TV Time Capsule

This Show Was No Drag: ‘Dame Edna’s Hollywood’

On November 30, 1991, NBC aired “Dame Edna’s Hollywood,” the prime time special that introduced Australian drag queen Dame Edna Everage to American audiences.

The lavender-haired matron, portrayed by Barry Humphries, became a phenomenon in her homeland and England in the 1980s.

In “Dame Edna’s Hollywood,” she delighted in embarrassing her celebrity guests, requiring Cher to wear a name tag in case viewers who forgot who she was and refusing to allow Mel Gibson past security.

In an article published the day before “Hollywood” aired, USA Today asked if she ever apologizes to her guests:

“On the contrary, they apologize to me!” she exclaims. “They ask, ‘Oh Edna, was I good enough?’”

“Dame Edna’s Hollywood” aired two days after Thanksgiving and was seen in 10.6 million homes, finishing 36th in the weekly ratings.

Additional “Dame Edna’s Hollywood” specials aired in 1992 and 1993.

The character now appears regularly on talk shows; in 2001, Humphries – as Dame Edna – joined Fox’s “Ally McBeal” in the recurring role of law firm client Claire Otoms.

See for yourself: “Dame Edna’s Hollywood” isn’t online or on video; visit TVShowsOnDVD.com and petition its release!

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Saturday, November 30, 1991:

8: “Who’s the Boss?” (ABC), “The ’Burbs” (CBS), “Cops” (Fox), “The Golden Girls” (NBC)

8:30: “Growing Pains” (ABC), “Cops” (Fox), “Walter and Emily” (NBC)

9: “The Young Riders” (ABC), “Charlie Hoover”

 (Fox), “Empty Nest” (NBC)

9:30: “Get a Life” (Fox), “Nurses” (NBC)

10: “The Commish” (ABC), “Dame Edna’s Hollywood” (NBC)

 

The Record

For the week of November 24, 1991:

Top novel: “Scarlett” by Alexandra Ripley

Top song: “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Michael Bolton

Top movie: “The Addams Family”

Top TV show: “In a Child’s Name, Part 2” (CBS)

In the news: Toys are unsafe, consumer advocates said

 

 

Captions: Dame Edna Everage (top, photograph courtesy DragQueenDiaries.com; NBC’s advertisement for the special, from TV Guide’s November 30, 1991, issue (bottom).

Hi Again! ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ 19 Years Later

On November 23, 1991, CBS aired “The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special,” a one-hour retrospective of the 1972-78 sitcom.

The broadcast featured the show’s cast members returning – in character – to help Chicago psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley (Newhart) analyze a lengthy dream in which he was a Vermont innkeeper named “Dick Loudon.”

“Bob Newhart Show” clips were interspersed throughout the special, which ended when Bob spotted three elevator repairmen who resembled Larry (William Sanderson) and his brothers Darryl (Tony Papenfuss, John Voldstad) – the odd backwoodsmen who constantly befuddled poor Dick Loudon.

(TVSeriesFinale.com has a fuller synopsis.)

The Los Angeles Times’ Howard Rosenberg called the special a reminder of “just how funny, fresh and contemporary [‘The Bob Newhart Show’] remains.”

Too bad the “19th Anniversary Special” was a ratings bomb.

The broadcast drew viewers in just 6.7 million homes, finishing fourth in its time slot and ranking 79th out of 90 programs in the weekly ratings.

See for yourself: “The Bob Newhart 19th Anniversary Special” isn’t online or on video, but the first four seasons of “The Bob Newhart Show” and the first season of “Newhart” are on DVD.

 

On TV

Here’s the prime-time lineup for Saturday, November 23, 1991:

8: “Who’s the Boss?” (ABC), “The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special” (CBS), “Cops” (Fox), “The Golden Girls” (NBC)

8:30: “Growing Pains” (ABC), “Walter and Emily” (NBC)

9: “Funny Farm” (ABC), “A Party for Richard Pryor” (CBS), “Charlie Hoover” (Fox), “Empty Nest” (NBC)

9:30: “Get a Life” (Fox), “Nurses” (NBC)

10: “Sisters” (NBC)

 

The Record

For the week of November 17, 1991:

Top novel: “Scarlett” by Alexandra Ripley

Top song: “Cream” by Prince and the New Power Generation

Top movie: “Cape Fear”

Top TV show: “60 Minutes” (CBS)

In the news: Massachusetts allowed bettors to play the lottery by telephone.

