly provides support as a counselor) as she witnesses vandalism and commits forgery on a poetry assignment. And Ann, celebrating her 35th birthday this year, gets some action with a race car driver. Her workplace, Connors and Davenport ad agency, provides a setting for many episodes as she competes with new nemesis Francine (Shelly Fabares) in many feminist-related story lines.</div>
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<i>#12. <b>Eight is Enough</b> (ABC).</i></div>
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#13. <b> Soap</b> (ABC). So what happens the first season? Jessica is having an affair with Mary's step-son Peter Campbell (Robert Urich). So is daughter Corinne...and many others. At the end of the season, Jessica is found guilty of his murder. But she didn't do it. Corinne does hook up with a priest (Sal Viscuso). Jody's rocky relationship with a closeted professional athlete leads to an attempt at a sex change, an attempt at suicide and an attempt to fall in love with a straight woman (Rebecca Balding). Eunice is secretly dating a married congressman (Edward Winter). Danny tries to leave the mob but must kill his step-father Burt to do so. He fails but must date the mob boss's daughter, Elaine (Dinah Manoff). Burt is institutionalized and he experiences impotence with Mary. Chester is playing around on Jessica. Inga Swenson plays a woman intent on blackmailing Jessica. And Benson won't answer the door. Confused? You won't be......on the next season of "Soap." Guests throughout the courtroom proceedings include Gordon Jump and Howard Hesseman (soon to be on "WKRP"), Eugene Roche, Charles Lane, Harold Gould, Sorrell Booke and William Daniels.<br />
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<i>Norman Lear's soap satire, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" continued it's nightly syndicated run a third and final year this time without the title character played by Louise Lasser. Most of the rest of the cast returned for "Forever Fernwood" including Dabney Coleman and a red-hot Mary Kay Place. Shelly Fabares, Shelly Berman and Orson Bean were among the new cast members. Martin Mull and Fred Willard returned in the summer with their hilarious talk show parody, this time renamed "America 2-Nite" taking place in a boring Los Angeles suburb so bigger name guest stars could be featured. Mull and Willard interviewed themselves in the final episode.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Plot Device</td></tr>
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#<i>14. <b> The Love Boat</b> (ABC) This hour-long series set on a vacation cruise ship to Mexico, created by Aaron Spelling, was basically a sitcom wrapped around various light romantic comedies with huge weekly guest stars--from current TV hits to past movie matinee idols. The hour long show usually involved three stories: a regular crew member in a comedic situation; a regular crew </i><i>member involved with a guest passenger in a comedic or light romantic situation; and two guest passengers in a melodramatic situation, usually romantic or maybe dangerous. I won't classify this as a sitcom due to it's anthology-like format and it's episode length-it's been compared to "Love, American Style" with recurring characters. It did have a chuckle track interspersed in the appropriate locations. The crew? Fresh off "Mary Tyler Moore Show" was Gavin Macleod as the Captain. Sitcom stalwarts Bernie Kopell and Ted Lange were the ship doctor and bartender respectively. Fred Grandy was the chief purser and newcomer Lauren Tewes was Julie the cruise director. This show would go on to become a cultural experience adding to the escapism and mindless fantasizing inherent in the eighties. Plus lots of shots of two-piece bikinis to placate the "new" new audience demographic.</i><i><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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#18. <b>Barney Miller </b>(ABC). At some time, maybe this season, Danny Arnold's marathon taping sessions involving major rewrites up to the last minute led to the show no longer being taped before a studio audience but shot and screened for an audience for live responses. You could tell in later years how the series had a twice-removed feel to the background laughter. As a result, the pacing was a bit off but just as funny nonetheless. Also, like "M*A*S*H" the series would rotate between three co-existent story lines.</div>
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Arthur Deitrich (Steve Landesberg) becomes a regular this season. Fish appears in a few episodes before officially "retiring" into the second season of his own sitcom. Lt. Scanlon (Jack Murdoch) of internal affairs would start making appearances this year. The stationhouse would be bugged and at one point the precinct would have a hostage situation. Another show had the crew trapped in the 12th precinct during a blizzard with a rotting corpse inside. Among the "guests": a man charging a sperm bank with murder after losing his specimen; a woman who wants her husband arrested for rape; a ventriloquist with an out of control dummy (a big thing this year); owners of a mom and pop porno shop; a stubborn numerologist; a survivalist who has liquidated all of his assets into gold; a TV copycat criminal; and a militant environmentalist. Wojo would experience a UFO sighting and share is sexual problems with Barney. As for Barney, he would get shot much to the dismay of wife Liz (Barbara Barrie makes a return appearance for this arc). Barney also ventures off-set to quell the tenants of a condemned hotel who will not move out. And in another metaphysical incident (like the werewolf last year), a prisoner is sure he is seeing ghosts in the squad room.</div>
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#25. <b>Rhoda</b> (CBS). Moving to Sunday with the other established sitcom hits helped "Rhoda" get back on the grid this season. The show was all over the map again though, still falling victim to too many characters and settings. Of course, Ida and Martin have returned from their trip as Nancy Walker's two sitcoms on ABC failed the previous season. Brenda was dating two men, Gary and Benny, and still working her bank job. So with Ida providing plenty of neurosis and shy Brenda blossoming into a social butterfly, Rhoda--now officially divorced and spending this season on many blind dates such as nightclub singer Johnny Venture-- was left as a third wheel and a good listener in the comedy department.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Educating Brenda</td></tr>
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Now that Brenda was becoming "Rhoda" to Rhoda's "Mary," the producers decided to saddle Rhoda with a new job and a crusty middle aged boss. Character actor Kenneth McMillan as the owner of the Doyle Costume Company provided plenty of grumpiness but he was definitely not leading man material. Pairing him with Valerie Harper, even in platonic circumstances, just reeked of desperation and audiences just didn't care at this point about him or Rhoda's wacky co-workers at the shop.</div>
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Julie Kavner, known to a new generation of TV viewers as the voice of "Marge Simpson" would even come into her own as an Emmy winner, taking home the Supporting Actress Award this season for her embodiment of the less-frumpy Brenda Morgenstern.</div>
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#28. <b>Welcome Back, Kotter</b> (ABC). With John Travolta's big screen breakthrough in "Saturday Night Fever," his character--Vinnie Barbarino--was featured more prominently as when he instigates a tirade from a gym teacher who, as a result, suffers a fatal heart attack. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flopsweathog</td></tr>
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And the producers took advantage of his dancing prowess by having him compete in a talent show against a...girl! But Vinnie's occasional absence allowed the other Sweathogs(now entering the eleventh grade--right) to experience some large-scale melodrama: Horschack joins a religious cult and Freddie gets on painkillers. Gabe also experienced some drama as the twins are born and he contemplates leaving the teaching profession to go into stand-up comedy. Oddball student Carvelli (Charles Fleischer) makes a few appearances this year ,and in a nod to the future, the Sweathogs get a tutoring session from a computer. Of course, with ABC in the throes of a sexual revolution, even "Kotter" had it's share of lasciviousness: Epstein paints a nude picture of Julie on a school wall; Hotsy Totsy (Debralee Scott) who left school turns up dancing in a strip club; and an attempt is made to introduce a sexy new Sweathog, Angie (future Playboy Playmate Melonie Haller) but someone shot the idea down before it took hold. I suppose that she was too tough for audiences, who were perhaps expecting a "sweet-hog." Sorry.</div>
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#29. <b>On Our Own</b> (CBS). This new series from David Susskind, taped and set in New York City for Time-Life, held it's own on the newly successful Sunday night lineup. But despite the decent ratings, it was only on this one season. Two secretaries, played by future film star Bess Armstrong and future writer/director Lynnie Green, would get promoted at the Manhattan Ad agency where they work to copy righter and art director respectively. Despite a cast of Broadway actors--future Designing Woman Dixie Carter was a regular--the concept of two inexperienced "girls" making it on their own in the big city was rather cliche by this point as audiences were expecting more "Laverne and Shirley" and less "Mary Richards" in their comedy these days. It is interesting to note that another future film star, Danny Aiello, would make an appearance in one episode.</div>
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<b><u>RETURNING SERIES (in alphabetical order)</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwCZF6WPsKaoX9tRR5-PF0vMbADxoGLpfalZJ9cH_QPzRcV2PLpoAork3LukeWQCvlXhmbbXEkOtqV_oVU8HoAwGdj9IJAR_wlh_KCGEYbnN7ONQIcQENliNOdAYvvlztDAthRkNRFyk/s1600/condo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwCZF6WPsKaoX9tRR5-PF0vMbADxoGLpfalZJ9cH_QPzRcV2PLpoAork3LukeWQCvlXhmbbXEkOtqV_oVU8HoAwGdj9IJAR_wlh_KCGEYbnN7ONQIcQENliNOdAYvvlztDAthRkNRFyk/s200/condo.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Bob Newhart Show</b> (CBS). Sadly, the Hartleys reach their final year. The season starts with Bob and Emily moving into a new condo in the same building and ends with Bob finishing his book and accepting a teaching job in Oregon. They managed to pull off having no cute kids in six whole years. Bob and Emily do experience a dream sequence detailing what their lives would be like with other more successful partners. The producers find a rather politically incorrect way to add some ethnicity to the lily-white cast by having Bob regularly counsel a group of ex-cons. Patients Carlin (Jack Riley) and Peterson (John Fiedler) would get more attention this season. Guest stars would range from the experienced (Ralph Bellamy, Mildred Natwick) to the up-and-coming (Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild). Newhart, however, was tired of weekly grind and preferred the grind of touring and Vegas shows. As a result, Bob's appearances would be limited to phone calls from remote hotel rooms. That left Emily as the main character as she dealt with school politics (in her new assistant principal job) and became involved in the patient's lives (as when she pretends to be Carlin's wife at a school reunion). The laugh quotient was lowered due to these changes.<br />
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The show would never fail to provide gentle, honest laughs up to the end, much like it's predecessor, "Mary Tyler Moore Show." The next time we see Bob and Emily together it will be twelve years later when Bob wakes up from a bad Vermont-based dream. Come to think of it, they are not in Oregon when that occurs. Hmmm. But still no kids... that we know of.</div>
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<b>Busting Loose </b>(CBS). There is not much information on the second season of this show. Adam Arkin is still living away from his overbearing parents, still working in a shoe store and still hanging around with his childhood chums. He also still lives next door to a voluptuous escort. This year though he has a steady girlfriend and her name is "Jackie Gleason" (that joke has worn thin by this time in sitcom-land). The show barely made it through December in it's sophomore season but continued on with a sequel of sorts:</div>
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<b>Ted Knight Show</b> (CBS). Lowell Ganz and Mark Rothman kept the premise of the escort service from "Busting Loose" and had Ted Knight (fresh from seven years as Ted Baxter) play Roger Dennis, the mothers-boy/ladies man owner of the business. Knight may or may not have played the role in the previous series (it's hard to dig up information on this) but there were no spillover characters from "Busting Loose." And in true late seventies fashion, there was a mix of personalities and backgrounds representing the girls doing the "servicing."</div>
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<b>Chico and the Man</b> (NBC). Sadly, this series should have ended after the tragic demise of it's star, Freddie Prinze. But NBC decided to keep the franchise going by having Ed Brown returning from a trip to Tijuana with Louie (Scatman Crothers) and finding an eleven year old Mexican orphan, Raul, in his travel trunk. Conveniently, he adopts the boy and calls him Chico: "You're all Chicos to me," he says. The show takes a dark turn when Raul is caught going through the original Chico's belongings and Ed goes haywire, breaking up the guitar belonging to his long gone friend. It's sad that this moment of honesty even had to take place as the series just hung on with silly plots with the "family hour" cute kid and guest appearances by the usual sitcom suspects: Al Lewis, Alice Ghostly, Ted Cassidy. Della Reese continues her role (Ed even proposes to her drunk in one episode) and Charo becomes a semi-regular as Raul's aunt, ramping up the quality quotient. And producer James Komack couldn't forget that 1977 marked a time of nubile fascination so at the last minute he added the character of Monica, Ed's niece coming to LA to pursue an acting career (naturally) and move into Chico's old room. She gets story lines involving a sleazy bar job, a scantily-clad car wash, and a female biker gang. So much for Chico--either one for that matter.</div>
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<b>CPO Sharkey</b> (NBC). Don Rickles returns as Sharkey in October to replace the failed</div>
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"Sanford and Son" reboot. (See below). He now has a loud and angry male commanding officer replacing the kinder female one from last season. She is replaced as the only female character in the show by Sharky's new girlfriend, Natalie. Audiences see more of Sharky's soft side this year as he hides a pregnant Mexican woman from the INS in the barracks. And NBC continued to rip off ABC's sexual revolution when females were allowed in the barracks creating a co-ed situation on the naval base.....and the resultant leering and misunderstandings. It is interesting to note that when Sharky goes off base to find his charges in a bar brawl, the band playing is The Dixies--marking the first appearance of an actual punk rock band in a prime-time network TV show.</div>
