You did a great job on Lucy & Desi and the stresses of Hollywood on
marriage.  But I've just been given new direction.  Now I need an
overview plus specific examples of how TV SERIES have portrayed
marriage from the early years of television until now.  Feel free to
be creative. You'll want to throw in in "The Honeymooners" and "The
Simpsons."  "Donna Reed" and "Father Knows Best," and "Dick Van Dyke."
 You'll probably want to include a brief summary of soap operas.  
Single out any show or historical TV moment thing that raised the bar,
broke the mold, was groundbreaking concerning marriage.  Example: 
"Thirtysomething," I think would have been considered so.  In your
travels if you come across definitive experts/authors/critics  who
could be interviewed on the subject, list 'em, too.  You know, like
the Roger Ebert of television.  The only one I can think of right now
is John Leonard, but I'm sure I'm missing someone perfect.  Note: You
don't have to find me tapes or DVD's.    I realize this is a holiday
weekend, but hope you can come up with something by . . Tuesday? If
sooner, great.  If this isn't clear, let me know -- or if you cannot
do by Tuesday, let me know.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 10:46 PDT

What a wonderfully interesting project!

I have one question: do you want me to consider only network TV? There
have been some vivid portrayals of marital situations on cable ("The
Sopranos" and "The Shield" have broken some ground, for instance.) May
I include cable and syndicated programming?

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 11:11 PDT

One more question: do you want to consider only fictional portrayals
of marriage? Documentary series such as PBS's "An American Family"
have influenced the depiction of marital strife on TV. Should I
include such programs?

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 11:12 PDT

Sure, go ahead and include cable and syndicated. And find some
"Firsts."
e.g., on snopes.com, which discusses urban legends, it says the early
TV sitcom "Mary Kay & Johnny" was the first TV series to portray a
married couple who slept in the same bed.  What was the first series
to show a married black couple?  Stuff like that. While sitcoms are
fine and should be included, please focus more on the DRAMAS or
DRAMEDIES.  Aside from content, this assignment also includes shows
that "break the fourth wall," where the participants speak to the
camera/audience or the cinematic techniques are unusual (like "Once &
Again") or there's something unusual in format.   And to give another
example of the kind of expert spokesperson we might want to interview:
Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh, who write the History Of Prime Time
Television and Cable Shows books.   P.S.  maybe we'll be able to sneak
in "I Married Joan." Wouldn't THAT be fun?

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 11:22 PDT

Oops, I hit send before I saw your second question.  Yes, I want
FICTIONAL ONLY.  SERIES ONLY.  No docs, no TV movies, no specials. And
I realize some of these will also be about FAMILIES, which can't be
avoided.  But marriage has to be a huge element.  In other words, I'm
not sure THE WALTONS would be thought of as a show about marriage more
than it would be about families.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 11:41 PDT

Regarding TV critics for your interview, three names that spring to
mind are former TV Guide columnist Judith Crist, current TV Guide
columnist Matt Roush, and NY Times columnist Caryn James.

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 12:37 PDT

Thanks, I'll put on the list.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 15:58 PDT

I thought I'd post a few sample paragraphs for you, to see whether I'm
on the right track. For no particular reason, I've started by
examining 1980s sitcoms. Other decades and other dramatic forms will,
of course, be covered. Could you tell me whether this is the sort of
material you're looking for?

-----------------------------------

Looking at the world through Reagan-tinted glasses, television of the
1980s offered several series which featured strong, nurturing
marriages. Examples include "Family Ties," "Growing Pains," and "The
Cosby Show," which broke new ground by showing a prosperous Black
couple whose marriage is the cornerstone of their family life (as
contrasted with the dysfunctional African-American marriage presented
in "The Jeffersons.") But the rosy years were ending. In the late
1980s, Fox's "Married, with Children" and "The Simpsons" marked the
transition from the Enthusiastic Eighties to the Nihilistic Nineties,
and TV's portrayal of marriage followed the trend of cynical
iconoclasm that crept across the nation. Some might even say that TV
led the trend.

The degradation of the depiction of marriage among primetime
television sitcoms gained momentum in the early 1990s. With the
notable exceptions of "Mad About You" and "Home Improvement," most
sitcoms which involved couples tended to mock the institution of
marriage. Disrespect and dissatisfaction was the norm between husbands
and wives, as exemplified by Al and Peg Bundy, of "Married, with
Children." Children spoke to their parents rudely, and mostly got away
with it: although Homer Simpson frequently mimed strangling his son,
young Bart was always miraculously unharmed by the mock violence, and
he soon resumed his bratty antics, "dissing" his mother and father
while Homer and Marge bickered ceaselessly, displaying only occasional
signs of genuine affection for each other.

The image of marriage continued to erode when, in the mid-1990s, NBC
introduced what became its top-rated program, "Friends," which seems
to promote the attitude that marriage is something you do for a while
if you're having a slow weekend. The character Ross, one of the six
titular "friends," has been married three times, with one of his
ex-wives eventually marrying a woman. A lead character, Rachel, has
been married to -- and divorced from -- Ross, and gave birth to his
child after the divorce. Another sitcom, "Roseanne," premiered in
1988, and reached its peak of popularity in the '90s. Roseanne and her
husband, Dan, are very much like the Bundys from "Married, with
Children"; a working-class couple whose life together is one
ill-tempered squabble after another, with brief interludes of "I love
ya, babe."

-----------------------------------

In addition to blocks of material like the above, I was planning to
prepare several "Top Ten" style lists on different subjects, such as
"Top Ten TV Divorces," "Top Ten Lovey-Dovey TV Couples," and "Top Ten
Child-free TV Marriages." I would also like to do a "timeline" of the
high and low spots of television's treatment of married life.

By hook or by crook, I can assure you of two things:

1. I promise to meet your deadline, and post an answer by Tuesday
(probably by Sunday, actually.)

2. I will *definitely* find a way to sneak "I Married Joan" into the
discussion. I grew up with a fixation on Jim Backus, whose
affectionate portrayal of Judge Bradley Stevens gave me some early
notions about what I wanted in a husband.

Your feedback is eagerly sought.

~Pink

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 16:46 PDT

Pink --Good work so far, but let me keep you from going way off, fun
though it may be.  I don't think I'll ever get away with using Top 10
Lists.  They don't want cute or flip.  I can get away with irony -- I
hope -- e.g., mentioning "The Simpsons." But the friends of "Friends"
will probably never make the cut.  (ALthough I like reading it.) Let
me give you some more info, without going TOO much into specifcs,
which is probably not wise on such a public forum:

I'm working on a behind-the-scenes show about a new ensemble drama
series about a "dysfunctional" marriage.  It's not a comedy.  It does
have humor, but overall it's quite serious, sophisticated and features
innovative cinematic techniques.  As part of my mandate for this
behind-the-scenes thingie, I need to put in a segment about how
television has portrayed marriage over the years.  Because of the
tone, I know they're going to make me limit my sitcom discussions to a
cursory "passing thru the decades" type thing, which you have a good
start on...and/or to sitcoms that actually broke new ground.

I know they definitely want "I Love Lucy" in there.  And what was the
FIRST "marriage" show? The Honeymooners??  And stuff like "The Cosby
Show."  Wasn't the wife the first professional working black woman? 
Or maybe it was the first show where couples had real problems?  That
sort of thing we need to find.  "Roseanne" really was a seminal show
in TV history, or at least that's what critics have said. Maybe
because sometimes Dan & Roseanne went to bed angry?  WHY was it?

The most important thing is I need you to find FIRSTS and WHY's and
IMPACTS.  And especially more focus on dramas.  "Thirtysomething" is
one they really really really really want in there.  And onward and
upward...especially, as I mentioned earlier, if the show has some
stylistic filmmaking techniques.

And of course, when we've completed our little strolls -- or rather,
jog -- thru TV history, we'll have to conclude with ...ta da! this NEW
groundbreaking show has joined the ranks of the others.  See what I
mean?   Does this help a little more?  Keep asking. I'm around
ALLLLLLL weekend and will check back regularly.  In short, we must be
entertaining, knowledgeable, serious, but never solemn.

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 16:52 PDT

P.S.  We probably have to be realistic.  "I Married Joan" won't make
the cut either, I'm sure, unless we can find a way to prove that it
was SEMINAL!!!!  You go, girl!  But for your amusement:  Back when the
show was on, my father in his travels somehow ended up meeting JOAN
DAVIS one day.  He told her all about my thinking the song "I Married
Joan" was "Hi, Mary Jo."  She loved the story so much, she whipped out
an 8 x 10 glossy of herself and autographed it for me:  "To Hi Mary Jo
with all my love, Joan Davis."   Well, you can imagine what a thrill
that was.  And I still have the photo, framed, in a place of honor in
my living room.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 17:10 PDT

I'm glad I submitted a sample before I went too far down the wrong
path.

To further clarify things:

Am I correct in assuming that you are not looking for wordy, at-length
analyses of the sociological significance of shows (as in my sample,
above,) but more of a series of very brief capsule descriptions?
Should this be structured as a timeline (by decade,) or grouped by
topics such as "Famous Firsts" and "Breaking New Ground"?

Do you have any preference about whether I emphasize the negative or
the positive? Or do you want a relatively even balance? Since the new
show features a dysfunctional marriage, should I concentrate on
earlier shows of that sort?

Can you give me an estimate of approximately how many words of text
are desired?

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 17:49 PDT

The segment will be about 7 minutes long.  It will be narrated.  To
illustrate, we'll use photos or magazine covers or if we can afford,
it, maybe brief clips of the shows.  So, don't go crazy with your
text.   Capsule overview is just fine.  I'd rather you devote yourself
to finding the facts and the why's  rather that doing a dissertation. 
Selfishly, I do like reading all this stuff because it helps ME
immerse myself in the topic and then I cherrypick what I need. But I
also want to spare you from doing extra work.

A Timeline sounds like it might be better, because it can bring us up
to the present.  Your Famous Firsts or Breaking New Ground will then
be inserted along the way.  But if you think it's more dramatic to do
it NON-timeline, go for it.

This can be really CASUAL, Pink.  Don't sweat so much about
presentation as much as getting me the actual info.  You can write it
the same way you're typing to me now.  You don't have to be formal. 
In other words, you're ME, if I had the time to do it myself.  I
actually would love to do the research myself, but I've got so much
else to do on this project and such an unreasonable deadline, I can
only provide you with some of the info I've unearthed so far.

Don't focus on either negativity or positive -- focus on the
substantial.  Shows that have made an impact on us.  If they were
negative, so be it.  If they were positive, so be it.   We're singling
them out because?  There has to be a reason.

FYI, the "take" on this new series about the dysfunctional marriage is
that despite their problems, it is a "hopeful" series. We are to view
the themes of the show as universal, a we're-all-in-this-together,
this-is-our-own-life-kind o' thing.

