Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.3 [fragment]

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.3 [fragment]
Channel Four
7 February 1992
Improv Game Show
VHS
B-

At some point, I lost a videocassette with six WLIIA episodes (as well as some other stuff) on it.  I did, however, keep the tapes that had "highlights" of the first four seasons, edited down episodes with my favorite games.  With the previous episode, that meant the entire thing.  With this one, I think two of the games from the Comedy Central airing were omitted.  This is not to say that the complete episode might not have averaged out to B-, but I have to judge by what's in front of me.

And one thing that is in front of me is significant Paul/Tony.  Not only does Paul tease Tony as much as he recently teased Josie, but he twice expresses a wish to have sex with Tony, who is of course game for it.  Also, everyone but the almost always polite Jim makes fun of Clive's baldness, to the audience's delight.  Oh, and Paul manages to insult the departed John Sessions.

This line-up, with some crossing of the pairs (because there's always Sweeney & Steen of course), would be repeated the following year, I believe the first repeated line-up.

Roseanne: The Back Story

Roseanne: The Back Story
ABC
February 4, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

It's wintertime and DJ is turning 10, but Roseanne unfortunately throws her back out.  Her mother, Bev, is going through a divorce, but she comes to take care of her daughter, and to spoil the grandkids.  My favorite scene is when Dan and Bev start to understand each other a little, with some comic relief, like her thinking that Mark looks like that popular character Fonzie.

Who's the Boss?: Tony Micelli, This Is Your Life

Who's the Boss?: Tony Micelli, This Is Your Life
ABC
February 1, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Michele J. Wolff wrote this episode, which is certainly an improvement over the previous one.  Tony has a It's a Wonderful Life-like dream where he never injured his shoulder and is a very successful baseball player.  Unfortunately, he's also a jerk, or at least he has been to this point, but he tries to make amends.  Angela doesn't have her own agency, but she can't be doing that bad if she owns the same house.  Sam has written a thinly veiled novel about her father, which she promotes on The Phil Donahue Show.  The equivalent to Clarence the angel here is Tony's late Coach (Brandon Maggart, who would be Harry on Ellen).  It feels a little gratuitous to have Tony wake up with a ditzy blonde, who appears in a towel later, but even when Tony is committed to Angela, his eye still wanders.  At least there's a very sweet T & A moment in the penultimate scene, where he asks if she loves him and she says of course, which is all that matters to him.

I'm guessing the character Mike Va Salle takes his last name from the WtB writer Linda Va Salle.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.2

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.2
Channel Four
31 January 1992
Improv Game Show
VHS
B

This episode has a lot of teasing: Paul of everyone, especially Josie; Greg mildly of the others in Video Play; Ryan of Josie (although he is apologetic about it); and Clive of Paul, although he has Paul win.  The episode is funny even without the teasing, but the teasing does enhance it, as with "What are you doing with that squeezie bottle?" and the end of the "baby care" Helping Hands.  I remember my then-husband coming home from work on the day I taped this (off of Comedy Central of course, a few months after it debuted on Channel Four) and telling him, "Paul made fun of Josie a lot but he really wanted to do Porno with her."  (In FATS.)  Paul annoys her so much that during the first ever Scenes from a Hat she just audibly tells him, "I'm going to fucking kill you," but he also still amuses her.  The Greg/Josie and Ryan/Josie aren't particularly strong here, but later episodes would show that those ships were far from dead.  The Greg/Ryan would be stronger on their other British episode together that year.  As for Paul and the Americans, they don't seem to really connect, and yet that helps somehow, with them not knowing what to make of each other adding to the odd chemistry of this episode.

Who's the Boss?: Who's the Boss?

Curnal Aulisio on Married with Children

Who's the Boss?: Who's the Boss?
ABC
January 25, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
C-

This Teverbaugh & Va Salle episode isn't as bad as I remembered, but that's not saying much.  When Tony's friends tease that he's henpecked and he himself feels like Angela's ordering him around, he ends up lying to her and his friends.

Cheerleaders Lisa Cohen, Colette Duvall, and Ria Giullani had recently appeared as characters with their own first names.  Robert Briscoe Evans's third and last WtB role is as the Announcer.  Vinny Argiro returns as Vinnie (yes, with that spelling). while Walter Olkewicz is back as Tiny.  And Curnal Aulisio is introduced as Sam's new boyfriend, Hank Thomopolous.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.1

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Episode 4.1
Channel Four
24 January 1992
Improv Game Show
VHS
C+

Stephen Frost's debut isn't bad, but the best game is actually the one with the other three contestants, a revamped version of Helping Hands, now with props.  Clive's best moment is when he tells Jim that he's not awarding him any points for Party Quirks, since "you fooled Tony Slattery, which is just too easy."