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<b>Fish </b>(ABC). In the sophomore season of the "Barney Miller" spin-off, now-retired detective Phil Fish experiences many personal problems, adding to the travails inherent in raising a group of wards. For instance he gets arrested, gets in financial trouble and gets a widower (Erika Jong) lusting after him leading to marital discord. In keeping with the ABC themes of promiscuity, the teen Jilly (Denise Miller--gathering a male teen following of her own) posed nude in one episode and requested birth control in another. But the greatest irony involved an episode where Fish found his name in the obits: star Abe Vigoda is still alive to this day and has been rumored demised on and off for the past thirty years! He would appear on "Barney Miller" sporadically over the next couple of years, but the cancellation of "Fish" would pretty well end the era of the droll "Fish."</div>
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<b>Good Times</b> (CBS). Although the ratings dropped this year, this season is infamous in pop culture trivia. Audiences are introduced to Penny played by future pop star and "wardrobe malfunctioner" Janet Jackson. Here's the story: Esther Rolle decided to leave the series due to the stereotyped portrayal (and celebration) of the "JJ" character. So Florida Evans has left for a year-long "health" excursion with her new atheist husband Carl (who has an incurable medical condition). So basically, neighbor Winona (Ja'net Dubois) becomes <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Super Bowl</td></tr>
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the de facto mom to the Evans clan. In a multi-part story arc (with plenty of drama), Winona befriends the young neighbor, discovers that the little girl is physically abused by her mother, confronts the mother (who leaves) and proceeds to adopt Penny. All in the course of a few episodes! But as long as Alice Ghostly plays the social worker, there will be a few laughs along the way. Winona will play a central role in many episodes with her department store job, her many romances and balancing both with a new, unexpected daughter who even has issues with kleptomania.</div>
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And what about the Evans? Well, Thelma becomes a playwright and dates a young parolee in her college life. Ralph gets involved with CB radios where he discovers one of his new friends behind the "handle" is disabled. JJ, sillier than ever, dates a married woman and has a dream where he is white. Plus in a Rashomon-like flashback episode, the family argue <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What'you talkin about, Florida?</td></tr>
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over who burned the sofa. And, of course, the "let's put on a show" episode involved saving a local day care facility. Just as well that Esther Rolle was gone. Guest stars included future sitcom stars Robert Guillame and a very young Gary Coleman.</div>
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<b>The Jeffersons</b> (CBS). Gary Coleman also made an early appearance here this season before his stint as Arnold Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes." With the exception of the heartwarming episode dealing with George secretly sending money to the family in Harlem for Christmas or the political satire when George and Louise are arrested as looters during a blackout, "The Jeffersons" started it's decline into farce: George gets a bust made of himself; an ant farm breaks on the expensive living room carpet; and George's old navy pal has a sex change operation. Louise, who started her volunteer <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What'you talkin' about, Jefferson?</td></tr>
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work at the help center this year, had a rough ride: the season opened with a multi-parter where Louise is supposedly kidnapped and held for ransom and later she and George get tied up by burglars. The burglar idea could have been more insightful but instead it was just a frame for a "clip" episode as the couple reminisced on their past life together.</div>
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<b>Maude</b> (CBS). In it's unintentional final season, "Maude" still didn't hold back on the controversial themes. With Lear's "All's Fair" only being a one-season wonder, the political humor had to be dished out in this series: Maude is annoyed by an overzealous ecologist; one of her real-estate clients is involved with the mob; Arthur fights the opening of a gay bar in the neighborhood; and her Ethiopian foster child is the son of a former dictator. Also, Maude sees a UFO and experiences an obscene phone caller. Maude's housekeeper du jour this season is Victoria Butterfield (Marlene Warfield) from Jamaica and a few <br />
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episodes dealt with her cultural battles with her conservative father (Roscoe Lee Browne). Even grandson Phillip had a few highlights as he found himself with an older girlfriend and fending off his hypocritical grandma when he leaves on a camping trip with another girl. Arthur and Vivan have doubts about their marriage and Walter finds himself competing with Maude in the business world. Plus the dark humor reared it's ugly head, especially in two episodes: In one Maude is the beneficiary of her Aunt Tilly's life insurance policy, whom she despises until an untimely airplane crash has Maude making vacation plans. In another, <br />
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Maude organizes a telethon for wheelchair-bound Shirley Temple-like Baby Sally only to find out the entire cause is a sham when she ends up tap dancing. And the sentimentality was not lacking: Maude finds a swaddling baby on her doorstep on Christmas Eve.</div>
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The three-part episode ending the season was designed to allow Maude to continue with a whole new cast. She finds out Arthur, Vivian, Carol and Phillip are all moving away. She throws a party for a Congresswoman friend returning from a junket in China. The representative drops dead at the party and through a series of unlikely events, Maude ends up taking her place. So the Findlays move to Washington DC and Maude meets (and dislikes) the motley crew in the Capitol office. And that was to be the new incarnation of "Maude" for the fall of 1978. The only hitch was that Bea Arthur decided to call it quits. (The series would be attempted without her in many attempts--see the next installment.)</div>
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And then there's no more Maude. Bea Arthur (Maude) and Rue McLanahan (Vivian) would reunite seven years (with Betty White) later as the "Golden Girls" and become the sitcom legends they are remembered as today.</div>
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<b>Sanford Arms</b> (NBC). Redd Foxx left "Sanford and Son" for a new variety show on ABC and Demond Wilson's salary demands prevented his return at the last minute. So Bud Yorkin and the producers decided to attempt a continuation of the show with all the beloved characters--Grady, Aunt Esther, Woody and Bubba--as they assist the new property owner, Earl Wheeler (Teddy Wilson) as he runs the old Sanford property completely as a hotel. Fred and Lamont, having moved to Arizona, had started leasing rooms to tenants and now it was full-blown. Wheeler, a widower with two kids--natch--was a normal guy having to deal with all these crazies. Even Bubba became a bellboy(!). But he didn't have to for long. This new version ended after only a few episodes. But Fred would be back in three years without all the rest of his cronies and relations. It took a while to put the Sanford franchise out of it's misery.</div>
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<b>Sugar Time </b>(ABC). This titillating summer series returned mid season for another brief run. Speaking of running briefs, Barbi Benton was back as Maxx--the sexiest member of the aspiring girl pop group Sugar. Terry Kiser joins the cast as the girl's new scheister manager trying to get the girls to go punk. And another character actor Charles Fleischer, plays a "new breed" comedian Lightning Jack Rappaport. Although, "Sugar Time!" fit in quite well with the new ABC "T & A" zeitgiest, Benton's negligees didn't agree with Neilson audiences as much as they did with Hugh Hefner.</div>
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<b>Szysznyk</b> (CBS). Also returning from a short hit summer run for a short uneventful midseason return was this series starring Ned Beatty as the former Marine commander turned DC playground supervisor. Notable this season mostly for an appearance by Reggie Jackson and a very young Debra Winger (as a runaway), this social comedy "burned off" it's remaining episodes in the summer.</div>
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<b>Tony Randall Show</b> (CBS). With Randall feuding with creator's Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses and with ABC tiring of dealing with the feud, this MTM-produced show, having had decent ratings and critical praise, continued it's second season on CBS with different show-runners. Ken Levine and David Isaacs came on board as did Hugh Wilson (soon to be helming "WKRP"). Perfectly slotted on the now-fading Saturday night schedule, the sophisticated comedy never got a good recharge. Adding comedy veteran Hans Conreid ("Uncle Tonoose") as Judge Franklin's irascible dad didn't help bolster the already expert cast. Walter still has many romances after ending his relationship with Eleanor and many difficulties dealing with said teenage daughter Bobby--now recast with a cuter, less-masculine young actress. He even teaches night school this year, allowing many more interesting character interactions. Guest stars included Ken Mars, Robert Alda, Brian Dennehy, and, as an escaped convict holding Miss Reubner hostage, Cleavon Little.</div>
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<b>What's Happening!! </b>(ABC). Whereas "Good Times" was becoming rather uneven mixing it's social content with slapstick humor in it's examination of a struggling African-American family in the 70's, "What's Happening" managed to do it, keeping a sense of fun while not going off the rails into heightened drama. Roger, Dwayne and Rerun continue their moneymaking and romantic shenanigans while Mama achieves her high school diploma through night school. There were many car wrecks this season. Shirley experiences discrimination in a new job when she is hired because she is black. Roger starts an underground newspaper. Rerun joins a cult. Mama's ex gets remarried. Greg Morris makes some appearances as Dwayne's city councilman dad. Singer Irene Cara plays an illegal alien who talks Rerun into marrying her for citizenship. Bud Yorkin brought in many "company" players from "Sanford and Son" to continue in more sensible roles here. For instance, Fred's constant foil ("Well I NEVER!" ".and you never WILL") played by sour-faced Fritzi Burr, plays Roger's favorite teacher in many episodes this season. And of course, in true late seventies fashion, the boys visit the set of "The Gong Show."</div>
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But, in one of the most truly bizarre plots in a sitcom, the trio can't get tickets to a Doobie Brothers Concert so they innocently agree to tape the show for a bootlegger. And, as one of the Doobies finds out he went to school with Rerun (?), the band teams up with our heroes to frame the dirty rascal who wanted to violate copyright laws. Ah, 1978.</div>
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<b><u>NOTABLE PREMIERES</u></b></div>
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<b>Betty White Show. </b>Betty White and Georgia Engel return from their well-regarded roles in "Mary Tyler Moore" in this highly anticipated fall series. White plays a fading middle-age actress, Joyce Whitman, who's career is revived when she plays the role of a policewoman in the action show "Undercover Woman." Unfortunately, the director (John Hillerman) is her ex-husband, allowing White to throw out a bevy of insulting innuendo and sarcastic barbs. With Hillerman's dry wit, it was a two-way exchange. Engel balances the vitriol with her portrayal of Joyce's sweet roommate Mitzi whom she met in the unemployment line in Hollywood. CBS even put itself up for parody as the cop show's network, allowing plenty of show biz in-jokes from the harried network executive to the bitchy and sexy co-star (Caren Kaye) and Joyce's burly male stunt double. Probably in order to look like the standard sitcom (and save a little bit of money), this was part of a new trend with MTM produced sitcoms to shoot in the videotaped format instead of film. Although the look was cheaper, having Stan Daniels and Ed. Weinberger as head writers didn't help and the series fell victim to being part of the faltering Monday night opposite-NFL football line-up. See video nuggets for opening theme.</div>
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<b>We've Got Each Other</b>(CBS). Patchett and Tarses created this other new MTM-produced sitcom, also videotaped. Using many players from their previous hit "Bob Newhart Show"--which aired prior to this show on the fading Saturday night schedule--this show just couldn't find the comic spark of it's lead-in. Oliver Clark and Beverly Archer played a married couple whose roles were reversed. Clark was a stay at home husband working as a catalog copy righter and Archer played a career-woman commuting to downtown LA to assist a successful commercial photographer. Even with Tom Poston as the scattered shutterbug and Joan Van Ark as a vacuous fashion model, the "work" part of the comedy just didn't gel and the "home" part of the show, what with the husband doing the "women's work" just didn't have comic leads capable of squeezing enough laughs out of the now-dated high concept scenario.<br />
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<b>Another Day</b> (CBS) Faring even worse was this couple, played by David Groh and Joan Hackett. The situation was basically the same, except the wife HAD to work as hubby wasn't bringing enough dough to support the kids and critical mother-in-law. The return of Groh to sitcom-land was not quite as celebrated/reviled as his oft-criticized turn as Rhoda's (ex)husband Joe and this James Komack series lasted only one month in it's mid season tryout.<br />
<b>The Roller Girls</b> (NBC) Komack did, however, stay true to his "all-girls in shorts" formula in this videotaped summer series--which was the first, and I believe the last to headline a diverse female rollerdirby team in Pittsburgh. Twenty years later the craze would take hold again but in 1977 it played on the success of "Kansas City Bomber" and allowed female-on-female action. In a nice comic touch, the color commentator, who previously worked for an opera company had to adjust to the new "rougher" landscape. Terry Kiser did double duty for Komack (see "Sugar Time") as the team owner here and future star Joanna Cassidy would have an early roll as "Books" Cassidy. Tall Arkansas-bred Amazonian actress Rhonda Bates was typecast here after she tried her hand as a Vegas showgirl in "Blansky's Beauties" last season.</div>
