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Contents
Articles
Fran Drescher
1
227 (TV series)
9
ALF (TV series)
14
American Hot Wax
25
Beautiful Girl (film)
27
Benjamin Salisbury
29
Cadillac Man
30
Charles Shaughnessy
32
Daniel Davis
36
Doctor Detroit
38
Francis Ford Coppola
42
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
63
Gorp (film)
69
Happily Divorced
71
Hillcrest High School (New York City)
75
Hotel Transylvania
77
Jack (1996 film)
86
Life Ball
89
Living With Fran
99
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
103
Peter Marc Jacobson
112
Picking Up the Pieces
114
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
116
Princesses (TV series)
130
Ray Romano
132
Ryan McPartlin
138
Santa's Slay
141
Shark Bait
143
Some Girl(s)
146
Stranger in Our House
147
TV Land
149
TV Land Award
154
The Beautician and the Beast
158
The Big Picture (1989 film)
161
The Fran Drescher Show
163
The Hollywood Knights
165
The Nanny
168
The Nanny (Pilot)
179
The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh to Remember
181
The Rosebud Beach Hotel
183
Treehouse of Horror XVII
185
References
Article Sources and Contributors
188
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
193
Article Licenses
License
195
Fran Drescher
1
Fran Drescher
Fran Drescher
Drescher at the Vienna Life Ball in 2009
Born
Francine Joy Drescher
September 30, 1957
Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation
Actress, comedian, producer, activist
Years active 1977–present
Spouse(s)
Peter Marc Jacobson (m. 1978 – 1999)
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher (born September 30, 1957) is an American film and television actress, comedian,
producer, and activist. She is best known for her role as Fran Fine in the hit TV series, The Nanny, her nasal voice
and thick New York accent.
Drescher made her screen debut with a small role in the 1977 blockbuster film Saturday Night Fever, prior to
appearing in films, such as the biopic American Hot Wax (1978) and Wes Craven's horror tale Summer of Fear
(1978). In the 1980s, she gained recognition as a comedic actress in the films The Hollywood Knights (1980), Doctor
Detroit (1983), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and UHF (1989) while establishing a television career with guest
appearances on several series. In 1993, she achieved wider fame as Fran Fine in her own sitcom vehicle The Nanny,
for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy
Television Series during the show's run. She received further recognition for her performances in Jack (1996) and
The Beautician and the Beast (1997) and reinforced her reputation as a leading sitcom star with Living With Fran
(2005–2006) and Happily Divorced (2011–present).
A uterine cancer survivor, Drescher is an outspoken healthcare advocate and LGBT rights activist, and is noted for
her work as a Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women's Health Issues for the U.S. State Department. Divorced from
writer and producer Peter Marc Jacobson, she currently lives in Malibu, California.
Fran Drescher
Early life
Drescher was born in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York,[1] the daughter of Sylvia, a bridal consultant, and Morty
Drescher, a naval systems analyst.[2] Her Ashkenazi Jewish family is of South-East and Central European origin. Her
great-grandmother was born in Focșani, Romania, and had emigrated to the United States.[3] She has an older sister,
Nadine.
Drescher was a first runner-up for "Miss New York Teenager" in 1973, as revealed in her first autobiography Enter
Whining released December 29, 1995, and on her interview on William Shatner's Raw Nerve, which first aired on
January 27, 2009. She attended Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens, where she met her future husband, Peter
Marc Jacobson, whom she married in 1978, at age 21. They divorced in 1999.[4] Jacobson was Drescher's constant
supporter in her show-business career, and he wrote, directed and produced her signature television series, The
Nanny. Drescher graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1975; one of her classmates was comedian Ray
Romano.[5] Drescher's character Fran Fine on The Nanny and Romano's character Ray Barone on Everybody Loves
Raymond met at a 20th high school reunion.[6]
Career
Early careers
Her first break was a small role as the dancer Connie in the blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever (1977) in which
she delivered the line "So, are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?" to John Travolta. A year later, she
began to gain more attention in films such as American Hot Wax (1978), and Wes Craven's Summer of Fear (1978).
She also took on a rare dramatic role in the Milos Forman 1981 film, Ragtime.
During the 1980s, Drescher found moderate success as a character actress with memorable roles in films such as The
Hollywood Knights, Doctor Detroit, The Big Picture, UHF, Cadillac Man, and memorably in This is Spinal Tap as
publicist Bobbi Fleckman. She also made an appearance in a second season episode of Who's the Boss in 1985 as an
interior decorator.
The Nanny and later film roles
Drescher and Jacobson created their own television show, The Nanny in 1993. The show aired on CBS from 1993
and ended in 1999, and Drescher became an instant star. In this sitcom, she played a charming and bubbly woman
named Fran Fine who casually became the nanny of Margaret ("Maggie"), Brighton ("B"), and Grace ("Gracie")
Sheffield; with her wit and her charm, she endeared herself to their widower father: stuffy, composed, proper British
gentleman, and Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (played by British actor Charles Shaughnessy).