Roseanne: The Bowling Show

Roseanne: The Bowling Show
ABC
January 21, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Obviously this wasn't the only bowling show in the series, since there was a first season episode set at the alley.  But the bowling is the least interesting aspect of this episode, which contains the following:

• David Crosby makes his only appearance as Bonnie's musician husband Duke, singing one of his own songs ("Thousand Roads," which sounds better here than on the acoustic CSN concert of a few months ago), as well as a fine aduet with Bonnie;
• Chuck (Pickens, sorry, again dropped from my limited tags) gets more to do than usual, this time using Dan and Arnie's anger at each other to make them bowl better;
• Nancy and Jackie bond and Roseanne is jealous;
• And most significant of all, 16-year-old Johnny Galecki appears as Mark's brother "Kevin Healy."  He's babysitting DJ, since Mark showed up several hours late for his date with Becky.  When Darlene enters, there's instance attraction, which Dan thinks is cute, till he finds out who Kevin is.  This happens in the tag and may've been meant as a throwaway, but it would have long-ranging impact.

Don Foster wrote the story that Abugov & Sherman turned into a teleplay.  Michael Dempsey plays Dan's friend Ray for the first of two times.  This is the 1400th sitcom episode I've reviewed.

Who's the Boss?: Mrs. Al

Who's the Boss?: Mrs. Al
ABC
January 11, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Va Salle & Teverbaugh story, Sam tries to help Al get an apartment by posing as his wife.  Tony encourages Al to tell the truth, but Al loses the apartment and has to temporarily move in with Tony et al.  Tony is disappointed in Sam, but they eventually resolve it.  Meanwhile, Angela tries to market an unappetizing drink called Le Fizz.  Al's potential landlord, Mr. Chomsky, is played by William G. Schilling, who was Sgt. McFarland on M*A*S*H but is probably most recognizable for his role as Dr. Samuels on Head of the Class.

Roseanne: Bingo

Roseanne: Bingo
ABC
January 7, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Tom Arnold (who appears in one scene) and Robert Miranda (who had been Andy in earlier seasons) wrote the story that Madison & Youngers based the teleplay on.  It's another girls' night out (minus Jackie) and Crystal suggests bingo.  She and Roseanne quarrel and we later find out that Crystal is pregnant again, although she's been breastfeeding nine-month-old Little Ed.  Roseanne becomes addicted to bingo, as Jackie realizes when she accompanies her sister to the church.

Mitzi McCall, who plays Peg, was the voice of Penny on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and would be Rochelle Shapiro on Ellen.  Priest David Sage was Don Lester on Who's the Boss?  The peerless Edie McClurg plays Harriet.

Who's the Boss?: Tony, Can You Spare a Dime?

Who's the Boss?: Tony, Can You Spare a Dime?
ABC
January 14, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Braunstein & Wolff wrote this story that ranges from broad comedy (including huge props) to sweetness between T & A.  Although the Recession obviously didn't hit the Bower Agency with the kind of realism you'd see on Roseanne, this episode does acknowledge "the economic slump," including its impact on consumers.  Angela has Tony take over the household finances but doesn't like him managing her credit cards and preventing shopping therapy.  He's very supportive when she tells him how her identity is connected to her job, bringing up how he had to rebuild his life after his baseball injury.  Robert Mandan returns as Reed Hamilton, who gets along a lot better with Mona this time, wink wink.

Memories of M*A*S*H

Memories of M*A*S*H
CBS
November 25, 1991
Dramedy
DVD
B

This is a much better reunion program than the one for The Bob Newhart Show.  It is in a way a clip show, but it is also memories from cast and crew of what it was like to be a part of the long-running series.  There's an added poignancy now, because so many of the cast have died since then.  (William Christopher's death at the end of last year being especially sad, such a gentle soul.)  This is not to say that the program couldn't have been better, maybe putting the series in context more, not only discussing the books and movie more, but noting that it was part of CBS pushing against censorship in the '70s, as with All in the Family.  There's not even a reference to the Vietnam War!  I also would've liked an actual reunion, rather than separate interviews, especially since everyone claims to miss the camaraderie and laughter on and offscreen.  Still, there are some good insights and touching moments, and some chuckles of course.

It's impossible to tag everyone obviously, so I'll list the others who appear, including in clips.  Long hosts the program and of course we see her guest appearance.

• G.W. Bailey (interview and clips)
• Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
• Dr. Walter Dishell
• Charles S. Dubin
• Farrell's children Mike, Jr. and Erin
• Larry Gelbart
• Mariette Hartley (clip)
• Ron Howard (clip)
• Burt Metcalfe
• Kellye Nakahara (interview and clips)
• Leslie Nielsen as Col. Buzz Brighton
• John Ritter (clip)
• Clete Roberts as himself
• Susan Saint James (clip)
• Steirs's parents Ken and Maggie
• Patrick Swayze as Private Gary Sturgis
• Teri Garr (clip)
• George Wendt (clip)
• and others IMDB and I missed

CSN: The Acoustic Concert

CSN: The Acoustic Concert
PBS
October 1991
Concert
VHS
B

Crosby, Still, & Nash perform in San Francisco, songs new and old, to an enthusiastic crowd.  There are some great moments (like the heartbreaking "Just Before I Go") and some lesser moments (some of the solo stuff), but overall this is solid.  This was more than two decades into their collaboration, and they're still together more than two decades after that.  (They'd have another acoustic concert in '04, but I've never seen it.)

Saturday Night Live: Deee-lite

Saturday Night Live: Deee-lite
NBC
February 16, 1991
Variety
VHS
B-

Host Roseanne introduces the band, featuring Bootsy, twice, as they perform the title track from World Clique, as well as "Power of Love."  This is the 2200th show I've reviewed.

TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes: Generations

TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes: Generations
NBC
1991?
Reality TV
VHS
C

Very brief clip, showing two characters I vaguely remember from the soap opera Generations.  You can glimpse Dick Clark at the end.

Jellyfish: That Is Why

Jellyfish: That Is Why
MTV
From the 1990 album Bellybutton
Music Video
VHS
B

This under-rated '60s-influenced band (at a time when grunge was the thing) released two wonderful albums (Spilt Milk is the other) and then broke up.  This is a good example, both melodic and melancholy.  My videocassette has the video followed by the band saying, "We're Jellyfish and you're watching MTV."

Deee-Lite: Power of Love

Deee-Lite: Power of Love
MTV
Song released 1990
Music Video
VHS
B

A dreamier, less populated video than "Groove Is In the Heart," this has Lady Miss Kier in a variety of outfits, including flower-alien and Vegas showgirl.  And DJ Dimitry's dancing and grinning still make me smile.

The Bingoboys featuring Princessa: How to Dance

The Bingoboys featuring Princessa: How to Dance
MTV
Song released the Spring of 1991
Music Video
VHS
B-

Disco meets rap, with some '60s mod clothing thrown in.

Roseanne: Santa Claus

Roseanne: Santa Claus
ABC
December 24, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

Barry Vigon wrote the story that Lapiduss & Lorre made into a teleplay, and, yes, it's sort of about Christmas, but not exactly.  Since the job playing Mrs. Claus at Rodbell's department store pays $7.50 versus $10 for Santa, Roseanne cross-dresses as a feminist gesture, and for the under the table cash.  She meets Darlene's new friend, who turns out to be Roseanne's age and the owner of a bookstore.  Roseanne feels confused and jealous about Karen Miller (another nice turn for Lee Garlington, who'd memorably played Ms. Foster from the IRS on Who's the Boss?, although I don't remember her '89 role on Roseanne as Carole Karoszek).  Finding out that there's a whole hidden side to Darlene, writing sci-fi short stories, doesn't help.

Walter Jacobson returns as Walter from the appliance store, doing another mini-rant.  Julianne Michelle, who's a nameless Child here, had been on the most recent episode of Who's the Boss? as Katie Havlock, while Ross Malinger, who's Sammy Miller, played three different roles in the "Billy season" of WtB.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

He conquers them with laughter and love!

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Comedy Central
December 21, 1991
Riffing
VHS
B+

This remains a holiday classic, one I've watched so often that random phrases will come back to me, like "Kimar is the savings place."  There are many, many memorable quotes, some from the riffing and some from the wretched film itself.  Joel and the Bots mock the acting, direction, writing, special effects, sets, and "custumes," and yet somehow fail to notice the horrible makeup jobs, where the Martians' greenness varies from scene to scene.  Still, the references to entertainment and politics (including "Joseph Biden" and Clarence Thomas) more than make up for this, as does their characterization of Santa as a tough, drunken Vietnam vet.  For once, the segments in between the movie scenes don't drag things down, from the invention/gift exchanges to the timeless rendition of "A Patrick Swayze Christmas."  There are some sweet, sentimental moments here, as befits the season, but the snark is as strong as ever.

Note that the most recognizable performer in SCCM is not Pia Zadora (whose Golden Globe is frequently referenced, as the little girl on the screen gives as clueless a performance as in Hairspray), but Ned Wertimer as Andy Henderson, later Ralph the Doorman on The Jeffersons, although the shows I've tagged him for are That Girl, Welcome Back, Kotter, and Mork & Mindy.  Frank De Vol is tagged since he did the music for SCCM and made onscreen appearances on Gidget and That Girl, but I was never able to fit in his tag for an onscreen appearance on The [overcrowded] Brady Bunch, which he also composed for.

Who's the Boss?: This Sold House

Who's the Boss?: This Sold House
ABC
December 7, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Graham & Wolff wrote the story that Teverbaugh & Va Salle based the teleplay on, and while in a way it's sweet that T & A first want to buy a new house together and then decide that they already have a home with a lot of memories, this episode feels like it could be better.  I do like some of the details about the house, like Tony being jealous of the "graffiti" behind the refrigerator: Michael loves Angela.  I think one problem I have is how quickly houses are bought and sold on this show, like with the Harpers' house next door.

Julianne Michelle, who plays Katie Havlock here, would be a nameless Child on Roseanne a few weeks later, while Lenny Wolpe, who's playing her father Garry, would be Frank Denvers in a later season of Roseanne.  And, yes, that's Love Boat's Lauren Tewes as Lavonne the realtor.

Roseanne: Kansas City, Here We Come

Roseanne: Kansas City, Here We Come
ABC
December 3, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the first of four Roseanne episodes written by David Forbes, covering a span of about four years, here co-writing with staff writer Amy Sherman.  It is willing to be both morally ambiguous and realistically unresolved.  It turns out that Roseanne's father has been having an affair for twenty years, not two.  Jackie invites her on a road trip to KC to meet the "other woman," Joan Crinshaw (Kay Arnold, who would return in the role).  Joan turns out to be much nicer than they expect, and Jackie in particular isn't sure how to feel about this.

