FYI
Murphy Brown
December 08, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
From 1988 to 1998, Murphy Brown showed us the personal and professional lives of a fictional, accomplished, perpetually single television newswoman.
Candice Bergen stars in the title role -- a Motown-loving, Barry Manilow-detesting, alcoholic-reforming anchor of the fictional FYI prime time news program. Each FYI show begins with anchor Jim Dial saying some variation on the phrase For your information, tonight.
Bergen had the great fortune of solid writing, a strong cast, and exemplary guest stars and recurring actors.
In the guest star category, Darren McGavin and Colleen Dewhurst play Murphy’s parents, Morgan Fairchild plays an actress researching a sitcom role loosely based on Murphy, and Harry Shearer plays an image consultant.
Real-life celebrities play themselves, including Connie Chung, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Walter Cronkite, Katie Couric, and Paula Zahn.
Jane Leeves plays the recurring role of Audrey, girlfriend of FYI Executive Producer Miles Silverberg.
Alan Oppenheimer and Garry Marshall play the recurring roles of network executives Eugene Kinsella and Stan Lansing, respectively.
The central cast gives Murphy a strong quasi-family.
Charles Kimbrough plays veteran television newsman Jim Dial.
Grant Shaud plays the young, eager, and initially inexperienced executive producer, Miles Silverberg.
Faith Ford plays beauty queen turned television journalist Corky Sherwood.
And Joe Regalbuto plays Murphy’s best friend and investigative journalist Frank Fontana.
One hallmark of Murphy Brown is the constant changing of Murphy’s secretaries.
One secretary ran a phone sex line from her desk!
Another hallmark is Murphy’s house painter Eldin Bernecky, played by Robert Pastorelli. Eldin is Murphy’s sounding board at home because he always finds new work to do in Murphy’s elegant house.
In 1992, art met life on Murphy Brown.
Murphy got pregnant by an old flame. But he did not stick around because his passion is traveling the world to help less fortunate people.
Murphy decides to have the baby. And Vice President Dan Quayle criticizes the Murphy Brown character for having a child out of wedlock and calling it just another lifestyle choice.
Quayle’s comments reflect the importance of a father in a child’s life. But it triggered a media firestorm.
Murphy Brown incorporated Quayle’s comments into the show. In the Murphyverse, Quayle criticizes the real-life Murphy Brown rather than a fictional character.
Murphy Brown responded to the vice president’s criticism by saying that families come in all shapes and sizes.
In a later season, Kay Carter-Shepley replaces Miles Silverberg as Executive Producer of FYI. Lily Tomlin plays Carter-Shepley.
In the final season, Murphy battles and defeats breast cancer.
Murphy Brown. For your information, she’s America’s favorite fictional television news superstar.
david@davidkrell.com
From 1988 to 1998, Murphy Brown showed us the personal and professional lives of a fictional, accomplished, perpetually single television newswoman.
Candice Bergen stars in the title role -- a Motown-loving, Barry Manilow-detesting, alcoholic-reforming anchor of the fictional FYI prime time news program. Each FYI show begins with anchor Jim Dial saying some variation on the phrase For your information, tonight.
Bergen had the great fortune of solid writing, a strong cast, and exemplary guest stars and recurring actors.
In the guest star category, Darren McGavin and Colleen Dewhurst play Murphy’s parents, Morgan Fairchild plays an actress researching a sitcom role loosely based on Murphy, and Harry Shearer plays an image consultant.
Real-life celebrities play themselves, including Connie Chung, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Walter Cronkite, Katie Couric, and Paula Zahn.
Jane Leeves plays the recurring role of Audrey, girlfriend of FYI Executive Producer Miles Silverberg.
Alan Oppenheimer and Garry Marshall play the recurring roles of network executives Eugene Kinsella and Stan Lansing, respectively.
The central cast gives Murphy a strong quasi-family.
Charles Kimbrough plays veteran television newsman Jim Dial.
Grant Shaud plays the young, eager, and initially inexperienced executive producer, Miles Silverberg.
Faith Ford plays beauty queen turned television journalist Corky Sherwood.
And Joe Regalbuto plays Murphy’s best friend and investigative journalist Frank Fontana.
One hallmark of Murphy Brown is the constant changing of Murphy’s secretaries.
One secretary ran a phone sex line from her desk!
Another hallmark is Murphy’s house painter Eldin Bernecky, played by Robert Pastorelli. Eldin is Murphy’s sounding board at home because he always finds new work to do in Murphy’s elegant house.