 

 

Captions: “The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special” reunited cast members, from left, Bill Daily, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Riley, Newhart, Marcia Wallace and Peter Bonerz (top, photograph from TVSeriesFinale.com); CBS’s advertisement for the special, from TV Guide’s November 23, 1991, issue (bottom).

Meet ‘The Commish’

On September 28, 1991, “The Commish,” Michael Chiklis’s first television series, debuted on ABC.

The crime drama cast the actor – who returns to the network tonight in the superhero fantasy “No Ordinary Family” – as Tony Scali, a tough-but-compassionate suburban police commissioner in upstate New York.

“The Commish” – which was Scali’s nickname – also explored the character’s domestic life, which included supportive wife Rachel (Theresa Saldana) and David (Kaj-Erik Eriksen), their young son.

Before “The Commish,” the thin-haired, doughy Chiklis was probably best known for portraying John Belushi in “Wired,” a 1989 film that focused on the late comedian’s darker side, including his drug abuse and fatal overdose.

Chiklis guest-starred on CBS’s “Wiseguy” later that year, impressing producer Stephen J. Cannell, who later cast him in “The Commish.”

Cannell based the series on the life and career of his friend Tony Schembri, the colorful police commissioner in Rye, New York. The producer initially tried to sell “The Commish” to CBS, but executives passed, fearing the 28-year-old Chiklis wouldn’t be believable in the role of a middle-aged cop.

“[CBS] thought the screen test was terrific, but that I looked younger off-screen,” Chiklis told the Associated Press in 1991. “I don’t look like a commissioner of police, but that’s what acting’s all about.”

Critics were lukewarm toward “The Commish,” but many liked Chiklis.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Miles Beller praised the actor’s “grand, embracing humanity,” while USA Today’s Matt Roush predicted the actor and his character would both “command respect.”

United Press International’s Joan Hanauer suggested the series was “unlikely to pull audiences away from their VCRs” on Saturday nights.

She was correct.

“In the Best of Families,” the show’s first episode, finished 76th in the weekly ratings.

“The Commish” never became a major hit, but it built a small-but-loyal following that made it a Saturday staple for most of its four-season run.

In 2002, a newly buff Chiklis returned to prime time in FX’s “The Shield,” playing less-than-lovable cop Vic Mackey – a role that later won Chiklis a best-actor Emmy.

“In the Best of Families” can be streamed for free at Hulu and downloaded for $1.99 at iTunes and Amazon.com. The episode is also part of “The Commish: The Complete First Season” DVD set.

 

Also on TV

On September 28, 1991, ABC also moved fading sitcoms “Who’s the Boss?” and “Growing Pains” to Saturday nights and aired the season premiere of its western “The Young Riders;” CBS broadcast the 1989 Tom Selleck flick “Her Alibi” and “P.S. I Luv U,” a breezy detective show starring Connie Selleca, Greg Evigan and Earl Holliman; Fox showed “Cops,” “Totally Hidden Video” and “Best of the Worst” and NBC offered “The Golden Girls,” “The Torkelsons,” “Empty Nest,” “Nurses” and “Sisters.”

 

The Record

During the week of September 22, 1991, the number ones were Tom Clancy’s “The Sum of All Fears” (novel), Color Me Baad’s “I Adore Mi Amor” (song) and “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” (movie). In Washington, the Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked 7 to 7 on Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court nomination.

 

  

Captions: “The Commish” star Michael Chiklis in a photograph from TV Guide’s September 14, 1991, fall preview issue (top); ABC’s advertisement for the series premiere from the magazine’s September 28, 1991, edition (bottom).

Thursday, Nov. 3, 1994

Fifteen years ago tonight, NBC aired “Blackout Thursday,” threading together three of the evening’s four Manhattan-set sitcoms with a plot about a citywide power failure.

The story began at 8 on “Mad About You,” where Jamie (Helen Hunt) triggers the outage by illegally installing cable TV in her bedroom.

At 8:30, the blackout spread to “Friends,” trapping Chandler (Matthew Perry) in an ATM vestibule with supermodel Jill Goodacre, who portrayed herself.