Meanwhile, Becky has a new job as a supermarket cashier, and her boss (offscreen) demotes her and calls her a horrible word.  (Note that DJ asks Darlene if Becky was called "the L-word," and Darlene asks, "What's the L-word?", pretty ironic in retrospect.)  Dan goes down to the store to talk to the boss and finds out that Mark already punched him in the stomach, so now Becky will get her job back, and an apology.  Dan isn't sure how to feel about this, especially since he wanted the option of punching the boss himself.  Roseanne thinks it's cool when she hears, and she wonders if Mark is "the guy" for Becky.  He is, but not yet, as Becky is understandably angry about Mark not letting her fight her own battles.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mr. B Natural

"Mr. B, what would you know about dignity?"

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mr. B Natural
Comedy Central
November 30, 1991
Riffing
VHS
B

Some of the luster has faded from this 1957 Betty Luster short that I would've given a B+ or A- a quarter century ago, although today I did laugh out loud in a few spots.  Greatly overshadowing the main feature (War of the Colossal Beast), this is a fairly long (about 20 minutes in this version), very camp short on which the riffing ranges from horrified to amused to disbelieving to Minnesotan.  (Check out the accents they give the ladies at the Conn musical instruments factory.)  Followed by a debate between the robots on the gender of the title character.

Who's the Boss?: Field of Screams

Meanwhile Sam wants a job at the campus
travel agency, which is why we flash back.

Who's the Boss?: Field of Screams
ABC
November 30, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Graham & Wolff wrote this story, mostly told in flashbacks, to "three months ago," when Tony used his influence with his old friend Jerry Kaminski (Sal Viscuso, who's sort of Tony's brother-in-law-to-be, in the sense that he played Helmond's son-in-law Father Tim on Soap) to get Jonathan a job as ballboy for the Mets.  I would've gone with a C+ but at least there's a bit of romance between Tony and Angela.

Roseanne: Thanksgiving 1991

Four generations of women

Roseanne: Thanksgiving 1991
ABC
November 26, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Brad Isaacs wrote this script, which feels a little forced, especially in regards to Darlene hiding out in her room but still being visited, and Beverly's announcement of and reaction to her husband's affair of two years.  Also, Mark is absent, despite Roseanne's promise, as he has other plans.  Still, it's interesting to see Winters and Parsons play off each other as mother and daughter, and for that matter Barr and Gilbert in the tag.  (And, yes, the great-grandmother and great-granddaughter scene with Darlene and Nana Mary).  I also like how Dan plays "big brother" to Lonnie (still Kristopher Kent Hill).  Note that Dan's father is absent as well as Roseanne's.

The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary

The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary
CBS
November 23, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Mark Egan and Mark Solomon, who co-wrote the final Newhart episode, are joined by Michael Mahler, who would write some other reunion shows.  This is better than that episode, although it lacks a strong finish.  (Bob sees Larry and his brothers Darryl [William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad] as elevator repairmen.)  I wish some of the original writers had signed on, or maybe that the cast had written their own dialogue, since they seem eager to go back to their old characters, and the DVD commentaries on the episodes are much funnier than this.  Or maybe it's that Dick Martin directed and he belonged to the weaker later seasons of the original series.  Or maybe it's that this is just a clip show, and there's only so much you can do with that.  I wish there were more clever moments, like where Howard flashes back to I Dream of Jeannie, maybe with Bob wondering why his old college buddy the Peeper (Tom Poston) had showed up in his dream as his handyman in Vermont.  Still, it is nice to see everyone reunited and this is on a par with the final episode of BNS.

Fiedler and Libertini only appear in the flashbacks.  Note that Newhart explains in his introduction to the episode why it's the 19th rather than the 20th anniversary, which becomes a running joke throughout the hour, never mind that this contradicts information throughout the original run, like how long Bob was in practice before we met him.

Who's the Boss?: Grandmommie Dearest

Who's the Boss?: Grandmommie Dearest
ABC
November 23, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Gene Braunstein wrote this episode where Mona's mother shows up (after seven or eight years) and intimidates her.  Mrs. Reynolds (not Mona's maiden name, which was Rockwell) also tries to break up Tony, till Mona stands up to her.  There's a lot that's hard to swallow here, including that the actress playing Nanna is less than a year older than Helmond.  Still, there are some nice T & A moments, and Mona's James Earl Jones story is a little gem.  Dick Christie returns as Angela's lawyer Ben.

Roseanne: Stressed to Kill

Roseanne: Stressed to Kill
ABC
November 19, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

Abugov & Lapiduss wrote the teleplay based on a story by Myer & Lorre, which might explain why the episode is about Roseanne but also has moments where other characters are interacting, like Becky & Darlene in two pivotal scenes.  Roseanne has been secretly smoking for the past few months, due to all the stress in her life, including from Becky going on the Pill.  Dan, who's wonderfully sweet and supportive, helps her give up smoking, but she becomes even more stressed of course.  Meanwhile, Becky writes an essay for Darlene, wanting to help her but also resenting all the attention Darlene's depression is getting while Becky holds down the fort at home.  Roseanne acknowledges this in a scene with Becky, and she reluctantly agrees to let Mark come to Thanksgiving (which will be next week's episode).