In 1992, art met life on Murphy Brown.
Murphy got pregnant by an old flame. But he did not stick around because his passion is traveling the world to help less fortunate people.
Murphy decides to have the baby. And Vice President Dan Quayle criticizes the Murphy Brown character for having a child out of wedlock and calling it just another lifestyle choice.
Quayle’s comments reflect the importance of a father in a child’s life. But it triggered a media firestorm.
Murphy Brown incorporated Quayle’s comments into the show. In the Murphyverse, Quayle criticizes the real-life Murphy Brown rather than a fictional character.
Murphy Brown responded to the vice president’s criticism by saying that families come in all shapes and sizes.
In a later season, Kay Carter-Shepley replaces Miles Silverberg as Executive Producer of FYI. Lily Tomlin plays Carter-Shepley.
In the final season, Murphy battles and defeats breast cancer.
Murphy Brown. For your information, she’s America’s favorite fictional television news superstar.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
June 16, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Summer means baseball.
It also means rainouts for baseball games.
When a rainout occurs, you can get your baseball fix with a baseball movie. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's, one movie in particular has just the right amount of fantasy, emotional depth, and baseball.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
Gentler than its predecessor (The Bad News Bears) and more compelling than its successor (The Bad News Bears Go To Japan), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training gives the underdogs from the North Valley League in southern California a shot at the Houston Toros. The Toros players are bigger, stronger, and faster.
Where else could the climactic game take place but the Houston Astrodome, the post-modern Eighth Wonder of the World and a popular cultural touchstone?
With Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau absent as star pitcher Amanda and Coach Morris Buttermaker respectively, the Bears need a pitcher, a coach, and a way to get to Houston.
Except for Timmy Lupus. The Bears' worst player can't travel with the team because of health reasons -- he broke a leg while skateboarding.
Jimmy Baio plays Carmen Ronzonni, the replacement pitcher.
The Bears employ an almost mute maintenance worker to play the part of the coach. Bears star Kelly Leak teaches him to say some scripted bland sentences because he wants to convince the players' families that a coach will be chaperoning them. They gather at one of the players' homes for the sendoff.
As soon as the families leave, the Bears take a van to Houston with Kelly at the wheel. Jackie Earle Haley plays Kelly.
Along the way, they almost pick up a gorgeous hitchhiker, evade cops on the highway, and motor to a catchy 1970's song called Looking Good, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, music by Craig Safan, sung by James Rolleston.
A subplot reveals itself when Kelly confronts his long-absent father, factory worker Michael Leak. William Devane plays Michael Leak.
Tanner Boyle, the Bears' loudmouth shortstop, writes to Lupus a.k.a. Looper that nobody knew Kelly had a father.
However, earlier in the movie, we learn that Carmen may have prior knowledge of Kelly's secret. The Bears know that Kelly knows a guy in Houston. After one of them inquires further, Carmen says that it's just some guy that Kelly knows. One can infer that Carmen's vagueness is merely a cover for Kelly.
Initially, for appearances sake, Michael agrees to be a figurehead coach. His status soon changes because the Bears realize he can actually help them in their game against the Toros.
The already strained relationship between Kelly and Michael continues to fracture during a tense moment in a practice where father eclipses son as the team leader.
Right before the game at the Astrodome, Tanner gives a locker room speech mirroring the climactic Win One For the Gipper speech in Knute Rockne, All-American. Tanner saw the movie on late night television while the rest of the team slept, except for Kelly who watched the scene quietly in the background.
Tanner's Win One for the Looper speech motivates the Bears.
The four-inning game between the Toros and Bears takes place between the games of a doubleheader at the Astrodome.
Only one problem. The powers that be call the game on account of time.
Real-life Houston Astros Bob Watson and Cesar Cedeno appear in the Bears' dugout and Watson says, Come on, let the kids play!
Inspired, Michael Leak takes the field and shouts, Let them play! Let them play! Soon, Kelly, the rest of the Bears, and the entire Astrodome join the chant. Meanwhile, Tanner refuses to leave the field and continues to evade the two suited gentleman trying to capture him.
Caving into massive crowd pressure, the powers that be resume the game.
Carmen Ronzonni hits an inside the park grand slam to win the game.
Michael and Kelly repair their relationship after the game.
And the Bears have Japan in their sights for their last adventure in the little league trilogy.
The television connections are highly significant in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
William Devane played Greg Sumner for several seasons of the CBS nighttime soap opera Knots Landing.