Does this help?

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 18:02 PDT

One last thing:  I don't mean to talk you out of doing your "overview"
of each decade.  I just don't want you to feel like you need to sit
down and "craft" an ESSAY for me.  It can be more "throw-away."  The
'80s were this, the '70s were that. Best way to think of it:  ME
interviewing YOU and taking notes on your answers. Only we're doing it
by keyboard instead of talking.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 18:13 PDT

Here are a few "firsts":

First TV married couple to share a bed: "Mary Kay and Johnny," 1947

Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/marykay.htm

First TV wife to become pregnant: "Mary Kay and Johnny," 1948

Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/marykay.htm

First TV sitcom to feature a Jewish couple: "The Goldbergs," 1949

Dr. Mac's Cultural Calendar
http://www.nortexinfo.net/McDaniel/0110.htm

First TV show to depict a working show-biz couple: "The George Burns
and Gracie Allen Show," 1950.

Museum of Broadcast Communications
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/G/htmlG/georgeburns/gerogeburns.htm

First TV wife to have an abortion: "Maude," 1972

The Rue Crew
http://www.theruecrew.com/html/maude.html

First TV sitcom to feature an interracial couple: "The Jeffersons,"
1975

Museum of Broadcast Communications
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/J/htmlJ/jeffersonst/jeffersonst.htm

-----------------------

I believe the first African-American couple to be featured on a TV
sitcom was probably the Kingfish and Sapphire, in "Amos 'n' Andy," but
I have not yet been able to verify this. Another not-yet-verified
factoid: I think "The Brady Bunch" showed the first married couple
actually kissing while in bed (what a shocker!)

Am I homing in on the type of info that you need?

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Apr 2003 20:52 PDT

Here's an article that has some tidbits that you might be able to use:

Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,42641,00.html

From the article above, this goodie:

First TV sitcom couple to get a divorce: "Rhoda," 1976

You may have noticed that these "TV firsts" involving marriages are
all comedies, not dramas. There have been very few prime-time dramas
which centered on marriage-related matters. "Thirtysomething," which
you've mentioned, was a pioneering show in that respect.

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 18 Apr 2003 21:33 PDT

Yep, you're on the right track, and I assume you'll go into more depth
later about the specific shows I've mentioned above -- Roseanne, Lucy,
Cosby, Honeymooners, etc.  It's a bitch about this "Mary Kay & Johnny"
show because Snopes.com says there are no photos or footage of it. 
Not your problem, but I don't know what we could put on the screen
while we talk about it.

I hope we can unearth something before "Thirtysomething."  But maybe
that's why it was so groundbreaking. There wasn't anything.  I loved
that show.

Don't you find it interesting that most of the '50s shows were the
wise husband or the wise wife and they were middle class and polite,
but the blue collar familes -- like The Honeymooners -- screamed and
yelled and battled it out.
Is this a motif to explore? I'm just free-associating.   But maybe
there's something to examine ...The Huxtables , the college educated,
upper middle class family weren't big screamers...but Archie Bunker
and Roseanne were.  Is there a "class" thing to how marriage is
handled on TV?  For the record, this new series is about folks with
$$$.

Another thought. . .Seems like we didn't get "Tapestry" shows until
the 80's?
Would that be right?   I wonder if we can determine when comedies or
dramas left things hanging...where the problems weren't "solved" each
episode.  Maybe that's Thirtysomething, too.

One request -- you've been good about listing the years...if you can,
will you throw in the NETWORKS as well.  It makes things easier to
track down.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Apr 2003 02:26 PDT

A few thoughts:

"I Love Lucy" is surely the first TV show to depict a marriage between
a Latino and an Anglo. I believe this is called an interlingual
marriage.

We could disqualify "Mary Kay and Johnny" (a 15-minute show) from the
running by discussing only 30-minute shows in the "sitcom" department.
Then "I Love Lucy" would become the first show in which the wife
becomes pregnant, and "The Munsters" would be the first show where the
husband and wife share a bed (or "The Flintstones," if 'toons count.)

A question: I'm not familiar with the term "Tapestry" shows. Can you
give me some examples?

Although I'm sure I can work "The Cosby Show" in, your suggestion that
it depicted the first working professional Black woman isn't going to
work, unless a very narrow definition of "professional" is used.
"Julia" premiered in September 1968, with Diahann Carroll playing a
nurse. Julia wasn't married, though, so the show won't help us.

I hope I'm not clarifying you to distraction. It helps me a lot to be
able to bounce things back and forth before I reach a final structure
for my answer. If you would prefer, I can go ahead and write an answer
based on what you've told me, and we can clarify and refine it after I
post it. Personally, I prefer to do the clarification in advance, so
that my final answer, the one that appears in the "Answer" slot of the
page, can be very close to what you truly want (hopefully spot-on).

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 19 Apr 2003 08:06 PDT

G'morning, Pink --
A "tapestry" show is usually one of those ensemble shows -- like
Thirtysomething or Six Feet Under, where the plots are woven
throughout like a tapestry, instead of your basic sitcom which has an
"A" plot and a "B" plot.
Tapestry shows are usually the one-hour dramas.  But don't get
distracted by the word.
 I see what you mean about "Julia" and "Cosby."  No problem. But I'll
have to include "Cosby" somehow because it was for a while the most
popular show on television and can't be ingnored.  Can't ignore the
seminal shows.

In your travels so far are you finding that the only marriage-related
drama has been Thirtysomething?  I mean , until we get up into the
90s?

I'm fine about clarifying for you as much as you want before you post
your answer.  Your clarification questions are as helpful to me as the
material you find.  And if you feel you're being taken advantage of in
any way (see Tudric's comment), please let me know!

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Apr 2003 09:18 PDT

Here's an article about "Mary Kay and Johnny". Still no images,
though:

http://www.news-star.com/stories/111497/art_sitcom.html

How about omitting "Mary Kay and Johnny" by saying that "I Love Lucy"
was "one of the first shows...", something like this:

"I Love Lucy" was one of the first shows in which a pregnancy was
involved, although the network would not permit the use of word
"pregnant" -- Lucy was "expecting." Odd, since the couple slept in
separate beds! Twin beds for married couples continued to be the norm
throughout the fifties and sixties, with occasional exceptions such as
"The Flintstones" and "The Munsters." That daring show "The Brady
Bunch" went so far as to show a husband and wife sharing a goodnight
kiss while in bed.

-----------------

Here's another "first" that occurred to me: "Lost in Space" (CBS,
1965) was the first science fiction show to feature a married couple.

-----------------

I'd like to mention "He and She" (CBS, 1967) as an ancestor of today's
sitcoms about well-adjusted, hip young professionals.

http://www.jumptheshark.com/h/heandshe.htm

It would not be difficult to prepare two lists, one of "happy
television marriages" (as in "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,"
"The Cosby Show," and "Mad About You,") and the other of "troubled
television marriages" (such as "The Honeymooners," "Roseanne," and
"The Osbournes.") Would such lists fit your plans?

-----------------

Regarding a show about marriage itself, "Thirtysomething" stands
virtually alone, but there was an unsuccessful "dramedy" called
"United States" (NBC, 1980) which is worthy of mention:

"The premise of the half-hour program was "to examine the one marriage
in two that doesn't end in divorce, because the partners have found a
way to get through the ups and downs of that most intimate
relationship," Mr. [Larry] Gelbart says. In an unusual deal, Mr.
Gelbart and his collaborator on the show, Gary Markowitz, talked
then-NBC chief programmer Fred Silverman into ordering an entire
season's worth of scripts -- to be written before the show went into
production. And the show would have no laugh track."

http://www.tvweek.com/topstorys/042902gelbart.html

-----------------

When we get around to discussing "The Cosby Show" and its portrayal of
Black professionals, mention might be made of "Barefoot in the Park"
(ABC, 1970), which featured a young Black attorney and his wife.

http://www.memorabletv.com/usab1.htm

-----------------

I am sorry about the critical comment from the Peanut Gallery. In no
way do I feel exploited. You are offering a handsome fee for a truly
interesting project, and I am honored that you chose me to assist you
with it.

~Pink





When we get around to discussing "The Cosby Show" and its portrayal of
Black professionals, mention might be made of "Barefoot in the Park"
(ABC, 1970), which featured a young Black attorney and his wife.

http://www.memorabletv.com/usab1.htm

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 19 Apr 2003 09:49 PDT

You're on a roll, Pink.  This is great.  The two lists are fine, do
anything you want.

I didn't realize "Barefoot in the Park" was a series -- but it sounds
like it's Neil Simon's play/movie turned into a series with a change
of race.   It's probably too little a blip on the timeline for a
mention in the show, but sure, it's fine to log it anyway.  I don't
want to censor you.  In my book, you can never be too rich or too thin
-- or have too much research!
 
"United States" I vaguely remember -- and again, since it failed, we
won't want to spend any time on it, especially since there's the
implication in that that OUR show might fail, know what I mean?
BUT...you've given me an idea . . maybe LARRY GELBART would be a great
"expert" to interview. Certainly he is one of the legendary figures of
televison -- going back to his early days of writing for "Your Show of
Shows."

I've also a thought on how to get around the "Mary Kay & Johnny" lack
of images.  We're going to have on on-camera host for this program. 
Maybe I can write something for him where he brings up "Mary Kay &
Johnny" and says, "Sorry, all the photos and kinescopes have been
lost," but here are some OTHER shows blah blah blah" -- throwing to
the narration and the images we CAN find.  That might work.

Have you come across anything general about how SOAP OPERAS have
viewed marriage?  Again, no need to dwell on this -- maybe it's just a
few sentences.
Erica Kane's been married 97 times, but most soap operas view marriage
as sacred or oppty to cheat or , etc. etc.?  I'm cluelsss about the
soaps.

Glad you're OK about this assignment.  I'm always in awe of how you
guys give your all, even when it's a $2.00 question.  That's true
dedication!

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 19 Apr 2003 11:37 PDT

I've hit a bit of a snag health-wise, and my estimate that I'd be able
to give you a completed answer on Sunday now seems unlikely. May I
have until Tuesday, as originally mentioned by you?

I'm pondering soap operas and trying to figure out how to work them
into an overview of TV marriages. Since I am not a viewer of soaps,
I'm working from online descriptions, most of which make it appear
that, in soap plots, marriage vows exist mainly for the purpose of
being broken. Weird stuff there, such as a woman who marries a man who
had raped her (on ABC's "General Hospital -- the marriage later goes
on the rocks.) And there's the ubiqitous "my husband isn't the father
of my baby" bit. Oy.