Drescher appeared in Jack (1996), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Beautician and the Beast (1997) (for
which she was also executive producer) and Picking Up the Pieces (2000) co-starring Woody Allen. She also was
the voice of "Pearl" in Shark Bait (2006).
Return to television
In recent years, Drescher has made a return to television both with leading and guest roles. In 2003, Drescher
appeared in episodes of the short lived sitcom, Good Morning, Miami as Roberta Diaz. In 2005, she returned to TV
with the sitcom Living with Fran, in which she played Fran Reeves, a middle-aged mother of two, living with Riley
Martin (Ryan McPartlin), a man half her age and not much older than her son. Former Nanny costar Charles
Shaughnessy appeared as her philandering ex-husband, Ted. Living with Fran was cancelled May 17, 2006, after two
seasons.
In 2006, Drescher guest starred in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent; the episode, "The War at Home",
aired on US television on November 14, 2006.[7] She also appeared in an episode of the series Entourage and in the
2
Fran Drescher
same year, gave her voice to the role of a female golem in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XVII". In
2007, Drescher appeared in the US version of the Australian improvisational comedy series Thank God You're Here.
In 2008, Drescher announced that she was developing a new sitcom entitled The New Thirty, also starring Rosie
O'Donnell. A series about two old high school friends coping with midlife crises, Drescher described the premature
plot of the show as "kind of Sex and the City but we ain't getting any! It'll probably be more like The Odd Couple."[8]
The sitcom failed to materialize however.[8] In 2010, Drescher returned to television with her own daytime talk
show, The Fran Drescher Tawk Show. While the program debuted to strong ratings, it ended its three-week test run
to moderate success, resulting in its shelving.[9][10] The following year, the sitcom Happily Divorced, created by
Drescher and her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, was picked up by TV Land for a ten-episode order. It premiered
there June 15, 2011.[11] The show was renewed in July 2011 for a second season of 12 episodes, which aired in
spring 2012. On May 1, 2012, TV Land extended the second season and picked up 12 additional episodes, taking the
second season total to 24. The back-order of season two will debut later in 2012.
To promote Happily Divorced, Drescher performed the weddings of three gay couples in New York City using the
[12]
Drescher hand-picked the three couples, all of
minister's license she received from the Universal Life Church.
whom were entrants into "Fran Drescher's 'Love Is Love' Gay Marriage Contest" on Facebook, based on the stories
the couples submitted about how they met, why their relationship illustrated that "love is love" and why they wanted
to be married by her.[13]
Personal life
After separating in 1996, Drescher and Jacobson divorced in 1999. They had no children. Drescher stated, "I would
have been able to conceive but not hold on".[14] Drescher has worked to support LGBT rights issues after her
ex-husband came out.[15] Drescher has stated that the primary reason for the divorce was her need to change
directions in life. Drescher attended City University of New York: Queens College Drescher and Jacobson remain
friends and business partners. She has stated that "...we choose to be in each others’ lives in any capacity. Our love is
unique, rare, and unconditional; unless he’s being annoying.”[16] After her divorce, Drescher dated a man 16 years
her junior. She credits the relationship with helping her through cancer and used it as inspiration for her sitcom
Living with Fran.[17]
The 1985 robbery and rape
In January 1985, two armed robbers broke into Drescher and Jacobson's Los Angeles apartment. While one
ransacked their home, the other raped Drescher and her friend at gunpoint. Jacobson was also physically attacked,
tied up, and forced to witness the entire ordeal. It took Drescher many years to recover, and it took her even longer to
tell her story to the press. She was paraphrased as saying in an interview with Larry King that although it was a
traumatic experience, she found ways to turn it into something positive. In her book Cancer Schmancer, the actress
writes: "My whole life has been about changing negatives into positives." Her rapist, who was on parole at the time
[14]
of the crime, was returned to prison and sentenced to two life sentences.
3
Fran Drescher
4
Cancer battle
After two years of symptoms and misdiagnosis by eight doctors, Drescher was admitted to Los Angeles's Cedars
Sinai Hospital on June 21, 2000, after doctors diagnosed her with uterine cancer. She had to undergo an immediate
radical hysterectomy to treat the disease. Drescher was given a clean bill of health and no post-operative treatment
has been ordered.
She wrote about her experiences in her second book, Cancer Schmancer.[14] Her purpose for this book was to raise
consciousness for men and women "to become more aware of the early warning signs of cancer, and to empower
themselves." Drescher says, "I was going to learn what I needed to learn, ask questions, become partners with my
doctor instead of having some kind of parent/child relationship."
Cancer Schmancer Movement
On June 21, 2007, the seventh anniversary of her operation, Drescher
announced the national launch of the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a
non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women's cancers
be diagnosed while in Stage 1, the most curable stage. She celebrated
her tenth year of wellness on June 21, 2010.
Fran says:
Drescher at a press conference for the Austrian
charity 'Dancer Against Cancer', 2010.
“
We need to take control of our bodies, become greater partners with our physicians and galvanize as one to let our legislators know that the
[18]
collective female vote is louder and more powerful than that of the richest corporate lobbyists.
”
Her goal is to live in a time when women's mortality rates drop as their health care improves and early cancer
detection increases. More information can be found on her website at cancerschmancer.org [19].