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<b>Operation Petticoat. </b>(ABC). Where else can we cram a large group of leggy women together? Producer Leonard Stern ("Get Smart") looked back to 1959 to do so. Blake Edward's hit comedy film starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis was the perfect vehicle for the sexual heat driving the new hot ABC fall lineup. It's WWII and the crew of a submarine, accidently painted pink, end up picking up a large contingent of georgous WAC's. The sailor's libidos being held in check by these not-so-unwelcome intruders provided most of the comedy in this single camera sitcom. John Astin played the Grant part of the Commander and Curtis's daughter, Jamie Lee had an early role as one of the sexier lieutenants on the sub.<br />
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<b>Free Country (ABC). </b>Going back even further in time, Rob Reiner--fresh off his seven year tenure as Mike "Meathead" Stivik on "All in the Family"--starred in and created (along with comedy partner Phil Mishkin) this gentle sitcom about about a Lithuanian immigrant starting a new life with his wife (Judith Kahan) during the turn of the century. Reiner would also don makeup and play the 86-year old as a recalling "wraparound" on each episode. He would use a similar device in his hit film "When Harry Met Sally" twelve years later. The short run during the summer was videotaped in front of a studio audience, giving it less a period piece flavor and more of a stage play feel.<br />
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<b>Baby, I'm Back (CBS). </b>Another Norman Lear veteran, Demond Wilson--Lamont on "Sanford and Son"--would star in this mid-season replacement series as a man who, after abandoning his family and left for dead, shows up seven years later to reclaim his wife and kids. The schemer has to prove he's still alive and a good man to his older kids, his newly engaged wife Olivia (Denise Nicholas of "Room 222"), her military fiancee, and his disapproving mother-in-law. Set in Washington DC, this taped show garnered decent ratings and was commended for being a show that just happened to have a black cast rather than being about a black cast. But Wilson demanded more control of the series so the network and producer (Charles Fries) and co-creator (Mort Lachman) decided to end the show with Olivia moving to Guam and not taking either man. One of the two children was played by Kim Fields--soon to be Tootie on "Facts of Life."<br />
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<b>Carter Country </b>(ABC). This fall series did not shy away from racial politics though. Created by Lear's old partner Bud Yorkin ("What's Happening" and "Sanford and Son"), this taped sitcom took place in President Carter's home state in a little town called "Clinton Corner"--I'm not kidding. If this show took place fifteen years later in a small town in Arkansas, "Carter Corners" I suppose it would be called "Clinton Country." Anyway, I digress. Sheriff Roy Mobley (Victor French) was a good ol'-boy sheriff who hired an African-American New York City police officer Curtis Baker (Kene Holliday) as his deputy. Sitcom fireworks erupted not only in terms of law enforcement methods but with Baker being a black cop in southern <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Heat of the Slight</td></tr>
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redneck territory. This show dealt with racial themes that were quite uncomfortable: right off the bat, Baker is threatened by the KKK; he has to deal with racist neighbors; he refuses to raise money for a sick segregationist ex-chief of police; and he experiences his share of tokenism by the city council. Although these plots could be quite inflammatory, the characters never ventured out of harmless videotaped comedy territory (basically it was a racially charged Mayberry RFD). And in true seventies fashion, other controversial topics were examined--just in a rural setting: Roy reacts to an old buddy's homosexuality; he deals with a wife beater; and in true southern fashion, there is a missing ballot box.<br />
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Speaking of elections, the "pass-the-buck" Mayor Burnside (Richard Paul) had a catch phrase "Handle It, Handle It" which caught on for about a month leading to a lot of political humor as well. The regular characters included the mayor's black secretary (who Baker courted) and the "lovable country folk" who inhabited the sheriff's office: man-hungry officer Cloris and old-fashioned Jasper. While not a huge hit, the ratings were decent enough to garner a second season in 1978.<br />
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<b>Joe and Valerie</b> (NBC). The late seventies were known for celebrating the bucolic populism of Jimmy Carter what with the peanuts and "Billy Beer." But the other more urban side of the pop culture coin was the disco explosion. With the success of "Saturday Night Fever," NBC decided to try out this mini-series in April/May. Joe hung out with his buddies and worked for his dad's plumbing business during the day. Valerie, living with her divorced mom, was a cosmetics clerk. When the sun went down, they were together boogie-ing down on the dance floor at the coolest New York discotheque. The videotaped series followed their courtship amidst the dance interludes and would return for a few episodes a year later to wrap up.<br />
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<b>AES Hudson Street </b>(ABC). On the more grown-up side of New York, Danny Arnold ("Barney Miller") applied his critically winning formula to a lower east-side Manhattan hospital emergency room in this 5 episode mid-season replacement series. Gregory Sierra (Chano from "BM") starred as Dr. Menzies, the "normal" chief resident along with a group of loonies much like it's police counterpart. Bob Dishy, Stefan Gierasch and Allan Miller led a fine ensemble also featuring many Latino characters. Much as the 12th precinct, the ER dealt with crises such as blackouts. Some interesting plots had a mental patient parading as a doctor--not uncommon after "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"--and a black doctor having to treat a bigoted South African native. Ray Stewart, who played one of the first recurring gay characters on "BM" played the "male nurse" on this series. Future Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham played Dr. Menzies in the pilot the previous season.<br />
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<b>Harvey Korman Show</b> (ABC). I have difficulty finding much information on this series as it aired as a series of comedy specials during the spring. Basically, Korman--following up his successful run on Carol Burnett's variety hour-- starred as a master thespian running a boarding house. Barry Van Dyke, Dick's son, played his protege. Odd as the elder Van Dyke replaced Korman on Burnett's show in a poorly conceived move. Future acclaimed actress Christine Lahti would also be featured in the series whose segments aired as part of the "ABC Saturday Comedy Special."<br />
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Most of the sitcoms now followed the videotaped or filmed three camera setup with characters dealing with real-life issues however outlandish they may be. This season saw two exceptions--throwbacks to earlier times, the sixties, with single camera laugh track formats--and a little seventies pop culture thrown in for good measure:<br />
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<b>Tabitha </b>(ABC). Postponed from a fall premiere, this "Bewitched" spin-off saw Samantha Stevens daughter, Tabitha--also a witch--grow up very quickly. And in just five years Tabitha (Lisa Hartman) is a career woman, working at an LA TV station. In many ways, the series could be compared to Mary Tyler Moore's landmark sitcom: Young and single, Tabitha worked as an assistant producer of a talk show with a pompous and clueless host Paul Thurston (Robert Urich). Her brother Adam returned but as a mortal, not a warlock and her aunt Minerva (Karen Morrow) provided the "Endora" role with her experienced and meddling powers. The show was able to deal more bluntly with the saucy and sexy scenarios that <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who can turn the world on with a twitch?</td></tr>
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arise with being a witch. Plus some issues of the day were dealt with such as the episode where Paul refused to book an environmentalist as a guest, so Tabitha arranges his electricity to go out at the twitch of her nose. Although William Asher, creator of "Bewitched," was a consultant on the show, his creative input was limited to a few directing chores. Appearances by Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) and Sandra Gould and George Tobias (Mr. and Mrs. Kravitz) were allowed to keep the magic going, but, alas the series never amounted to anything more than a pop culture footnote.<br />
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<i>Retro footnote: The Addams Family returned for the first time with the original cast (sans Blossoms Rock, replaced by Jane Rose) in a videotaped NBC special "Halloween with the New Addams Family." Gomez has a brother that is out to woo Morticia and there are lots of crazy goings-on with a mob as well. This was a prospective pilot for a return of the characters whose popularity had risen due to reruns of it's two season sixties run on ABC.</i><br />
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<b>Quark</b> (NBC). On the other hand, this short-run midseason spoof has been lionized by geeks to this day. Along with the disco craze, American audiences were bitten by the science fiction bug what with the resurgence of "Star Trek" and the new "Star Wars" phenomenon--the George Lucas mega-hit premiered a year earlier. So Buck Henry, co-creator of "Get Smart" with Mel Brooks, hot Hollywood screenwriter ("The Graduate," "Heaven Can Wait") and frequent Saturday Night Live host brought his depraved yet winning sense of humor to network prime-time. Much as Brooks would much later revisit his Robin Hood TV spoof on the big screen, he would revisit Henry's satire on the new space craze in "Spaceballs." Basically, Richard Benjamin starred as Quark, the commander of a futuristic garbage scow scouring space for trash but ending up on bizarre missions it had no control over as ordered by the disembodied "Head."<br />
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The series, produced by David Gerber, for Columbia TV, was a single camera sitcom like it's high-concept forbears in the sixties. Yet, in keeping with the times, the comedy was timely and smart, mixing it up with the slapstick and sight gags. The supporting characters managed to spoof current trends while keeping true to the sci-fi parody. For instance: Gene/Jean was a transmute with with both male and female traits; Ficus (the Spock character) was basically a human vegetable--literally; Betty I and Betty II were sexy android twins available for raunchy humor and slight outfits; and there was a robot: Andy the junk pile. Joan Van Allen made guest appearances as Quark's romantic nemesis, Libido. As the first tribute to the blossoming fan boy genre, "Quark" truly went where no man had gone before. See Video Nuggets for more.<br />
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<b><i>NEXT, ON SIXTY MINUTES</i></b></div>
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<i>With "Love Boat" and "Eight is Enough" already getting Neilsen numbers, networks were not afraid to experiment with long-form (hour long) sitcoms. In the fall Aaron Spelling also produced <b>San Pedro Beach Bums</b> (ABC) about a bunch of, you guessed it, beach bums living in a houseboat. In retrospect, I have no idea what they did to fill out an hour of TV time on this single camera series with laugh track intact, but the premise allowed for guest stars and lots of sexy bikini-clad extras in keeping with the network's new "t & a" requirements. </i><br />
<b>Husbands, Wives and Lovers</b> (CBS) was actually the only hour long sitcom this decade to follow the live audience three camera setup. Joan Rivers created this mid-season serialized comedy more in the spirit of sophisticated sex laughs (see "Soap") as she chronicled the exploits, sexual and otherwise of five couples living in the San Fernando Valley. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk8ZzspuEsDndTw8j_Q1AObEelpoWygnSd6erroW9eiUrjwdL7fNTW0tqzvUAPue75v09Win3uXUNSnXBJWL0Q0l-gW79JZCP5muc6ptdVYTeIOLevrhETz6-24oXbxXWEuZgvekSkS4/s1600/lou.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk8ZzspuEsDndTw8j_Q1AObEelpoWygnSd6erroW9eiUrjwdL7fNTW0tqzvUAPue75v09Win3uXUNSnXBJWL0Q0l-gW79JZCP5muc6ptdVYTeIOLevrhETz6-24oXbxXWEuZgvekSkS4/s200/lou.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i>With MTM alumni Betty White, Georgia Engel and Ted Knight flopping in their respective follow-up sitcoms and Gavin MacLeod helming the new hit "Love Boat," where does that leave Ed Asner? During the course of the MTM run, Asner became an Emmy favorite, waxing dramatic in everything from "Roots," "Rich Man-Poor Man," and "The Gathering" (all for ABC). So it made sense, based on these highly-regarded credentials to stick with drama in the WJM afterlife. In a bold pioneering move, MTM co-creator Allan Burns decided to keep the irascible newsman Lou Grant alive by teaming with Gene Reynolds (of M*A*S*H) and putting him in an hour long newspaper drama with tinges of comedy. Grant leaves Minneapolis for LA and runs the editorial for the Tribune. Although, he has some quirky co-stars, the series stuck with drama as it's main thrust and became a critical success lasting for five more seasons until Asner's political views alienated the powers that be at CBS. MTM Enterprises would continue to churn out dramatic series such as "The White Shadow," "Paris" and in the eighties "Hill Street Blues." </i><br />
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<b>VIDEO NUGGETS:</b><br />
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<b>Archie and Mike confessional:</b><br />
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<b>Mike and Gloria leave:</b><br />
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<b>Robin Williams first appearance as Mork:</b><br />
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<b>More space age hijinks:</b><br />
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<b>Betty White as Police Woman:</b><br />
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<b>So Long, 1977:</b><br />
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<br />scooter63http://www.blogger.com/profile/15505843234918681770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832707943641006917.post-38130398794298440242013-06-12T20:16:00.000-07:002014-01-24T15:17:44.851-08:00SEVENTIES SITCOMS: 1976-1977. BICENTENNIAL BLUES (SO LONG, MARY) AND REVOLUTIONARY GENDER WARS.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jefferson Redux</td></tr>