Fellow freshmen sitcom “Madman of the People” picked up the storyline at 9:30, when Dabney Coleman’s character is jailed after being mistaken for a post-blackout looter.

Appropriately, nothing – or at least nothing to do with electricity – happened at 9 on “Seinfeld,” which didn’t participate in NBC’s stunt.

Instead, “Seinfeld” aired “The Gymnast,” the episode in which Jerry dates a Romanian athlete and George’s girlfriend’s mother catches him eating an éclair from a trash bin.

NBC heavily promoted “Blackout Thursday,” even recruiting “Today” weatherman Al Roker to provide “news” updates on the power failure during that evening’s commercial breaks.

The network probably hoped to recreate its success from Nov. 9, 1991, when “The Golden Girls,” “Empty Nest” and “Nurses” scored their highest ratings of the season with a seamless storyline about a hurricane striking Miami, where each show took place.

On Feb. 29, 1992, a similar stunt – this one about a full moon causing Miamians to act strangely – also scored big ratings.

How did the gimmick work in 1994?

Each “Blackout Thursday” sitcom won its time slot and landed in that week’s top 20: “Mad About You” was 11th, “Friends” was 12th and “Madman of the People” was 17th.  

But “Seinfeld” – the lone “Blackout” holdout – turned out to be the evening’s most-watched show, ranking second for the week.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Nov. 3, 1994:

8 PM FOX MARTIN (CC)

Martin’s efforts to impress his future mother-in-law (Judyann Elder) may be in vain when he gets a visit from a boy claiming that he’s Martin’s son. Martin Lawrence. Angie: Kimberly Brooks. Mr. Jim: John Wesley.

8:30 FOX LIVING SINGLE (CC)

Fired by passion – and full of advice from nosy friends – Synclaire and Overton (Kim Coles, John Henton) take their relationship to a new level. Meanwhile, Khadijah (Queen Latifah) learns the power of a chain letter.

9 PM CBS CHICAGO HOPE (CC) – Drama 1:00

Dr. Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) performs a risky heart operation on an overweight mob killer (Ron Karabatsos) who’s a key witness for the FBI; two weary residents plot to get even with Geiger for his dour temperament; and the budding relationship between Dr. Shutt (Adam Arkin) and Dr. Antonovich (Margaret Colin) takes an alarming turn. Dr. Carney: Jon Favreau. Dr. Bradley: Taylor Nichols.

10 PM ABC PRIMETIME LIVE (CC) – Donaldson/Sawyer 1:00

Scheduled: An interview with former President George Bush, his wife Barbara, and sons George Jr. and Jeb (who are gubernatorial candidates in Texas and Florida). Also: a segment considering the extent of cheating on college campuses.

Friday, Oct. 30, 1992

Seventeen years ago tonight, Dorothy reunited with Blanche, Rose and Sophia when Bea Arthur checked into “The Golden Palace,” CBS’s short-lived sequel to NBC’s “The Golden Girls.”

Six months earlier, in the “Girls” finale, when Arthur’s character Dorothy remarried and moved to Atlanta, elderly mom Sophia (Estelle Getty) chose to remain in Miami with roommates Blanche and Rose (Rue McClanahan, Betty White).

In “Seems Like Old Times, Part One,” the first installment of Arthur’s two-week “Palace” guest stint, Dorothy visits Miami to check in on Sophia, who now runs a faded art deco hotel near the beach with Blanche and Rose.

When Dorothy decides Sophia is working too hard and must come live with her in Atlanta, the older woman runs away.

The story continued the following week, when Dorothy finds Sophia hiding out at her old stomping grounds, the Shady Pines retirement home. Seeing how much her mother enjoys life as an octogenarian hotelier, Dorothy decides to let her remain at the Golden Palace with Blanche and Rose.

As expected, Arthur’s appearance boosted ratings for the sagging sitcom, which struggled on CBS’s Friday night lineup.

The first part of “Seems Like Old Times” drew viewers in 9 million households, tying with NBC’s “A Different World” for 56th place among 94 programs in the weekly ratings.

Viewers in 10.3 million households watched part two, which tied with one of the “Girls’” old Saturday night companion series, NBC’s “Nurses,” for 50th place among 98 programs for the week.