~Pink

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 19 Apr 2003 17:13 PDT

Pink --

Yes, of course you have 'til Tuesday. In fact, if you're not better by
Tuesday, so be it.  You have 'til WHENEVER.  Get some rest and don't
worry.  And no watching "Nick at Night" until your temp is 98.6.

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 19 Apr 2003 17:19 PDT

Oh, I forgot to add, Pink, about the Soap Operas.  Don't spend much
time on them....even your sentence above is just about all I'll need. 
Get me the number of times "Erica Kane" (Susan Lucci) has been married
on "All My Children" and that and what you've said above will
basically show how extreme the soaps are.  I think she may have
re-married the same husband more than once.    OK< that's it, get some
rest.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Apr 2003 20:31 PDT

Just wanted to check in and announce that I am still among the living,
if not totally "in the pink." I have found that even in a fever-dream,
a certain amount of research-oriented thinkage is possible. Of course,
95% of it won't make sense when one returns to one's normalcy -- but
the other 5%, well, that can be prime material!

I should have things pulled into shape tomorrow, and I expect to post
your answer tomorrow afternoon. Then we can tweak it to perfection.
;-)

~Pink

---

Clarification of Question by cryptica-ga on 21 Apr 2003 09:33 PDT

Weren't McMillan & Wife private detectives or something? I never saw
the show, so I don't know what you're getting at.  But remember, your
mandate!  Show us how marriage has been conveyed over the decades,
highlighting shows that were seminal, that raised the bar, that were
significant and that may have broken filmmaking conventions.  We'll
throw in the Simpsons and Munsters,etc. to keep people from falling
asleep, but basically, please veer toward the realistic, since we need
to go thru so many decades.  It's not that long a segment, so the
stops along the way need to make sense.  (Not to mention it's going to
cost a fortune to license each photo we use.)
I'd love to include TV series from around the world, but it won't fly
with management.  Stick to the U.S. of A.

===========================================

HAPPY TV MARRIAGES: Same Song, Different Verses

"Father Knows Best" (CBS, 1954). The titular father, Jim Anderson,
never raises his voice and seldom loses his patience. He comes home
from a hard day at work, exchanges his suit coat for a comfy sweater,
and becomes his family's unflappable fount of wisdom. Jim's wife
Margaret has learned how to deal with Jim in such a masterful fashion
that he never recognizes that she almost always gets the upper hand
when the couple disagree. The Andersons' children, nicknamed "Bud" and
"Kitten," cause a few mild fracases, but generally stay on the
periphery of the family's dynamics. The Andersons typify the kind of
fantasy family that was commonplace in Televisionville in the 1950s,
yet scarce or nonexistent in the real world.

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" (CBS, 1961). Although the show is set in the
1960s, Rob and Laura Petrie are, in many ways, the prototypical TV
couple of the '50s: He works (as a TV comedy writer), while she stays
at home and raises their son, Ritchie. When they have disagreements,
Laura generally acquiesces to Rob, while quietly manipulating the
situation to achieve her own goals. This was one of the last sitcoms
in which the wife was (outwardly, at least) meekly submissive to her
husband. In a memorable scene, Rob says to Laura "Don't forget, I wear
the pants in the family." It is noted that Laura is wearing her usual
capri pants; Rob then back-pedals by saying "Well, I wear the
important pants; the family leadership, the decision-making ones."
Laura's reply: "Yes, dear."

"Good Times" (CBS, 1974). This was a groundbreaking show which
depicted a struggling African-American family living in project
housing. Unlike the buffoonish men in most sitcoms, James Evans is a
strong, insightful husband and father. His wife Florida is also a
pillar of strength, which becomes essential when James dies in an
automobile accident during the show's third season. The interactions
between James and Florida are sensitively scripted, and the problems
faced by the family oscillate between comedy and drama, with many of
the comic moments contributed by the Evanses' teen son JJ, who
popularized the catchword "Dyn-O-Mite!"

"Family Ties" (NBC, 1982). Steven and Elyse Keaton are politically
liberal parents trying to raise three politically conservative
children, Alex, Mallory and Jennifer. The marriage of Steven and Elyse
is not the central source of this show's plot developments, but it is
an anchor which helps to give the show dignity. Steven and Elyse
typically resolve disputes without name-calling or shouting, and their
clashes seldom result in hurt feelings. When actress Meredith
Baxter-Birney became pregnant in real life, the show incorporated the
pregnancy, and the Keatons' son Andy was born in January 1985.

"The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984). Like "Good Times," "The Cosby Show"
brought an African-American family's life into focus. But unlike the
economically disadvantaged James and Florida Evans of "Good Times,"
this married couple is a pair of highly-paid professionals: Dr. Cliff
Huxtable is a physician, and his wife Clair is an attorney. They have
five children: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. Marital
discord is dealt with in a mature and sensitive manner in this show.
Although the Huxtables often disagree with one another (generally on
matters regarding child-rearing), the disagreements are resolved with
a minimum of emotional tirades and very little shouting.

"Mad about You" (NBC, 1992). Paul and Jamie Buchman, of "Mad about
You," are young urban professionals. Paul is a documentary filmmaker;
Jamie works in public relations. The show manages to remain comedic
even when dealing with some of the more traumatic issues of marriage,
such as the frequency of sexual relations, disagreements over mutual
friends, and problems with mentally unbalanced in-laws. Throughout the
plot twists, Paul and Jamie manage to weather the storms of marital
discord, and at the end of the show's fifth season they become parents
for the first time.

===========================================

A SIX-PACK OF TROUBLED TV MARRIAGES: The Evolution of an Archetype

Tolstoy began his novel "Anna Karenina" with this observation: "Happy
families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own
way." In television history, this tends not to be true. Many of
television's dysfunctional marriages are essentially retreads of one
seminal show, "The Honeymooners." And thereby hangs a tale. Several
tales, in fact...

"The Honeymooners" (CBS, 1955). Ralph and Alice Kramden are the
prototypical dysfunctional married couple of televisionland. Ralph is
a large, overbearing, yet oddly lovable working-class husband whose
wife Alice is frequently the focus of his frustrations. Mock threats
of violence, such as "One of these days, Alice -- pow, right in the
kisser!" and "You want a trip to the moon, Alice?", are often directed
at the longsuffering Alice, who is generally unruffled by the
implications of this abusive verbiage, and who persists in loving the
loudmouthed lunkhead anyway. The Kramdens' volatile marriage is
contrasted with the easygoing relationship of their neighbors Ed and
Trixie Norton, who quarrel only occasionally, with fewer shouting
matches and no references to the use of brass knuckles.

"The Flintstones" (ABC, 1960). "The Flintstones" was television's
first successful prime-time animated series. In this virtual remake of
"The Honeymooners," Fred Flintstone is a large, overbearing, yet oddly
lovable working-class husband whose wife Wilma is frequently the focus
of his frustrations. Other than a few thousand years of time, the main
difference between the Kramdens and the Flintstones is that the
Kramdens are childless, while the Flintstones have a daughter,
Pebbles.

"Married, with Children" (Fox, 1986). Al Bundy is a large,
overbearing, yet oddly lovable working-class husband whose wife Peg is
frequently the focus of his frustrations. Is this beginning to seem
familiar? The Bundys have two surly, self-centered adolescent children
who sometimes serve as plot thickeners, but the main turning point of
the show is the constant bickering between Al and Peg, which often
takes a snide side-trip into sexual innuendo that would never have
survived the censors' wrath in earlier times.

"Roseanne" (ABC, 1988). It's déjà vu all over again, with a gender
twist. Roseanne Conner is a large, overbearing, yet oddly lovable
working-class wife whose loving and patient husband Dan is frequently
the focus of her frustrations. The Conners have three children, Becky,
Darlene, and DJ. Petty arguments and shouting matches are the norm in
this household, and there is often an underlying tone of sarcasm and
bitterness even in Roseanne and Dan's tender moments together.

"The Simpsons" (Fox, 1990). The archetypical Kramdens are reincarnated
yet again as Homer and Marge Simpson. Homer Simpson is a large,
overbearing, yet oddly lovable working-class husband whose wife Marge
is frequently the focus of his frustrations. Like Roseanne and Dan
Conner, Homer and Marge are the parents of three children, two girls
and a boy (Maggie, Lisa, and Bart).

"Dinosaurs" (ABC, 1991). Earl and Fran Sinclair are a pair of
dinosaurs, but other than their species (and the marvelous animatronic
figures designed by the Jim Henson Studios,) there is little to
differentiate them from Ralph and Alice Kramden. Earl is a big
blowhard with a heart of gold; Fran is a housewife who loves him
despite his frequent surly outbursts. The Sinclairs, like the Conners
and the Simpsons, have three children, one of whom apparently has no
first name, but is known only as "Baby."

===========================================

FAMOUS TV FIRSTS

First TV married couple to share a bed: "Mary Kay and Johnny" (DuMont,
1947). This 15-minute situation comedy starred the real-life married
couple Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns. Unlike other early TV couples
(notably Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, of "I Love Lucy,") the Stearnses had
a double bed.

First TV wife to become pregnant: "Mary Kay and Johnny" (DuMont,
1948). When actress Mary Kay Stearns became pregnant in the real
world, a pregnancy was written into the show. A similar "art imitates
life" event was later involved in "I Love Lucy," much to the delight
of the audience, who awaited the birth of the Ricardos' "Little Ricky"
as if anticipating a blessed event in their own families. Since the
network would not permit the use of the word "pregnant," Lucy Ricardo
was said to be "expecting."

First TV sitcom to feature a Jewish couple: "The Goldbergs" (CBS,
1949, moved to NBC in 1953, then to DuMont in 1954). Molly and Jake
Goldberg enjoyed a stable and loving marriage marred only by the fact
that Jake was played by three different actors during the show's
five-year run. As was the case with many early sitcoms, this show had
a successful run on radio before being transplanted to televisionland.

First TV show to depict a working show-biz couple: "The George Burns
and Gracie Allen Show" (CBS, 1950). George Burns and Gracie Allen
essentially played themselves in this delightful show, which pioneered
the innovation of "breaking the fourth wall" by frequently having
George look straight into the camera and address the audience
directly. Gracie's depiction of a lovable, scatterbrained wife paved
the way for later daffy ladies such as Joan Davis, of "I Married Joan"
(NBC, 1952).

First science fiction show to feature a married couple: "Lost in
Space" (CBS, 1965). This show, initially entitled "The Space Family
Robinson," began as a relatively straight sci-fi epic involving mom
and dad Maureen and John Robinson and their children. Maureen was not
exactly the typical TV wife of the times, as she had a doctorate in
biochemistry. However, she was played by June Lockhart, who was fresh
in everyone's mind as the nurturing mother from "Lassie," so the
balance of intellectual power between the sexes was somewhat swayed
toward the husband, as was typical of shows from this era. Later
episodes of "Lost in Space" highlighted the interactions among the
family's articulate and sarcastic Robot, the villainous stowaway Dr.
Zachary Smith, and the Robinsons' youngest child, Will, and the show
evolved from drama to comedy, relegating the characters of the parents
to supporting players who seldom got any good lines.