Stephen Lee was Bruiser on Who's the Boss? and is Barnie here.  (Amusingly, he'd play Tom Arnold in the 1994 TV-movie Roseanne and Tom: Behind the Scenes, which I have not seen.)  Tony Edwards would be a Customer three years later, although by then I think it was at the loose meat restaurant.

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 2
ABC
November 16, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Doran, Kallis, and Rosenfarb drop the ball on the second part, although there are definitely moments I like, from Ernie the water-man playing Hugh Hefner to Jonathan's monotone delivery of a lie about going to see a movie.  I somewhat like Angela confiding in Sam and Mona about her fears of marriage.  But I have issues with the way that Angela has issues, so that her understandable fears of getting remarried are dismissed, while Tony is let off the hook for his manipulations, not just his scheme to get her to go to the football game with him, but his "Rain Man" act.  When, in a role reversal, he accepts her proposal, I should be cheering with the studio audience.  Instead, I'm wondering if maybe these two shouldn't get married, and I don't think that's the intention.  But such is the schizophrenia of the show's final season, and believe me, it'll get worse.

Roseanne: Vegas, Vegas

Roseanne: Vegas, Vegas
ABC
November 12, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

I'm sorry, but this episode, written by Madison & Rosewater, would be better without Wayne Newton.  I like the stuff with the kids back home, including DJ using Becky's birth control pills case for a sundial, and I like the scene in the wedding chapel.  This is another rare Jackie-less episode.

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 1
ABC
November 9, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This is another Doran, Kallis, & Rosenfarb story, as Part 2 would be.  Tony's childhood buddy who played the accordion (but not Bobby Governale) dies and launches Tony into a midlife crisis.  Angela tries to be supportive, although she suffers a series of mishaps and accidents, especially when he decides, with nudging from Mona, Sam, and Jonathan, to propose to her.  The studio audience is understandably very vocal this episode.  Angela accepts, until she finds out that it wasn't Tony's idea.  It's another funny, farcical episode, but with a bittersweet undercurrent because Angela has wanted Tony's proposal for so long, but not under these circumstances.

Tom Troupe makes his third and last appearance as Father Marconi.

Roseanne: Vegas

Roseanne: Vegas
ABC
November 5, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the episode where we finally meet Arnie's fiance, Nancy Bartlett, played by Sandra Bernhard, who gives it her all, being believable both as a woman who'd marry Arnie and as someone that Roseanne would want as a good friend.  Don Foster's third Roseanne script is the first for his co-writer Sid Youngers, but I don't know if that accounts for the whiplash in tone, between broad comedy (especially anything with Arnie of course) and painful arguments between Dan and Roseanne.  In fact, the episode ends on a cliffhanger, with Dan storming out of the hotel room.  Meanwhile, back home, Darlene makes a sundial for DJ, out of a pizza and a fork.

Lois Bromfield plays Alice Thurber here and would not only return in a different role but would write five episodes.

Who's the Boss?: A Well-Kept Housekeeper

Who's the Boss?: A Well-Kept Housekeeper
ABC
November 2, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

This story by Doran, Kallis, and Rosenfarb deals with Tony's insecurities about being involved with a rich woman.  This didn't seem to be an issue in the early seasons, but Angela's neighbor (I've forgotten her name, the one he met at the grocery store) and Genevieve Pescher were just temporary involvements.  He's more serious about Angela and he does come from a traditional background, where he was raised to be the breadwinner.  The situation is played for humor, but not everything is resolved, although at least the issue is confronted, by them as a couple, and by the writers.  There's a sexy moment near the end, where Angela helps him "feel like a man," by making him open a jar of jam.  I would've gone with a B+ but Tony does, as he later admits, act like a "jerk" during this episode.

Richard Roat had played Dr. Thompson on The Bob Newhart Show and is Phil Davis here.  Oliver Muirhead returns as Oliver, the snooty (and funny) maitre d' at Le Fleur.  Jennifer McComb and Ria Pavia return as Sam's friends from the dorms Jennifer and Laurie, while Lisa Cohen, Colette Duvall, and Ria Giullani play Lisa, Colette, and Ria here and would later appear as Cheerleaders. Bruce French (who played a Hotel Clerk on Soap) and Eileen Barnett would return as Ted and Elaine Braddock.  I saw no sign of Jonathan in this syndicated version.

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.6

Victor Spinetti from the Beatles movies

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.6
Channel Four
30 October 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
C+

The weakest sketch is the one about a murder in an ambulance, the strongest the one about an incompetent spy.  Another Comedy Store Player, Mullarkey, plays Mr. Bassett.  Felicity Montagu, who was on Josie twice, plays Various Characters here, while Neil McArthur makes his third and last appearance on this programme.

Paul Merton's first series is uneven, sometimes even within one episode.  It earns 2 C+s, 2 B-s, and 2 Bs, so it's easy to average.  I'm curious to see what if any changes were made when the programme came back in '93.  (It's been a long time since I've watched, and just once through.)

