Who's the Boss?: The Graduate

Actor John Hancock, whom
the episode needed more of.

Who's the Boss?: The Graduate
ABC
December 10, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Bud Wiser wrote this mostly forgettable episode where Mona graduates, mid-year.  (Re the title, there is a "plastics" line, referencing the Hoffman movie, which would be referenced under other circumstances in the last season.)  Her professor (John Hancock) wants her to use her psychology degree to trap a company in age discrimination, although she'll have to look older than her fifty-something years.  Angela, at Tony's urging, interferes.

Mona Marshall, who plays Shirley, is primarily a voice actress and she would do "additional voices" for the American version of Noozles.

Alice in Wonderland, Part 2

Alice in Wonderland, Part 2
CBS
December 10, 1985
TV-Movie, Children's, Musical, Fantasy
VHS
C+

The cast this time, other than Natalie Gregory of course, with * if they were in Part 1:

• Sheila Allen as Alice's Mother
• Steve Allen as the Gentleman in Paper Suit
• Ernest Borgnine as the Lion
• Beau Bridges as the Unicorn
• Lloyd Bridges as the White Knight
• Red Buttons as the White Rabbit*
• Carol Channing as the White Queen
• Patrick Duffy as the Goat
• George Gobel as the Gnat
• Eydie Gorme as Tweedledee
• Merv Griffin as the Conducter
• Ann Jillian as the Red Queen
• Arte Johnson as the Dormouse*
• Harvey Korman as the White King
• Steve Lawrence as Tweedledum
• Karl Malden as the Walrus
• Roddy McDowall as the March Hare*
• Jayne Meadows as the Queen of Hearts*
• Donna Mills as the Rose
• Pat Morita as the Horse
• Robert Morley as the King of Hearts*
• Anthony Newley as the Mad Hatter*
• Louis Nye (one of whose credits is the voice of Lee Fong in Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus) as the Carpenter
• John Stamos as the Messenger
• Sally Struthers as the Tiger Lily
• Jack Warden as the Owl
• Jonathan Winters as Humpty Dumpty

This is a definite improvement over Part 1 although still not great.  This time the songs are much more enjoyable, particularly the ones with Jillian, Channing, and Steve & Eydie.  Gregory seems to be more settled into the role, or maybe she just enjoyed interacting with this cast more.  

Looking-Glass (reviewed here http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/02/through-looking-glass.html) is a less hostile, more reflective (pun semi-intended) story and there are moments of sweetness in this part, as with the White Knight.  Unfortunately, a "learn to face your fears" moral is shoehorned into this part with a not very satisfactory resolution.  (Alice screams at the cheesy but sort of scary Jabberwocky that she doesn't believe in it.)  I guess if we look at the TV-movie as one piece, I can be generous and say it averages out to a C, but you could just watch this part and be better off.

Laura Carlson, who plays the Daisy, was a Messenger on Mork & Mindy.

Alice in Wonderland, Part 1

Alice in Wonderland, Part 1
CBS
December 9, 1985
TV-Movie, Children's, Fantasy, Musical
VHS
D+


OK, let's just start with the mind-blowing cast:

• Sheila Allen (producer Irwin Allen's wife) as Alice's Mother
• Scott Baio as Pat the Pig
• Red Buttons as the White Rabbit
• Sid Caesar as the Gryphon
• Imogene Coca as the Cook
• Sammy Davis, Jr. as the Caterpillar (he played the Cheshire Cat in the 1966 TV version, which I haven't seen)
• Sherman Hemsley as the Mouse
• Arte Johnson as the Dormouse
• Roddy McDowall as the March Hare
• Jayne Meadows as the Queen of Hearts
• Robert Morley as the King of Hearts
• Anthony Newley as the Mad Hatter
• Donald O'Connor as the Lory Bird
• Martha Raye as the Duchess
• Telly Savalas as the Cheshire Cat
• Ringo Starr as the Mock Turtle
• Shelley Winters as the Dodo Bird

On the one hand, it's cool to see such an eclectic array, but on the other, I spent most of the time feeling sorry for them, especially (if I had to pick just one) Shelley Winters; here's an acclaimed actress and you dress her up as a bird and just have her screech and do a silly dance while George Jefferson sings?  (Her Match Game appearance is classy in comparison.)  As for ten-year-old Natalie Gregory (probably seven at the time of filming) as Alice, she's OK.  Her wig looks really fake, but that's not her fault.  She's very American, but then so is most of the cast.

The writer is Paul Zindel, who may know how to write a quirky Young Adult novel, but did also contribute the screenplay for 1974's Mame.  As for the director, Harry Harris, he didn't work on any of my other shows, and the closest he ever got to an intentional comedy was Eight is Enough.  The worst part though is that the songs are by Steve Allen and they're almost uniformly dreadful.  In fact, both Zindel and S. Allen make the mistake of substituting their own material too much for Carroll's and there are no "Very Merry Unbirthday" moments here.  The absolute nadir is the Tea Party, where I was wincing the whole time.  The scenes with the Queen of Hearts are second worst, mostly but not entirely due to Meadows.

I thought maybe D+ was too harsh, and I did consider a C-, but the other complaint I have is that not only don't Harris, Zindel, Allen, and Allen seem to understand Lewis Carroll, but the program isn't even consistent within itself.  The relatively nice character of the Cheshire Cat is given a depressing song, while the thoroughly unpleasant Mad Hatter is given a song about laughter.  And Alice is told that she needs to grow up, when as we all know, she's just about the maturest seven-year-old in literature.

