The theme of my final installment is one that is not new: Everything old is new again. But it only took nine or so years.
To recap: 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.” No more Hooterville and Mayberry. African-Americans, post “Julia” were
represented with more frequency and in more racially-aware scripts, even if
still mired in fifties-era stereotypes.
The urban workplace became the “home” for many and diversity in
ethnicity and sexuality became the norm in ensemble casts. Story lines dealt with real-world issues
and courted controversy. 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.
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 corn-pone of yesteryear. Just more tight and low-cut. 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.” Instead, “Smokey and the
Bandit” won out.
“Alice” began in 1976 as a
story about a widow and her son readjusting to a new environment amidst
emotional transition. 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. Polly Holliday’s Flo would spin-off
this season to huge ratings as she moved back to Texas.
HAZZARD AHEAD
HAZZARD AHEAD
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):
“Dallas” premiering as a night-time serial (starring Larry Hagman as JR,
after trying hard to re-enter sitcoms this decade and not succeeding) and “Dukes of Hazzard.” “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.”
There were lots of car chases, skimpy outfits (courtesy of Daisy Duke),
and broad slapstick humor. As a
matter of fact, the doltish repartee of these hicks was more juvenile and
dumbed-down than anything viewed in the sixties. But without a laugh track and with lots of action, the hour
long series was never actually categorized as a sitcom. When “Dukes’ premiered in early 1979,
NBC countered with “BJ and the Bear” about a trucker and his chimpanzee, also
running from the law. This series
was more derivative of Clint Eastwood’s “Any Which Way you Can” films than
anything Reynolds dreamed up with Hal Needham. And both series returned this season. “BJ” already graced the network with a
spin-off in the fall: “The
Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo” also an hour-long car-chase with overly broad
characterizations. So basically,
Mayberry was back and Barney Fife now came across as Gary Cooper in
comparison. In the fall of 1980,
“Dukes” would even have a spin off featuring a law enforcement stooge:
“Enos.” 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! So basically, we are back to
1970.
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. The 4077th would continue to garner
acclaim and ratings but at the expense of, ahem, comedy.
But before moving forward:
But before moving forward:
 |
| Return to Form--ula |
RATINGS WINNERS 1979-1980
 |
| Crissy does Mayberry. |
Another short-lived regular
character would be introduced to compensate for the lack of Ropers: new
neighbor Lana. 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. This provided a lot of comic steam until the producers
figured out that she didn’t really fit in very well with the show. But sadly,
 |
| The ol' Roper--dope. |
#4. Alice (CBS).
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. Not much happens here, except
traditional sitcom tripe. 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.
The most controversial episode involved Flo driving a truck through
Mel’s Diner. Speaking of Flo, her
popular character is spun off into her own series this season in the
spring. 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. 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.
#5. M*A*S*H (CBS).
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. 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. Such as:
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. Character actor GW Bailey as the scheming head of the motor
pool added some comic relief as well.
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.
Yes, Gary Burghoff, as Radar
O’Reilly, would leave the series this season after a few episodes adding
another blow to the original format.
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. Dinner theater awaits. (There would be an attempt to spin off
the character in 1984 but that would never get off the ground.)
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: 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. Which meant more “special” episodes:
 |
| First do no arm. |
 |
| Dream Cleaver |
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| "We lost the laughs in there!" |
With the show’s critical
cache came quality guest stars:
Edward Herrman, Ed Begly Jr., Susan St. James as a war correspondent,
and future sitcom diva Shelly Long.
Even Alda featured his brothers Robert and Antony in an episode--another clue as to the inclusiveness of
the new “regime.”
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 this year--probably more
for the dramatic arcs than the comic bits.
#7. Flo (CBS).
Back to inanity: As
mentioned above, sassy man-hungry Texan Flo (Polly Holliday) as the breakout
character on “Alice” must naturally break out into her own series. 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. Her journey ends there
as she buys a roadhouse and turns it into a honkytonk restaurant, deeming
it “Flo’s Yellow Rose.” 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. 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. 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.
 |
| Carrot top-icality. |
 |
| Jeffersonian politics. |
To be fair, there were a
few thoughtful serious episodes.
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. In a flashback episode, the series
chronicles the opening of George’s first store--on the day Martin Luther King,
Jr. was assassinated.
#9. Dukes of Hazzard (CBS).
#10. One Day at a
Time (CBS). 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. Actress
Mackenzie Phillips had been having serious troubles due to her addictions and
her appearances were limited this season.