Her efforts as an outspoken healthcare advocate in Washington DC helped get unanimous passage for H.R. 1245 [20]
(also known as Johanna's Law) and she is acknowledged in the Congressional Record.
Fran Drescher
5
Politics
In September 2008, Drescher, a Democrat, was appointed as a U.S.
diplomat by George W. Bush Administration's Assistant Secretary of
State Goli Ameri. Her official title is Public Diplomacy Envoy for
Women's Health Issues. In traveling throughout the world, she will
support U.S. public diplomacy efforts, including working with health
organizations and women's groups to raise awareness of women’s
health issues, cancer awareness and detection, and patient
empowerment and advocacy. Her first trip was in late September and
included stops in Romania, Hungary, Kosovo and Poland.[21][3]
In 2008, Drescher supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the
Democratic Party presidential nomination. She attended a Super
Democrat rally for Clinton. Drescher said that she had been
considering a run for the United States Senate in 2008 to succeed
Hillary Rodham Clinton, but ultimately decided against it.[22][23]
Awards
Drescher has been the recipient of the John Wayne Institute’s Woman
of Achievement Award, the Gilda Award, the City of Hope Woman of
the Year Award, the Hebrew University Humanitarian Award, and the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Spirit of Achievement Award.
Life Ball 2009; Bill Clinton, Fran Drescher and
Elke Winkens
Most recently she was honored with the City of Hope Spirit of Life
Award, which was presented to her by Senator Hillary Clinton.
On April 10, 2010, she was guest of honor at the "Dancer against
Cancer" charity ball held at the Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria,
where she received the first "My Aid Award" for her achievements in
support of cancer prevention and rehabilitation.[24]
U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy Fran Drescher and
Goli Ameri
Filmography
Film
Year
Film
Role
1977 Saturday Night Fever
Connie
1978 American Hot Wax
Sheryl
1978 Stranger in Our House
Carolyn Baker
1980 The Hollywood Knights
Sally
1980 Gorp
Evie
1981 Ragtime
Mameh
1983 Doctor Detroit
Karen Blittstein
1984 This Is Spinal Tap
Bobbi Flekman
1984 The Rosebud Beach Hotel
Linda
1988 Rock 'n' Roll Mom
Jody Levin
Notes
Fran Drescher
6
1989 UHF
Pamela Finklestein
1989 Love and Betrayal
Germaine
1990 Wedding Band
Veronica
1990 Cadillac Man
Joy Munchack
1992 We're Talking Serious Money
Valerie
1993 Without Warning: Terror in the Towers Rosemarie Russo
1994 Car 54, Where Are You?
Velma Valour
1996 Jack
Dolores "D.D." Durante
1997 The Beautician and the Beast
Joy Miller
2000 Picking Up the Pieces
Sister Frida
2003 Beautiful Girl
Amanda Wasserman
2005 Santa's Slay
Virginia Mason
2006 Shark Bait
Pearl
voice
2011 Mindwash. The Jake Sessions
Madame LaRue
voice
2012 Hotel Transylvania
Eunice
voice
Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1982
Fame
Rhonda
1 episode, ″Metamorphosis″
1983
9 to 5
Tapioca
1 episode, "The Oldest Profession"
1985
Silver Spoons
Annie
1 episode, "Marry Me, Marry Me: Part 2
1985
227
Mrs. Baker
1 episode, "The Refrigerator"
1984–92
Who's the Boss
Joyce
Columbus/Carol
Patrice
2 episodes, "Charmed Lives" and "The Heiress"
1986
Night Court
Miriam Brody
1 episode, "Author, Author"
1986
Charmed Lives
Joyce Columbus
4 episodes
1990
ALF
Roxanne
1 episode, "Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"
1990
WIOU
Jo Finc
1 episode, "Pilot"
1991
Princesses
Melissa Kirshner
8 episodes
1991
Dream On
Kathleen
1 episode, "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told"
1993–99
The Nanny
Fran Fine/Fran
Sheffield
145 episodes, also Writer, Producer and Director
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress –
Television Series Musical or Comedy (1996–97)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[25] (1996–97)
Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest
Female Performer in a TV Series (1996)
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress –
Television Series Musical or Comedy (1997)
Nominated—TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in
a Comedy (1999)
Nominated—TV Land Award Favorite Nanny (2008)
Fran Drescher
7
2003
Good Morning, Miami Roberta Diaz
2004
Strong Medicine
2004
The Nanny Reunion: A herself
Nosh to Remember
2005–06
Living with Fran
2005
What I Like About You Fran Reeves
2006
The Simpsons
The Female Golem
1 episode, "Treehouse of Horror XVII"
2006
Law & Order:
Criminal Intent
Elaine Dockerty
1 episode, "The War at Home"
2007
Thank God You're
Here
Herself/Ms.