Selma Archerd, who was the 2nd PTA Lady on The Brady Bunch, plays the Queen of Diamonds.  Douglas Maida, who was a Ball Player on Who's the Boss? a few weeks earlier, is a Courtier here, while Fish Footman Scotch Byerley would be Gary on WtB.  Frog Footman Robert Axelrod would contribute "various voices" for the American version of Noozles.  John Walter Davis, who's the Seven of Spades, would be Ted Graham on Roseanne.

My review of the book is here:  http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/02/alices-adventures-in-wonderland.html.  Part 1 ends on a cliffhanger with the Jabberwocky, and technically into the Looking-Glass portion of the saga, presumably to get the audience to tune in for Part 2 the next night.  I don't think I would've at 17, but I did tape the three-hour back-to-back version that aired on cable a few years later, and would sometimes watch it in a train-wreck kind of way.  (Part 2 is better though.)

Who's the Boss?: The Prodigal Father-in-Law

Who's the Boss?: The Prodigal Father-in-Law
ABC
December 3, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the first of two WtB stories written by Cherie Eichen and Bill Steinkellner (who married at some point).  It's better than the earlier Nick episode in that, one, Nick is more honest about his dishonesty, in the sense that he immediately admits to breaking out of his minimum-security Connecticut prison when denied parole; two, there's some humor from the way the characters talk about being in jail as a good thing; and three, the Nick/Mona relationship seems more balanced this time.  Note that he will be eligible for release in eight months.

Anne of Green Gables, Part 2

Anne of Green Gables, Part 2
CBC
December 1, 1985?
TV-Movie
VHS
B

Again, this is mostly faithful, although Sullivan adds in Marilla disapproving of the possibility of romance between Anne and Gilbert (at a time when Anne has barely started speaking to Gilbert), and Diana having a crush on Gilbert.  There seems to be both more humor and more drama in this part, the latter especially with Matthew's death.  This part ends, as does the book, with Gilbert trading teaching jobs so Anne can stay at Green Gables, although there is more physical contact (like an arm around the waist) than in the book (where there is none).

I've put a question mark after the date because for some reason I can't find out on the Internet when Part 2 actually aired.  (However, given how uncrowded my TV collection is for the mid-'80s, it's not a huge concern in terms of chronology.)  Sullivan and Follows and some of the rest would reunite for 1987's Anne of Avonlea and 2000's Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, neither of which I've seen.

Anne of Green Gables, Part 1

Anne of Green Gables, Part 1
CBC
December 1, 1985
TV-Movie
VHS
B

Written and directed by Kevin Sullivan, this is a mostly faithful adaptation of the classic children's book (reviewed here, http://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/03/anne-of-green-gables.html).  Yes, Anne is aged up a bit and we see some of her life before she comes to Avonlea, and, yes, the timeline is simplified (so that dyes her hair green right after Gilbert teases her about its redness), but the spirit of the book is intact.  It's aided by the wonderful casting of Megan Follows as the title character (I don't think I could ever accept anyone else in the role), ably supported by Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert.  The scenery is lovely of course, one advantage of this medium over print.  This part ends with Anne and Diana, well, parted, seemingly forever, after the "setting Diana drunk" confusion.

The rest of the cast that I'm pretty sure will be back for Part 2 (IMDB obviously isn't infallible):

• Morgan Chapman as Minnie May Barry
• Robert Collins as Mr. Barry
• Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe
• Miranda de Pencier as Josie Pye
• Schuyler Grant as Diana Barry
• Patricia Hamilton as Rachel Lynde
• Jennifer Inch as Ruby Gillis
• Christiane Krüger as Mrs. Allan
• Marilyn Lightstone as Miss Muriel Stacy
• Trish Nettleton as Jane Andrews
• Rosemary Radcliffe as Mrs. Elizabeth Barry
• Cedric Smith as Rev. Allan
• Zack Ward as Moody Spurgeon

Who's the Boss?: Thanksgiving at Mrs. Rossini's

Who's the Boss?: Thanksgiving at Mrs. Rossini's
ABC
November 26, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

Aldredge & Bustany wrote this story that is significant for Tony & Angela's relationship, because of rather than despite it being mostly about his romance with someone else.  As the title suggests, the Bowers and Micellis go to the Rossinis' for Turkey Day.  (Mona is in the Macy's Parade as an elf.)  Mrs. Rossini has invited Gina, whom Tony hasn't seen since she was a little girl.  (Either she's much younger than Tony or she's been away awhile.)  Gina waits on Tony, and it's suggested that this is typical behavior for the old neighborhood.  Angela is disgusted, and then shocked when she walks in on Tony and Gina kissing in the kitchen.  (They don't see her.)

Angela has trouble sorting out her feelings about the old-fashioned "Neanderthal" Brooklyn Italian culture, and how Tony reverts to it, and about what is clearly her jealousy over Gina.  Tony doesn't get why she didn't hit it off with Gina or why she's reluctant to give him time off to spend in Brooklyn.  It's Mona that Tony tells he thinks of Gina as "not the type the girl you fool around with but the type of girl you marry."

With the Rossinis conveniently in Atlantic City, Gina has Tony over for dinner the next night.  But he realizes that not only doesn't she think he belongs in "her" kitchen (hey, Lady, you're a visitor, too), but he can't joke around with her like he does with Angela in the opening scene.  He returns to Connecticut early and he and Angela talk about how even though Gina is sweet, beautiful, and a great cook, he wants someone he can talk with and whose life wouldn't center around him.  Danza, Light, and the writers walk a tightrope here, but Tony can't completely admit, perhaps not even to himself, that Angela is the type of woman he wants now, and the closest it gets when he says he wants somebody like, and then pauses, so she suggests Meryl Streep.  He says, "Yeah, like Meryl Streep."