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<b>1976</b>. This was a year of hype for the nation's Bicentennial. What with Watergate, Vietnam and most of the violent turmoil in the recent past, the country was focused on the elections--Jimmy Carter was elected this fall, disposing of any (visible) remnants of Nixon's soiled administration extended under Ford. And as race riots and anti-war protests were giving way to a post-trauma malaise, the sitcoms settled down into a maturity of their own this season. Mary Tyler Moore ended her seven-year reign as leader of the comedy revolution while audiences saw the first brief appearances of Jack Tripper and Crissy Snow--ushering in the focus on sexuality and titillation in the network TV comedy world. While Norman Lear would continue to challenge viewer's perceptions and priorities--especially regarding political hypocrisy in this election year--Garry Marshall would hold ratings court with his pop culture offerings reflecting the age of Ike.<br />
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As we said goodbye to the WJM news crew, bade farewell to Lamont and Fred Sanford (for now), and had our last moments with Freddie "Chico" Prinze,there were a few premieres of note this year. Along with the short mid season blast of "Three's Company" (which we will discuss next segment), audiences enjoyed one of the last attempts at quality ensemble sitcoms via "The Tony Randall Show," the perfect vehicle for insult comic Don Rickles in "CPO Sharkey," and two--count 'em, two-- attempts to capitalize on the vinegar of Nancy Walker. Along with the premiere of the "Barney Miller" spin off "Fish" starring Abe Vigoda (who IS still alive), it is interesting to note how "middle-aged and older" was not necessarily a deduction in the lead comedy role sweepstakes. It is also interesting to note that none of these series lasted more than two seasons--"The Golden Girls" was still eight years away!<br />
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<b>ALICE AND RERUN NEVER LIVED HERE ANYMORE</b><br />
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There were two videotaped sitcoms premiering this season based upon seriocomic feature films.<br />
"What's Happening" returned in November after a successful four episode tryout last season. "Good Times" co-creator Eric Monte wrote the feature film "Cooley High"-- a nostalgic look back to the Chicago projects in 1964 featuring a couple of high school students and their misadventures. The film, which ends in tragedy,was a hit for American International Pictures and was considered a relatively realistic look at growing up black at that time. The film was deemed a black version of "American Graffiti" and the similarities didn't end with the films. Much like the Graffiti/Happy Days scenario, "Cooley High" was retooled for television in a sanitized version with the characters and settings completely different. "What's Happening" was the first solo effort for Norman Lear's ex-partner Bud Yorkin (outside of the Sanford <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not So Cooley</td></tr>
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world) and originally the show intended to be a direct take-off of the film--a comedy drama filmed with one camera. Fred Silverman, now remaking ABC for the youth market after making CBS an adult paradise, felt the material was too dark and thus was born the series we got. Switching to videotape with a studio audience, the show revolved around three friends in Watts: Raj, Dwayne, and the obese "Rerun" (Ernest Thompson Jr, Heywood Nelson and Fred Berry). They hung around a malt shop with obese waitress Shirley (Shirley Hemphill). Raj lived with his obese mother (Mabel King) and his extremely sarcastic and droll little sister (Danielle King). The only real similarities to the film: Raj was a bookish type, aspiring to a writing career and the boys hung out in a restaurant. Even though at times the series seemed dated--like an African-American version of "Happy Days"-- it actually was contemporary in setting. But like Yorkin's "Sanford and Son" the series played on stereotypes and never reached too far in dealing with race-related issues as Monte's "Good Times" was doing on CBS. It relied more on insults and dating hi-jinks than anything else.<br />
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While Monte had this problem transitioning his thought-provoking material to TV, it worked to Robert Getchell's advantage. Getchell wrote a bubbly romantic comedy about a widow and her young son leaving New Jersey to go West and find the Hollywood singing career that she suppressed during her unhappy marriage. Ellen Burstyn, who would win an Oscar for her performance as Alice Hyatt, gave the script to up and coming director Martin Scorsese--fresh off the hyper-violent 'Mean Streets." Thus was born the feature "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore": a sometimes funny, sometimes uncomfortably dark study in human emotions. The film was shot almost like a documentary with it's realism and natural acting. <br />
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On her journey, Alice's car breaks down en route to LA and she gets a job at Mel's Diner in Tucson Arizona and there she meets a wacky crew of waitstaff. But when the sitcom "Alice" premiered this season the crew at the diner were the main characters along with Alice (Linda Lavin) and her smart aleck son Tommy. Even Vic Tayback reprised his role as Mel for the three camera series with a studio audience and a setting in Phoenix. <br />
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Polly Holliday and Beth Howland played the saucy Texan Flo and the scattered Vera respectively. Why was Getchell happy? Because the frothiness of the sitcom (which would become more and more prominent during the over-long eight season run) was more in line with his original concept. So audiences had reason to be confused with this show after experiencing the classic seventies film helmed by one of the most important directors of the era.<br />
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<b>THE GREAT GENDER UPHEAVAL OF 1976.</b><br />
As the United States is currently in the midst of it's mightiest advances in gay rights, it was way back in 1976 that television saw it's first openly gay characters in recurring roles. The extremely short-lived "Corner Bar" in 1972 was actually the first with Vincent Schiavelli's Peter Panama but it wasn't until this season when gay characters were written into series with much more mainstream visibility. "Barney Miller," "All in the Family," and "Hot L Baltimore" led the way in previous seasons. This season, as you shall see below, was landmark in exploring gender roles in society. Unfortunately, as with the myopic racial characterizations , the now-quaint seventies sitcoms could veer toward offensive stereotypes in this social arena as well--especially when one of the main plot points in "Three's Company" is swinger Jack Tripper's ruse of being gay to fool the the landlord, Mr. Roper into letting him shack up with the girls. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't get the memo.</td></tr>
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But as American audiences are introduced to characters "that just happen to be gay," the first depiction of a gay professional athlete (as they are now coming out in 2013!), and TV's first transgender character, the seventies once again are a proving ground for opening up audience's minds to previously forbidden topics--even if it's in a somewhat naive and/or unrealistic fashion. Mixed messages were sent though as a promising new comedy on NBC was cancelled before it even aired as the network feared audience reaction to a powerful gay regular character.<br />
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<i>The transgener character mentioned above was portrayed by Linda Gray ("Dallas"'s Sue Ellen) in Norman Lear's second nightly soap-opera parody "<b>All That Glitters</b>." Due to the success of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"--extended through this season until it's format change in fall of 1977--Lear came up with the idea of this series in the midst of a sexual revolution. What if God had created Eve first? And women pretty much ran the world? Based on this premise, the series took place in an alternate universe where women "ruled the roost" and men were subservient to their needs. The setting was the global corporation Globatron and Lois Nettleton was the head honcho and the male characters, future WKRP-er Gary Sandy among them, were sexually harrassed and humiliated. Lear made sure to stay true to form by hiring mostly women as producers and writers. But even with the topicality and a crack ensemble cast (Eileen Brennan, Barbara Baxley, Anita Gillette and Gray), the five-nights-a-week serial may have shared the studio-audience-less timing and warped sense of humor of "Mary Hartman" but--with audiences now tiring of Lear's revolutionary tropes--not the ratings.</i><br />
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<i>Speaking of "Mary Hartman," Mary Kay Place, a frequent writer on many sitcoms this season, would win an Emmy this season as Supporting Actress for her convincing portrayal of Loretta Haggard, the good hearted country western singer as she makes her way to the top until she utters an anti-Semitic remark on Dinah Shore's talk show. Place actually did cut a few albums (as "Loretta") featuring many famous country singers.</i></div>
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<b><u>RATINGS WINNERS 1976-1977</u></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinky saga.</td></tr>
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#1. <b> Happy Days </b>(ABC). Fonzie and Uncle Sam were competing for America's heart this Bicentennial year. Another 50's staple, the roller derby, was featured prominently as the season opened with Pinky Tuscadero and the rivalry between the Fonz and Count Malachi. With Pat Morita ("Arnold") on other shows this season (see below), local hangout Arnold's was taken over by Al Delvechio (Marshall stalwart Al Molinaro from "Odd Couple") who would come packaged with his own set of catch-phrases and lovable character quirks. The boys vied heavily with Fonzie for story arcs but most of the time it was the Four Musketeers such as when the boys attend their military recruitment physicals with the Fonz in tow. The characters interacted with each other with the Fonz being the center of gravity. Richie keeps tabs on the pregnant wife of the Fonz's buddy. Fonzie enters a dance marathon with Joannie. Fonzie tries to help Richie get girls. Potsie, Ralph and Richie are pretty much trying to match Fonz in the romantic hook-up department the entire season. Plus: Mrs. C works at Arnold's in one episode. Ralph Malph runs a failed bookie operation. John Travolta's older girlfriend Diana Hyland plays an older woman Fonzie dates before her stint on "Eight is Enough." And although the shark jump occurs next season, "Happy Days" was getting pretty close to the water this year with the near-iconic Fonzie secretly graduating from high school and getting baptised by Al's twin brother, a priest--I kid you not. The dysfunctional Bunkers were kicked from the top of the pile by a sanctimonious hoodlum. Go figure.</div>
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#2. <b>Laverne and Shirley</b> (ABC). This "Happy Days' progeny shared the top-rated Tuesday <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Class Wars</td></tr>
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night Prime Time hour. Just to keep the connection (as if the time slot wasn't enough) the girls babysat Fonzie's godson and had Richie and Fonzie guest star for good measure. There was much activity in the social register wars as Carole Ita White was featured as fellow classmate Rosie Greenbaum--marrying into money she became the nemesis to our low-class heroes. Crazy neighbors Lenny and Squiggy played larger roles as they joined the circus and even dated the girls in one episode. Most of the shows were of the wacky contrived situation of the week variety--the girls find themselves as candy stripers in a hospital, a singing duet, students in a fashion model school, taxi dancers, guinea pigs in a laboratory, and taking driving lessons. Just to remind us that we are in the seventies (watching a show about the fifties), the series had Laverne coming home in boxer shorts after a night out and fearing she is pregnant; the girls mistakenly getting arrested for prostitution in the park; Shirley dealing with her alcoholic father; and Laverne being accused of shoplifting. But for the most part the show followed along with the standard Marshall sitcom tropes: a clip show after only a year on the air; the obligatory "let's put on a Christmas show" episode (in a mental hospital, no less)--Betty Garrett (previously on "All in the Family") joined the cast as landlady Edna Babbitt allowing her to show her dancing chops and banjo playing occasionally; and a haunted house show. Guests this season included old-timer Louis Nye and up and comer Harry Shearer.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final Burns.</td></tr>
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#4. <b>M*A*S*H</b> (CBS). This was the last season where the comedy and drama were somewhat seamless, despite head writer Larry Gelbart having left the series by now. This was due to the continued presence of Gene Reynolds as producer and Larry Linville's comic foil Frank Burns. Comedy fodder was provided as Burns fumed over Hot Lips' wedding to Major Penobscott and Klinger upped the incidences of his Section Eight attempts. But the wackiness was getting diluted as straight-laced BJ cheats on his wife; Hawkeye gets temporarily blinded; a hepatitis outbreak occurs at the 4077th; and Dr. Friedman composes a letter to Sigmund Freud.<br />
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The Freud episode was the first Emmy win for Alan Alda as director giving him permission to change the tone of the show for good after this season. "M*A*S*H" also took home an award for Supporting Actor, with Gary Burghoff winning his first as the Teddy Bear-carrying, ESP-gifted Radar O'Reilly.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riv-Val-Ry.</td></tr>
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#10. <b>One Day at a Time (</b>CBS). The sophomore season starts with a multi-part storyline that has Julie running away with her boyfriend Chuck. After that's settled, David Kane returns to propose marriage to Ann. When she turns him down, Richard Masur's character is replaced by neighbor Ginny Wroblicki (played by Mary Louise Wilson). She is a saucy woman who Schneider gets the hots for. Her tenure doesn't last long as Wilson's Broadway persona tended to overshadow Bonnie Franklin's over- acting. The gig allowed Wroblicki to take Ann to a single's bar and participate in the obligatory "musical" show taking place New Years Eve in a retirement home. (This is where Valerie Bertinelli does her famous Elton John impression.) Julie gets involved with a church and develops overt religious zeal in a few episodes. Ann deals with various gender-related work issues at the ad agency, mostly with her boss played by John Hillerman. Schneider's nephew turns out to be a thief. Barbara actually gets some airtime this season as she tries to change her image from tomboy to sexpot. This introduces us to a couple of her high school friends who will vie for her affections over the course of the next couple of years--slick Cliff (Scott Colomby) and naive Bob (John Putch).</div>