First TV wife to have an abortion: "Maude" (CBS, 1972). When Maude
Findley, a middle-aged woman with an adult daughter, finds that she
has become pregnant, this situation comedy takes an abrupt turn into
serious drama. Maude and her husband Walter agonize over the decision
of whether or not to terminate the pregnancy, finally opting for an
abortion. This was an unusually bold plotline, since the episode
predated the U.S. Supreme Court's "Roe v. Wade" decision which made
abortion legal. Some CBS affiliates refused to air the two-part
episode, and several sponsors pulled out because of the controversial
nature of the subject matter.

First TV sitcom to feature an interracial couple: "The Jeffersons"
(CBS, 1975). Tom and Helen Willis, the upstairs neighbors of George
and Louise Jefferson, were a most unusual couple: Tom was White, and
Helen was Black. Their daughter Jenny became romantically involved
with the Jeffersons' son Lionel. Jenny Willis eventually married
Lionel, and they had a daughter, Jessica Jefferson. "The Jeffersons,"
like "Maude," was a spinoff of "All in the Family" (CBS, 1971) and --
like its progenitor -- the show was unafraid of tackling touchy
issues.

First TV sitcom couple to get a divorce: "Rhoda" (CBS, 1976). Rhoda
Morgenstern, a popular character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," was
spun off into her own series, in which the perpetually neurotic,
unhappily single Rhoda finally found domestic bliss with contractor
Joe Gerard. The show took Rhoda and Joe from courtship to marriage to
separation, and, finally, to divorce. By the end of the show's last
season, Rhoda's mother, Ida Morgenstern, was also single again, having
been deserted by her husband, Martin. Rhoda's younger sister, Brenda,
a sadsack single girl, was played by Julie Kavner, who later went on
to her own celebrated portrayal of marital discord as the voice of
Marge Simpson.

===========================================

DAYTIME SOAPS, PRIMETIME SOAPS, AND SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

The daytime drama "All My Children" (ABC, 1970) typifies soap operas,
with a huge cast of characters and many interwoven plot lines. One of
the most outrageous of the characters is Erica Kane Martin Brent
Cudahy Chandler Roy Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick, who
has been married ten times, to eight different men. The often
scandalous Erica was the first character from the daytime soaps to
have an abortion. Marriage, in the soaps, is a sometime thing. Many of
the lead characters in soaps have committed serial marriage, with
interludes of infidelity on the part of both husbands and wives. Soap
marriages often occur under very unusual circumstances, as in "General
Hospital" (ABC, 1963), which drew a record number of viewers to the
wedding of Laura and Luke -- the man who had raped Laura in an earlier
episode. Luke and Laura were later divorced, then reunited. As
evidence that soap operas are keeping up with the times, it should be
noted that "The Young and the Restless" (CBS, 1973) and "Passions"
(NBC, 1999) have introduced major African-American characters and have
dealt with racial issues in a mature manner, within the framework of
melodrama which is characteristic of soaps.

"Dallas" (CBS, 1978), "Knots Landing" (CBS, 1979), "Dynasty" (ABC,
1981),  and "Falcon Crest" (CBS, 1981) brought soap opera-style plots
to the evening hours, with considerable success. These shows featured
the grandiose lifestyles and shocking plot twists which typify soaps,
while maintaining a pretense of depicting the "folks next door." Men
who would never admit to being soap fans were hooked into watching
shows like "Dallas" week after week, and the nation went wild trying
to guess "Who shot J.R.?" after a season-ending cliffhanger left J.R.
Ewing apparently dying from a gunshot wound. In these primetime soaps,
as in their daytime ancestors, marriage vows were made to be broken,
and few marriages escaped the ravages of multiple infidelities.

"Thirtysomething" (ABC, 1987) broke ground as a new kind of hour-long
evening drama, focusing on the domestic and professional lives of
young urban professionals (two couples and their three unmarried
friends). The show examined the dynamics of marriage and relationships
in an intensely personal, realistic manner, without the dramatic
excesses that characterized the primetime soaps. Michael Steadman, an
advertising copywriter, and his wife Hope, a part-time social worker
and full-time mother, are the more stable couple. The "steady"
Steadmans are contrasted with Elliot and Nancy Weston, who endure
numerous marital problems and a separation, with their troubles
culminating in the discovery that Nancy has breast cancer. The
ensemble cast is rounded out by three unmarried friends, Ellyn, Gary,
and Melissa, all of whom experience joys and sorrows in various love
affairs. While the emphasis on personal problems is reminiscent of
soap opera, the dialogue and emotional tone is anything but
melodramatic, and "Thirtysomething" stands alone as the show that most
accurately took its cues from the central realities of life rather
than from the extremes of male/female relationships.

===========================================

The text above has 2,464 words. The average American speaks at
approximately 150 words per minute, which would put the material above
at somewhat over 16 minutes in duration. Since this is more than twice
the 7 minutes that you need, I hope that this material will provide
enough meat to be carved down into a prime filet!

While I relied upon my memory for most of the details of these
television shows, the following sites were used as references in
locating information on the network premieres and other details:

All Your TV
http://www.allyourtv.com/

Jump the Shark
http://jumptheshark.com

Old TV Series
http://www.oldtvseries.com

Television History - The First 75 Years
http://www.tvhistory.tv

TV Acres
http://www.tvacres.com

TV Guide
http://www.tvguide.com

The Museum of Broadcast Communications
http://www.museum.tv

The process of narrowing many decades of television into a few
minutes' narrative has been an enjoyable challenge. Thank you very
much for the assignment!

Best,
pinkfreud

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 Apr 2003 12:49 PDT

Pink --
I'm in back-to-back meetings, so won't be able to look at this in
depth 'til later.  Glancing quickly, it looks good, but . . . . . I
don't see "I Love Lucy," (other than mentioning the birth of the
baby). And where's "All in the Family?"  And other than "Mad About
You," I don't see ANYTHING at all for the 1990's.  Gotta have the
'90s.  Am I overlooking something?

I'm going to utilize some of your non-official answers that were
"clarifications" because there is good stuff there...like your
"overview" of each decade that began with the part about
"Reagan-tinted glasses." I count that as "answer" as well as what
you've posted.

FYI, interesting new fact: I called a friend at the Museum of TV &
Radio to see if there are any photos of "Mary Kay & Johnny." She said
no, but they were not the first couple to sleep in the same bed. That
feat appears to have been achieved by Hume Cronyn & Jessica Tandy in
1954 in "The Marriage: Inside Bobby Logan," where they end up in
pajamas in a single bed.  Who knew?

Also I found another interesting web page that talked about how after
WWII, when all the jobs went to soldiers returning home, women were
discouraged from working and were pressured to stay home.  Which
clearly influenced all those "happy housewife" TV shows of the '50s.  
And then in the 1960's things began to change. . . I'll have to throw
some of that in. . .which you actually did for the '80s in your
"clarifications" above.

Sorry if I've not seeen it and it's all there -- I'm in a rush...



But get me the other stuff I asked for in my first paragraph and then
I think I'll be pretty well set.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 Apr 2003 14:11 PDT

Pink, in addition to the request above, is there a phone number to
call GA to discuss how to credit you & Tutuzdad in the program credits?
Or must I do it all via e-mail?
P.S. This just in! I found photos of Mary Kay & Johnny and The Marriage!
Victory!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 Apr 2003 07:51 PDT

Cryptica,

I am very ill and will be offline for a while. I will resume work on
this project as soon as I am able to do so. Thank you for
understanding.

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 22 Apr 2003 10:16 PDT

Feel better, Pink.  There is tons here to work with.  Next week for
the rest is fine.  I send my sympathies.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 23 Apr 2003 12:47 PDT

As requested, here's some additional material. 

==============
All in the Family
==============

My colleague, journalist-ga, has given an excellent capsule
description of "All in the Family." The only thing I would add is that
the show did a very usual thing in "killing off" one of its main
characters. When actress Jean Stapleton asked to be phased out of the
show, the character of Edith began to appear less frequently. The
show's name was changed to "Archie Bunker's Place," and in 1980 we
were told that Edith Bunker had died of a stroke. "All in the Family"
was the origin of two successful spinoff series, "The Jeffersons,"
which featured the African-American neighbors of the Bunkers, and
"Maude," which featured Edith's cousin Maude and Maude's husband
Walter. "Maude," in turn, spun off "Good Times," the story of Maude's
maid, Florida Evans, and her family.

==============
Lucy
==============

"I Love Lucy" brought TV's first "interlingual" married couple into
our living rooms. While the union of Ricky Ricardo (a Cuban
bandleader) and Lucy Ricardo (an Irish-American, née McGillicuddy) may
seem unexceptional today, in the early 1950s a marriage between a
Latino man and an Anglo woman was an eyebrow-raiser. The show helped
to torpedo cultural prejudice by not making a big issue of the
differences between Ricky and Lucy. Although Ricky's Cuban accent was
occasionally played for laughs, he was not a figure of mockery, and
the show contained remarkably few intercultural references that would
make today's sensitive audiences wince.
 
==============
1990s
==============

"Life Goes On" (ABC, 1989-1993) broke new ground by introducing us to
a loving couple with a mentally handicapped child. The show followed
the joys and sorrows of Drew and Libby Thatcher as they raised their
two children, Becca and Corky. Drew also had a daughter, Paige, from a
previous marriage. The character of Corky was pivotal to the dynamics
of the show. In a bold casting move, the role was filled by a young
actor who, like Corky, had Down Syndrome. The marriage of Drew and
Libby was depicted in a realistic fashion, without dramatic excesses.
One central message of "Life Goes On" is that a marriage can be
challenged by adversity, but the result of hardship may be to
strengthen the marriage rather than to weaken it.

"Northern Exposure" (CBS, 1990-1995). Among the many members of this
intricately-plotted show were Holling Vincoeur, a tavern owner, and
his wife, Shelly-Marie, a woman some forty years his junior. Their
May-December marriage was portrayed with good humor and insight. Other
marriages on the show were also a bit offbeat. The innkeepers Ron and
Erick tied the knot onscreen, becoming primetime TV's first gay
marriage. The network nixed a kiss between the two, however. An
eccentric back-to-nature couple named Adam and Eve provided some comic
moments in this show, which ventured from slapstick to tragedy and
back again.