This time Betty White provides the voice of the Macy's Parade Hostess.  Bill Erwin, who was Jason's father the previous season, has his middle WtB role as Santa Claus from the parade.

We meet Mrs. Rossini's nuclear family, I think for the only time, and her father-in-law is named Joseph, her husband Joe (played by Ric Mancini, who was Sergeant Hodkey on M*A*S*H, two different characters on The Bob Newhart Show, and Mr. Lawrence on What's Happening!!), and her son Joey (boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, I'm not sure what relation to Ric, but he'd be back once more in this role), while Joey's pregnant wife is Theresa (not the one who works at Marty's Melody Room, and in fact this actress, Donna Ponterotto, had played Danza's sister in the 1981 movie Going Ape!).

Who's the Boss?: Hunk of the Month

Who's the Boss?: Hunk of the Month
ABC
November 19, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Wengrod & Cinnamon wrote this story where Mona puts together a "hunk calendar" to raise money for the Humane Society.  Tony is Mr. February and not only do Angela's co-workers put up the calendar early, turned to his page, but he attracts the attentions of cat-like Cassandra (Leslie Bevis).  Angela thinks the whole thing is shallow and degrading, but when Gus, Mr. March, asks her out, she says yes, mostly due to the urgings of her friend Wendy (Dori Brenner again).  Although Bevis is great, as are Danza and Light's reactions to her, the "Gus" side of the story doesn't work as well.  I don't know if it's that I don't find him at all attractive or that Angela seems to be mostly dating him to make Wendy happy, but this part of the script could've used more work.  It is funny though when Tony, who's getting scared of Cassandra's weirdness, decides not to go out with her, but Angela decides a night of "fun" with Gus is OK.

Keri Houlihan makes her first of three appearances as Wendy's daughter Jenny.  We learn from this episode that Wendy has at least two kids and she's married to a boring, balding, un-muscular orthodontist named Herb, which is why she wants to live vicariously through Angela.

Who's the Boss?: Custody, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Custody, Part 2
ABC
November 12, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Angela plans to fight Michael, who wants custody of Jonathan six months out of the year, and Michael thinks he'll win because he and Heather will be a married couple, while Angela is a single career woman who leaves their child with a (male) housekeeper.  The irony is that this episode has a few scenes where Tony is much more paternal than Michael ever was, like the "shaving" scene.  And it turns out that Michael is not ready for the responsibility, especially after Jonathan is so nervous that he throws up all over Heather's shoes at the wedding.

After the vomit, but before Michael tells Angela he's giving up on custody, Tony and Angela have a talk where she says she's not going to fight Michael after all, and Tony doesn't want her to give up Jonathan.  (Yes, she'll still see him half the year, but it won't be the same as having him around all the time.)  It's clear by now that the Micellis and the Bowers are unofficially a family and it's not just sympathy for Angela that makes Tony not want to give him up.  After Michael leaves, it's obvious that "we" have "our little boy."

And there's a sweet tag where Tony and Angela dance.  He says he can't believe Michael would leave a great kid like Jonathan, but then he left a great woman like Angela.  And their dancing goes from a little awkward and nervous to more of the magic that we'd see in their later dances.

Todd Jeffries, who plays the Minister, would return as Skeeter Barnes.  Naughton unfortunately never comes back, although Michael will be mentioned now and again as the years pass.  It's unclear if Jonathan ever visits him, perhaps in the summer, or if he's really out of his son's life.

Who's the Boss?: Custody, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: Custody, Part 1
ABC
November 5, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

Sternin & Fraser wrote this two-parter where Angela's now-ex-husband Michael returns with marriage on his mind.  For a moment, Angela thinks Michael wants to get back together.  (And earlier, Tony reminds her of what happened the last time Michael visited.)  But Michael is engaged to a young woman named Heather (Suzanne Barnes, who would of course return for Part 2).  He wants Jonathan to come out to his new home in L.A. and be his best man.  (Jonathan is only in the third grade, but I guess it wouldn't have been as interesting for him to be a ring-bearer.)  Tony and Mona convince Angela to go along, with her new Guacamunchies account as an excuse.  Soon Tony, Sam, and Mona want to tag along, and Angela says OK.

In California, Jonathan has a great time with his father and Heather.  Angela feels out of place, especially when she goes to the beach in business attire in between meetings.  Danza does a nice job of showing without words how Tony sympathizes with her.  And later they have a good talk in the hotel suite.  He convinces her to attend the wedding, for Jonathan's sake.  But then Michael shows up and he wants custody of Jonathan.

That last scene in particular is good, but some of this episode is filler, like the beach scene with the Beach Boys' "Surf City" playing in the background.  (One reason this season may not be officially released: the music rights issue.)  I remember preferring Part 2, but we'll see.

Douglas Maida, who has an uncredited role as a Ball Player, would be an uncredited Courtier in the Alice in Wonderland TV-movie the next month.

Who's the Boss?: Tony the Matchmaker

Who's the Boss?: Tony the Matchmaker
ABC
October 29, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Tony fixes up his divorced friend Wally (Paul Sand, who would return in a different role) with Angela and she finds it the worst night of her life.  After Tony gently lets Wally down, Mona decides to "coach" him, but Angela has rethought things and decided to give Wally another chance.  Soon mother and daughter are fighting over this nebbish, to the bafflement of me and Tony.  I find Paul Robinson Hunter's story implausible, especially Angela's change of heart, and the only reason this isn't a C or lower is the eye candy of both Tony in the steam room and Angela in the shiny red & gold dress.  (The moment where she rips the slit higher would be in the opening credits for years.)  Note that when one of the other guys in the steam room asks why Tony doesn't go out with Angela if she's so wonderful, he jokes, "She has a weak heart."  And he claims she's 5'7" and a Gemini.