Roseanne: Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down

Roseanne: Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down
ABC
October 29, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This was better than I expected, considering it's not only a Halloween episode but it features the Bowmans (Meagen Fay and Danton Stone again).  Amy Sherman wrote the script, which has Roseanne expecting Kathy Bowman's revenge, until finally Dan has to pull a lame prank and have Roseanne think it was Kathy's scheme.  Meanwhile, we get to see a lot of cool costumes, Dan & Roseanne's "ventriloquism" act," and the return of Booker, in a moose costume!  Note that Nancy is referred to but not seen and Arnie asks Jackie to act like they never had sex.

Again, apologies to James Pickens, Jr. for having to drop him out of the overcrowded tags.

Who's the Boss?: Tony Bags a Big One

Who's the Boss?: Tony Bags a Big One
ABC
October 26, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Michele J. Wolff wrote this episode which I would give a C+ if it, one, didn't have some sweet (if over the top) moments between Tony and Angela, and two, didn't reunite Helmond and Mandan.  In an in-joke, Mandan is "the soap guy," Angela's new client Reed Hamilton, who owns a detergent company.  Despite Mona and Reed's bickering, they would be on better terms in his later appearance.  Robin Jameson again plays Angela's employee Lisa.

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.5

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.5
Channel Four
23 October 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
B-

The newstand stuff is definitely the best part of this episode, from the "There are two tattoos that I do do" routine to Paul just telling a series of implausible stories.  It's sort of a shame to cut away to the sketches, although they're not bad.  This is the second episode for William Todd Jones and Neil McArthur.  Elderly Lady Gabrielle Blunt would be Lady in Deckchair the next series.

Who's the Boss?: Selling Sam Short

More moments like this please

Who's the Boss?: Selling Sam Short
ABC
October 19, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Teverbaugh & Va Salle story has Tony becoming obsessed again, but this time with the stock market, thanks to Sam's new boyfriend, a 27-year-old stockbroker named Pierce (Dan Gauthier, who would be Paige's boyfriend on Ellen four seasons later).  There are some T & A moments, as when she distracts him with a kiss when they shoot hoops, and Sam's romance is interesting, but I just don't buy someone as practical as Tony falling for the stock market in this way.  Note that not only Donald Trump but Ivana and Marla are mentioned.

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.4

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.4
Channel Four
16 October 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
B-

This episode gets a little too Monty-Pythonic for my tastes (more surreal than funny), especially the first half, with its layers of dreams, ultimately dreamed by a cat.  Still, the newstand stuff, especially Paul's video game and the bit about the first Tube station, is solid.  The best sketch is last, where Paul is a bishop admonishing a dead-raising priest.  (He's played by Lee Simpson, who you may recognize from his Whose Line Is It Anyway? appearance.  He didn't work with Paul there, but they've been Comedy Store Players onstage for years.)

Geoff McGivern makes his second appearance on the show, as the Elephant Man, while this is also the second for Judy Elrington and Tim de Jongh.  William Todd Jones is on for the first of two times.  Note that this time Caroline plays the wife of one of Paul's characters.

Roseanne: Tolerate Thy Neighbor

Oh, and Jackie is studying for a trucking exam, and
Darlene is still wearing black but seems less depressed.

Roseanne: Tolerate Thy Neighbor
ABC
October 15, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

I don't know what it is, but the writing and/or directing quality seems to decline slightly when it's about the Baumans (Meagen Fay and Danton Stone again).  According to IMDB, Mull's "original [sic] extremely tight script" that he cowrote with Maxine Lapiduss went through several other writers.  I suspect that the original had more resolution for the subplot about Leon's live-in boyfriend of three years, Steven (Michael Des Barres again), and Leon's unseen visiting mother.  Still, there are some cute moments and good lines.  Yes, the lines about Jackie hypothetically being gay are ironic in retrospect.

Carl Franklin makes his first of two appearances as Officer Gil Robbins.  Bob Hope, then 88, appears in the tag.  This is the 1200th show I've reviewed that aired on ABC, still the dominant network in my collection.

Who's the Boss?: Misery

Who's the Boss?: Misery
ABC
October 12, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C

Clay Graham wrote this episode where Tony overdoes expressing his affection for Angela, to the point that she feels smothered and has a Stephen-King-like nightmare.  They do talk things out in the end, although he then has a nightmare that she's become fat.

In some ways, this episode is a mess, and yet there are funny and/or insightful moments, especially from Sam and Jonathan.  A more realistic approach to Tony and Angela's comfort levels of expressing affection would've been welcome at this point, particularly since she seemed just fine being demonstrative in the previous two episodes.  Having Tony stalk her, even if it is presented as a nightmare, leaves a bad taste.

Lois Foraker, who played various nurses on M*A*S*H, here is Kelly at the diner, while Blake Clark, who plays her husband Hoyt, was 2nd MP in the M*A*S*H finale, as well as Blake Cumbers in the "Mr. Smith Goes to Nam" episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show.  (His gruff voice is distinctive.)  Robin Jameson would return as Angela's employee Lisa.

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.3

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.3
Channel Four
9 October 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
B

Among the stronger sketches are Paul giving a newbie the lowdown on Heaven (not exactly Paradise), mistaking a man for Ringo Starr and hassling him about it, giving a school award and reminiscing about how he was punished for being working class, and using a videocamera to pirate what's supposed to be a new release but looks suspiciously like something from circa 1972, yellow credits and all.

