THE INTERNET LEADS ME TO DARK PLACES: As in when I tried to find
visual evidence of the original show Mr. Sunshine, a failed ABC sitcom of the mid-1980s starring Jeffrey Tambor as a bitter, blind professor, the process unlocked a treasure trove of tv credit sequences of the era. I'm going to ask you to
watch the opening credits for a CBS show called "Better Days" right now, because it has three remarkable elements:
- Yes, that's Chip from TAR5's "Chip and Kim" fame.
- And Randall Batinkoff, the dude who played Rip in School Ties (among many other roles).
- And, yes, Randee Heller somewhere between Daniel Larusso's mom and Miss Blankenship, the Queen of Perversions.
I have no idea who that Poor Man's Vincent Gardenia is, though.
Three things:
ReplyDelete1. I remember the original Mr. Sunshine! Well, one scene in particular: Tambor's character has a mystery book (in Braille), and it falls on the floor, and he ends up getting the last page first, and then has the solution to the mystery spoiled. (12-year-old me thought it was funny.)
2. I was *supposed* to be using this evening getting caught up on shows on the DVR, but I've gotten lost in the rabbit hole of mid-80s TV themes. Thanks, Adam.
3. Should I be scared that I remember the words to the Gimme a Break theme song?
Dear Lord--the logline is "Brian McGuire is a California teenager who lives and loves life in Los Angeles, until something happens to his family and he must move to his uncle's place in Brooklyn. He has a hard time fitting in with the crowd but makes two friends he can count on, wisecracking Luther and the very hip Snake."
ReplyDeleteMY GOD, IT'S THE REVERSE BEL-AIR!!!
ReplyDeleteI should also note that I may or may not have spent several lazy afternoons at the office watching these collections and looking up the shows on Wikipedia, including such particularly bizarre ones as "He's The Mayor" (young hip man becomes mayor and hijinks ensue) and "The Wizard" (dwarf toymaker becomes MacGyver-like hero).
ReplyDeletePoor Man's Vincent Gardenia is (as it says) Dick O'Neill, best known to me as Christine Cagney's father.
ReplyDeleteSorry, are any of these at the level of cool of Dean Paul Martin?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/DODxamw690g" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
And best known to me as the key player in the most memorable scene of Wolfen.
ReplyDeleteHe' certainly a great HITG! I recognized the face but couldn't place him, so I went to IMDb and see that his film credits include "The Jerk," "The Mosquito Coast," "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" and "Prizzi's Honor." Which just by itself is a pretty impressive collection.
ReplyDeleteSo those credits were a veritable trove of H!ITG! I went searching for Raphael Sbarge and was amazed that he looked familiar since he hasn't been in any show I watch/watched since he was in an episode of Sisters in 1992--but I don't think I was watching it even then.
ReplyDeleteWhat I also noticed about Mr. Sbarge is that he was in two shows called "Better Days" and was Brian in both of them. One was in 2005, without Chip but with Randee Heller and Dick O'Neill (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308028/) and the one referenced here (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090396/). Was the first so unsuccessful they made one more pilot almost 20 years later? What am I missing?
Trying to embed this with a start time cued up, but if that doesn't work, skip to the 5:56 mark and stick with it through about 8:45. Totally gory, fyi.
ReplyDeleteThere goes my morning.
ReplyDeleteIt's truly amazing to me just how long and drawn out these credits sequences are. The LA Law one goes for 49 seconds of watching people walk and talk around the office and glare meaningfully at each other before the first actor credit ever appears on the screen. The entire sequence runs nearly 90 seconds. So glaringly different from today.
Did Adam Scott star in "He's The Mayor"?
ReplyDeleteI remember both of those. I actually used to watch "The Wizard," which also had the sidekick from "The Fall Guy."
ReplyDeleteNo one's even mentioned the WTC in the credits. Hey, It's Those Buildings!
ReplyDelete