Who's the Boss?: The Heiress

Who's the Boss?: The Heiress
ABC
October 15, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode has a different, more soapy feel than most of the series, perhaps partly because it has a different writer and director (neither of whom worked on any of my other shows).  Mona might get an inheritance of $80,000, but then she refuses it when she realizes that the dead man is her ex-lover, under a different name.  Back when Angela was 9, the family was supposed to spend the summer in Nantucket, but her father was too busy with work.  Mona was lonely and so she had an affair, which she later confessed to Angela's father.

Angela is upset to find out about this, but, partly through Tony "sticking his Roman nose into their business," mother and daughter have a good, mostly serious talk.  We learn that Mona sees Angela as a lot like her father, who was a banker and a workaholic.  And Angela forgives her mother because her father did.

Note that Tony seems to find a picture of Angela at 14 unappealing, despite having kissed her when she was 13.  And Jonathan's turtle turns up after three years lost in the attic.

Delivery Woman Peggy Mannix would be Woman on Plane on Roseanne.  And, yes, the role of interior decorator Carol Patrice would not be the only one 28-year-old Fran Drescher would play on WtB.

Who's the Boss?: Ad Man Micelli

Bonnie, Robin, and Julia befriend Marci and Sam.

Who's the Boss?: Ad Man Micelli
ABC
October 8, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Although this has some good farcical moments, I have to mark this episode down because it begins the transformation of Sam from feisty but sweet tomboy to, as her friends sing here, "Material Girl."  She's in junior high now, seventh grade, and yet somehow turning thirteen.  (Was she held back or started late because of the timing of her birthday?  And what happened to her winter birthday?  This confusion about Sam's age and birthday will last through the rest of the series.)

She and Marci want to get in with the popular crowd, but when her father arranges a surprise sleepover birthday party (presumably through Marci, since he hasn't met her three new friends yet), she lies and says that he is the president of Wallace & McQuade.  Tony wants her to tell her friends the truth, but then he ends up playing along with it, as does Mona, who is "one of the girls" at the slumber party, as we learned in an earlier episode she was at Angela's parties.

Then Angela comes home with a date.  (Tony expresses jealousy earlier when he hears she'll be going out, something he did not do in the first season, and I think this episode following after the two-part opener has something to do with this change.)  He takes her into the kitchen to discuss things, while Mona explains and then gets rid of "Cousin Andrew."  Tony proposes to Angela for the first time, although of course it's just to get through the evening.  (Like the popular girls won't figure things out eventually?)

The lie is revealed when Sam gets a locket with her mother's picture in it.  She knows her mother would want her to be proud of her background, so she admits the truth.  Her new friends accept her, but considering the effect they'll have on her, I wish they hadn't.

Robin Fraser (Tonya Crowe), despite being the alpha female and the snobby one, would be back only twice more.  Julia (Angela Lee), the airheaded redhead, would return six more times.  You'd never guess it from this episode, but Bonnie (Shana Lane-Block), the little brunette, would end up having the most staying power as Sam's friend, still around six years and twenty-one more appearances later.  (She'd also eventually be taller than Milano.)

Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 2
ABC
October 1, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Hunter & Cohan also wrote this second part, which begins oddly enough with Mona writing in her diary and flashing back to the events of Part 1, even though she wasn't there for most of them.  Then we see Tony and Angela in the hotel.  They've apparently changed out of their wet clothes separately, and he's now in a towel, she in a "fitted sheet."  There's a lot of sexual tension, not helped when the motel manager (Schiavelli again) loans them one pair of pajamas.

Angela wants to hang up a sheet, as in It Happened One Night, but of course it falls, as in the movie.  She and Tony talk about the night they first kissed, sharing good and bad things about it.  He denies that his palms were sweaty, but he'd admitted to having sweaty palms at a dance when they swapped stories on "Dinner for Two."  He says he cut his lip on her braces but it was worth it.

It seems like something might happen, especially when he remembers the scent of her bug spray and Michael never could remember their anniversary.  Unfortunately, he reveals that, one, he was 11 that night, lying about his age because he knew she was 13; and two, he kissed her on a bet and one of his buddies hid in the bushes, timing them.  She's offended that he's tarnished her romantic memory.

Re his age, he said on the "bra" episode that he was a 30-year-old father, but I think he was rounding his age off.  If he was 11 in 1963 to '66, that gives him a birth year of '51 (after the summer) to '55, making him 31 to 34 now, and Angela about two years older.  Keep that in mind for future episodes, but I'll note now that he'll later claim to not know her age.  (Danza and Light were born in '51 and '49 respectively, so the two-year age difference in their characters is probably deliberate.)

Tony says the night "twenty years ago" was special to him, too, but Angela thinks that there's now a barrier stronger than a sheet between them.  Later the roof caves in over her bed, when she's fortunately not in it.  Tony chivalrously gives her his bed and tries to sleep in the chair.  Then he falls out of the chair and she says they can share a bed because they're adults and nothing's going to happen.  We get this exchange.