"Home Improvement" (ABC, 1991-1999) introduced us to Tim and Jill
Taylor and their three sons. Tim was the host of a cable home
improvement show called "Tool Time" which featured a gorgeous starlet
called "The Tool Time Girl." At home, Tim was often anything but handy
around the house: his "fix-it" skills sometimes went so disastrously
awry that the fire department had to be called. Tim and Jill
maintained a well-balanced marriage, negotiating through such
potential marital pitfalls as child-rearing disputes, in-law problems,
Jill's aspirations to get a job, and the rocky relationships of their
friends.

"The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-present). The multiple story arcs of "The
Sopranos" have pivoted around the volatile Mafia marriage of Tony and
Carmela Soprano, culminating in Carmela's decision to leave Tony. The
plotline has included numerous instances of Tony's infidelities;
Carmela, on the other hand, was tempted to stray more than once, and
did not do so. Never has a television series dealt so bluntly with the
consequences of adultery, the erosion of trust within a marriage, and
the agonies of deceit.

==============

Here is a site which lists the top 20 shows of the 1990s, by year. As
you can see, marriage-related shows were not plentiful during this
decade. Unmarried characters dominated both sitcoms ("Murphy Brown,"
"Designing Women," and "The Golden Girls") and dramas ("In the Heat of
the Night," "Murder, She Wrote," "Matlock.")

1990s Flashback
http://www.1990sflashback.com/1990/TV.asp

================================

I hope this addendum to my answer will help.

Many, many thanks to my friends in the community of Google Answers
Researchers for their assistance. The spirit of teamwork in the
service of our customers is one of the things that makes Google
Answers thrive.

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 May 2003 10:55 PDT

Hi, Pink --

I finished my show today and wanted to let you know that I put you,
journalist, voila and tutuzdad in the credits!  I did e-mail, as they
had asked, the editors at GA on 4/24 and again on 5/7. asking if it
was OK to do this, but  nobody ever had the courtesy to answer me, so.
. .too late now, you guys are in, baby!

This program was made to support a new series on Showtime called OUT
OF ORDER, starring Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman, Kim Dickens, Justine
Bateman, William H. Macy & Peter Bogdanovich.  Segment 2 of the show
is the History of TV Marriages and it's only about 6 minutes, but fun.
(Legal clearances were a nigthmare.)  I'll post the air dates
tomorrow, when I have the complete schedule.  It will air on Showtime
and some selected CBS affiliates.

Would you please pass this on to your colleagues above -- I don't know
how to contact them, short of posting a new question.  I'd send you
all a VHS copy of the show, but not sure how to do that.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 May 2003 11:07 PDT

Hmmm...I sent this once already and it didn't seem to go thru.

Hi, Pink --
Wanted to let you know that I finally finished my show today and put
you, journalist, voila and tutuzdad in the credits --by NAME.  I mean
by handle.  I did as you had told me and wrote to the editors at GA on
4/24 and again on 5/7 to see if this was OK.  But nobody has had the
courtesy to answer me, so too late! It's done.  YOu're in.

I will post the air dates tomorrow, when I have the full schedule. 
This is a program to support a new series coming up on SHOWTIME called
"OUT OF ORDER," starring Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman, Kim Dickens,
Justine Bateman, William H. Macy and Peter Bogdanovich.  Segment 2 of
my show is the history of TV Marriage.  It turned out to be a legal
nightmare to do, and last only about 6 minutes, but it's fun and
you'll be pleased to see your hard work reflected in it.   This show
will air on both Showtime and some CBS affiliates.  If I had a way to
send you guys a copy, I'd do it, but not sure how that could be
arranged here.
Would you please pass this message on to journalist, voila and
tutuzdad, since I don't know how to do it, other than post a new
question here.  More later.
Stay tuned!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 21 May 2003 13:27 PDT

Whoopee! I'm so glad to hear that your 'baby' has arrived, and I'm
proud to have been part of the birthing team!

I've posted your most recent message in our private Researchers'
Forum, where journalist, voila, and tutuzdad will be certain to see
it.

This was one of the most interesting and challenging questions I've
ever worked on. Thanks again for the opportunity to be of assistance!

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 22 May 2003 13:05 PDT

First, to reply to the comment from Answers-ga :  wow, I never
received ANY
replies from anyone.  I did not write the e-mail on my cryptica-ga
address.
It was written on my corporate e-mail. And I received no reply both
times.
That's scary.  And I received nothing in my registered GA mail account
either.
So, I have no idea what your reply said.  Hope it was positive.  

For you and pink, journalist, voila and tutuzdad--here's the tune in
info.
There are 3 versions of the show and only ONE has full credits, alas
-- but ALL do have the infamous segment #2 with TV marriages.

On CBS/UPN  affiliates, the show is called HOLLYWOOD COUPLES: THE
MAKING OF OUT OF ORDER.  For those who like nudity, what little there
is of it is "blurred."  Sorry about that. CBS standards and practices
-- although when you see what time it airs, who would know?

THURSDAY, MAY 29:  Philadelphia (WPSG)2:30 a.m   

FRIDAY, MAY 30:
Los Angeles: KCBS at 1:50 am
Chicago: WBBM at 1:07 a.m.
Dallas: KXTA at 2:30 am
Denver: KCNC at 12:55 am

SATURDAY, MAY 31:
New York: WCBS at 12:30 am
Philadelphia: KYW at 2:30 am
San Francisco: KBHK: 1:00 am
Boston: WSBK at 1:00
Detroit: WWJ at 2:30 am
Baltimore: WJZ at 12:35

On SHOWTIME, the show is called I DO. I DON'T:  THE MAKING OF OUT OF
ORDER.
Some airings have the blurred stuff and no credits.  But THREE should
have the unblurred stuff AND PINK, JOURNALIST, VOILA, TUTUZDAD and GA
displayed in the credits. And ALL have the Segment #2 History of TV
marriage.

Sunday, May 25  (This sunday)4 pm
Tuesday, May 27  12:30 pm
Wednesday, May 28 7:35 pm
Thursday, May 29 5:30 pm
Friday, May 30th at 12:30 am  (*** this one has the credits)
Saturday, May 31 at 2 a.m.  (*** I THINK this one has the credits)
Sunday, June 1  at 7:29 pm
Saturday, June 7 at 4 pm
Tuesday, June 10 at 12 am  (*** this one has the credits)

Again, if there's "legal" way to to send you all copies for your own
archives,I'm happy to do it.

Pink -- I definitely hope you get to take a look to see what Mary Kay
& Johnny look like!  This really was such a tough project.  Something
as simple as using an 8 x 10 glossy of "Married with Children" was a
no no.  Who knew Ed O'Neill now wants to disassociate himself from the
show and will not allow his image to be used.   Tons of stories like
this.  And you won't believe what everything cost. I'm amazed we were
able to do as much as we did.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 May 2003 16:33 PDT

Thanks so much for providing the schedule! I have passed it along to
my friends in the Researchers' Forum.

I have Showtime, so I'll set my VCR for this! Even if it weren't for
the personal mention, it sounds like a must-see show. And the series
will be on my list, too. I just love William H. Macy and Felicity
Huffman. To be able to see these real-life married folks working
together is gonna be a treat!

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 22 May 2003 18:33 PDT

You have Showtime? Gee, I wish you were a researcher slash Nielsen
family.  By by all means, tape one of the "credits" versions. Not only
will it be "unblurred," but it has a little bit of extra crazed
behavior and dialgoue by Felicity's character.  FYI, as you'd suspect,
she was a delight to interview, as was Macy.  They clearly adore each
other.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 May 2003 19:06 PDT

As is my custom in life, I'll go for the unblurred version with extra
crazed behavior. :-D

Can't wait to see this!!!

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 23 May 2003 18:51 PDT

This just in -- they've added another play -- tomorrow, 5/24 at 7:30
pm.  Creditless version, since 7:30 pm is too early for nudity.  Plays
right before "OUR TOWN," the B'way production, in case you want to
catch the ultimate cutie, Paul Newman, as the Stage Manager.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 23 May 2003 20:56 PDT

Thanx for the additional info!

7:30 pm too early for nudity? Ha! Not in my house, it isn't. :-D

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 24 May 2003 10:25 PDT

Yes, but are you "blurred."  Frankly, I think I look better as a blurred
nude, myself.  I wish we ALL could be!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 24 May 2003 10:30 PDT

LOL @ the "blurred nudity" concept. I am fortunate to have a very
nearsighted husband. Once the eyeglasses come off at night, I could
resemble Godzilla and still seem like a goddess to my sweet hubby.
Myopia has its advantages.

~Pink

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 31 May 2003 22:12 PDT

I videotaped the show, and I am all agog at having been involved!
Thank you so much for including the credits for GA and for those of us
who helped with the project. The only thing that could make this any
better would be if you could sneak me into Eric Stoltz's dressing
room...

Nah. If I do that, my hubby will run off with Joan Jett, as he's been
hinting for several decades. ;-)

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 30 Jul 2003 21:16 PDT

I keep forgetting to ask you -- did you ever watch the show? Hope you
thought it was fun. . .
I sent a copy to the head of P.R. (forgot her name) at Google
Headquarters and put in a good word for you!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 31 Jul 2003 06:35 PDT

I did indeed watch the show. It was great! Very entertaining, even if
I hadn't been involved. After having read so much about Mary Kay and
Johnny, it was very gratifying to finally see a photo of them.

"Out of Order" certainly has broken some ground in the field of
fictional marriages. (Of course, quite apart from the artistic merits
of the series, I had to watch because I am an Eric Stoltz groupie.)

This project was the most challenging and interesting thing I've done
so far on Google Answers. Thanks for the opportunity to stretch my
researching muscles!

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 31 Jul 2003 09:39 PDT

Oh, I'm so glad you liked it and I only wish we'd had more money to
license more of the photos from the old shows.  That middle segment
could have been even more fun.  "Out of Order" got very mixed reviews.
 People either love it or hate it.  No word yet on whether they'll
renew it. . . if they do, who knows, we may have to do ANOTHER show
for Season 2.    Rest up!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 31 Jul 2003 10:38 PDT

A second season for "Out of Order" would be a Good Thing. But I'm not
going to hold my breath waiting for it, since I am still holding my
breath waiting for Showtime to air the final episodes of "Odyssey 5"
and "Jeremiah" that they supposedly have in the can.

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 31 Jul 2003 20:54 PDT

I'll ask about air dates for JEREMIAH and see if I can get an answer
for you.   ODYSSEY 5 episodes won't air until 2004, due to all kinds
of complicated legal/financial/licensing issues.
The show that everybody seems to like a lot-- even the critics -- is
DEAD LIKE ME.
And if you didn't see the movie SOLDIER'S GIRL, which aired recently
and will probably be around again, do try to catch that one.  It's
really good.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 31 Jul 2003 21:25 PDT

Thanx for the info on "Odyssey 5." I hate to be left hanging. Anything
you can learn about "Jeremiah" would be much appreciated. Hubby liked
that show very much. I mainly liked ogling Luke Perry.