The “plot device” was to have her marry airline attendant Max (Michael
Lembeck) and move to Houston. 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. Mostly however,the show dealt with the romantic life of Ann
and daughter Barbara. 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. 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.
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. So much for Schneider being the comic relief. |
| Balsam and Vinegar |
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. Sadly, this was proof positive of “All in the Family” turning
into a sort of gritty Lucy show in it’s remaining years.
 |
| Here's Archie! |
Rhea Perlman would play
Louie’s new girlfriend Zena the candy machine girl--a shy and introverted counterpart
to Louie’s demonic demeanor.
(Perlman would eventually become Devito’s long-time wife and would
herself play an award-winning nasty character on “Cheers.”)
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. This highly entertaining episode that
culminated in a spectacular musical number with the cast performing “Lullaby of
Broadway.” 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.
“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.
#14. House Calls (CBS).
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.” Here’s
how: 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. 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. Ray Buktenika (from
“Rhoda”) played Richard
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.
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.
The filmed series also was single camera, letting a subtle laughtrack
color the proceedings rather than a videotaped studio audience--now almost
passé. And to schedule the
midseason show right after “M*A*S*H” on Monday nights was a stroke of
genius. Look for teen heartthrob
Lief Garrett, aging heartthrob Fernando Llamas and future neurotic heartthrob
Richard Lewis in guest roles.
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. “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. His supporting cast included a sexier
young version of his old self, appropriately called “Gonzo.”
So audiences yearning for
the old 4077th had TWO versions of Trapper John to satiate their nostalgic
yearnings.
 |
| It's come to this. |
The crossovers
continued. 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. There is
also a 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. Other interesting guest
shots: Ron’s brother, Clint--the B
Movie favorite; a young Julie Brown; Bob and Ray; and Hank Aaron. 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.
This season also featured a girl gang led by Kat Mandu.
The most surprising
incident this season was a fire (accidentally started by Chachi) that burns
down Arnold’s. So Fonzie partners
up with Al to reopen a new hangout, called Arnolds. (Fonzie and Archie Bunker are both now proprieters of eating
establishments. That must be where
fading sitcom characters go to burn out!)
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.
#20. Barney Miller (ABC).
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.
Well-dressed Harris, whose book is coming along, disappears after going
undercover as a vagrant and also refuses to wear a new standardized
uniform. 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. The stationhouse
falls victim to possible sniper targeting cops and the release of a viral
strain. Wojo gets hypnotized. And Barney gets passed up for a
promotion again.
 |
| "The Detective School ain't workin ' Barn." |
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| A very special guest. |
As for the crazy visitors
this year: 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. Guest stars this
season included James Cromwell, Stuart Pankin, Joanna Miles, David Paymer, and
“Soap”’s Diana Canova.
“Barney Miller” won it’s
second Emmy, this time for writing:
Bob Colleary for the episode “Photographer.”
#22. WKRP In
Cincinnati (CBS). 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.
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. But the writing was always
topnotch. Johnny Fever was featured
prominently: he’s threatened with
palimony and another time he hears the voice of God.
Newsman Les gets a groupie.
Miss America announcer Bert Parks makes an interesting cameo as
Herb’s
flamboyant father who escapes from a nursing home. 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.
And like Fonzie, the gang finds out that Jennifer, the gorgeous super-receptionist,
spends her Christmas alone. Russian
defectors engulf the station office.
 |
| WKUP |
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. 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) and underlying racism is explored when Andy’s sister dates
him. 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.
 |
| From Tate house to Statehouse |
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. Plus he gets involved with a woman (Beverly Todd) who
happened to be a state senator!
Guests include Denise Nicholas,Roscoe Lee Browne (his replacement on
“Soap”), and David Huddleston as senior Gatling. 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. 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.
#24. Love Boat
#25. Soap (ABC).
The serialized hi-jinks of “Soap” were still as outrageous in this third
season as they were at the beginning of the run. What happens this season? Lots of infidelity, that’s for sure.
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. 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.
(Another example of
something you would never see in a sitcom today, no matter how
off-the-wall.) 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. When Burt returns to earth, he runs for
sheriff (with Danny’s help) and fights a corrupt incumbent (Hamilton
Camp). Danny escapes from the mob thanks
to the leader’s girlfriend (Candy Azzarra) who gets involved with Danny. When she gets enough of the family,
Danny falls in love with a black woman (Lynn Moody) leading to family adjustments and racist threats
from the neighborhood. Jody (Billy Crystal) sees
his son when Carol’s mother brings him to her doorstep. 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.
