TGIF
Return of Television Legends
July 03, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
david@davidkrell.com
In the 1986 song Modern Woman, Billy Joel sings, And after 1986, what else could be new?
Nothing if you consider the return of two television legends to the small screen
Their television personas were extraordinarily familiar to us.
Andy Griffith appeared as Atlanta-based attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. The show aired on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and then switched to ABC where it aired from 1992 to 1995.
Matlock was a Harvard-educated but folksy defense attorney who had strong friendships with his staff and opposing counsel.
In the spring of 1986, Griffith reprised his hallmark role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the NBC tv-movie Return To Mayberry. Its tremendous success, nostalgic appeal, and safe familiarity undoubtedly influenced NBC and Griffith to find a new but familiar television vehicle for him.
Simply, Matlock is Perry Mason by way of Sheriff Andy Taylor.
Former Andy Griffith Show co-stars Aneta Corsaut and Don Knotts made guest appearances on Matlock.
Unfortunately, Lucille Ball did not fare so well in the Fall of 1986.
She returned to television with the sitcom Life with Lucy on ABC. Co-starring with Ball was her familiar foil, Gale Gordon. He played her in-law. On the show, the daughter of Ball’s character was married to the son of Gordon’s character.
Life With Lucy only lasted a couple of months.
Aaron Spelling produced Life with Lucy with Douglas Cramer and E. Duke Vincent. The sitcom starring an aging but appealing legend contrasted with Spelling’s shows based in adventure, glitz, and glamour. Vega$. Charlie’s Angels. Hotel. The Love Boat. Hart to Hart.
During the mid-1980’s, nostalgia abounded. In the 1985 box office blockbuster Back to the Future, the story recaptured a slice of life in 1955, complete with fashion, music, and popular culture indicators.
Return to Mayberry recalled a simpler time when a transistor radio was the groundbreaking technology achievement for teenagers compared to the 1980’s Sony Walkman or today’s iPod.
Life with Lucy brought back the biggest comedienne of the 20th century in a pre-TGIF family sitcom.
Lucy was a grandmother in the show, not the young or middle-aged housewife or mother we remembered fondly from decades past. Was the show a mistake? Were the physical antics of a 75 year-old woman frightening rather than entertaining for the audience?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there’s nothing wrong with bringing back a legend to recapture previous glory. The failure of Life With Lucy doesn’t make Ms. Ball’s work on the program any less significant compared to her other work on more popular shows.
She was, indeed, the same Lucy. She gave 1000 percent for her fellow castmates and the audience.
As Peter Allen once sang, Quiet please. There’s a lady on the stage. She may not be the latest rage. But she’s singing. And she means it.
John Stamos
May 28, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
John Stamos has a deep television resume indicative of an actor destined for television icon status enjoyed by the likes of Robert Urich and Tony Danza.
Starting in daytime television, Stamos earned his heartthrob stripes in the early 1980's as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital.
In 1984, Stamos tackled prime time with Dreams, a short-lived CBS show about a rock and roll group trying to get its big break.
Later in the Reagan decade, Stamos partnered with veteran television actor Jack Klugman in You Again?, an NBC sitcom about a teenager who moves into his father's home after a long estrangement.
You Again? lasted one season.
The third prime time's a charm.
Stamos struck gold with Full House, an ABC sitcom that served as an anchor for the alphabet network's TGIF lineup.
The three father figures on Full House present distinct personalities. Bob Saget plays Danny Tanner, the actual father of the three daughters on the show.
Danny is the practical one.
Dave Coulier plays Joey Gladstone.
Joey is the childlike one.
Stamos plays Uncle Jesse.
Jesse is the creative one. Following his musical background, Stamos infused his character with a musical bent.
Full House lasted eight years, from 1987 to 1995.
Stamos' post-Full House television work includes the short-lived 2001 entry Thieves and Jake In Progress, a one hour drama with strong comedy elements that debuted in 2005.