It is so frustrating when a show with an interesting story arc gets
cut off at an unsatisfying point. I still haven't forgiven the folks
who axed a series in the late '60s called "Coronet Blue," in which an
amnesiac (the very hunky Frank Converse) goes from place to place
trying to figure out who he is, after having awakened without any
memories except the words "coronet blue." The #!%@? network (CBS???)
canceled the show before we learned what "coronet blue" meant or who
the hero was. Arrgh. Shades of "Nowhere Man" and "John Doe." The more
things change, the more they stay the same.

I love "Dead Like Me". It's tiding me over until "Six Feet Under"
returns on HBO. Morbid humor hasn't been this plentiful since the days
of "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters." ;-)

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 01 Aug 2003 07:56 PDT

Here you go:  JEREMIAH Season 2 premieres FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10th.

"Coronet Blue."  Never heard of that one.  Like you, though, I do get
attached to shows that bite the dust quickly.  There was one that TNT
optioned and then never aired called...oh, shoot, is it The News or
the News Room? Soemthing like that -- with Clancy Brown.  BRAVO picked
it up and I think there were only 10 or 12 episodes.  I loved this
show.    And there's another one by Ken Finkelman, also called The
news Room (or something like it), that came out of Canada and aired on
PBS.  Again, sooo funny and clever.  But I hear he is resurrecting it
again, so there's hope.
And my favorite SHOWTIME series was "Beggars & Choosers," about a
satire about a TV network, with Charlott Ross as a fast talking
neurotic executive.  I cannot watch her on NYPD Blue because all I
think of is , "What a waste."  She has the most AMAZING comic timing.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Aug 2003 10:09 PDT

Hubby will be SO happy to learn that "Jeremiah" will be back in the
fall! Many, many thanks for finding that info. Hey, Mary Jo, maybe you
oughta be a Researcher. :-)

I thought I was the only person in the universe who watched "Breaking
News" with Clancy Brown. I watch EVERYTHING with Clancy Brown (I even
liked "Earth 2.") Why this guy isn't a major star is a mystery to me.
Maybe he's too macho-looking for today's tastes. I bet Clancy would
have hit it big back in the '50s when men were men, and women were
wearing high heels and pearls while they vacuumed.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 01 Aug 2003 19:33 PDT

Oh, I'd LOVE to be a researcher, but the google FAQ never waivers in
stating that there are no openings.  In the case of "Jeremiah,"
though, it didn't take ANY research. After I read your query, I logged
onto my Showtime e-mail and there was an inter-office schedule with
the air date.  Talk about convenient timing.

Yeah, Clancy Brown never took off, I don't know why.  I first was
aware of him in "Blue Steel," with Jamie Lee Curtis.   And here's
another guy who has made a zillion movies, mostly all bombs, but is
now starting to rise: VIGGO MORTENSON.  But you'd think he would have
been bigger a long time ago.  Take a look at the trailer for the
upcoming HILDAGO.   it's on Apple Trailers.com.  or maybe you have to
type "Hildago Trailer" in google first.   Anyway, Viggo's  looking SO
adorable and sexy. . .this may be his year.   And he's not that young.
 43.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 02 Aug 2003 13:56 PDT

It sounds as if you and I are on the same wavelength where actors are
concerned. I've been a Viggo Mortensen fan for several years, and was
elated when I learned that he'd been cast as Aragorn in LOTR. Of
course, he became an "overnight success" after all those years of hard
work.

I wonder if Viggo's career may have been held up by his unusual name.
I wonder the same about Lolita Davidovich. In the earlier years of
Hollywood, these folks would have been pressured to ditch the names,
and they probably would have become "Vince Morton" and "Lita Davis."

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 02 Aug 2003 16:32 PDT

Lolita D. married Ron Shelton and didn't seem to really try very hard
to pursue a career.  She made a Showtime movie a few years ago, called
"Snow In August." (Stephen Rea as a RABBI, can you believe it?).  She
was really into being a mom.

I don't know if it was Viggo's name that hurt him.  He seems to have
suffered from being in a lot of really LOUSY movies.  I've also liked
Aaron Eckhart for years, too.  The two could play brothers.   Take a
look at the HILDAGO trailer, though -- you'll not only swoon fro
Viggo, you'll fall in love with his HORSE!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 02 Aug 2003 17:03 PDT

I had the good fortune to see the "Hidalgo" trailer on the big screen
recently (it was one of a series of trailers that were shown with
"Pirates of the Caribbean.") Viggo looks great, as always. What bone
structure. I love a guy with bone structure.

Although I loved looking at Viggo in that trailer, I can't say the
same for the horse he rode in on. I almost died after receiving a head
wound in a horseback accident when I was 10 years old. A steel plate
was installed in my skull, and I had 55 stitches in my scalp. Haven't
felt very fond of the critters ever since.

But I doubt that this will keep me from enjoying "Hidalgo" and
"Seabiscuit." I can just pretend that the horse is a large,
odd-looking dog.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 04 Aug 2003 17:46 PDT

Your horse story is so scary!  I can see that it would take only your
great love for Viggo to get you into the theater.  I did read that
Viggo spent extra weeks working on his own with the horse in "Lord of
the Rings," so that he could bond with him.  Perhaps if you and Viggo
were to work together, you might get over your equine uneasiness.
MEanwhile....just a hunch, but how do you feel about David Strathairn?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 04 Aug 2003 18:22 PDT

Yikes. You must be psychic. I am crazy about David Strathairn. First
noticed him in "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" (remember that
great show?) I have a thing for men who have an intelligent, brooding
quality. Nobody broods better than David Strathairn. He looks broody
even when he has a big smile on his face.

Thinking about David Strathairn reminds me of Leonard Cohen. Also
intelligent and brooding. And that voice. Oh, my, that silky, husky,
musky voice. A man with a voice like Leonard Cohen's could ask me to
do just about anything, and it would be mighty hard to say "no."

Although I've learned the hard way that these intense, depressive guys
are NOT what I want in real life, I still have my celluloid dreams.
;-)

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 05 Aug 2003 21:19 PDT

Yep, I thought you were a Strathairn fan.  I first started liking him
in John Sayles movies.  So, you will be very pleased to know that he's
about to start shooting a pilot for a new potential Showtime series
called PARADISE.  Playing  an ex-astronaut who has an epiphany in
space and then becomes a hugely sucessful evangelist. More Billy
Graham than Jimmy Swaggert.  Script is really good.
   I never got into Leonard Cohen, i don't know why.  But I did love
Fred Neil, whose another one with a great, deeeeeeeeep voice.
  OK, here's another test of whether we love the same people...but
unless you saw a lot of Ken Loach movies, you might not know how sexy
he is:  Robert Carlyle.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 05 Aug 2003 22:14 PDT

Regarding Robert Carlyle, I draw a semi-blank. Was he in "The Full
Monty?" I have a rather pleasant feeling about a Robert Carlyle who
might have been in "The Full Monty," but it may not be the same
person, or I could be totally mistaken. Mind like a steel sieve, you
know.

Am I being vague enough, or do I need a few drinks? ;-)

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 06 Aug 2003 18:48 PDT

Right -- Robert Carlyle starred in "The Full Monty, but he dyed his
hair blonde for that.  He's really dark-haired.  He was also in
"Transpotting," with a mustache and was NOT cute.  And I think he was
bald and a villain in one of the James Bonds.  And he was Angela's
hubby in "Angela's Ashes," with a terrible haircut.  Unfortunately,
his American movies are pretty lame.   But his British ones, he's a
sensitive , charismatic guy, with cute hair!  A really good actor.
You'd like him a lot.   On the opposite scale, do you like Dame Edna?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 06 Aug 2003 18:59 PDT

I'm not sure Dame Edna is really "on the opposite scale," if you know
what I mean. ;-)

I must say that I found the Dame Edna act to be very funny at first,
but subsequent overexposure has put me off. I guess I've just seen too
dame much of Edna.

However, having seen photos of Barry Humphries out of drag, I can
understand why this fellow wanted to liven up his looks...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1760000/images/_1761269_humphries_150.jpg

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 07 Aug 2003 20:30 PDT

I never get tired of Dame Edna.  In the recent "Nicholas Nickelby" she
plays it straight, as it were.  I mean, Barry plays a female role, and
is in the credits as Edna Everege, but he's in period costume and
wonderful.  He ALSO plays a male part and "they" are in one scene
TOGETHER. . .but only eagle-eyed viewers will spot it.
 Bummer of the day:  HILDAGO release date has been moved to March,
2004.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 08 Aug 2003 09:53 PDT

Bummer about the "Hidalgo" release date. :-(

I guess my next Viggo fix will be "The Return of the King," in which I
expect that Aragorn will finally get to wear some spiffy-looking
clothes (unless they changed the ending, and Sauron wins.)

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 15 Sep 2003 17:53 PDT

Hi, Mary Jo. 

Just wanted to drop you a note, since I know that you like Clancy
Brown. A new HBO series called "Carnivale" features him in an
interesting role. The first episode was quite intriguing.

I know that you're a Showtime kinda person, but HBO does do some good
stuff, and, after all, you've got to keep an eye on what the
competition is up to. ;-)

Speaking of Showtime, I could just kiss somebody for giving Mandy
Patinkin his best part in years. "Dead Like Me" just gets better and
better.

Best,
Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 19 Sep 2003 21:02 PDT

Hey, Pink!
Sorry, I didn't see your message 'til just now.  I don't get a
"notification" on closed questions, I guess.  So was coincidentally
stopping by to tell YOU the latest about David Strathairn.

Yes, I saw the first episode of "Carnivale."  I love Clancy, but that
"magic realism" stuff is not my fave kind of material.  I hear,
though, that you have to get thru 4 episodes and then the show "gets
good."

And never fear, I watch HBO religiously.  The fun thing now is that
Showtime's new president of Programming is Bob Greenblatt, whose
Greenblatt-Jollinari company produces "Six Feet Under."  He had to
resign in order to be Pres., though.  But at the Emmy Awards he'll be
cheering on both sides of the fence.

And yes, I love Mandy!

OK, so here's the scoop.   Got to interview Mr. Strathairn last week
for the pilot I told you about: a potential new Showtime series,
PARADISE.  And by the way, he pronounces it as two words: 
STRA-THAIRN, with equal emphasis on both syllables. The "a" in "Stra"
is like the "a" in "at."   (I'd always thought it was "StruhTHAIRN.")

He plays Reverend Bobby Paradise, a former astronaut who has a
religious epiphany in outer space and becomes a hugely successful
televangelist.   Barbara Hershey plays his wife, ELAINE STRITCH his
mother-in-law! James LeGros his son.  One of the other actors calls
the show "The Sopranos Meets Billy Graham," which is about right.