Bumblebee
2008
Live from Lincoln
Center
Morgan Le Fay
1 episode, "Camelot"
2008
Entourage
Mrs. Levine
1 episode, "The All Out Fall Out"
2010
Glenn Martin, DDS
Arlene Stein
1 episode, voice
2010
The Fran Drescher
Show
Host
Talk-Show, also Producer
Fran Lovett
Lead role;
also Writer and Producer
2011–present Happily Divorced
3 episodes
Irene Slater
1 episode, "Cinderella in Scrubs"
Director "Like Cures Like"
Hosted by herself and her mother Sylvia Drescher, also
Producer
Fran Reeves
26 episodes, also Producer
as her Living with Fran character, Fran Reeves: 1
episode, "Girls Gone Wild"
Stage
Year
Title
Notes
2002-04 The Exonerated
Theatres at 45 Bleecker/Bleecker Steet Theatre
2006
Some Girl(s)
Lucille Lortel Theatre
2009
Love, Loss, and What I Wore Westside Theatre
References
[1] Firestone, David. "For Queens, a Place in the Sun; Hollywood Is Suddenly Zooming In, With a Vengeance" (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/
fullpage. html?res=9E04E0DB113BF93BA2575AC0A962958260& scp=1& sq="fran+ drescher"+ "kew+ gardens"& st=nyt), The New York
Times, September 18, 1994. Accessed 2008-01-27. "Ms. Drescher, who actually comes from Kew Gardens Hills, may be the most deliberately
colorful of the lot, but she is hardly alone in celebrating the showbiz ascendancy of her native land."
[2] Fran Drescher Biography (1957-) (http:/ / www. filmreference. com/ film/ 53/ Fran-Drescher. html)
[3] "Dădaca Fran: „Eu sunt din România!“" (http:/ / www. evz. ro/ detalii/ stiri/ dadaca-fran-eu-sunt-din-romania--822765. html) (in Romanian).
Evenimentul Zilei. October 1, 2008. .
[4] Meisler, Andy. "TELEVISION; Mary Poppins She's Not" (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage.
html?res=9C02EED91F39F93BA25751C1A962958260), The New York Times, December 18, 1994. Accessed 2007-11-20. "After she
graduated from Hillcrest High School in Queens, where she met Jacobson, the two of them moved to Los Angeles and were married."
[5] http:/ / poobala. com/ everybodyandnanny. html
[6] http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0657352/
[7] TV.com - episode page (http:/ / www. tv. com/ law-and-order-criminal-intent/ the-war-at-home/ episode/ 913601/ summary.
html?tag=ep_list;title;7)
[8] Gordon, Julie (2008-05-22). "BUZZ: Rosie O'Donnell, Fran Drescher combine for TV's whiniest sitcom?" (http:/ / www. newsday. com/
buzz-rosie-o-donnell-fran-drescher-combine-for-tv-s-whiniest-sitcom-1. 880364). Newsday. . Retrieved 2011-03-31.
[9] Albiniak, Paige (2011-11-29). "Audiences Still Love The Nanny" (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/
460398-Audiences_Still_Love_The_Nanny_. php). Broadcasting & Cable. . Retrieved 2011-03-31.
Fran Drescher
[10] Albiniak, Paige (2011-12-21). "Syndies Flat as Holiday Season Revs Up" (http:/ / www. broadcastingcable. com/ article/
461400-Syndies_Flat_as_Holiday_Season_Revs_Up. php). Broadcasting & Cable. . Retrieved 2011-03-31.
[11] Sarah Anne Hughes (June 14, 2011). "Fran Drescher talks being ‘Happily Divorced’ from gay ex-husband" (http:/ / www. washingtonpost.
com/ blogs/ celebritology/ post/ fran-drescher-talks-being-happily-divorced-from-gay-ex-husband/ 2011/ 06/ 14/ AGJ4lhUH_blog. html).
Washington Post. .
[12] http:/ / www. themonastery. org/ blog/ 2012/ 03/ ulc-minister-fran-drescher-to-officiate-gay-wedding/
[13] PR NewsWire Press Release (http:/ / www. prnewswire. com/ news-releases/
fran-drescher-to-marry-three-gay-couples-in-new-york-city-on-tuesday-march-6-139320183. html;title;7)
[14] "LARRY KING LIVE Interview with Fran Drescher" (http:/ / transcripts. cnn. com/ TRANSCRIPTS/ 0205/ 06/ lkl. 00. html). CNN. May 6,
2002. . Retrieved 2009-07-23.
[15] Fran Drescher's Ex-Husband Peter Marc Jacobson Is Gay, Shows Support (http:/ / www. cbsnews. com/
8301-31749_162-20006739-10391698. html)
[16] Modern Family - Peter Marc Jacobson on Success, Sexuality, and Being in Love with Fran Drescher (http:/ / www. guyspy. com/
modern-family-peter-marc-jacobson-success-sexuality-and-being-love-fran-drescher). GuySpy. July 1, 2011.
[17] Dustin Fitzharris (July 9, 2011). Fran Drescher on Dating After Divorce (http:/ / abcnews. go. com/ Entertainment/
fran-drescher-dating-divorce/ story?id=14021905& page=2). ABC News. Accessed 2011-11-05.