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#11. <b>Three's Company </b>(ABC). Only six episodes in March. That was how it all started. <br />
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The NRW team ("The Jeffersons") brought Jack, Crissy Janet and The Ropers from a BBC\ series "Man About the House" for this series tryout. Full of sexual innuendo and wacky misunderstandings, this landmark series put the nail in the coffin of the "important" sitcom revolution of the seventies leading to the new "T and A" brand of comedy. Jack Tripper (John Ritter) is found passed out in the bathtub of scantily clad ditzy blond Crissy (Suzanne Somers) and cute but sensible Janet (Joyce Dewitt) and the leering and sexual innuendo proceed nonstop. Ironically, the NRW team had a hand in creating "All in the Family"-- also based on a British TV sitcom. More on this show next installment.</div>
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#12. <b>All in the Family </b>(CBS). This season opens with a number of multi-parters. Archie cheats on Edith with a waitress (Janis Paige). Archie gets laid off from his dock job and must get on unemployment. Archie has surgery and must get a blood transfusion from his black doctor. Edith is doing more work at the Sunshine Home and even saves an elderly life. Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers (Mike and Gloria) were not in many episodes this season, possibly due to contract issues and Carroll O'Connor's escalating control of the show's direction and content. But they did have an impact: Mike gets a vasectomy and he evens questions his pacifist nature when he deliberately knocks a man out in a violent attacker on a subway.<br />
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As the sitcom trend was veering toward pop idols and nostalgia and juvenile sex jokes, Lear made sure the Bunkers didn't lose their bite, especially this season: In one of the finest moments of American television Mike invites his draft dodger friend for Christmas dinner with the Bunkers. Archie invites his war veteran buddy Pinky. When Archie finds out the truth about Mike's buddy, he is confused as Pinky reaches out to shake the young man's hand. Pinky had lost his son Vietnam. Carroll O'Conner gives a tour de force performance, flawlessly blending pathos and drama with bursts of comedy as he processes all of this. This is one of the most important episodes in the series (if not the decade in general): O'Connor actually uttered a forbidden epithet during his outburst and it was uncut in original viewing, allowed for it's authenticity and honesty more than for ratings or "buzz." Conservatives were aghast, claiming that this episode "aided and abetted" the enemy during the cold war. President Jimmy Carter actually pardoned a draft evader (the first time) months after this aired.<br />
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And the show had some memorable frivolous moments playing on Archie's racism this season. Archie may be getting soft on his bigotry this season, albeit in a sideways way. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Stretch for Archie.</td></tr>
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When Archie delivers the eulogy at his old buddy Stretch Cunningham's funeral, he doesn't realize that Stretch was Jewish. So Archie dons a yarmulke and attempts to reign in his closed-mindedness. He even becomes and advocate for integrating his all-white lodge--for pr reasons--by recruiting a member who is black and Jewish! What a softie. Archie gets to make plenty of Puerto-Rican slurs as the Bunkers rent out Mike and Gloria's room to Teresa Betancourt (Liz Torres) who also helps out around the house. And he even gets chummier with transvestite Beverly LaSalle, even if it is in the service of using her for a practical joke on an old army buddy. We start seeing more of Archie's crony Barney (played by sitcom veteran Allan Melvin) such as when Archie runs over Barney's dog. Plus guest stars this season include future Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham as a civil servant and previous Oscar winner Estelle Parsons as an old fling of Archies.<br />
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Having maintained a successful tentpole on Monday nights last season, CBS tried it on Wednesdays this fall. Paired with the new "Alice," it didn't go over well. ABC and Fred Silverman had Farrah Fawcett and "Charlies' Angels." (More pop culture power). So by mid-fall, the Bunkers were moved to Sunday night where it would remain throughout it's entire multi-formatted run.<br />
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Although nominated for many Emmys this season, the only win was for Carroll O'Connor--only his second. This was no doubt due to his masterful performance in the Christmas episode. The fact that this episode did not win the directing category is a travesty.<br />
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#13. <b>Welcome Back, Kotter </b>(ABC). The sweathogs enter their second season as cultural <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secret to Great Marriage</td></tr>
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touchstones among the young television viewing audience--a close second to the Fonz. The urban drama was pretty rare, being unevenly mixed with the vaudeville antics of teacher Gabe Kotter and his wacky entourage. Horschack disappears after losing his fifth dad. Barbarino gets slapped by a coach. Gabe and wife Julie have marital issues. But there is good news: Gabe and Julie end up pregnant by season's end. Epstein's cousin (Lisa Mordente) briefly becomes the first female Sweathog in a failed attempt at diversity. (This is where the gender revolution was failing: Sweathog-land). Speaking of Epstein--in an episode that really showed how far this series was from the reality of an inner-city high school--Gabe and the Sweathogs convince him to quit smoking....cigarettes! And the boys had their moments at parody: they were investigative journalists in one episode, courtroom lawyers in a mock trial in another. And there was a take-off on the Scared Straight phenomenon. Garry Shandling wrote an episode and comic legend George Carlin even appeared as a radio DJ.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dietrich.</td></tr>
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#17. <b>Barney Miller</b> (ABC). This series reached a high point as the ratings finally matched the critical acclaim thanks mostly to ABC's powerhouse comedy lineups. Until "Taxi" arrives, "Barney Miller" would be the rare hit adult comedy for the network amidst the teen beat comedy set. This season would see some of the funniest episodes. Firstly, the famous "hash" incident where the detectives accidentally get stoned off some brownies. Also the two part quarantine episode was highly regarded and Emmy-nominated. The 12th precinct was visited this season by a fencing priest, a blind shoplifter, a perpetrator with a split personality and a man claiming to be a werewolf (in a brilliant departure from reality, he is not necessarily debunked by the end of the episode). Barney and his fellow cops dealt with many things this year: a police strike, a cult rescue, a brothel fronting as a sex clinic, a power failure, a smog alert, and many incidents related to the 1976 presidential election. As for individual characters, Harris finally gets published--in a "gentleman's" magazine! .Steve Landesberg becomes a regular (as the hilariously droll Deitrich) with the loss of Gregory Sierra's Chano who doesn't return this season. We start seeing more of Ron Carey's eager officer Leavitt and James Gregory's expert portrayal of Inspector Luger. June Battista provides efficient (if not short-lived) double duty as representation on the series: as the Cuban detective Battista, she replaces Linda Lavin's Wentworth as well as the Latino Chano. And Fish goes undercover as Santa Claus.<br />
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Speaking of Fish, Abe Vigoda was wanting his own series. His laconic Fish character was a hit with audiences. Creator Danny Arnold didn't want him out of the station house. Therefore, a compromise was made. He would semi-retire. As he still appeared on "Barney" throughout the season, he got his own series in January. <br />
<b>Fish </b>(ABC). Detective Phil Fish and his adoring, long-suffering wife Bernice (Florence <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You Go, Fish.</td></tr>
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Stanley) end up opening up their large house as wards of a group of young PINS (Persons In Need of Supervision). Of course, this allowed the crusty character to interact with (you guessed it) an ethnic blend of precocious kids and tough teens. These kids were not quite as cute as ABC was used to. They were involved in gambling, gang violence and promiscuity--they made the Sweathogs look like the Seven Dwarfs. Even the youngest, played by future "Diff'rent Strokes" star Todd Bridges, turns racist after watching an episode of "Roots." There's cross-promotion for you. But even though the producers came from "Barney Miller" and the series did well enough to renew, "Fish" couldn't find it's place as it was stuck between the "Teen Trials" formula and the slow burn stylings of Vigoda and his crack writing team.<br />
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<i>#23. <b>Eight is Enough</b> (ABC). Although this series had the perfect "sitcom" formula and even a subdued laugh track, the hour long comedy-drama doesn't really classify as a sitcom for my purposes. I have tried to limit discussion to half-hour programs as much as possible. But for the record, this story of Sacramento news columnist Tom Bradford and his eight kids (of all ages and types) was based on the actual man and his memoirs. Dick Van Patten (who had appeared on just about every sitcom since 1970) played Bradford and Diana Hyland was his wife. Hyland's untimely death this year would lead to Bradford finding a new wife in Abbie (Betty Buckley) for the remainder of the run (until 1981). The show would remain a hit staple of the ABC teen/family/jiggle (there was some sexual content here) genre sweep. Lee Rich of Lorimar produced this one as it's successful followup to the previous hit "The Waltons" on CBS.</i><br />
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#24. <b>The Jeffersons</b> (CBS). Probably the best Bicentennial tie-in was provided by this series now in it's third season. George Jefferson claims to be a descendant of Thomas Jefferson, by way of his relationship with slave Sally Hemmings. Actually, George's integrity played a large part in the story lines this season as he schemed his way up the social ladder--including taking flying lessons! The show dealt less with the racial elements of the adjustment to the elitist world this season as it did with the basic elements of identity and ego. George did show a different side as he decided not to sell the cleaners in order to prevent the firing of a long-time employee. Florence moves in this season and there are many episodes dealing with the relationship between Lionel and Jenny who finally got married in December.<br />
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#25. <b>What's Happening</b> (ABC). As Bud Yorkin's series returned from it's summer tryout in November, ABC's teen audience turned out in droves for the antics of the Raj, Rerun and Dwayne as they try to meet girls and participate in money-making schemes. Whereas the source material was referred to as a "black" version of "American Grafitti," the exploits of these three guys were reminescent of Richie, Potsie and Ralph Malph on "Happy Days." Just without a "Fonzie" character. </div>
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#26. <b>Good Times</b> (CBS). Whereas "The Jeffersons," "What's Happening!!," and the soon-to-end "Sanford and Son" would continue to reflect the African-American experience as a series of insult-throwing shenanigans, "Good Times" still attempted to buck the trend in it's fourth year. Although the JJ character was written and portrayed broadly (leading to John Amos's frustrated departure this season to "Roots" and Esther Rolle's next season), the story lines represented realistic situations inherent in being a minority living in the projects in modern America. Right off the bat, Amos's exit from the series is written as tragedy: father James is killed in a car accident after he is hired on a job in Mississippi and the family gets ready to move. More examples: Michael joins a gang and tries to back out after his friend is beaten by the same group; JJ's close friend attempts suicide; the family wins a lottery but loses the winnings to a holdup. The family is constantly dealing with eviction threats and financial difficulties. JJ loses his job and resorts to involvements with shady characters involved in gambling, prostitution, drugs and loan sharking. He ends up repping a comic and starting a greeting card business. JJ dates an "older" woman. Thelma examines her own "roots" as she dates an African exchange student only to find out she will be part of a harem. Local urban politics plays a large role this season with JJ running for alderman and dealing with corruption and cronyism. Alice Ghostly appears as a loan officer as the family attempt to get funds to live. On a lighter note, Michael forms a band with his friends and when grandpa visits, he actually shares the room with a girlfriend!<br />
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That doesn't sit too well with Florida, whose Christian piety is no secret. So it comes as a surprise to audiences when, by mid-season, she has already met a new man Carl (Moses Gunn) and he is an atheist to boot! She is clearly not happy though when he influences Michael to look into atheism. But by the end of the season, in keeping with the realistic and tragic themes, Carl is diagnosed with lung cancer before proposing to Florida. And she accepts.<br />
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#27. <b>Sanford and Son</b> (NBC). As Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson ended their six year stint as the Sanfords this season, the plots would get even more fantastical and unrealistic. Fred and Lamont still run the "Arms" as well as the Junkyard. The season opened with a multi-part "adventure" having Fred and Lamont vacationing in Hawaii and getting involved in a jewel heist. The episodes spoofed "Mission Impossible" and "Hawaii 5-0" to the extent of using the theme music and borrowing Greg Morris and Sheldon Leonard as the thieves and James Gregory as the cop. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloha, Fred Sanford-for now.</td></tr>