But until that airs, my recommendation for new crush for you (unless
he's already in your corral): CAMPBELL SCOTT.   You MUST see him in
his new film, Alan Rudolph's "Secret Lives of Dentists."   It WILL be
love.

Anyway, Strathairn couldn't have been a nicer, smarter and all around
good guy.  They're shooting in Salt Lake City and one of the days I
was there they rented out Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Olympic
ceremonies were, and he "preached" to a crowd of 50,000.  (Ok, it was
about 500, but they'll make it LOOK like 50,000 in CGI in post.)

So you have something to look forward to once "Dead Like Me" goes into
re-runs!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Sep 2003 12:28 PDT

Wow, am I jealous that you got to meet David Strathairn! I'm glad to
learn how he pronounces his surname. I, too, thought it was
Struh-THAIRN. I am always embarrassed to learn that I've been
pronouncing a name wrong. I still haven't gotten over the shock of
finding out how to pronounce "Ralph Fiennes." ;-)

Ah, Campbell Scott is another of my favorites. Except for Dame Edna,
it appears that you and I have remarkably similar tastes in actors. Do
you like Gabriel Byrne and/or Dylan McDermott, by any chance?

~Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 22 Sep 2003 13:33 PDT

Oh, yep, I do like Gabriel Byrne, you bet.  He makes a lot of bad
movies, though, so I don't go to many of them.  Dylan McDermott, no,
he's not on my list.  But DERMOT MULRONEY (they joke about being
mistaken for each other all the time) definitely is.  Basically, my
rule of thumb seems to work out as, if they've got crow's feet, I
probably like them.  Even Dame Edna has crow's feet!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 Sep 2003 13:46 PDT

Crow's feet, eh? How about Russell Crowe? Bet he's got 'em. :-D

One facial "flaw" that I find endearing is a slight double chin, just
the tiniest touch of baby-pudge on an otherwise slim face. Bill
Pullman comes to mind. Michael Douglas (before he had so much plastic
surgery that he began to look like an escapee from Madame Tussaud's.)
David McCallum. And my hubby, too.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 23 Sep 2003 13:36 PDT

Russell Crowe's feet. . .hmmm.  Possibly one day -- he's still too
young.  He doesn't have those Ed Harris crow's feet.  Another one I've
long had a crush on.  Men with chins ?  I think I'm not drawn to them
as much as men with cheekbones.   I have a friend who thinks as you
do, though.  She LOVES men with baby fat faces.   i.e., the early Paul
McCartney is #1.
As for WOMEN. . .if I could look like anybody, maybe Julie Christie. 
and you?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 23 Sep 2003 14:45 PDT

If I could look like anybody, I think I would want to look like
Bernadette Peters. I'm part of the way there already; I've had several
people say that I look like Bernadette. She's about my age, and we
both have curly red hair, chipmunk cheeks, and such. But I wouldn't
mind going the rest of the distance and becoming a dead-ringer
duplicate of Bernadette Peters. Maybe then I could rekindle her old
romance with Steve Martin...

Regarding the "cheekbony" men, I went through a phase when I really
dug faces with lots of planes. Maybe this was because I was seeking my
opposite. I have the kind of face that continues to look plump and
wholesome even when my bod is wasting away. Always envied the gals
with bone structure. When I was a young teen, I decorated my bedroom
with images of Greta Garbo and Kate Hepburn that I got from my
Great-Aunt Mary, who was a screenwriter in the 1930s. Greta and Kate
had wonderful bones.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 25 Sep 2003 11:14 PDT

Bernadette Peters is a good look.  Go for it.  I loved Hepburn, too --
actually both Hepburns. Kate & Audrey.  In fact, after seeing Audrey
in "The Nun's Story," I decided I wanted to be a nun and would wear
black turtleneck's over my head with the part where your neck goes
pulled back over my forehead like a wimple? (is that how you spell it.
 This did not please my parents one bit, seeing as we're Jewish.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 25 Sep 2003 13:03 PDT

Amazing. I had an adolescent fascination with "The Nun's Story," too.
I didn't think of the black turtleneck idea (brilliant!), but I made a
wimple out of a starched sheet. Our neighbors were devout Catholics,
and I've often wondered what they thought of this little Unitarian
girl flapping around the yard wearing a bedsheet on her head.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 26 Sep 2003 06:30 PDT

When's the last time you saw "The Nun's Story?"  I saw a bit of it not
too long ago and my recollection is that Audrey was wearing mascara
and full make-up.   No plain face a la Susan Sarandon in "Dead Man
Walking" for her! No wonder we both wanted to take our vows.  I think
I was also into that OTHER nun's movie, "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison." 
Remember that one?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 26 Sep 2003 11:56 PDT

I haven't seen "The Nun's Story" since about 1960. That was before I
knew about Hollywood makeup tricks. I even thought that Lucille Ball's
clownish lipsticky mouth and foot-long eyelashes were real. (For that
matter, I continued for many years to believe that Lucy was a natural
redhead.)

Was "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" the one with Deborah Kerr & Robert
Mitchum? (Yes, I know I could go look it up on the IMDB, but I am in a
very lethargic mood.) If it's the movie I'm thinking of, I did get a
charge out of it. Deborah Kerr is such a classy dame. Elegant and
reserved, but under that cool, proper exterior she has a lotta sizzle.
Wish I were like that. I am the same temperature all over.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 26 Sep 2003 20:56 PDT

Yep, it was Deborah Kerr & Robert Mitchum.   I had a huge crush on
Mitchum when I was young.   My first awareness of sex was seeing him
in the original version of "Cape Fear" when I was 11 or so.  There's
that threatening scene on the house boat with Polly Bergen.  She's
wearing a sun dresss and he picks up a raw egg and cracks it against
her collarbone and the yolk slowly drips down her chest . . . whew!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 26 Sep 2003 21:13 PDT

The original "Cape Fear" struck a chord in me, too (the remake was not
so hot, IMHO). When I was a young 'un, I found the "bad boy" actors
with the pouty, sullen look - like Mitchum and Bogart and Brando - to
be very attractive. As I matured, I had some real-life experiences
with bad boys that made me aware that, although ladies may love
outlaws, they hadn't oughta date 'em. ;-)

Speaking of pouty-faced bad boys, did you ever see "The Rainmaker"
with Burt Lancaster and Kate Hepburn? To me, that's one of the
greatest quirky Hollywood romances. Burt Lancaster looked pouty even
when he was grinning from ear to ear. And the plot! A not-so-young
"spinster" finds genuine passion with a poetic con artist. Real life
it ain't, but that movie still brings a smile to my face and a tear to
my eye.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 04 Nov 2003 19:44 PST

So sorry for not seeing you replied on 9/26. I missed it.  THE
RAINMAKER is one of my all-time favorite movies, deeply influential on
my romantic growth.  All that yearning . . .  I completely identified
with Lizzie and longed for a Starbuck to free me.
Back in the late 80's, I was really lucky to work on a project with
Burt Lancaster.  He was 74.  Lemme tell you, even after quadruple
bypass surgery the guy still had it.
You know who else has it?  Check out CLIVE OWEN in "Beyond Borders." 
I think he's bumping Viggo out of the picture.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 04 Nov 2003 19:57 PST

Thanx for the tip on Clive Owen! I looked him up in the IMDB. He looks
kinda brooding, and goodness knows I like that brooding look in a
fantasy man. ;-)

I am green with envy to know that you actually met Burt Lancaster. My
only claim to fame regarding celebrities is that I graduated from the
University of Tulsa in 1969 along with Mary Kay Place and Gailard
Sartain. Oh, and my mother was at Tulsa Central High School with Tony
Randall. Plus my Great Aunt Mary was a screenwriter in Hollywood in
the 1930s. She claimed to have slept with Clark Gable, but with Great
Aunt Mary, you never knew what to believe.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 05 Nov 2003 15:36 PST

I have some great stuff to tell you about Burt, but I don't feel
comfortable posting it on a public forum.  Sure wish you guys were
allowed to be contacted off the board.
Yes, yes, Clive is the brooding type.  But he also SMOLDERS.  But he's
a very very good actor, too.  At the press junket, all of us were
drooling.  He's being touted as Pierce Brosnan's personal choice to be
the new James Bond.  But he's much too good an actor to do that. Or
rather, I hope he won't do it, 'cause there goes the "real" career.
Tulsa?  Do you wear Cain's Ballroom t-shirts?

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 05 Nov 2003 16:07 PST

I'm amazed that you've heard of Cain's Ballroom. I do indeed have a
Cain's Ballroom shirt, as well as a couple of great tee-shirts from
Eskimo Joe's (in Stillwater, Oklahoma, just a little ways down the
road.)

I will definitely keep an eye out for Clive Owen. I know I've seen him
in "Gosford Park," but darn near every British actor in the universe
was in "Gosford Park," and I can't seem to recall him. I love a good
smolderer. And if he can act, that's even better. ;-)

~Pink

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 29 Mar 2004 12:26 PST

Hello again, Mary Jo!

Just wanted to mention that David Strathairn is now a member of the
cast of "The Sopranos." He's playing one of the rare non-mobsters on
the show.

Best,
Pink

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 08 Apr 2004 22:32 PDT

Pink -- 
sorry for the delay in replying. I get so much spam now, I sometimes
miss legit messages.  Yes, I've been watching Mr. Strathairn and
Carmella.  I find that storyline too forced . . .but I'm glad to see
him working!  P.S. Coming up in May on SHOWTIME, something even HBO
would want to air: you'll love it --our new production of "The Lion in
Winter," with Glenn Close & Patrick Stewart.  Really, really good.
Better than the Hepburn/O'Toole version.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 09 Apr 2004 07:45 PDT

Wow, thanx for the heads-up on "The Lion in Winter." I loved the
movie, and Patrick Stewart is one of my favorite actors (yes, I am a
Trekkie).

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 19 Apr 2004 20:56 PDT

VCR alert for your Patrick Stewart fix:  Tuesday, 4/20 10:40 PM
EASTERN on Showtime.
"Tracking the Lion in Winter."  Everything you want to know, from A to
V...the Aquitaine to the Vexin.   Yours truly's newie.   Interviews
and good behind-the-scenes with Mr. S.
Lots of other plays, too, so if you miss it, there are plenty more,
leading up to the movie itself, which premieres on Sunday, 5/23/04.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Apr 2004 08:44 PDT

Wow, thanks, Mary Jo! I'll set my VCR to catch this. I sure do envy
you; your job sounds fascinating. Want to swap? You'd make a great
Google Answers Researcher. :-)

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Apr 2004 11:53 PDT

Ah, one more thing.