TONY: Things are pretty good between us the way they are.  [The same thing he said on "Double Date."]
ANGELA: Right, although things could probably be good between us the way they aren't.
TONY: They'd be great.
ANGELA: Yes, they would.
TONY: But they would not be the same, and I am not willing to risk losing what we've got.

This is similar to his reasoning on the "First Kiss" episode (which is now in retrospect about their second kiss), but the stakes are higher here, since they now know of their past encounter, and since they'll be sharing a narrow motel bed while not wearing much clothing.  Still, we find out in the tag that Tony thinks he "would've made a great monk."

The episode intercuts with hijinks at camp, including Mona leading the kids in pranks, not a great subplot but it does raise the viewer's curiosity about what's going on back at the motel.  And it does show what a good grandmother she is in the early seasons, here helping Jonathan to fit in.  Both Mona and Sam are disappointed to hear that Tony carved "Ingrid's" name rather than Angela's.  It will remain Tony & Angela's secret, and as I said, this episode is never officially referenced during the rest of the series, unlike, for instance, Tony walking in on Angela in the bathroom.

And yet, Tony and Angela are undeniably closer after their night together, and Season Two has a different feel to it with this in the background.

Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 1
ABC
September 24, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Creators Cohan & Hunter wrote this Season Two opener that would have an unexpected impact on the rest of the season and indeed the series.  Tony and Sam return from three weeks in Florida.  (I think they drove down in the van but it's unclear.)  They've missed Mona and Angela, and vice versa, although of course Angela and Tony have trouble expressing this. Jonathan is at summer camp but feeling homesick, so the four of them drive up (in the station wagon) to see him.  Along the way, Tony and Angela reminisce about their camp experiences and Sam points out the suspicious similarities between their "first kiss" stories.  Angela attended Jonathan's camp the summers between '63 and '66, while Tony thinks he went to his Y Camp in '64 or '65.  Tony has forgotten the name of the first girl he kissed, while Angela remembers her first kiss as being from "Anthony."

They arrive at camp, where we get a memorable performance by WKRP's Richard Sanders as Dr. Bob Wormser, the camp counselor who seems to think he's a psychological counselor.  Jonathan is thrilled to see everyone.  He, Sam, and Mona ride horses (yes, the budget is pretty good here, with believable outdoor sets and live animals), while Angela and Tony talk to Dr. Bob.  Then Tony and Angela decide to go to Kissing Rock/ Make-Out Rock to find the names Tony carved after that moonlit night of his first kiss.

At first he finds a lot of "Mary Lou," which I suspect is an in-joke about Marilu Henner, who dated much of the Taxi cast, including Danza.  Then he spots "Anthony & Ingrid."  Angela is surprised and perhaps disappointed.  Tony says this proves that there is not, as Mona contended, a mysterious force drawing them together.  But then a storm breaks out and Angela rushes into his arms.

The camp road is flooded so they seek shelter in a motel with only one room available.  There are two beds, so Tony thinks it isn't a big deal.  But Angela reveals that she was "Ingrid," having chosen the name (inspired by Casablanca) so the boy wouldn't kiss and tell with her real name.  This copy, from Nick at Night, omits the flashback where we see "Young Tony" and "Young Angela" from the earlier flashbacks kiss, although a moment does appear in the credits.  Tony realizes it was her.  Angela says, "It was us!"  And the episode ends.


I'll talk more about this when we get to Part 2, but I need to note now that unlike the previous "first kiss," which is mentioned here (and Tony again insists she initiated it), the events of both parts are never officially recognized in future episodes.  And yet, they hang like a ghost over the course of the series.  If only Dr. Bob knew!

Vincent Schiavelli, who's the creepy Motel Manager here and in Part 2, played Dimitri in Rescue from Gilligan's Island.  Christopher Burton, who plays Jonathan's campmate Steven, would return in the role not only in Part 2 but back in Connecticut, suggesting he's also a neighbor and/or classmate.  Troy W. Slaten, who's David here and in Part 2, would be Martin on Roseanne.

Weird Al Yankovic: One More Minute

Weird Al Yankovic: One More Minute
Song released August 1985
Music Video
VHS
C-

Talk about gross!  Doo-wop tune, with back-up singers, about the various physical tortures Al would rather undergo than "spend one more minute" with his ex.

Weird Al Yankovic: This Is the Life

Weird Al Yankovic: This is the Life
From the Dare to Be Stupid album, which was released August 1985
Music Video
VHS
B-

Uneven mix of Weird Al as big shot and footage from Johnny Dangerously.  Catchy song, but better enjoyed in context of the movie, http://reviewingeverymovieiown.blogspot.com/2014/11/johnny-dangerously.html.  I've tagged Henner as she's the only one I know for sure we'll see again on this blog.

Weird Al Yankovic: Like a Surgeon

Weird Al Yankovic: Like a Surgeon
Song released June 4, 1985
Music Video
VHS
C+

This video needs less of the gross-out medical gags and more of Al parodying Madonna's dance moves.  Bumped up from a C purely for the very brief and somewhat random George of the Jungle reference.

Who's the Boss?: First Kiss

Who's the Boss?: First Kiss
ABC
April 16, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

Sternin, Fraser, and Guylas wrote this teleplay based on a story by Wiser.  While it has some great moments, I do have issues with it. It's Angela's birthday.  (We won't get a clue to the date until later seasons, but if we assume that this episode is set last of the episodes of Season One, then it's after Sam's Easter weekend ski trip, so probably at least after April 7th, perhaps the date this aired or later.)  At first, she thinks she's going to get a surprise party and then she thinks that everyone has forgotten her birthday.  So she agrees to go to a Mexican restaurant with her best friends Dr. Isabel Schaeffer (Fern Fitzgerald, who would return once more) and Wendy Wittner/Wittener (Dori Brenner, the first of five appearances).  Meanwhile, Tony goes to play basketball with his friend Jeff (played by Danza's former Taxi co-star Jeff Conaway).