[18] Cancer Schmancer Movement Website (http:/ / www. cancerschmancer. org)
[19] http:/ / www. cancerschmancer. org/
[20] http:/ / hdl. loc. gov/ loc. uscongress/ legislation. 109hr1245
[21] "U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy Fran Drescher Raises Awareness of Women’s Cancer During Visit to Budapest" (http:/ / hungary.
usembassy. gov/ event_10092008. html). . Retrieved 2010-05-16.
[22] "'Nanny' state? Drescher eyes Clinton's Senate seat" (http:/ / www. cbsnews. com/ stories/ 2008/ 12/ 09/ ap/ national/ main4658877. shtml).
Yahoo News. December 9, 2008. . Retrieved 2009-01-07.
[23] Alex Dobuzinskis (December 9, 2008). "Fran Drescher looks to graduate from "Nanny" to U.S. Senate" (http:/ / blogs. reuters. com/ fanfare/
2008/ 12/ 09/ fran-drescher-looks-to-graduate-from-nanny-to-us-senate/ ). Reuters Blogs. . Retrieved 2009-01-07.
[24] "So war der 'Dancer Against Cancer'-Ball" (http:/ / madonna. oe24. at/ Society/ So-war-der-Dancer-Against-Cancer-Ball/ 1284900). .
Retrieved 2010-04-13.
[25] Fran Drescher Emmy Award Winner (http:/ / www. emmys. com/ celebrities/ fran-drescher)
External links
•
•
•
•
•
Official website (http://www.frandrescher.com)
Fran Drescher's Twitter page (http://www.twitter.com/frandrescher)
Cancer Schmancer Movement website (http://www.cancerschmancer.org/)
Fran Drescher (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000376/) at the Internet Movie Database
Fran Drescher (http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Fran&
last=Drescher&middle=) at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Fran Drescher (http://www.allrovi.com/name/p20118) at AllRovi
• Fran Drescher Speaks Out in Support of New Bill Seeking Stricter Cosmetics Rules (http://www.
democracynow.org/2010/7/21/actress_and_cancer_survivor_fran_drescher) - video by Democracy Now!
• Fran Drescher at Emmys.com (http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/fran-drescher)
8
227 (TV series)
9
227 (TV series)
227
Opening title sequence for 227
Genre
Sitcom
Created by
C.J. Banks
Bill Boulware
Developed by
Jack Elinson
Starring
Marla Gibbs
Hal Williams
Alaina Reed Hall
Jackée Harry
Helen Martin
Regina King
Kia Goodwin
Curtis Baldwin
Countess Vaughn
Toukie A. Smith
Stoney Jackson
Barry Sobel
Paul Winfield
Theme music composer Ray Colcord
Opening theme
"There's No Place Like Home" performed by Marla Gibbs
Composer(s)
Ray Colcord
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English
No. of seasons
5
No. of episodes
116 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Marla Gibbs (1985–1986)
Ronald Rubin (1987–1988)
Bill Boulware (1987–1988)
Bob Myer (1985–1986)
Bob Young (1985–1986)
Richard Gurman (1985–1987)
George Burditt (1987–1988)
Ron Bloomberg (1985–1988)
Jack Elinson (1985-1987)
Ray Campanella, Jr. (1985–1986)
Irma Kalish (1988-1990)
Camera setup
Multi-camera
Running time
22–24 minutes
Production company(s) Embassy Television (1985–1986)
Embassy Communications (1986–1988)
ELP Communications (1988-1990)
Columbia Pictures Television (1988–1990)
227 (TV series)
10
Distributor
Columbia TriStar Television
Sony Pictures Television
Broadcast
Original channel
NBC
Original run
September 14, 1985 – May 6, 1990
Chronology
Related shows
Jackée
227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The
series stars Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins. It was produced
by Embassy Television from 1985 to 1986 and by Embassy Communications from 1986 until 1988; then ELP
Communications through Columbia Pictures Television produced the series in its final two seasons (1988–1990).
Origins
The series was adapted from a play written in 1978 by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a
predominantly black apartment building in 1950s Chicago. The setting of the series, however, was changed to
present-day Washington, D.C. The show was created as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had become famous
as Florence Johnston, the sassy maid on The Jeffersons, and had starred in Houston's play in Los Angeles. This role
was similar in nature to that of tart-tongued Florence; Gibbs' character, housewife Mary Jenkins, loved a good gossip
and often spoke what she thought, with sometimes not-so-favorable results.
According to Gibbs, 227 was originally offered to ABC, but sold to NBC. The show was targeted to begin in 1986
since The Jeffersons was still on the air on CBS. However, when The Jeffersons was abruptly and unexpectedly
canceled in 1985, Gibbs was free to begin, and 227 went into production a year earlier than had been previously
planned.
Synopsis
227 followed the lives of people in a middle-class apartment building in Washington, D.C. The show was centered
around Mary Jenkins, a nosy, tart-tongued housewife. Her husband, Lester (Hal Williams), had his own construction
company, and their 14-year-old daughter, Brenda (Regina King), was boy-crazy yet smart and studious. It was
King's first significant acting role.