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. Burt finds out he is going to die so he tries to set world records and then finds out it was
a mistake. 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. The
season ends with Jessica dying and Mary going into labor.
 |
| Oh no you din't. |
Eugene Roche returns as
lawyer Malou and Jack Gilford has an
extended cameo as the alien Saul who helps
Burt get back to earth and travels through time sharing famous moments in
history with him. No kidding. At times the UFO sequences looked like a bad Saturday morning Krofft show with the costumed creatures. And after helping Billy escape the Sunnies, Benson leaves
for his own show to be replaced by Roscoe Lee Browne as Saunders. “Soap” would go on with crazy plots for
one more season to be unexpectedly cancelled leaving many threads unraveled.
 |
| Soap Trek |
“Soap” picked up it’s only
two Emmy awards this year. Cathryn
Damon and Richard Mulligan both received lead performance awards as Burt and Mary
Campbell. Could it be for
convincing
acting in a story thread dealing with becoming impregnated by an
alien doppelganger or dealing with Burt’s impending death? 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.”
#26. Diff'rent
Strokes (NBC). 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). Race plays heavily in the story lines
this season, some serious and some for laughs: 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. 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.
Of course, crossover was
the name of the game with network chief Fred Silverman and he valiantly
attempted to start a successfully spawning franchise here. The successful: 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. Nedra Volz
would be the short-time replacement as the Drummond’s housekeeper. The not-so-successful: 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. See below for more information on both of these series in
the 1979 season. |
| Audience shrinkage. |
But the show lost half of it’s
new audience by trying to be more
topical and edgy, focusing on the two main character's relationship more than Mork’s adjustment to earth. The trippy season opener had Mork shrinking
into nothingness (by taking cold medicine) examining the essence of good and
evil. The show tried to trend
topical as well: 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.
But there was science fiction parody as well: Raquel Welch has a character arc as the voluptuous leader of
a race of sexy aliens who kidnap Mindy.
And Roddy McDowall voices the reboot of Robby the Robot from “Lost in
Space.”
 |
| Special guest stars. |
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. The flame burned hot and
bright at first only to fizzle into mediocrity.
RETURNING SERIES (in alphabetical order)
Angie (ABC).
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. 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. With
her new found wealth (and confidence), Angie buys the coffee shop and later
opens up a beauty salon with her mom.
The new characters, over the course of the year, include some nuns
(childhood friends of Angie's) who were played by Valri Bromfield and Nancy Lane
and Gianni, a flamboyant gigolo-like hairdresser played by Tim Thomerson. Of course, Angie’s mother and sister
would have generous camera time.
The guest star roster was a
who’s who of Paramount’s stock players for Garry Marshall: Ellen Travolta, Lorna Patterson, Peter
Scolari, Adrian Zmed, and Leo Rossi.
Even Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman would show up in different episodes. As well as child actor Corey
Feldman. 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.
Bad News Bears (CBS). The movie spin off returned in the fall before
being dropped after only a few episodes.
The remainder of the series was burned off during the summer. Not much happens other than coach
Buttermaker having to explain the facts of life to Amanda and proposing to her
mother.
Detective School (ABC).
It is obvious that networks were in the mode of dropping shows
immediately if they didn’t perform well in the ratings. This was a bad omen in some
instances. In others it may have
been a godsend. This one barely
lasted into the fall after it’s strong summer premiere. Just as “Bad News Bears” this one was
dumped for a quick death in the now-desolate Saturday night prime time schedule. Bruno Kirby would make an
early guest appearance. At least James Gregory could return to "Barney Miller."
 |
| Bratty Pack Ringwald |
 |
| The Debs of Life |
Even though Norman Lear was not actively involved in this show produced by his company T.A.T., it had the trademark dramatic
 |
| Jo-less show |
 |
| Crossover Hell. |
 |
| No Ade from Lemmon. |
Laverne and Shirley (ABC).
his was the season that wasn’t.
ABC decided to move the girls to Thursday night and away from it’s
post-“Happy Days” slot. 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!
Well, they tried. The
opener was the second part of a “Happy Days” crossover regarding the farmer’s
daughters and the faux marriage to Ritchie and Fonzie. Audiences were catching on and tuning
out.
The overarching storyline
this season involved Laverne and Shirley
joining the army. This would be a prescient thrust
into 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. 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.
 |
| Ratings Fatigues |
As with “Happy Days” the
time frame was now the early sixties.
Therefore, Shirley became a beatnik in one episode. But basically the era had nothing to do
with the silliness: 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.