Surprisingly, both Tony and Angela get drunk.  It makes more sense in her case, since she's with her friends and feeling forgotten and wanting to celebrate.  Tony and Jeff are invited to drink for a safety demo, with promised rides home.  Tony gets less drunk than Jeff and the alcohol seems to affect him more than it does Angela, although he's much less inhibited than Angela normally, so it's harder to notice.  Angela's friends say they think Tony is cute and they fish to find out what Angela thinks of him.  Despite her inebriation, she answers cautiously.

Then Tony comes home shortly before Isabel's beeper goes off.  Her friends leave, Wendy wishing her a happy birthday.  Tony feels bad that he didn't remember, until he realizes he didn't know when her birthday was.  (Obviously, this episode wouldn't have worked in a later season, for other reasons as well.)  He offers to make Angela a birthday cake.

The two of them talk in the kitchen but are both hesitant to say how much they like each other.  Then she throws some flour at him and a playful fight breaks out, as they chase each other around the room, throwing flour.  He catches her, their eyes meet, and they move in for a kiss.  (Later in the episode, and later in the series, they'll argue over who initiated it, but it looks simultaneous.)

He apologizes after the kiss ends, but she's more worried about feeling dizzy.  She falls to the floor and he ends up carrying her up to her room.  She tries to pull him into bed, but he pulls away.  She immediately passes out.  And then, saying he'll regret this in the morning, he covers her up and leaves the room.

Mona comes in the next morning and finds the mess in the kitchen.  (The kids are staying with Mrs. Rossini in Brooklyn overnight.)  She sees Angela's shoes in the toaster.  She eagerly goes upstairs to talk to her daughter.  Angela wakes up with her nightgown over her clothes.  (Tony handed it to her but we never saw her put it on.)

At first, she can't remember the night before, but with Mona's prodding she recalls the kiss and then jumps to the conclusion that she slept with Tony.  (Does she think that he or she then put her clothes back on, with the nightie on top?)  Mona is delighted, although whether it's at Angela getting laid or about Tony specifically is unclear.  (In later seasons, it would be more the latter.)

There's a Three's-Company-like misunderstood conversation when Angela goes down to the kitchen to talk to Tony.  He's talking about their kiss, but she thinks he's dismissive of their having sex.  They clear the air but there's still much to discuss.  He says that he wouldn't take advantage of her when she was drunk.  And they have this exchange.

TONY: It's just that, uh, I mean, if anything ever did happen between us, I wouldn't wanna lose you, as a friend.
ANGELA: Oh, I wouldn't want to lose you either, as a friend.
TONY: And another thing.  If, uh, we ever did "lose each other as friends," I'd want you to remember it.  And you would!
ANGELA: So would you!

As played by Danza and Light, with all their chemistry, the scene sizzles.  It also will resonate through most of the rest of the series, with the possible loss of their friendship adding a dimension to the employer/employee taboo.

The kiss is also great, and the studio audience definitely appreciates it.  But I do feel uncomfortable with the idea of Angela possibly having sex when she's too drunk to remember it.  Yes, Tony doesn't try, but there is this exchange between Angela and Mona in the tag.

MONA: And how are the lovebirds this morning?
ANGELA: Mother, let me explain something to you.  It seems I had a slight memory lapse and I filled in the wrong blanks.  Now, Tony explained the whole thing, nothing happened.
MONA: And you believed him?

Then Tony comes in singing "To all the girls I loved before."  Angela looks very uncertain.  I get that it's a joke, but it's kind of a tasteless one.

Hugh Gillin, who plays the Police Officer, previously was Gen. Tomlin on M*A*S*H, Terri's father on Three's Company, Dave on Mork & Mindy, and Old Mr. Stepanowicz on Square Pegs.

Who's the Boss? in its first season ranges from C+ to A-, with half of the 22 episodes earning a B!  This averages out to a B, a very impressive beginning.  Why do I enjoy this season so much?  Well, the cast is solid, with great chemistry all around, although of course Danza & Light in particular.  The writing is good, often witty.  The situation has a lot of potential, as both Danza and Light recognized when they had to choose between this and other projects.

As for the next seven seasons, well, I watched various episodes on Youtube, until they were taken down.  I got a bootleg collection as an early Christmas present, so I'm eager to see if those discs work.  If they do, we'll continue this journey with the Micellis and Bowers, and Mona of course.  If not, well, it's been fun to revisit this season.  (Which is on the only DVD collection ever officially released.)

Who's the Boss?: Keeping up with the Marcis

Who's the Boss?: Keeping up with the Marcis
ABC
April 9, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This first of two WtB stories by Michael Poryes finally introduces Sam's best friend Marci (Nicole Eggert in her first of seven appearances in the role) and her father Dr. Doyle Ferguson (Jim Jansen in the first of four).  Sam wants to join the class ski trip, but Tony can't afford the $250 cost.  Then, having seen Mary Poppins three times (he mentioned liking it on the pilot), he decides to earn the $200 that Angela plans to pay the chimneysweep.  He makes a mess, much of it on poor Mona.  (This is one of the episodes where Helmond does some of the physical humor she did more often on Soap.)  Then he sells his father's baseball with the signatures of the '62 Mets, which was featured in "Requiem."  Sam finds the ball at Marci's house, since Dr. Ferguson bought it, and she buys it back with a loan from Jonathan.  The class differences are important here and will continue to be for sometime, including that Tony is too proud to borrow money from Angela.