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They even ventured outdoors for action sequences which seemed strange with the videotaped format. This was the closest any Norman Lear episode came to the inanity of sixties sitcom plots. Other instances of a lack of ideas and/or a reliance on old Hollywood schtick-meisters at the helm: Oil is discovered in the junkyard and an Arab Sheik (Ross Martin) pays a visit; Fred tries to break the record for staying awake; Aunt Esther and Fred end up handcuffed to one another; Fred gets amnesia; the Sanford Arms are used for a stakeout; Fred hooks up with a shyster religious cult to form the Chapel of Junkpile for the Church of Seventh Day Junkists (I'm not kidding) for a tax break; and the penultimate example of Lucy-like desperation: Fred meets Redd Foxx at a Redd Foxx look-a-like contest. Oh, did I mention Fred and Lamont compete on the Gong Show? <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out Foxxed.</td></tr>
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Sitting slightly outside the silliness: Esther and husband Woody adopt a son. Lamont examines his heritage (also influenced by "Roots") leading bigoted Fred to find out he has an Ethiopian Jewish ancestry. Fred forms the Gray Panthers to fight age discrimination. BB King appears in a musical episode related to "Lucille". Fred plays his own father in flashback related to pool hustling in the thirties. Strangely, this season deals with twists in Lamont's relationship with fiance Janet and Fred's extra-long courtship of long-suffering Donna but by season's end there is no resolution in either romance. Actually, there were no resolutions at all. The show just ended.</div>
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#29. <b>Tony Randall Show</b> (ABC). Tom Patchett and Jay <br />
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Tarses, creators of "The Bob Newhart Show" brought Randall back to ABC with another MTM-produced class-act. Randall portrays Philadelphia judge Walter Franklin. He is a widower raising a teenage daughter and a pre-teen son. In true MTM fashion, the audience gets equal taste of his work life and home life, both populated by zany well-written characters. The cast has an impressive pedigree with film actors "slumming" for TV (as it was called in those days). Allyn Ann McLerie ("Jeremiah Johnson","All the President's Men") played Franklin's uptight assistant. Rachel Roberts ("A Flea in Her Ear," "O Lucky Man!") played his daft British housekeeper. Barney Martin (later to be Seinfeld's dad) played the low-key court reporter. And, in a gag to be seen a lot in sitcoms this season, an overzealous court employee despised by the judge, is named "Mario Lanza." A lot of the episodes dealt with Franklin trying to revive his love life amidst the chaos of his job and his family responsibilities. This quest for companionship involved a young Annette O'Toole in one episode and, in a story arc throughout the season, Diana Muldaur as a fellow judge. There was even room for topicality: a bag of marijuana is found in the judge's office leading to speculation; Franklin screens a pornographic film, allowing it be shown for First Amendment reasons yet forbidding his daughter from seeing it. Although the ratings and reviews were favorable, ABC chief Silverman cancelled the series due to the constant infighting between star Randall and the Patchett-Tarses team. Co-Producer Gary David Goldberg (soon to be Michael J. Fox's svengali with "Family Ties" and "Spin City") would take over as the series will move to CBS the next season.</div>
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#30. <b>Alice</b> (CBS). This premiere season would be the only one run by veteran sitcom writers Harvey Bullock, William D'Angelo, and Ray Allen ("The Flintstones," "Love American Style" etc). That would be evident, strangely, as this is the only season that dealt with Norman Lear-like themes and venture into controversial territory, even if it does so with a lighter touch. Although Mel's Diner was the primary setting, a good deal of time was spent dealing with newly widowed Alice from New Jersey raising her precocious teenage son in the alien environs of Phoenix's Desert Sun Apartments. As previously discussed, this sitcom was much more of a comedy than the dark source film and it never veered into a "fish out of water" scenario of East meets West. But this first season Phoenix was represented in a more bucolic fashion, with the diner's decor featuring cacti and the counter populated by redneck truckers rather than generic sitcom types later featured. The season started out with some serious story lines--hard to imagine after seeing how ridiculous the show's tone would become. Alice deals with her husband's will. Tommy has naked pictures in his wallet. Vera gets hooked on sleeping pills. Alice gets obscene phone calls. Flo sleeps around a lot (well that doesn't change). And a food critic (Victor Buono) dies at the diner during a review! There were interesting guest stars as well: Tom Poston playing Vera's mortician boyfriend; Kaye Ballard as a vengeful Gypsy; Eileen Heckert and Murray Hamilton as Alice's splitting in-laws; and Kenneth Mars. But by the end of the season, the show is already veering into wackiness with the diner crew: Mel does a TV commercial featuring the girls; they find a bag of lost money; a car gets comically wrecked; Mel's bowling trophy ends up in a rummage sale; Flo bunks with Alice; Alice plays matchmaker to lonely Vera; and there is a robbery at the diner. Plus, even CBS's "Alice" would invade the pop culture catchphrase world led by ABC with sassy Texan Flo's "Kiss My Grits" and Mel's "Stow It!". </div>
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<b><u>RETURNING SERIES (in alphabetical order):</u></b></div>
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<b>Bob Newhart Show </b>(CBS). Dr. Hartley, wife Emily and the patients continue to provide <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Group.</td></tr>
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solid laughs during this fifth season without any cast changes or major plot upheavals, despite the lower ratings due to ABC's dominance with dumber fare. This year, audiences see more of Tom Poston as Bob's old college pal The Peeper. A few key episodes: Bob, Jerry and Howard go camping with a group of orphans; Bob's parents split up; Bob and Emily are locked in the condo's storage locker; Bob is held hostage in a bank robbery; and Jerry tries to find his birth parents. And when Emily claims to be pregnant, in true Newhart fashion, the incident turns out to be nightmare.--a real nightmare, sparing this adult series the doom of the cute baby/family syndrome.<br />
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<b>Chico and the Man</b> (NBC). The third season showed ratings decline as Friday night lead-in "Sanford and Son" was on it's last legs. For the most part, there was some sentimentality mixed in with the crazy scenarios as Ed treated Chico more like a son he never had. The sappy: Ed may be the father to an unborn child; Chico yearns to be a boxer and deals with an old flame amongst his many girlfriends. The wacky: Ed has a rooster involved in a cockfight; Chico convinces Ed to pay his taxes; Ed sells his dead wife's outfit to a cross dresser. Della Reese becomes a regular this season as Ed's new landlord. Also, there are plenty of pop culture guest appearances from past and present: Caesar Romero appears as Chico's dad; Rose Marie plays a CB Radio obsessed trucker; George Gobel; Rosie Grier; Pat Buttram.<br />
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Freddie Prinz was in the midst of serious drug problems and depression by now. A couple of episodes before the end of the season, one show had Ed talking to God about his love for Chico. That would be the final episode for Prinz as he would commit suicide right after that taping. Remaining episodes would feature Ed, Louie and Della with"Chico" having returned to Mexico. The show would return next season with a poorly thought-out desperate resolution.<br />
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<b>Doc</b> (CBS). With "All in the Family" moving off the Saturday night lineup (replaced by "The Jeffersons") "Doc"'s snugly time slot before soon-to-be gone "Mary Tyler Moore" was quite precarious. In order to get better ratings, the network had MTM Productions retool the show to look and feel more like the Lear sitcoms that were remaining popular while the MTM stable was losing ratings to the Garry Marshall typhoon on ABC. So for the first time, an MTM sitcom would be videotaped. Also, Doc becomes a widower, we don't see his family or home life any more and he becomes the sole doctor at an inner-city clinic. This new setting allowed the show to bring in more of the urban grit, ethnic mix of characters, and topical situations inherent in most of the comedies at the time. But even with a crack cast including David Ogden Stiers (soon to be Major Winchester) and Audra Lindlay (soon to be Helen Roper) this version only lasted a few episodes putting a sudden end to Dr. Joe Bogert.<br />
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<b>Mary Tyler Moore Show</b> (CBS). Although the ratings had dropped off the map, Mary still had a lot of critical clout. Much like the "Dick Van Dyke Show," Mary decided to quit while still on top--at least on top with the critics. In seven years, the show never wavered from it's quality writing, acting and directing. If anything it got better. Lost amidst the anticipation of the finale were some memorable episodes, allowing all the beloved characters to contribute. Ted and Georgette have a baby (in Mary's apartment!--Everything happens in Mary's apartment with these two). Sue Anne gets fiercely jealous and depressive when her sister (Pat Preist) arrives and upstages her "charm offensive." Lou proposes to Mary's returning Aunt Flo. Murray's dad (Lew Ayres) dates Mary. Ted has a heart attack and re-evaluates his life (to no avail). And keeping the laughs consistent with a very serious theme, Mary gets hooked on sleeping pills and her friends intervene. <br />
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Other guest appearances include a young Helen Hunt as Murray's daughter and David Ogden Stiers in a recurring role as a WJM senior staffer. The biggest surprise of the season, however, was the voice of Johnny Carson when Mary invites him to one of her dreaded parties and the power goes out and no one sees him!<br />
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Speculation was rampant as to Mary's romantic resolution. With Joe gone from the previous season, rumors had it that she would end up with her boss, Lou Grant. It's obvious how he feels in an episode where he, Murray (always in love with her from afar), and Ted imagine what life would be like if each had ended up with her in a clever fantasy episode--the only one ever of this series, thankfully. And in the second to last episode, Mary asks Lou on a date. But the date ends with a hearty laugh in the midst of an awkward kiss and the realization that they are better off as friends than lovers.<br />
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But the final episode, while sentimental is still hilarious: everyone except Ted gets fired from WJM--a typical switch ending perfected by these writers. Rhoda and Phyllis return to console Mary. And before Mary shuts out the lights, the core cast members embrace in a crying hug and, in need of tissue, move en masse to the Kleenex box. With that final gag, sitcoms would never again rise to the level of sophistication, character development, thoughtfulness, finesse, and quiet honesty again. So long, WJM!<br />
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Of course, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" would win another Emmy for best Comedy Series in this final year. Plus, the final episode,penned by most of the show's creators--including James L. Brooks and Alan Burns--would garner the writing award<br />
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<b>Maude </b>(CBS). On the opposite end of the subtlety scale, Maude was flagging in her fifth <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British Invasion.</td></tr>
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season. The Monday night line-up (along with "Rhoda" and "Phyllis") was failing exponentially this season due to the Bunker loss and competition from "Little House on the Prairie" and "Monday Night Football." Much like it's parent show ("All in the Family") and it's spin-off ("Good Times"), Maude found plenty of controversy to mine even after years of shocking audiences. Over the course of many episodes, Walter's appliance business goes under, he gets into financial turmoil, falls into depression and gets hooked on sleeping pills. As always that's not all: Over the course of this season, Maude deals with wife-swappers, threatening phone calls, getting tied to a chair while burglars completely empty her house, daughter Carol dating a much younger man, and feuding with Mrs. Naugatack until she quits. (The final episode this year will have Maude hire her new maid, Victoria.) Walter questions his manhood when he dreams of kissing Arthur. Arthur, a doctor, loses a patient. Among the lighter moments, Mrs. Maugatuck finally marries Burt and Maude and Vivian compete in a television game show (it had to happen eventually). And with the presidential elections this year, Maude, politically active herself, is heavily involved in voter turnout and other campaign related events. There are plenty of key guest appearances this season as well. Martin Balsam plays one of Maude's ex-husbands as they get locked in an attorney's office together. James Coco plays half of the aforementioned wife-swapping couple. Nanette Fabray plays one of Maude's high school classmates at a reunion--her character having suffered a debilitating stroke. Eve Arden, Miss Brooks herself, plays Maude's domineering aunt.<br />
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Bea Arthur will finally win her Emmy for Best Actress this year after multiple nominations. No doubt that's what got the show renewed for a final season. Not sure which performance she received it for. She may have won just for putting up with Walter's problems.<br />
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<b>Phyllis</b> (CBS). MTM decided to change the setting of Phyllis's work environment to shake things up. It didn't help as "Phyllis" would muddle through it's sophomore season with no hope for the future. This year, she worked as the assistant to the San Francisco city supervisor. This allowed her to have more of an MTM working relationship as she had a serious crusty boss, a narcissistic inept fellow city councilman, and a sardonic female co-worker. But the chemistry just didn't work and Phyllis was too overpowering for the other characters to develop. Plus zoning issues and local politics were not as exciting as a TV newsroom. The writers even had Phyllis date a lot and Mary herself appeared a couple of times. Phyllis's daughter Bess ended up getting pregnant and married by the end of the short run. At home, the Dexters were still around. The matriarch of the family, Mother Dexter, in her eighties, became engaged to and got married (extremely veteran character actor Burt Mustin pulled double duty having performed this senior wedding gag with the Bunkers last year). A lot of the humor this season came from the elderly set which was actually refreshing as ABC was gearing everything towards teenagers. But, sadly, after the violent death of a regular the previous season and the death of Judith Lowry( the actress playing Mother Dexter) and the illness of Jane Rose (who played Dexter's daughter in law), the show seemed to have a pall cast over it. Besides Mary, there were many notable guest stars including Jerry Stiller, John Ritter, and Jack Elam and Larry Storch as a couple of bums that Phyllis tries to help. But "Phyllis" is the one that needed help notwithstanding Cloris Leachman's masterful comic performance.<br />