CBS dropped “The Golden Palace” in the spring of 1993, making the “Seems Like Old Times” saga the final time Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia were seen together.

Later, Getty returned to NBC’s Saturday night lineup – “The Golden Girls” longtime home – joining the cast of spinoff “Empty Nest,” where it was explained Sophia had finally retired and moved back to Shady Pines – this time for good.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Oct. 30, 1992:

8 PM NBC MOVIE (CC) – Mystery; 2 hrs.

“Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride” engages Mason (Raymond Burr) in the defense of a pop-music star (Heather McAdam), charged with committing a murder at her own wedding. Stephen Stills has a cameo in this 1992 TV-movie.

Additional Cast

Max Parrish … Ronny Cox

Hannah Hawkes … Linda Blair

Sam Wald … Brian McNamara

Laura Parrish … Diane Baker

Gary Hawkes … Adam Storke

Ken Malansky … William R. Moses

Suzy Richards … Merle Kennedy

9 PM FOX SIGHTINGS (CC)

Parapsychologists search for reported undead at Scotland’s Stirling Castle; vampirologists meet with an alleged vampire. Also: a studio interview with modern wtich Laurie Cabot.

10 PM ABC 20/20 (CC) – Downs/Walters; 60 min.

Scheduled: A segment considers the debate over spanking. “Most Americans spank their kids,” says correspondent John Stossel, “yet nearly every research who has studied spanking says: ‘Don’t do it. It’s harmful.’ That there are other ways to discipline that work just as well.”

Saturday, Sept. 14, 1991

Eighteen years ago tonight, “The New WKRP in Cincinnati” – an admirable attempt to revive the 1970s CBS sitcom for the ’90s – debuted in first-run syndication in Washington, D.C., and other cities.

Three members of the original show’s cast – Gordon Jump as befuddled station manager Arthur Carlson, Frank Bonner as sleazy salesman Herb Tarlek and Richard Sanders as nebbish newsman Les Nessman – returned as regulars on the new show.

The new cast members included Mykelti Williamson as program director Donovan Aderhold, Lightfield Lewis as apprentice salesman Arthur Carlson Jr., Tawny Kitaen as late-night disc jockey Mona Loveland, and Michael Des Barres and Kathleen Garrett as bickering morning drive-time hosts Jack Allen and Dana Burns, who were recently divorced.

Executive producer Bill Dial, one of the original show’s writers, told the Los Angeles Times he initially wasn’t interested in returning to the revival.

“They had to do a sales job,” he said. “I knew from a sales point of view it was a good idea, but I had to know what the angle was to do it again. And then I decided it was very simple – we would just pick up where we left off. The three characters who are still at WKRP would in real life still be at the radio station. Then once I figured that out I said, ‘We can do this.’ And I populated it with a new gang of crazy people, hopefully as appealing as the old bunch.”

The new show didn’t receive much attention from critics, but those who reviewed the two-part opener liked it.

“It’s not often that a series can return nine years after being canceled and appear not to have missed a beat. Amazingly, that’s how it comes across,” wrote the Orange County Register’s Ray Richmond.

In the Hollywood Reporter, Laurence Vittes praised Kitaen, saying that when she “makes her first, blatantly breathtaking appearance, there’s little doubt that the new WKRP is ready to roll.”

Syndicator MTM probably hoped “The New WKRP in Cincinnati” would do for syndicated sitcoms what the highly successful “Star Trek: The Next Generation” did for syndicated dramas.

It didn’t.

When “The New WKRP” returned for a second season, producers made several cast changes, including adding French Stewart as Razor Dee, the new morning drive host, and bringing back Howard Hesseman – Dr. Johnny Fever from the original show - for an extended run.

It wasn’t enough to keep “WKRP” on the air, and MTM pulled the plug in 1993.

 

From the Pages of TV Guide

Also airing Sept. 14, 1991:

9:30 NBC NURSES (CC) – Comedy

Debut: A dose of the hectic lives of five nurses at Miami’s Community Medical Center. In the opener, cynical Sandy (Stephanie Hodge) wonders why her ex is suddenly feverish to see her, while neurotic nurse Julie (Mary Jo Keenan) arrives for her first day on the ward. Greg: Jeff Altman. Annie: Arnetia Walker.