Note that Mona jokes she's ready for Ash Wednesday, which was February 20th that year, and this episode is mostly set before Easter, April 7th, while Nick visited about a month before Easter.  Also, it's implied that Dr. Ferguson and Marci live with his mother, although we won't learn until later that he has no wife (either widowed or divorced).  Furthermore, we find out that Mrs. Wilmington is fooling around with her gardener Gus. And I think this is the second episode to mention Tony's Uncle Vinnie.  On top of all that, Tony says he "likes" Sam's teacher, so presumably they're still dating, or he'd like to.

Who's the Boss?: Just Like Tony

Who's the Boss?: Just Like Tony
ABC
March 12, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Ken Cinnamon and Karen Wengrod's first of twenty-three WtB collaborations has Jonathan emulating Tony, unfortunately Tony's hoodlum past.  Since Tony stole street signs as a kid, Jonathan and his friend steal hubcaps.  Angela feels like Tony is a bad influence, so she wants to make all the decisions about her son.  Mona initially tries to get Tony and Angela to work together as a team, but then she sides with Tony and encourages him to call Angela about every little decision, even when she's in a meeting with a client.  It bugs me that again Angela is more in the right and is again punished more.  That said, I like the last two scenes, where Angela overhears Tony giving Jonathan a good talk, and the tag where she talks about her prank at Miss Prescott's Day School, where Angela ripped a page off Miss Prescott's calendar.  We'll hear other tales of Angela "rebelling" as the series continues.

James Hampton, who previously played Herb, is the Officer from the Oak Hills Patrol.  Howard Stevens makes his first of four appearances as Angela's assistant Howie Mendelson.

Who's the Boss?: Tony's Father-in-Law

Who's the Boss?: Tony's Father-in-Law
ABC
March 5, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
C+

The title character, Nick Milano (55-year-old James Coco in his first of three appearances in the role), visits in this Ellen Guylas story.  While Coco of course gives a good performance, the problem is it's hard to warm up to a character that makes all three adults think he's dying, rather than tell them he's going to prison in a couple weeks.  Not only that, he wants Mona to sleep with him as a "last request."  Still, I do like the parts where Nick and Tony talk about Marie.

Julian Christopher (under the name of Jim Watkins) played Phil Bender on The Bob Newhart Show, while here (under the name of James Louis Watkins) he plays Nick's lawyer, the punningly named Thomas Retain (as in "lawyer on retainer").

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Don't Come Around Here No More

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Don't Come Around Here No More
Song released February 28, 1985
Music Video
DVD
B

Nightmarish, visually arresting (especially the play with black & white) video with guest star Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics (whose inspiration for the song was an encounter with Stevie Nicks), set in the world of Alice in Wonderland's tea party, but with Alice (a grown woman here) literally eaten as cake at the end.

Who's the Boss?: Double Date

Who's the Boss?: Double Date
ABC
February 26, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Bud Wiser wrote this story that has things I like about it, but also has a central flaw.  Sam is hoping that the previously mentioned cute but clumsy Bobby Walsh (Peter Billingsley, who had already starred in A Christmas Story) will ask her to the sixth-grade dance.  At first, Tony thinks she's too young to date, but he decides that Bobby is harmless.  Showing difficulty separating from his daughter (still a problem in later seasons), he volunteers as chaperone without discussing it with her first.  Not only that, he hits it off with, dances with, and even kisses her teacher "Old Lady Scranton" (played by an actress in her 20s).

On the plus side:

• Billingsley gives a nice performance, although he definitely doesn't fit Sam's type in later seasons.  (But then Sam would undergo personality changes starting in Season Two.)
• It's another episode where Angela helps Tony raise Sam, although Tony has to make mistakes first.
• When Angela asks what he thinks of dating, he assumes she means the two of them (rather than Sam having her first date) and he says that he thinks things are fine between them as they are, which he'll repeat months later under very different circumstances.
• Milano has progressed as an actress since the pilot and I'm very much on Sam's side in this conflict.

The flaw is partly that Tony behaves inappropriately as a chaperone, which I suppose we can give him some slack for, since Season-One Tony not only is a huge flirt, but he will respond to any attractive woman, even one who lies to him about her car breaking down so she can come into the house (Professor Morrell).  Lois Scranton's behavior on the other hand is inexcusable, considering she is the kids' teacher and should know better.  Yes, they kiss behind a curtain, not knowing that mischievous boys will draw it back, but if she's attracted to Tony, she could certainly wait for an opportunity after the dance is over.  And it's not like they met months or even weeks ago-- Was she a mid-year replacement?  This seems to be Spring, how have they not met yet?-- so it's not like this has been building up between them all this time.  Plus, OK, after three episodes in a row that build up the Tony/Angela relationship, it's jarring to have him so smitten with Sam's teacher.  This episode would've worked better earlier in the season, and with Tony and Lois kissing at the end of the dance, when they think everyone else has gone.

This is the first of two WtB episodes directed by Michael Zinberg, who did fifteen for The Bob Newhart Show.  Note that Jonathan is now 8, although he was 6 when Michael left for nine months.  And Marci is again mentioned but not seen.