Also cast in 227 was Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry), Mary's young, sexy building vamp who constantly bickered back
and forth with her about their respective views on life. Although their relationship was antagonistic at first, Mary and
Sandra became good friends as time went on. Pearl Shay (Helen Martin), a crotchety-but-kind busybody neighbor,
who was known for snooping. Pearl had a grandson named Calvin Dobbs (Curtis Baldwin), whom Brenda had a
crush on and would finally date later in the series' run.
Rose Lee Holloway (Alaina Reed Hall) was the kindhearted best friend to all. She had a daughter named Tiffany
(Kia Goodwin), who disappeared after the second season. In the premiere episode, Rose became the unexpected
landlord of the building after the building's stingy slumlord Mr. Calloway (who was constantly mentioned but never
seen onscreen) died out of the blue. Rose stayed on as landlady until the fourth season.
In the first season, both Helen Martin and Curtis Baldwin, who had only been recurring stars, appeared in nearly
every episode. In the second season's opening credits, Martin and Baldwin shared a title card, thus making them
official full-time cast members. Martin had her own title for the third and fifth seasons, while Regina King and
Baldwin shared a title card together in those years.
By the time taping started on the third season in 1987, Jackée Harry, who had just won an Emmy for Outstanding
Supporting Actress changed her stage name to simply Jackée, which she used until 1994. In the fourth season, an
227 (TV series)
11-year-old child prodigy named Alexandria DeWitt (Countess Vaughn) became the Jenkins' houseguest. Vaughn
received her role after she appeared on Star Search and declared to host Ed McMahon that her favorite program was
227. However, Alexandria left during Calvin's graduation episode near the end of season four to reunite with her
father in London who had completed his archaeological dig in the Amazon and was now cataloging his items in
London.
By the time production on the fourth season commenced in 1988, tension between stars Gibbs and Jackée were
mounting due to the show's increasing focus on the Sandra character. To keep the stars happy, Jackée was given the
chance to spin off the Sandra character into her own show. Jackée's television pilot, entitled Jackée, found Sandra
moving to New York City and finding work at a spa. NBC aired the episode in primetime on May 11, 1989. The
pilot was rejected, and Jackée left the show; however, she was a guest star in eight of the final season's episodes.
The show's final season saw Toukie Smith, Barry Sobel, Stoney Jackson, Kevin Peter Hall and Paul Winfield join
the cast in an effort to rejuvenate the show's sagging ratings. In the end, the cast additions proved fruitless, and 227
ended its run in the spring of 1990.
Cast
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Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins
Hal Williams as Lester Jenkins
Regina King as Brenda Jenkins
Alaina Reed Hall as Rose Lee Holloway
Kia Goodwin as Tiffany Holloway (Season 1)
Jackée Harry as Sandra Clark (Season 1–4, recurring in Season 5)
Helen Martin as Pearl Shay
Curtis Baldwin as Calvin Dobbs
Reynaldo Rey as Ray the Mailman (Seasons 2–5)
Countess Vaughn as Alexandria DeWitt (Season 4)
Kevin Peter Hall as Warren Merriwether (Season 5)
Stoney Jackson as Travis Filmore (Season 5)
Toukie A. Smith as Eva Rawley (Season 5)
Barry Sobel as Dylan McMillan (Seasons 4-5)
Paul Winfield as Julian C. Barlow (Season 5)
Notable guest stars
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The Temptations
Run DMC
Bobby Brown
Luther Vandross
Gary Coleman
Kim Fields
Nell Carter
Billy Dee Williams
Pee-Wee Herman
Sherman Hemsley
Nia Long
Whitman Mayo
LaWanda Page
Lynn Hamilton
11
227 (TV series)
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Joe Louis Clark
Della Reese
Charlotte Rae
Roxie Roker
Franklin Cover
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Richard Moll
Fran Drescher
Lou Albano
Pat Sajak
Vanna White
Ray Combs
Leslie Nielsen
Mary Wilson
John Houseman
Ted Ross
Vanessa Bell Calloway
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Bert Parks
Reginald VelJohnson
Ratings
227 had higher ratings than other sitcoms airing at the time with a predominantly African American cast during the
first two seasons of its original run on NBC, (1985–1990), (with the exception of The Cosby Show, as it was #1 from
1985–1990).[1]
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1985–1986: #20 (18.80 rating)
1986–1987: #14 (18.90 rating)
1987–1988: #28 (16.44 rating)
1988-1989: #35 (14.47 rating)
1989-1990: #60 (11.53 rating)
Awards and nominations
Year
Award
1987 BMI Film & TV
Result
Category
Recipient
Won
BMI TV Music Award
Ray Colcord
1987 Emmy Awards
Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Jackée Harry
1988
Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Jackée Harry
1989 Golden Globe
Award
Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or
Motion Picture Made for TV
Jackée Harry
Awards
227 (TV series)
1986 Young Artist
Awards
1987
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Nominated Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series
1989
Regina King
Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Long Running Series Comedy or
Drama
Regina King
Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor, Guest Starring in a Television, Comedy
or Drama Series
Curtis Baldwin
Best Young Actress Featured, Co-starring, Supporting, Recurring Role in a Comedy or Countess
Drama Series or Special
Vaughn
Series syndication
The show went into syndication in the fall of 1990. It has previously aired on cable's BET, TV One and TV Land.