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). Laverne’s
dad, Frank, finally proposes to Edna. Art Garfunkle makes an appearance as well this
season. Ed Marinaro, who would
play a completely different character next season (when L&S move to
Hollywood) plays Laverne’s cousin.
And Pat Morita…well..doesn’t play Arnold. Don’t ask.
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| A very special episode. |
The Ropers (ABC).
See “Three’s Company” above.
Stockard Channing Show (CBS).
Channing returns mid-season with a re-tooled starring vehicle as CBS
tries to anoint her the new “Mary."
Only her status as a newly divorced woman looking to start life anew in
West LA remained the same. But,
like Mary Tyler Moore, she worked for a TV show this time: a consumer affairs
segment on the local news. 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.
Broadway showman Max Showalter played the flamboyant station owner. Channing’s attempt last season had decent ratings but now,with the changes, the show had no ratings at all and left the airwaves much
quicker. The single woman making
it on her own was now a relic of the past in sitcoms. The nuclear family would be back in vogue in the
eighties. Until “Murphy Brown” of
course.
NOTABLE PREMIERES
At this point in time,
series had to make it big in a hurry or risk being unceremoniously dumped after
a few airings. First, the quality:
The Associates (ABC).
James L. Brooks and the crew behind “Taxi” had high hopes for this white
collar version of urban wit on the fall schedule. 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. And
what a
cast: 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. 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. She was played by Alley Mills (before
“Wonder Years”). Shelly Smith
completed the newbies as the sexy yet smart one. 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). Tim Thomerson rounded out the ensemble
as the horny mail boy, Johnny Danko.
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| Short-changed |
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| Kings-feld. |
United States (NBC).
Another Silverman attempt at novelty was this domestic “dramedy.” 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. Beau Bridges and Helen Shaver played
the suburban LA couple and the show dealt with some very touchy issues that
sitcoms usually didn’t fare well
with. 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. The camera work was inventive though and would focus on the
character’s hands during a dialogue scene for instance. And
there was a lot of dialogue, mostly without closure: infidelity, financial troubles, their
kid’s learning disability. One
storyline involved how to deal with the fact that your child has hooked up with
a gang that likes to kill cats.
And Bridges’ husband character even cries in one episode. Lots of heady, sensitive stuff
here. But audiences didn’t care
amidst the new Daisy Duke set. So
the show that promised to “do for marriages what M*A*S*H did for war” became an
interesting footnote in TV history.
Six O’Clock Follies (NBC).
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 (News and
Sports) in 1967 Saigon. 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. It didn’t hurt that the
director of the news show also owned a bar. 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.
Good Time Harry (NBC).
This summer tryout series was created by Steve Gordon, soon to bring
“Arthur” to the big screen and die very young. Go-to guy Ted Bessell returned to sitcoms as a philandering
sportswriter for a San Fransisco newspaper. The series would generate a lot of critical buzz what with
Charles H. Joffe (Woody Allen’s producer) producing for Universal. 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. At best it recalls the
“feel” of “Buffalo Bill” in the eighties in that respect. Also starring were Eugene Roche as the
editor, Marcia Strassman (fresh from Kotter), and former child star Barry
Gordon.
“The Love Boat” would
continue on through the eighties and “Eight is Enough” would end by next season
at the top of the ratings. The
rural comedy-adventure shows mentioned at the top of this segment would play a
large part for a few years. But as
for any laugh track-laden hour-long comedy-dramas, this season only saw two
entries:
Shirley (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. Rosanna Arquette played
one of the teens in this typical family show from Universal.
When the Whistle
Blows (ABC) was a seriocomic
examination of the blue collar lifestyle featuring a group of construction
workers and their wild and crazy exploits. Dolph Sweet (future star of “Gimme a Break”) led the
pack.
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| Jack's back. |
Working Stiffs (CBS).
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.” 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
the building where they toiled. Slapstick was the order of the day here
and both actors had expert comic timing to insure genuine laughs. Lorna Patterson and Allan Arbus played the
couple who owned the restaurant above the boy's cellar apartment. (That's right, another cellar apartment.) Laverne herself, Penny Marshall, even
directed the first episode. But
this one actually nearly set the record for early fall cancellation with only a four week
run. 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.
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| "It don't get better than this!" |
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| Support our Tropes. |
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| Angels and Orkans, O My! |
A New Kind of Family (ABC).
This videotaped family series was paired with “Out of the Blue” on the
Sunday family hour. 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. It
was a relatively dour contrivance to set up the scenario, telling of the
times. Future Brat Packer Rob Lowe
got his start playing one of the kids.