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<b>The Practice </b>(NBC). NBC renewed the "other" old doctor sitcom but didn't tamper with the setting like CBS did with "Doc." Danny Thomas returned with the addition of Mike "Lionel" Evans as an intern to add some ethnicity to the mix. And story lines became more intense such as the one involving a mother who refuses to be separated from her mentally disabled child so she can undergo her own tests. Much like it's CBS counterpart, this series was not strong in the ratings to begin with and,upon it's return, the scheduling was spotty and frequently interrupted. Thus this Danny Thomas vehicle was gone by mid season despite frequent guest stars (in true NBC fashion) such as Lucille Ball (as a psychic), Bill Dana, Edie Adams, Jan Murray and daughter Marlo Thomas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron Silver as Gary Levey</td></tr>
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<b>Rhoda </b>(CBS). Although competition had a lot to do with the Monday night ratings slide, some of the carnage was due to the fact that Rhoda started this season by separating from Joe. And she was the lead-in. Network brass at CBS thought (rightfully so, for once) that there was little comic chemistry between Valerie Harper and David Groh. And they assumed that audiences would prefer the old single Rhoda to the more sensible married Rhoda. Well, the gamble didn't pay off. As Rhoda and Joe fought, split up, tried to reconcile and finally divorced, audiences were irate and left the show in droves. There was even hate mail sent to the network. And with Nancy Walker moving to ABC to try her hand at two different series, mother Ida was not around for her comic guilt trips. (The writers had the elder Morgensterns take an RV trip around the country.) And Brenda was losing even more weight and dating a number of guys. That didn't leave much room for Harper to re-blossom as a charming funny leading lady. With her jaunts into the swinging singles life (with new friend, stewardess Sally played by Anne Meara) and more reunions with her old school friends and travels around the world, she resembled Ann Marie ("That Girl") more than her old friend Mary. Julie Kavner, as the still highly insecure Brenda, was having a comic field day in her interactions with various male friends such as accordianist Nick Lobo (Richard Masur) and new steady in a roller skater/toll booth operator Benny Goodwin--there's that joke again--played by Ray Buktenika. Rhoda would date Vegas crooner Johnny Venture (Michael Ventura). Both girls would have an oddly platonic relationship with new neighbor Gary Levey, the owner of a jeans store, played by master thespian Ron Silver. Once again the series, although well-acted, was plagued by too many characters and not enough of them really funny. Except Carlton.<br />
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<b><u>NOTABLE PREMIERES:</u></b></div>
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<b>All's Fair</b> (CBS) This is possibly one of Norman Lear's best-timed series: set in the poltical world of Washington DC during an election year post-Watergate. Another reason this show is amazing in retrospect was that it foreshadowed the red vs. blue divide that is permeating our political media these days--even more so than the bickering between Archie Bunker and Mike the Meathead. Predating the partisan marriage of pundits James Carville and Mary Matalin by almost twenty years, it is surprising that policy wonks never reflect on "All's Fair"-- Lear's bicentennial gift to "Hollywood for ugly people." <br />
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Here's the premise: Richard Crenna is a 49 year old conservative political columnist Richard Barrington. Bernadette Peters is his 23 year old extremely liberal girlfriend "Charly" Drake, an activist still photographer. So you had the political beliefs and the age difference separating these two volatile lovers. Another couple on the series was Allen, Richard's African American assistant (JA Preston) and his girlfriend Lucy (Lee Chamberlain), a CBS news correspondent. Charly's roommate Ginger (Judith Kahan) was having an affair with a married congressman. Jack Dodson, Howard on "Mayberry RFD," played a liberal <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossfire 1976</td></tr>
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midwestern Senator friend of Richard's, adding fuel to the already out of control fire. You can see how Lear was far ahead of his time in today's age of 24 hour news saturation and screaming political pundits and a capitol press corps being in love with themselves and their way of life--regardless of sleaze level. It's almost as if all of the DC players, inside and outside of the Beltway, watched this program when they were kids (as I did) and modeled themselves after the stereotypes portrayed. And once again, Lear was able to step outside his own progressive politics to satirize all levels of political discourse.<br />
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"All's Fair" was fairly well-received by critics, despite the level of yelling typical of a Lear product. Being on the downward spiral of the Monday night comedy lineup didn't help the ratings. (Rod Parker, one of the main producers behind "Maude"--the lead in--was a major player in this series as well.) But the show stuck out the full year to allow a decent set of character arcs: Richard proposes to Charly when she thinks she may be pregnant. She eventually moves in with him. Richard ironically then gets a job as a speechwriter for President Carter and hires Ginger as his assistant. Michael Keaton has one of his first regular TV roles as Lanny Fox, jokewriter to the President. But political material was king here, playing hand in hand with the relationship story lines. The immediacy of the scripts regarding current events certainly didn't hurt the critical acclaim. Only "30 Rock" would come as close in referencing it's own network as part of the thematic landscape. There were episodes dealing with FBI investigations, Communist accusations, international espionage, and political corruption and cronyism. And an intelligent examination of hypocrisy cannot be left out when dealing with DC: Richard writes a column on morality after Charly moves in with him; he gives a speech to a women's rights group right after the news leaks of his relationship with young and beautiful Charly; and when President Carter dislikes a line in a speech Richard writes for him, Richard changes the line despite his convictions. Actually, the proliferation of mixed political marriages is a very authentic element of this series as anyone who follows the news knows: convictions and positions are on sale to the highest bidder.<br />
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<b>A Year at the Top</b> (CBS). During the summer of 1977, Lear even tackled the pop music industry. TAT Productions teamed up with music producer Don Kirschner to create Lear's first "fantasy" sitcom. Greg Evigan and Paul Schaffer (at the time, band leader on Saturday Night Live and soon to be David Letterman's musical director for over thirty years) play a couple of struggling rock musicians who decide sell their souls to the devil (actually, the son of devil, played by ex-Bowery Boy Gabe Dell) for one year of success. Not much happened here with only a few episodes, exceptt these two guys dealing with newfound fame and the literal spawn of Satan. What's even stranger is Mickey Rooney guest starring on the premiere. What's even more strange is this series was co-created by Dobie Gillis himself (Dwayne Hickman).<br />
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<b>THE NANCY WALKER CHRONICLES:</b><br />
Nancy Walker had the privilege of being the only actor to have a regular or starring role in sitcoms produced by all of the big three seventies sitcom factories. Previous to this season, besides appearing regularly on the light hearted crime series "McMillan and Wife" and memorializing paper towels as Rosie the Quicker Picker Upper, she also played Rhoda's overbearing mother Ida on "Mary Tyler Moore Show" and, of course, "Rhoda" for James L. Brooks and MTM Productions. Her brand of sardonic humor was so well-received by critics and audiences that Fred Silverman snatched her up to add some class to the ABC comedy juggernaut. <br />
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<b>The Nancy Walker Show</b> (ABC). This was Lear's other over-hyped show in the fall besides "All's Fair". But this one didn't quite last through the fall as the other had. Whereas Lear tackled the East Coast and mid-west in his series--New York, Chicago, Indianapolis and now DC--he never really got to lampoon the town where all his shows are taped: Hollywood. And as Walker played the owner of a talent agency, the in-jokes were rampant. Nancy Kitteridge had been running her business from her large home as her husband Kenneth (William Daniels) has been in the Navy for 29 years, only returning home for his annual shore leave resulting in a really good time in a short period. But when Kenneth comes home for good, he is sort of in the way with his rigid, military-based control issues. After all, Nancy has been doing things her own way for almost thirty years. The party's over, in other words. On top of that she had to deal with her hypochondriac daughter (Beverly Archer) and son-in-law (James Cromwell). Her assistant Terry (Ken Wolfson), an unemployed actor, was one of the first regular gay characters on TV. And lots of industry jokes came at the expense of network executive Teddy Futterman (William Schallert of "Patty Duke Show") and his bratty, egotistical alter-ego son, Michael (Sparky Marcus). Rod Parker had a hand in this show as well, throwing in some topicality to go with the show-biz jokes such as when Nancy and Kenneth decide to share a joint and "get high" or when Nancy thinks Terry is suicidal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not for long...twice.</td></tr>
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Walker had a contract with ABC that allowed her to dive right into a second series if the first one failed. Despite all the hype, audiences didn't care for the Lear version of Nancy. So she makes a guest appearance as Howard Cunningham's cousin Nancy Blansky on "Happy Days" and starts working for Garry Marshall at Paramount.<br />
<b>Blansky's Beauties </b>(ABC) rode Fonzie's coattails to a series much as Laverne and Shirley had done. Due to the slight connection to the "Happy Days" family, the producers had to set the series in the fifties. This actually limited the potential of the main themes of "bad influences" for her nephew Anthony (they would attempt to resolve this on NBC in 1978). The bad influences were based on the premise: Nancy Blansky ran a glamorous stage show at the Oasis Hotel in Las Vegas. Her "girls" ran the gamut from sour to sweet (Caren Kaye and Lynda Goodfriend), sophisticated to hillbilly--the typical seventies motley crew. (This was another area where the fifties setting harmed the potential for diversity). Her young nephew Anthony (Scott Baio) was always hanging around the girls as they were in various stages of undress, leering and veering into manhood. Thus his access to a corrupting "environment" was a running plot concern. This show really didn't know what it was: titillation, family comedy, fifties spin off, musical, ensemble piece--was Walker really necessary. And to revisit the strange way Marshall's characters morph in and out of identities with little thought given to time and space, are you ready? In order to kick off the show in a big way, playing up the "Happy Days" connection, the first episode features Pinky Tuscadero (Fonzie's girlfriend) performing in a motorcyle jump for Nancy's Vegas spectacular. At some point, Fonzie himself pays a visit as does Laverne and her dad Frank. And Arnold runs the hotel concession after relocating from Milwaukee--remember Al took over "Arnolds." (Pat Morita also was recuperating from a failed ABC fall series). So far so good. But Eddie Mekka plays the dance coach Joey and isn't he Shirley's squeeze Carmine back in Wisconsin? And wasn't Goodfriend, playing "Sunshine" just featured on "Happy Days" as one of the girls and will be Richie's main squeeze Lori Beth next season? And won't Baio, as Anthony, will end up as Fonzie's cousin Chachi, creating his own harem of screaming teenage girls?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> Confused? Well, it didn't matter. Walker would be back on "Rhoda" by next fall. Oh, and Ross Martin guests as an Arab sheik a <i>second</i> time in a sitcom this season (see "Sanford and Son").<br />
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<b>CPO Sharkey</b> (NBC). Aaron Ruben, having been a creative force on "Andy Griffith Show" and "Gomer Pyle" in the sixties and more recently "Sanford and Son" decided to mix the two together and create a videotaped racially diverse slander-fest set in the military, only this time Sgt. Carter is the main character and the rube is a supporting player. Actually, this late fall replacement series was the perfect vehicle for star Don Rickles. He played the veteran Navy officer making sailors out of raw recruits at a San Deigo naval base. As the recruits were cookie-cutter ethnic stereotypes so common in sitcoms of the day, this allowed Rickles, as Sharkey, to lay on the slurs as he did so well in his nightclub act as "Mr. Warmth." Sharkey was not mean-spirited, prejudiced or ignorant in an Archie Bunker way. He was a cuddly version of a politically-incorrect Borscht-Belt emcee frustrated because he wasn't starring in the review. So along with his country-fied bo-hunk assistant, Pruitt, Sharkey had to suffer the consequences of "raising" a group of green newbies: black, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Latino, and the token midwestern farm boy. Harrison Page played his officer friend and Elizabeth Allen was the commander, allowing Rickles to show his sexist humor as well. We've come a long way baby.<br />
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These military men were a little rowdier than the Pyle variety. After all, they often went off base to the disco, had experiences with inflatable women, travelled to Tijuana and mistook Sharky's toupee salesman as his gay partner. Oh, and Larry Storch guests as a wino for the second time in a sitcom this season (see "Phyllis"). <br />