The show is currently distributed by Sony Pictures Television and airs on GMC TV and Centric.[2] Selected
Minisodes from the first season are available to view for free on Crackle. The show is currently airing weeknights at
11:00 EST with back to back episodes on GMC (Gospel Music Channel).
DVD release
On September 28, 2004, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the complete first season of 227 on DVD in
Region 1.
References
[1] "Top Rated Programs – 1985–1990" (http:/ / www. chez. com/ fbibler/ tvstats/ by_5_yr_period/ top_programs_1985-1990. html). chez.com. .
Retrieved March 1, 2010.
[2] http:/ / blog. sitcomsonline. com/ 2010/ 10/ gmc-acquires-227-remembering-barbara. html
External links
• 227 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088470/) at the Internet Movie Database
• 227 (http://www.tv.com/shows/227/) at TV.com
• 227 (http://epguides.com/227) at epguides.com
ALF (TV series)
14
ALF (TV series)
ALF
Genre
Science fiction/fantasy sitcom
Created by
[1]
Paul Fusco
Tom Patchett
Starring
Paul Fusco
Max Wright
Anne Schedeen
Andrea Elson
Benji Gregory
Theme music composer Alf Clausen
Tom Kramer
Composer(s)
Alf Clausen
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English
No. of seasons
4
No. of episodes
99 (original run)
102 (syndication) (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Bernie Brillstein
Tom Patchett
Producer(s)
Paul Fusco
Camera setup
Multi-camera
Running time
25 minnutes
Production company(s) Alien Productions
Distributor
Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
[2]
Original channel
NBC
Audio format
Dolby Surround
Original run
September 22, 1986 – March 24, 1990
ALF is an American science fiction/fantasy sitcom that aired on NBC from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990.
It was the first television series to be presented in Dolby Surround sound system.
The title character is Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF (an acronym for Alien Life
Form), who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family. [3] The series stars Max Wright as
father Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate Tanner, and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory as their children,
Lynn and Brian Tanner. ALF was performed by puppeteer/creator Paul Fusco.[4]
Produced by Alien Productions, ALF originally ran for four seasons and produced 99 episodes, including three
one-hour episodes which were divided into two parts for syndication for a total of 102 episodes.
ALF (TV series)
Premise
ALF follows an amateur radio signal to Earth and crash-lands into the garage of the Tanners. The Tanners are a
suburban middle-class family in the San Fernando Valley area. The family consists of social worker Willie (Max
Wright), his wife Kate (Anne Schedeen), their teenage daughter Lynn (Andrea Elson), younger son Brian (Benji
Gregory), and their cat Lucky.
Unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home and hide him from the Alien Task Force (a part of the U.S.
military) and their nosy neighbors Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek (John LaMotta and Liz Sheridan), until he can
repair his spacecraft. He generally hides in the kitchen. It is eventually revealed that ALF's home planet Melmac
exploded because of a catastrophe involving nuclear war. The alien was a gardener on his planet. In Episode Four of
Season One, ALF tries to convince the President of the United States to stop the nuclear program, as ALF fears that
Earth might suffer a fate similar to Melmac's, though miscalculating his words causes the President and National
Security to call the FBI to arrest the Tanners. ALF was off the planet when it was destroyed because he was part of
the Melmac Orbit Guard. ALF (a.k.a. Gordon Shumway) is homeless, but he is not the last survivor of his species.
He becomes a permanent member of the family, although his culture shock, survivor guilt, general boredom, despair,
and loneliness frequently cause difficulty for the Tanners. Despite the problems and inconveniences his presence
brings into their lives, they grow to love him, though some episodes make it clear they're also afraid of how their
lives would be turned upside down if word that he's been living with them gets out.
While most of the science fiction of ALF was played for comedic value, there were a few references to actual topics
in space exploration; for example, ALF uses a radio signal as a beacon in the pilot episode. In the episode "Weird
Science", ALF told Brian, who was building a model of the solar system for his science project, that there were two
planets beyond Pluto called "Dave" and "Alvin" (as in David Seville and Alvin from the Alvin and the Chipmunks
franchise), which gets Brian in trouble at school. However, after ALF makes a call to an astronomical organization
and states that "Dave" is known by the organization, Willie comes to believe that "Dave" could have been the
planetoid Chiron, or "Object Kowal", after its discoverer. ALF then shows Willie exactly where "Dave" is on an
intergalactic map of the universe.
Each episode dealt with ALF learning about Earth and making new friends both within and outside of the Tanner
family, including Willie's brother Neal (Jim J. Bullock), Kate's widowed mother Dorothy (Anne Meara) (with whom
ALF has a love-hate relationship), her boyfriend (and later husband) Whizzer (Paul Dooley), the Ochmoneks'
nephew Jake (Josh Blake), a psychologist named Larry (Bill Daily), and a blind woman named Jody (Andrea
Covell), who never figures out that ALF is not human(although she is aware through touch that he is short and
hairy).