Who's the Boss?: Eye on Angela

Who's the Boss?: Eye on Angela
ABC
February 19, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

Ellen Guylas wrote this farcical story, with special guest star the one and only Betty White, still in Sue Ann Nivens mode as Bobbie Barnes.  Bobbie hosts local TV show Eye on Hartford and she'll be profiling Angela.  She's looking for dirt and finds it when Tony and Angela, through an admittedly contrived set-up, accidentally wake up together in Sam's bed.  (Sam has a nightmare after the family watches Valley Ghoul, a nonexistent horror movie, on TV.)   Mona has spent the night in Jonathan's room so she's on the spot when Bobbie and her crew catch Tony and Angela in their nightclothes entering the upstairs hall, Angela saying, "I love when you put whipped cream on them!"  (Belgian waffles.)  Angela worries that everyone will think she's sleeping with her housekeeper.  Tony says she could do worse, so Mona says, "And has."  He invites Bobbie over, but it takes Mona, in full catty-but-protective mode, to blackmail former "weather bunny" Bobbie.

It's funny that even in the post-Three's-Company era, Angela possibly having sex with Tony is considered "kinky."  And, yes, there's a lot of shipping fodder here, especially in the tag, where Tony and Angela both claim they didn't dream while in bed together (Tony says he doesn't dream, which we'll later have proof is untrue), and yet we see them each remembering something that makes them grin, with a symbolic fire blazing behind them.

Who's the Boss?: Angela's Ex, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Angela's Ex, Part 2
ABC
February 12, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B

Sternin & Fraser also wrote this second part, which is not as good but still a perfectly fine episode.  Tony gets a job working for a nice, rich, elderly woman.  (How rich?  Well, she has three maids and at least one other servant, but she is rich enough to think Angela lives on the poor side of town.)  It's a great job, especially with all those maids to flirt (and more?) with, but Tony misses Angela.  Meanwhile, Angela and Michael are trying to make their marriage work, but he resents her taking work home.  The Micellis pays a visit, and it's cute how Jonathan and Samantha pretend they don't miss each other.  (It would be in later seasons that she'd be more negative towards him.)  Michael and Angela realize they need to divorce and he, offscreen, invites Tony to come back.  Note that Crunchy Crawlers cereal is mentioned here and in the previous episode, a callback to the pilot.

Ian Abercrombie, who plays Leo the butler-chauffeur, was a Lawyer on Three's Company.  We hear Jim Peterson's voice on the answering machine but Boen does not appear.

Who's the Boss?: Angela's Ex, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: Angela's Ex, Part 1
ABC
February 5, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
A-

Sternin & Fraser wrote this story, which is one of the best of the series.  Angela's "ex," Michael, well cast and well played by James Naughton, returns and we discover that when, in the pilot, she referred to her husband leaving her, she didn't mean she was divorced.  She tried to have him served with papers, but he was in the jungle, working on one of his documentaries, for six months.  Obviously, she and even more so the Micellis are surprised to see him.  Mona is annoyed but Jonathan is ecstatic, especially since his daddy brought a boa constrictor.

Michael in turn is surprised to find out about Tony's live-in job and Angela's promotion to president of her company.  He doesn't want a divorce and when she tells him it's over, he kisses her.  Then the next morning, the audience and Tony find out that Mr. and Mrs. Bower spent the night together in her room.  Michael gets a desk job in Manhattan and he's moving back in.  He even fires Tony, because Tony is "Jonathan's father and Angela's friend," and those should be Michael's roles.  Angela objects when Tony tells her, but he, probably thinking of how he can never have a second chance with his late wife Marie, that she needs to put her marriage first.  So Tony and Angela share a close hug goodbye.

Part of what's wonderful about this episode is that it's interesting to see how all six characters, even Sam, have their own takes on the events.  For instance, Mona thinks Michael is a jerk and she lets out a wail when, watching from outside the kitchen, she spies Angela kissing him.  Naughton and Light are completely plausible as a long-term mismatched but attracted couple.  Angela's conflict is very believable.

As is Tony's.  There are some moments early on where the T/A ship is teased, as when she tells Jonathan, who's been hit with a snowball by 6th-grader Richard Welling (the unseen kid Sam fought with in "Angela's First Fight"), to go upstairs and take off his clothes.  Tony jokes as if she's talking to him.  And when Michael assumes that Angela is involved with Tony, Tony says nothing is going on, but Angela says they could do something if they wanted.  Tony utters a surprised, "We could?", as if he's never seriously considered the possibility but would like to.

Yet I don't think it's just jealousy that makes him worried about Angela getting involved with Michael.  Mona knows Michael and clearly doesn't approve of him.  (Nor he of her, as with his reaction to her Spring Break outfit.)  But Tony has to base his opinion on what's in front of him.  He seems amused by Michael when Angela isn't, but he does think she's rushing into things, legally married or not.  Still, he does step aside when Michael fires him.

As for Michael, he admits he's jealous of Tony, although not really romantically.  He seems to see Angela in a new way, now that he might lose her.  It's telling that he says that he never knew she had it in her, to become president, and she says he never looked.  He says he is now.

Jonathan's feelings are more straightforward.  He's seven and he adores his father.  Sam at 12 (we know this is set after her birthday, because she wears the robe Angela bought for her) is starting to perceive adult relationships.  But she's too outspoken to keep quiet, as when she points out that Mr. Bower is wearing his clothes from yesterday, as he's pretending to have dropped by for breakfast.  (Tony tells Jonathan this and Michael plays along.)

This is the first of two two-parters with Michael.  I wish there had been more.  He actually helps the fivesome feel more like a family.  And there's a scene where he issues dinner invitations and then has to explain he doesn't mean the Micellis.  Jonathan says that Sam and Tony are family, but Tony pretends they already have plans.