The series was shut down after a few episodes and retooled for a return
later in the fall. This time,
the white divorcee was replaced by
a black divorcee and her daughter (Telma Hopkins of Tony Orlando and Dawn and,
again, Janet Jackson). It didn’t
help. Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon
provided some creative input to the series. Future film star Eric Stoltz would also make an early
guest appearance on the show.
Me and Maxx (NBC).
This family comedy was produced by James Komack and was slightly based
on his relationship with his daughter.
Basically, it was a videotaped “Family Affair” with Manhattanite Joe
Santos (“Rockford Files”) playing the cynical swinging dad that unexpectedly ends up with his precocious
daughter after her mother decides to go off and “find herself.” Silverman, still trying to remake
NBC, reportedly cast the show by
watching the actor’s clips side by side.
Melissa Michaelson was being hailed as the next big child star with her
worldly delivery. But the
sentimental parts of the show rang false and the comedy was forced leading to
an early demise of the spring tryout series.
Nobody’s Perfect (ABC).
This series was also hotly hyped as a fall premiere. It didn’t show up though until the
summer for some reason. But
critics liked this one. “Get
Smart”’s Arne Sultan and Chris Heyward, failing with “Holmes and Yoyo,” tried
another single camera buddy cop comedy for Universal. 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. 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). 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. I think the show would have done better
with it’s original title: “Hart of
the City.”
Semi Tough (ABC).
Actor Bruce McGill, who played D-Day in the film and TV version of
“Animal House” tried again in a feature film adaptation. This time he played the Burt Reynold's
part in “Semi-Tough.” The series was based on a 1977 film about 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. But it didn’t really matter much
how audiences reacted with only four episodes airing during the spring. 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). 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. The sitcom didn’t have a chance to
touch on any of these issues with any depth.
Last Resort (CBS).
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. 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. 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.
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. And the chef was a stereotypical
Japansese character who only pretended not to speak English. Ronny Cox guested as Breeding’s
estranged dad. 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.
Norman Lear had a
relatively lower profile by this time.
As with MTM, he was working on dramatic series. In March, he collaborated with Alex
Haley, Jr. (“Roots”) in “Palmerstown USA.” The CBS series examined the issues of race in 1930’s small-town America, similar in setting to network’s hit “The Waltons.” 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 Bunker
dynasty, was known more for being the first series featuring Canadian Michael
J. Fox in an early serious role.
So Lear had little else
to say at the cusp of the eighties as far as sitcoms were concerned. “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “The
Jeffersons,” and “One Day at a Time” were far removed from their original
topicality, bite and electricity.
Lear’s production company was heavily focused on NBC’s new family of
sitcoms derived from “Diff’rent Strokes.”
The following five series this season represented the final remnants of
Lear’s empire:
Joe’s World (NBC).
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. 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). 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..
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.
Sanford (NBC).
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.
Once again, Lear wisely stayed away. The Arms were gone and so was Lamont (working on an
oil pipeline in Alaska). 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. He provided a decent foil
for Fred
with his naive country ways.
Nathanial Taylor returned as Rollo as did the local cops Hoppy and
Smitty (Howard Platt and Hal Williams).
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. 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.
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| Petticoat Sanford |
Although the series was
still relying on stereotypes and silly humor, it now seemed even more trite and
tired. Dealing with Cal’s weight
issues wasn’t the same as the father-son conflicts with Lamont. Silverman couldn’t even make the old
formula work. “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.
One in a Million (ABC).
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. 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.
Like “The Jeffersons” this taped series could lampoon racial and class
issues in one fell swoop. But with
Hemphill’s one-note delivery and the unrealistic scenario, the show never
became anything but a one-note novelty.
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.
Phyll and Mikkhy (CBS).
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. In anticipation of the 1980 Olympics, CBS conceived of this Cold War comedy: a Russian track star defects and
marries a US track star. They move
in with her crusty dad and he is hounded by a comical KGB officer (Michael
Pataki). 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. 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 him
back to the Soviet Union; and F-Trooper Larry Storch as a rogue Russian agent
The Baxters (Syndicated).
Norman Lear actually took an active hand in developing this unusual
series. 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. The father of the St. Louis clan was an insurance
agent. Anita Gillette played the
stay at home mom. 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 even discussing possible endings for the episode.
The series was conceived by a
Boston TV station and Lear liked the idea enough to bring it to Hollywood. 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.
Video Nuggets:
Reverend Jim's driving test:
Taxi's Lullaby of Broadway:
And the seventies ended with this:
And you didn't believe me!