Changes occur within the Tanner household over the course of the series, including the birth of a new child, Eric (the
reason for adding a baby in the series being that Anne Schedeen was pregnant at the time); ALF's move from his
initial quarters in the laundry room to the attic, which he and Willie converted into an "apartment", and the death of
Lucky the cat; in this instance, ALF finds that despite his occasional attempts to catch Lucky with the intention of
making the cat a meal, as cats are the equivalent of cattle on Melmac, he has come to love and respect the family pet
too much to do anything untoward with Lucky's remains. When ALF acquires a new cat with the intent of eating it,
he actually grows fond of it and allows it to be adopted by the family, although he admits to the Tanners he has
become the worst kind of Melmackian, a "cat lover".
ALF character
Gordon Shumway is an alien nicknamed ALF (an acronym for Alien Life Form) by William Tanner in the pilot
episode. ALF was born on October 28, 1756, on the Lower East Side of the planet Melmac. Melmac was located six
parsecs past the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, and had a green sky, blue grass and a purple sun. The
commonly-used currency is a "Wernick" (named after producer Sandy Wernick) which is equal to $10 American
dollars. Lint, gravel, and foam are as precious on Melmac as gold is on Earth, whereas gold and platinum are so
15
ALF (TV series)
common that they are used in place of porcelain to make toilets and sinks, as seen in the Season One episode "Baby,
You Can Drive My Car" where ALF sells the gold and platinum plumbing in his ship to buy a Ferrari for Lynn.
ALF's body is covered with fur and he has a rippled snout, facial moles, and eight stomachs. His heart is apparently
located in his head. He likes to burp and eat cats, and can whistle without opening his mouth, He had a best friend on
his home planet named Malhar Naik. He has a friend named Skip and a girlfriend named Rhonda, both of whom also
escaped the explosion. He attended high school for 122 years and was captain of a Bouillabaisse ball team, a game
played on ice using shellfish as a ball.
ALF has an enormous appetite; he is also troublesome, sarcastic, slovenly and cynical, and sometimes he puts
himself at the risk of being discovered while perpetrating some of his often-unintentional pranks. However, if things
have gone too far, he does as much as possible to make up for his mistakes, generally with positive results. In the
episode "It's Not Easy Bein'...Green", he tries to help Brian, too afraid to perform, to gain confidence during a school
show by giving him a "lucky tooth" which ALF claims helped him be a star of the stage on Melmac. On another
occasion, in the episode "Keepin' the Faith," he helps Dorothy deal with Sparky's death and move on to accept
Whizzer's friendship. In the episode "Take a Look at Me Now" after neighbor Raquel Ochmonek claims to see ALF
and is ridiculed on a call-in television show, ALF calls into show to defend her.
ALF comes from a large family and has at least 30 known relatives: cousins "Pretty Boy" Shumway and Blinky; two
uncles, Tinkle and Goome; a Grandma Shumway; a brother Curtis; parents Bob and Flo Shumway; and aunts Bubba,
Wagner, and Eugene. In a commercial for the NFL that ran during Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, it was
confirmed that ALF is a Carolina Panthers fan.
Cast
Main characters
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Paul Fusco – ALF (puppeteer, voice)
Max Wright – Willie Tanner
Anne Schedeen – Kate Tanner
Andrea Elson – Lynn Tanner
Benji Gregory – Brian Tanner
Recurring characters
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Josh Blake – Jake Ochmonek (Seasons 2–4)
Jim J. Bullock – Neal Tanner (Season 4)
Andrea Covell - Jody
Bill Daily — Dr. Larry Dykstra
Paul Dooley — "Whizzer" Deaver
John LaMotta – Trevor Ochmonek
Liz Sheridan – Raquel Ochmonek
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ALF (TV series)
Special guest stars
Listed alphabetically
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Ian Abercrombie - British Announcer (voice, uncredited)
Beverly Archer - Myrna Byrd
Joyce Brothers - Herself
Michele Brustin - Herself
Dan Castellaneta — Steve Michaels
Frederick De Cordova - Himself
Bob Denver - Gilligan
Fran Drescher — Roxanne
Nicole Dubuc - Hannah
David Alan Grier — FBI Agent
Carla Gugino - Laura
Alan Hale, Jr. - Skipper Jonas Grumby
Randee Heller - Elaine Ochmonek
David Horowitz - Himself
Russell Johnson - Professor Roy Hinkley
Casey Kasem - Himself
Fox Langenkamp - Himself
David Leisure — Brandon Tartikoff/Nick "The Fish" Mintz
Cleavon Little — George Foley
Rich Little - Himself
Joseph Maher - Angel Bob
John McLaughlin - Himself
Ed McMahon - Himself
Anne Meara — Dorothy Halligan Deaver
Joe Namath - Himself
Tommy Newsom - Himself
Larry Poindexter - Sergeant Armstrong
Ted Raimi - Julius
Harry Shearer - Ronald Reagan (voice, uncredited)
David Spade — Larry Slotkin
David Ogden Stiers — "Flakey" Pete Finnegan
Brandon Tartikoff - Himself
Meshach Taylor - FBI Agent Addison
Marcia Wallace — Mrs. Lyman
Tracey Walter - Gravel Gus
Dawn Wells - Mary Ann Summers
17