Judy Elrington and Neil McArthur would appear respectively once more and twice more this series, while Kerry Shale, Jonathan Stratt, Bill Thomas, and Flip Webster would all return for the '93 series.

Roseanne: Darlene Fades to Black

Roseanne: Darlene Fades to Black
ABC
October 8, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

Jeff Abugov wrote this episode that's another that goes into previously unexplored (by most family sitcoms anyway) territory.  High school freshman Darlene is going through a listless depression.  She quits the basketball team and just wants to lie around and watch TV.  She also buys a black outfit.  Meanwhile, Becky's wish to buy a scooter leads to arguments among her and her parents.  And Jackie is indeed going to trucking school.

Walter Jacobson makes his first of four appearances as Walter.

Who's the Boss?: An Affair to Forget

Who's the Boss?: An Affair to Forget
ABC
October 5, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Gene Braunstein wrote this farcical follow-up to the season-opener.  It's set the day after Tony and Angela confessed their love to each other and it does expect us to assume that the family assumes that nothing happened between T & A, as usual.  Tony feels self-conscious about the new relationship, especially in front of the family.  Angela reluctantly agrees to sneak around, although she proves to be much more adept (and funnier) at lying than he is.  There's physical humor, too, from Angela trying to pick up a roasted duck off the floor while wearing (she, not the duck) a short dress and high heels, to the seat-covered Jag sliding into a lake.  The episode is sexy, too, with Tony and Angela kissing more than they ever have in one episode (more than in most seasons) and clearly wanting to make love but finding themselves continually thwarted.  The family's reactions of surprise and delight are great, too.  Like the audience (both studio and home), they've been waiting a long time for Tony and Angela to get together.  Note that there's a Taxi reference, not the last this season.

Cabdriver William Flatley was an MP Sergeant on M*A*S*H.  Dale Harimoto reprises her role as TV reporter Laurie Lee.

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.2

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.2
Channel Four
2 October 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
C+

This just isn't as funny as the initial episode, with the best line, about Paul "disturbing" a burglar by saying there's no God, early on.  Paul's then wife, Caroline Quentin, plays Dr. Gillespie.  Tim de Jongh would return for the fourth episode.

Roseanne: Why Jackie Became a Trucker

Roseanne: Why Jackie Became a Trucker
ABC
October 1, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

Chuck Lorre wrote this episode which does indeed explain why Jackie becomes a trucker.  She runs into Gary offscreen and becomes depressed, especially since he's now engaged.  Also offscreen, she gets drunk and sleeps with Arnie, who's still engaged to Nancy.  But we don't know this when the episode opens and it looks like the plot is going to be about D.J. wanting to keep the dog he got in a trade with a friend.  Dan has a poker night, including Leon, so Roseanne has a girls' night out.  But Jackie is more depressed than ever and when she tells the other women, they're horrified.  (We learn that Arnie went to high school with Roseanne and her friends.)  Meanwhile, the guys are surprised to find out Leon is gay but they're mostly accepting.  (Arnie has a funny line where he swaps out Andy Griffith for sleeping with Melanie Griffith.)  Anyway, Jackie decides to make some changes in her life, so, yes, she's going to become a trucker.

I again have to omit James Pickens, Jr. because of excessive tags, but he does have a funny line about "gay Bill in Chicago."  Michael Traeger wouldn't return as Marvin till '94.

Who's the Boss?: Seer of Love

Who's the Boss?: Seer of Love
ABC
September 28, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Michele J. Wolff wrote this season-opener and game-changer.  Angela decides to buy Tony a watch for their seventh anniversary.  The Jeweler (Wil Albert, who was Isabelle's agent on Bosom Buddies) is sarcastic with her but she finds herself deciding to get the inscription "It's time I told you I love you."  However, Tony has gotten Angela seat covers for her Jag.  With nudging from friends, family, and strangers, the two do end up confessing their love, after a long seven years, during which, as Mona notes, Communism has fallen and other things have changed.  The episode is well acted, well written, well acted, and well costumed (including Angela's floral dress), and certainly the sets of the carnival are impressive.  So why not an A- or higher, especially since this is the culmination of so much of the series?  It feels like something indefinable is missing, and not just because the Nick at Nite version leaves out such important moments as finding out Billy's fate.  (He's back with his grandmother.)  Don't get me wrong, this is one of the top episodes of the series, but I don't feel like it's as amazing as "Jonathan Plays Cupid."  On the other hand, it's a definite improvement over the entire previous season.

Ivy Bethune had played a Woman Customer on That Girl a quarter century before her role as Sister Mary Francis (another scene that's cut out in syndication).

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.1

Paul Merton, The Series: Episode 1.1
Channel Four
September 25, 1991
Sketch Comedy
DVD
B

Not long after his frequent costar Josie Lawrence got her eponymous series, Merton got his, on the same channel and with the same director (and such familiar to WLIIA-viewers names as Mykola Pawluk and Denise O'Donoghue behind the scenes).  It's a definite improvement, and in fact did well enough with viewers and critics to return in '93.  Short absurd comedy sketches are loosely tied together with scenes of Paul running a newstand.  Sometimes he's interacting with customers and sometimes he's doing routines from his stand-up.  (In fact, three routines would pop up, more or less intact, on London Underground, more on that in its place.)  I laughed out loud several times and the pace, unlike on Josie, kept my mind from wandering.