Pat Corley plays the coach of the Houston Toros. He also played Phil, the favorite bar owner and bartender for the gang from the fictional television news program FYI on Murphy Brown.
Lane Smith plays a sheriff in Breaking Training. He also played The Daily Planet editor Perry White in the 1990's yuppie version of Superman -- Lois and Clark starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
CBS aired a short-lived comedy based on the movies. The Bad News Bears starred Jack Warden as Coach Buttermaker.
david@davidkrell.com
Summer means baseball.
It also means rainouts for baseball games.
When a rainout occurs, you can get your baseball fix with a baseball movie. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's, one movie in particular has just the right amount of fantasy, emotional depth, and baseball.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
Gentler than its predecessor (The Bad News Bears) and more compelling than its successor (The Bad News Bears Go To Japan), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training gives the underdogs from the North Valley League in southern California a shot at the Houston Toros. The Toros players are bigger, stronger, and faster.
Where else could the climactic game take place but the Houston Astrodome, the post-modern Eighth Wonder of the World and a popular cultural touchstone?
With Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau absent as star pitcher Amanda and Coach Morris Buttermaker respectively, the Bears need a pitcher, a coach, and a way to get to Houston.
Except for Timmy Lupus. The Bears' worst player can't travel with the team because of health reasons -- he broke a leg while skateboarding.
Jimmy Baio plays Carmen Ronzonni, the replacement pitcher.
The Bears employ an almost mute maintenance worker to play the part of the coach. Bears star Kelly Leak teaches him to say some scripted bland sentences because he wants to convince the players' families that a coach will be chaperoning them. They gather at one of the players' homes for the sendoff.
As soon as the families leave, the Bears take a van to Houston with Kelly at the wheel. Jackie Earle Haley plays Kelly.
Along the way, they almost pick up a gorgeous hitchhiker, evade cops on the highway, and motor to a catchy 1970's song called Looking Good, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, music by Craig Safan, sung by James Rolleston.
A subplot reveals itself when Kelly confronts his long-absent father, factory worker Michael Leak. William Devane plays Michael Leak.
Tanner Boyle, the Bears' loudmouth shortstop, writes to Lupus a.k.a. Looper that nobody knew Kelly had a father.
However, earlier in the movie, we learn that Carmen may have prior knowledge of Kelly's secret. The Bears know that Kelly knows a guy in Houston. After one of them inquires further, Carmen says that it's just some guy that Kelly knows. One can infer that Carmen's vagueness is merely a cover for Kelly.
Initially, for appearances sake, Michael agrees to be a figurehead coach. His status soon changes because the Bears realize he can actually help them in their game against the Toros.
The already strained relationship between Kelly and Michael continues to fracture during a tense moment in a practice where father eclipses son as the team leader.
Right before the game at the Astrodome, Tanner gives a locker room speech mirroring the climactic Win One For the Gipper speech in Knute Rockne, All-American. Tanner saw the movie on late night television while the rest of the team slept, except for Kelly who watched the scene quietly in the background.
Tanner's Win One for the Looper speech motivates the Bears.
The four-inning game between the Toros and Bears takes place between the games of a doubleheader at the Astrodome.
Only one problem. The powers that be call the game on account of time.
Real-life Houston Astros Bob Watson and Cesar Cedeno appear in the Bears' dugout and Watson says, Come on, let the kids play!
Inspired, Michael Leak takes the field and shouts, Let them play! Let them play! Soon, Kelly, the rest of the Bears, and the entire Astrodome join the chant. Meanwhile, Tanner refuses to leave the field and continues to evade the two suited gentleman trying to capture him.
Caving into massive crowd pressure, the powers that be resume the game.
Carmen Ronzonni hits an inside the park grand slam to win the game.
Michael and Kelly repair their relationship after the game.
And the Bears have Japan in their sights for their last adventure in the little league trilogy.
The television connections are highly significant in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
William Devane played Greg Sumner for several seasons of the CBS nighttime soap opera Knots Landing.
Pat Corley plays the coach of the Houston Toros. He also played Phil, the favorite bar owner and bartender for the gang from the fictional television news program FYI on Murphy Brown.
Lane Smith plays a sheriff in Breaking Training. He also played The Daily Planet editor Perry White in the 1990's yuppie version of Superman -- Lois and Clark starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
CBS aired a short-lived comedy based on the movies. The Bad News Bears starred Jack Warden as Coach Buttermaker.