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<b>McLean Stevenson Show</b> (NBC). Also making a solo comeback was Stevenson, over a year after he was killed off as Henry Blake on M*A*S*H. This was the first of many attempts to give the like able Stevenson a starring vehicle. And it was quite unremarkable. The taped series basically revolved around "Mac," a hardware store owner in Evanston, Illinois. He and his wife (Barbara Stuart from "Gomer Pyle") are surprised when their recently separated daughter, her two children, and their grown slacker son all move back in with them. This mid season series, without a prominent producing or writing team behind it, didn't quite take off despite the lead's Midwestern likeability. Guest stars included future sitcom stars Loni Anderson and Richard Mulligan.<br />
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<b>Sirota's Court (</b>NBC). This was NBC's third mid season tryout during the Christmas season along with the two mentioned above. When "Night Court" premiered in 1984, I remembered thinking how similar it was to this well-written ensemble show, sort of a "Barney Miller" for the courtroom. (Actually Reinhold Weige of "Barney Miller" created "Night Court.") Case in point: Night Court Judge Matthew Sirota (Michael Constantine) had a great sense of humor and empathy for the inner city freakshow that would appear before him (like Harry Stone). He had a sort-of romance with the court clerk and dealt with the sexy ultra-liberal public defender (the combination gives you Christine Sullivan). The courtroom was populated by an odd bailiff (like Bull), a vain and inept district attorney (Fred Willard) and an opportunistic public defender (Ted Ross)--.the combination gives you Dan Fielding. Even with the similarities this short-lived series, videotaped for Universal Studios, tended to be a bit grittier and realistic than it's eighties twin.<br />
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<b>Szysznyk</b> (CBS). This was another ensemble show taking place in the inner, inner city. Acclaimed film actor Ned Beatty, fresh off heralded stints on "Deliverance" "Nashville" and "Network" played Nick Szysznyk, a retired Marine working as a playground supervisor at a Washington DC community center. The comedy came from Nick's frustration with the bureaucracy of city government especially when dealing with the multi-ethnic group of street kids and the public counselor played by Olivia Cole. The taped series, with support from Rich Eustis, Jerry Weintraub and Jim Burrows, did very well on a five-episode summer run and returned later the next season.<br />
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<b>Ball Four</b> (CBS). This series was based on the book of the same title where baseball player Jim Bouton blows the whistle on the womanizing, drug abuse and overall misbehavior inherent in minor league ball clubs. Bouton played himself, a team member of the Washington Americans, dealing with the public relations fallout of a scandalous article he published regarding his team. This fall premiere, highly touted for it's topicality, was slotted during the Family Hour. Even though the subject matter didn't hold back from the book's sordid revelations too much, it was necessary to mute the bad language with nonsensical epitaphs such as "horse crock" and "bullhorse" leading to a very inauthentic presentation. In just five episodes, the series tackled controversy such as religious intolerance and, in a plotline right out of today's headlines, a rookie ballplayer coming out as gay. NFL star Ben Davidson played one of the rowdy players. Another thing that led to an incredibly short run were the limitations inherent in the three-camera videotaped format with a studio audience. The series, from Warner Brothers/Time-Life was the first sitcom in the seventies to be taped in New York.<br />
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<b>Busting Loose</b> (CBS). Fresh from their success with "Laverne and Shirley," writers Lowell <br />
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Ganz and Babaloo Mandel kept their relationship with Paramount but moved to CBS to escape Garry Marshall and his inability to deal with the present day. In this mid season replacement series, Adam Arkin (son of huge seventies film star Alan Arkin) starred as Lenny Markowitz, a recent graduate of engineering school who decides to move out of his kvetching parent's (Pat Carroll and Jack Kruschen) house to a run down apartment in the inner city. He ends up working in a shoe store. He is always trying to pick up women and it is difficult as his apartment is wallpapered with cartoon ducks which he cannot afford to paper over. This is a huge source of humor in the series. It doesn't help that his neighbor is a voluptuous paid escort (Barbara Rhoads). The ribald yet sanitized three camera filmed series was an antecedent to the bad boy humor of "Animal House," the Italian bonding elements of "Saturday Night Fever," and the Jewish family humor of "Next Stop, Greenwich Village" as Lenny and his childhood buddies spend a lot of time ribbing about girls and visiting the Catskills.<br />
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<b>Loves Me, Loves Me Not</b> (CBS). This was the first sitcom "mini-series." A self-contained story told in the course of a few half-hour episodes in the spring of 1977. The story was very simple: it involved the courtship of a newspaper reporter (Kenneth Gilman) and a teacher (Susan Dey--her first role after being Laurie Partridge). The sweet and glossy metropolitan romance was filmed with a gentle laugh track. Oddly, it's creator, Susan Harris, hailed from the noisy world of the Bunkers and would soon create the wild and wooly "Soap."<br />
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Not only would the short-lived quality sitcom revolution be sideswiped by the pop culture tsunami of teen idols, catchphases and jiggles, but audiences would start to see a return to the sixties in terms of high concept and fantasy:<br />
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<b>Holmes and Yoyo</b> (ABC). Leonard Stern and Arne Sultan of "Get Smart" created this single camera sitcom farce for Universal TV about an accident-prone cop (Richard B. Schull) and his futuristic android partner(John Schuck). The hype for this fall show was so pronounced, ABC was crowning Schull and Schuck as the next Laurel and Hardy. Well, Hardly. Stern was re imagining Smart's Hymie the Robot as more of a blue collar crime-fighter. His nose shot Polaroids, garage door openers would cause his head to spin, his magnetized body could cause all sorts of difficulties, and he even could make the morning coffee without using a coffee pot. Audiences weren't quite ready to bring the slapstick back.--at least not when it didn't involve ditzy blonds in tight shirts.<br />
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<b>The Kallikaks </b>(NBC). This summer tryout series was basically an updated "Beverly Hillbillies" as a coal miner from the Appalachia inherits a gas station in California and moves the family there to get rich however they can. A bit more scheming and less naive than the Clampetts, star David Huddleston also produced this taped sitcom with an eye toward simpler times. That was evident as Buddy Ebsen's daughter Bonnie played the daughter.<br />
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<b>Mr. T and Tina</b> (ABC). Producer James Komack pulled a "Blansky" and introduced the main character in this new taped fall sitcom in a contrived appearance on his hit "Welcome Back, Kotter." Pat Mortita made history as the first Asian-American to star in a sitcom. He played the Japanese inventor Taro Tthakahashi who gets transferred from Tokyo to Chicago by his employer. Susan Blanchard played Tina, the wide-eyed girl from Nebraska that is somehow hired to be his housekeeper and nanny to his two kids. The comedy arises from the cultural differences experienced by Mr. T's traditional family and the all-American Tina. Having veteran comedy producers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis from "I Love Lucy" couldn't have helped raise the material out of blatant stereotypes. Guest appearances by Mako and The Sweathogs as well as Ted Lange ("Isaac the Bartender") as a regular character couldn't save this show from a very abbreviated fall run. Pat Morita, having been a semi-regular on "Sanford and Son" and "Happy Days" (as Arnold) ended up with fellow fall season reject Nancy Walker on "Blansky's Beauties" (playing Arnold again) before eventually returning to "Happy Days" in the eighties and then becoming the mentor to "The Karate Kid."<br />
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<b>Sugar Time!</b> (ABC). Komack had a little more success in this taped summer series by <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T and T and Aaaa.</td></tr>
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capitalizing on the juvenile titillation phenomena going on at ABC. Playboy Playmate Barbi Benton lent her" talents" as one of three girls who formed a singing trio called Sugar. The ever-present Paul Williams wrote the music for the show as they performed mostly in a California amateur showcase run by Al Marks. Of course, each girl had her distinct personality: one was gorgeous and dippy and from the beach; one was sarcastic and from the Bronx; and one was level-headed and from the Midwest. There you have it. The short summer run garnered enough prurient interest for a return later the next fall.<br />
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Komack also produced for the fall season's NBC lineup one of the most talked about sitcoms that never aired:<br />
With <b>Snip</b> (NBC), Komack once again headlined a stand up comedian. David Brenner played a swinging hairdresser working in a Massachusetts hair salon with his ex-wife (Lesly Ann-Warren) who still lived with him along with other family members. Clearly influenced by the hit film satire "Shampoo," "Snip" never got a chance to shock audiences with it's candid depiction of the sexually liberated lifestyles in the mid-seventies. Many sitcoms taped or filmed before a studio audience would "sweeten" the live reactions with canned laughter. Brenner insisted that this not be done here, giving the show a more honest feel. But audiences never got to see it in America as NBC cancelled it before it even aired. Supposedly it was due to having a gay recurring character, the owner of the salon. But as ABC was not deterred with same on "Nancy Walker Show," what must have scared the network was the fact that rather than being a "swishy" neurotic stereotype, the gay character in "Snip" was a confident business owner. But this is all conjecture as I haven't seen the show.<br />
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<b>THE BEGINNINGS OF RETRO</b><br />
<i>This was the second season that featured many sixties-style sitcoms on the children's Saturday Morning schedule. NBC featured a heavy line-up of these shows. Firstly, <b>The Kids from CAPER </b></i><i>dealt with a group of teens that would break into rock music as they were solving goofy mysteries for pretty young girls. The brains behind this one were Don Kirschner and Stanley Cherry of "The Monkees." This was no surprise as the wacky timing and blackouts amidst the music was highly derivative of the sixties icons. The following three shows were produced by the veteran team of D'Angelo-Bullock-Allen (currently producing "Alice" and previously writers on "The Flintstones" and "Love, American Style"). <b>McDuff, the Talking Dog</b> followed the misadventures of a family that owned a sheepdog that, well, talked like a grumpy old man. <b>The Monster Squad</b> (created by Stanley Ralph Ross) had more of a Sid and Marty Krofft feel and borrowed heavily from the previous season's "Ghost Busters" as Fred Grandy as a criminologist who, through a sarcophagus museum experiment, brings back to life the Frankenstein monster, Dracula and the Wolfman to fight crime and attone for past sins. D'Angelo-Bullock-Allen teamed with sitcom legend Sherwood Schwartz ("Gilligan's Island") in this highly formulaic series about a middle-age man (Herb Edelman) who, at inopportune times, would turn into a teenage boy (Robbie Rist) due to a drink out of a magical fountain. <b>Big John-Little John </b>could have been a prime-time sitcom in a previous age as it didn't rely on costumed characters or magical animals. This was a reunion of sorts as Rist played the "extra" Brady, Oliver, on the final season of Schwartz's "The Brady Bunch."</i><br />
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<i>Speaking of "The Brady Bunch" and the Krofft brothers, the successful puppet show producers decided to bring the Bunch back to prime-time--without the permission of Sherwood Schwartz-- in "The Brady Bunch Hour.". This time it was a mid season variety <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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show on ABC. Evidently, the Bradys were able to shuck their previous life and become a family musical group. Although short-lived this show is well-known in pop culture circles for being the first reincarnation of the family and doing it with a different Jan (Eve Plumb bowed out of this one). So, obviously, retro was already starting before the decade was even over. And the vapid comedy skits (with Alice) and horribly embarrassing musical numbers (not to mention many guest appearances by Paul Lynde) helped make this one of the most notorious failures on network TV. </i><i>Schwartz would be involved in 1981 when the Bradys return in a TV film where Jan and Marcia get married resulting in the three-camera sitcom "The Brady Brides" with Eve Plumb back in tow.</i><br />
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<i>The nostalgia craze would go even further with NBC airing a "Father Knows Best" reunion movie with the entire cast from the fifties classic. Plus a pilot "Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis" would air this season reuniting Dobie (Dwayne Hickman) and Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver) from the early sixties cult hit. Needless to say, Warren Beatty and Tuesday Weld did not appear.</i><br />
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So as this important decade in sitcom content is in it's declining half (in an important political year to boot) audiences preferred the nostalgia and hip teen pop culture and catchphrases and wet t-shirts of the ABC hits rather than the topicality and realism of the CBS Lear shows. ("Barney Miller" was caught in the middle). And as Mary Tyler Moore said farewell to the newsroom, the networks were already bringing back irrelevant, dumbed-down sitcom characters and premises from a few years earlier to celebrate the long-lost days of mindlessness in TV. 1976 indeed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beginning of the End<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>SOME TREATS:</b></span></div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">THE DRAFT DODGER EPISODE:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AbFwYoaIocs" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />THE FUNNIEST BARNEY MILLER-HASH<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yhl6fO5jxfQ" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />TONY RANDALL SHOW <br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/e2nasgQ9igM" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />RICKLES AND SHARKEY INTERRUPTUS:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mj2S2n64DeQ" width="420"></iframe></span></b></td></tr>
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