Jake In Progress stars Stamos in the title role as a successful New York City publicist who reexamines his approach to women, that is to say, his womanizing.
Even a terrific supporting cast did not provide enough fuel to let Jake progress on his journey of finding his other half, his soulmate, his counterpart. Wendie Malick of Just Shoot Me and Dream On plays Stamos' boss.
After a guest spot on Friends in 2003, Stamos joined the cast of NBC's long-running drama ER as Tony Gates, Initially a recurring character, Gates became a fixture at Cook County General Hospital. Initially a paramedic, Gates became a doctor.
Stamos also appears in the 2007 HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. He joins a roster of legendary interviewees, including the Smothers Brothers, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Martin Scorsese, Regis Philbin, Jay Leno, Debbie Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Carl Reiner.
Stamos talks kindly about Rickles' impact on younger entertainers. He expands his comments to include others of Rickles' generation.
In a separate interview, Stamos' Full House co-star Bob Saget also appears on the documentary. And the two separately square off with some choice comments about each other. In essence, Saget claims that Stamos simply kisses the ring of Rickles, to put the phrase euphemestically.
John Stamos has a resume that is synonymous with television. One major hit in the form of Full House has not made him a one-hit wonder. Although his characters don't always know how to go about doing the right thing, they always want to do the right thing. They try. Which is just about all you can ask for.
david@davidkrell.com
John Stamos has a deep television resume indicative of an actor destined for television icon status enjoyed by the likes of Robert Urich and Tony Danza.
Starting in daytime television, Stamos earned his heartthrob stripes in the early 1980's as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital.
In 1984, Stamos tackled prime time with Dreams, a short-lived CBS show about a rock and roll group trying to get its big break.
Later in the Reagan decade, Stamos partnered with veteran television actor Jack Klugman in You Again?, an NBC sitcom about a teenager who moves into his father's home after a long estrangement.
You Again? lasted one season.
The third prime time's a charm.
Stamos struck gold with Full House, an ABC sitcom that served as an anchor for the alphabet network's TGIF lineup.
The three father figures on Full House present distinct personalities. Bob Saget plays Danny Tanner, the actual father of the three daughters on the show.
Danny is the practical one.
Dave Coulier plays Joey Gladstone.
Joey is the childlike one.
Stamos plays Uncle Jesse.
Jesse is the creative one. Following his musical background, Stamos infused his character with a musical bent.
Full House lasted eight years, from 1987 to 1995.
Stamos' post-Full House television work includes the short-lived 2001 entry Thieves and Jake In Progress, a one hour drama with strong comedy elements that debuted in 2005.
Jake In Progress stars Stamos in the title role as a successful New York City publicist who reexamines his approach to women, that is to say, his womanizing.
Even a terrific supporting cast did not provide enough fuel to let Jake progress on his journey of finding his other half, his soulmate, his counterpart. Wendie Malick of Just Shoot Me and Dream On plays Stamos' boss.
After a guest spot on Friends in 2003, Stamos joined the cast of NBC's long-running drama ER as Tony Gates, Initially a recurring character, Gates became a fixture at Cook County General Hospital. Initially a paramedic, Gates became a doctor.
Stamos also appears in the 2007 HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. He joins a roster of legendary interviewees, including the Smothers Brothers, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Martin Scorsese, Regis Philbin, Jay Leno, Debbie Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and Carl Reiner.
Stamos talks kindly about Rickles' impact on younger entertainers. He expands his comments to include others of Rickles' generation.
In a separate interview, Stamos' Full House co-star Bob Saget also appears on the documentary. And the two separately square off with some choice comments about each other. In essence, Saget claims that Stamos simply kisses the ring of Rickles, to put the phrase euphemestically.
John Stamos has a resume that is synonymous with television. One major hit in the form of Full House has not made him a one-hit wonder. Although his characters don't always know how to go about doing the right thing, they always want to do the right thing. They try. Which is just about all you can ask for.