Of Paul's supporting cast, Geoffrey McGivern was Ivor Biggun on the "Dish and Dishonesty" episode of Blackadder the Third and would return for the fourth episode of this series, while Roger Walker was Robert Leaven in the 1983 Timothy Dalton adaptation of Jane Eyre, and Colin Higgins (no, not the director of Foul Play) and Lou Hirsch would respectively be Comrade Butt and Jimmy Mundy on Jeeves and Wooster the following year.  I'm tagging Paul's cowriter John Irwin, who appears in this and most of the other episodes as "various characters."  Robert Harley also plays "various characters," although mostly in the second series.

Roseanne: Take My Bike, Please

Roseanne: Take My Bike, Please
ABC
September 24, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

Mark Rosewater's first of two stories for the series was turned into a teleplay by Bob Myer.  As the title suggests, it's about Dan's bike shop but also about the impact that launching the business has on the family, especially since Roseanne is working there as well as at Rodbell's.  She hopes to sell a motorcyle so that they can hire someone.  Meanwhile, Becky and Darlene bicker like a married couple over housework, cooking, and childcare.  Poor D.J. doesn't speak for two days and nobody notices.  Jackie also has made a career change, now working as perfume girl at the mall, which seems to necessitate her wearing a series of unflattering, but I suppose possibly fashionable by early '90s standards, outfits.  (Sorry, I couldn't find any in my image search, but one is red with lots of zippers.)

Dan Butler makes his first of three appearances as Art, the newly divorced accountant who buys the motorcycle.

Roseanne: A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Roseanne: A Bitter Pill to Swallow
ABC
September 17, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

So Roseanne moved over to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (in the old Three's Company slot as it happens) and would be #2 in its fourth season.  (For continuity though, they kept the Season Three opening credits, even though the kids will look increasingly too young in it, even D.J.)  The focus in this Sherman & Heath opener is on the family, although that now includes Crystal and Ed's new baby, Little Ed.  Yeah, you might've expected there to be a birth episode, but this is hardly the last pregnancy on this soap-operatic show.*  The next one won't be Becky's, since she tells her mother that she wants to go on the Pill.  Roseanne and Dan have trouble accepting this, especially with their dislike of Mark, although Dan is trying to accept him and even has him working at the bike shop.  If it feels like we're missing a couple episodes, I guess the writers figured we had enough set-up and let's just pick things up a few months later, like we're catching up with old friends, which we sort of are.  Note that Darlene is hostile to Mark on the phone and I continue to be baffled why they're SPOILER paired off in the series finale.  Yeah, I can't wait to see the retcon with the reboot.

Getting back to '91, Becky is now 17 and admits to her mother that she and Mark already had sex, using a condom.  I can't think of a similar situation on any sitcom of that time or earlier.  I mean, as far as we know Mallory Keaton was still a virgin after dating Nick for years.  (Unless I missed that Very Special Episode of Family Ties.)  And the Brady girls were never even shown kissing until they were engaged.  It's going to be a very interesting season, for a lot of reasons.


*Andrew D. Weyman directs his first of an impressive (especially for a revolving-door show like this) forty-five episodes, and guess what he got his start with?  Search for Tomorrow in 1951!  (Followed by some other soaps before drifting over to sitcoms.)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Into the Great Wide Open

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Into the Great Wide Open
Song released September 9, 1991
Music Video
DVD
B+

Petty's best video since "You Got Lucky" is notable for several things:

• It returns to the "storybook" motif, and indeed it is, at just under seven minutes, a life story, cliched but all the more effective because of its tropes;
• It features recognizable actors, from Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway to a blink-and-you'll-miss-him Matt LeBlanc at the end;
• It's about rock & roll, with Petty cast as both the humble "roadie named Bart" and a Godlike giant looking down on this;
• It references both Elvis Presley and Demi Moore;
• Petty's rhymes and his slow, wry delivery mesh well;
• Backdraft and Thelma & Louise are on a movie marquee, rooting this in the early '90s as much as the fashions do;
• There's a puckish sense of humor mixed with Eddie Rebel's rise & fall, as if the message is "This is just life, nothing serious";
• And, in a different way than "Free Falling," it's a very Los-Angeles video.

So why not an A- or higher?  I guess because, unlike Squeeze's "Hourglass," the video is afraid to just let itself go entirely.  Like Eddie, it's holding something back.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: X Marks the Spot

Mystery Science Theater 3000: X Marks the Spot
Comedy Channel
December 22, 1990
Riffing
VHS
B-

Sorry, I overlooked this earlier.  Back in '92 (I think), I didn't tape the feature, King Dinosaur, but this is a case where the short overshadows the main movie.  A 1942 New Jersey traffic safety film, XMS starts off slow, as does the riffing, but once we're in a courtroom of the afterlife with Joe Doakes and his overworked Joisey-accented guardian angel, it's good.  Note that the references are mostly older than usual, with Nixon being one of the more modern ones.