As a Showtime insider, have you heard anything about whether Showtime
will ever air the episodes of "Odyssey 5" that have been sitting in
the can for so long? I can understand canceling a series, but it
always puzzles me when episodes that are already completed are
shelved.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 Apr 2004 19:17 PDT

I hear O-5's remaining episodes will start airing in September.  As I
understand it, when networks shelve episodes for a while, it usually
has to do with budgets and licensing fees and meeting financial
goals/requirements for a given year.  Sometimes things get bumped
because the fiscal year can't absorb the costs or something  else
ended up costing more , which used up the money earrmarked for
something else.  It's all business stuff.  Nothing nefarious.

I wouldn't mind swapping jobs with you -- * I * certainly don't have a
Google "Best of Cryptica" Tribute question!

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 21 Apr 2004 19:59 PDT

Many thanks for the info on Odyssey 5! Let me know if there's anything
I can do to help you out with any of your projects. I owe you a
freebie.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 21 Apr 2004 21:09 PDT

A freebie?  What do you owe me a Freebie for?  ??   I'm clueless.  
I'm always hoping to find a new juicy project for you. . . never fear.
  If you truly do owe me a freebie, then don't even research this
--just answer off the top of your head.   My brother wrote me an
e-mail the other day saying he was trying to recall the short story
(and who wrote it) about a writer who could write middles, but not
beginnings or endings.  Wait-- maybe it was about a guy who could
write beginnings and endings, but not middles.  I deleted it by
accident and can't remember now.  You're a big reader.  Anything
spring to mind?   He seemed to think it might have been a Vonnegut.
Me, I can write beginnings and endings of questions . . . just not middles.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 21 Apr 2004 21:23 PDT

I've racked my brain, and the only work of art I can think of that
involves an author who can write beginnings and endings (but not
middles) is a cult movie called "Crime Wave." Wonderful, whacked-out
movie.

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3589A471.ACE%40concentric.net&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain

http://www.mdfilmfest.com/1999/filmguide/crime.html

Could that be what your brother was thinking of?

---

Request for Answer Clarification by cryptica-ga on 22 Apr 2004 18:06 PDT

He says, "What a coincidence!"  But he says no, that's not it.  I
wonder, though, once he finds it, what the copyright date is on the
story -- could we have a case of plagarism?  Anyway, don't bother
pursuing any further -- it was just a quickie question to a literate
woman.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 22 Apr 2004 18:48 PDT

If your brother ever does remember the name of that story, please let
me know. It sounds like the kind of thing I might like to read. I love
oddball short stories.

If I were allowed to give a ********** (10 Star) Rating, that's what
Pink and her generous colleagues deserve--particularly those who
jumped in to help: Journalist-ga & Voila-ga.  Pink, please tell me if
there's a phone # contact for GA front office to find out the
procedures and legal wording to put you guys in the credits of my
show.  If you aren't allowed to tell me, I'll send them e-mail, but
would prefer to talk to someone live.  I can't thank you enough and am
glad you're feeling better. Thanks to all researchers & commenters!

I think the researcher is being woefully underpaid, considering what a
TV research staffer would receive for the same amount of work.  It
works out as a nice deal for the show if pink-freud is willing to do
this on the cheap, but it does mean that a qualified local person is
not given the opportunity to work.  This leaves a bad taste in my
mouth.  Hmm, or is what's going on here that the show researcher is
sub-contracting his/her own assignment, and will submit pink-freud's
answer as his/her own?

Tudric--
Wow, I'm sorry this particular request offends you, but $200 for
research is not woefully underpaid, at least not from what researchers
have charged us in the past.  I'm not sure what you mean by putting a
"local" out of work.  A good researcher is a good researcher, wherever
they may live.  Pink Freud isn't doing my work. She's augmenting my
work and I'm giving her guidelines of things to find.

And for the record, I fully intend to CREDIT her research in the
credits of the show -- and will take it up with GA on how to do this. 
As well as Tutuzdad-Ga, who previously did some research for me as
well on another question.  I ALWAYS give credit in my shows.

And as you can see from my comments to Pink, I specifically told her
NOT to  write me an essay or dissertation.  She's not writing a script
for me. I'm looking for facts and the why's. . .which is research. 
That's what this service is all about.  I'm not sure what your beef
is.

I had been under the impression that The Brady Bunch was the first
show to show a married couple in the same bed. I'm sure I've read this
many times -- an example of a game of "telephone" maybe? :) I have not
even heard of the Mary Kay show, and boy that was way earlier than the
Brady's! Now I know to correct anyone who quotes it wrong. I am
thinking you're probably right about the kissing, Pink. Maybe they
confused it?

"$200 for
research is not woefully underpaid, at least not from what researchers
have charged us in the past."

You mean researchers who aren't contracted with Google, right? I was
just a bit confused by that statement.

Anyway Pink, great job. I love TV History:)

Filian --

Yes, I meant the fees charged by NON-GA researchers.  Actually, GA
does you guys a disservice, by stating in the instructions that the
fee tops off at $200.00.  I'm sure there are some people who'd be fine
about paying more.

The issue of the first series to portray a married couple in the same
bed has a
nice blurb on snopes.com, which is where I discovered some stuff and
then pink did, too.  "It says The Brady Bunch (adding that six
children shared a single bathroom that lacked a toilet) is often
named, but then points out the Munsters and Flintstones slept in one
bed earlier than The Brady Bunch.  And that often the Nelsons of Ozzie
& Harriet are given as the correct answer.   Then it goes on to talk
about the true first, being Mary Kay & Johnny.   1947!

What about "McMillan and Wife"? They were a very weird albeit
functional married couple. Shame you can't do the Australian
television dramas like "Bellbird" and "Number 96" and "Neighbours" and
"A Country Practice". (I hear a collective groan coming from the
direction of the UK! ;)

Stressedmum --
Fill me in on "M & Wife."  I haven't watched the show.

Hi cryptica-ga,

I recommend “Family” as a program worth including in your history of
TV show marriages. It ran for five seasons from 1976 to 1980. It had
the same kind of quality of intertwined stories as “thirtysomething”
but it revolved around an intact family. Sada Thompson was especially
wonderful as the mother. Meredith Baxter played the older daughter --
before she went on to Family Ties. I think it was one of the few shows
on TV that respected marriage and treated the parents with
appreciation. I hope you can include it.

czh

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-624/
Name; 	Family
Show Type: 1-Hour Primetime Drama
First Telecast: March 9th, 1976
Last Telecast: June 25th, 1980
Number Of Episodes: 86
Network: 	ABC
The trials and tribulations, joyous occasions and heartbreaking
moments of the Lawrence family: lawyer father Doug, housewife Kate,
married (and quickly divorced) daughter Nancy, teenage son Willie and
just-hitting-puberty daughter Buddy. In this critically acclaimed
series, we watched various Lawrences fight, fall in love, become ill,
graduate school, begin new jobs and, most of all, love each other.

Willie Aames - T.J. Latimer [Seasons 1-2]
Meredith Baxter Birney - Nancy Lawrence Maitland [Seasons 2-5]
James Broderick - Doug Lawrence
Mary Grace Canfield - Mrs. Hanley [Seasons 1-3]
Quinn Cummings - Annie Cooper Lawrence [Seasons 4-5]
Gary Frank - Willie Lawrence
Elayne Heilveil - Nancy Lawrence Maitland [Season 1]
Kristy McNichol - Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence
John Rubinstein - Jeff Maitland
Sada Thompson - Kate Lawrence

czh-ga, 

Your ears must be burning!  5 minutes before logging on to check on
the latest here, someone asked me if "Family" was on my list.  Good
call, especially with the Meredith Baxter Birney link.  I never saw
the show, so it wasn't on my radar.   Congratulations on your psychic
skills!

Hi Cryptica:

As you already know, PinkFreud is a consummate Researcher and she's
currently a bit under the weather.  I communicated with her to offer
my complimentary assistance on your query because I know how
fastidious she is and we Researchers are fortunate to have a great
support system in place.  Her recent bout of illness is preventing her
from additional postings at present and she has accepted my volunteer
work for the remainder of your needs.

Therefore, I will be researching the 90s for you if this is acceptable
to you.  I require no compensation for helping my friend so please
don't concern yourself with that.  :)

I will reexamine all the informnation she provided above and cover the
clarifications you seek.  I'll be posting my findings later this
afternoon and I appreciate your continued patience.

Journalist!  What a sweetie.  I know how dedicated both of you are and
if you want to do the work, I'll go to my "peeps" and make sure you
get compensated, too.   But as I said up top before I saw your note,
there is now a little more breathing room on the deadline so it CAN
wait until Pink feels better.   I'm fine either way.  Truly.

Howdy cryptica,

I will be glad to offer my notes as well:

Cagney and Lacy:
"Mary Beth's marriage with Harvey Lacey (John Karlen) offered what
Daly called "a love story" that marked a true departure from TV
marriages--a lusty, devoted partnership."
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/dalytyne/dalytyne.htm

Dynasty: (you could show a clip of this one for laughs)
"A Moldavian wedding on ``Dynasty'' that ended in a shootout between
rebels and government troops, thereby becoming the first TV marriage
to turn into a massacre."
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/5180537.htm

General Hospital:
"First marriage to survive a rape, kidnapping, a drowning and
separation."
http://www.canoe.ca/TelevisionShowsG/generalhospital.html

Bob Newhart Show:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/T/htmlT/tarsesjay/tarsesjay.htm

My World and Welcome To It: (this series was only on for one season in
1969 but it was very technically innovative for its time)

"Highly acclaimed, well-written, with a superb cast, "My World and
Welcome
To It" presented life as interpreted from the writings and drawings of
humorist James Thurber. Thurber's cartoons were actually drawn into
the
series, with many scenes mixing live-action and animation. 

(...)
 
William Wisdom (...) constantly musing on his sad life and his
dysfunctional relationships with women - and daydreaming about what
could be.

Poor guy, he cowered in fear whenever confronting his battle-ax wife 
Ellen (Joan Hotchkiss) or pre-teen daughter Lydia (Lisa Gerritsen,
later
'Phyllis'' daughter). The animated Thurber sequences were wonderful, 
bringing to life the Walter Mitty stories that inspired the series." 


Links that might be of interest to you:
http://www.memorabletv.com/links.htm
http://www.transparencynow.com/sum.htm
http://www.transparencynow.com/references.htm
http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/

Thanks Cryptica.  Truly, I seek no comensation for this effort other
than knowing I've assisted a friend.  I'll post what I find and then
Pink can tweak my entries - this way, if she has a prolonged absence,
you'll have the info and, if she experiences a few hours of feeling
better, she can add to what I've offered.  I'm currently compiling
selections from the 1990s and will post them soon.

1990s Marriages

The sitcoms of the 90s were basically about singles.  Friends,
Frasier, Drew Carey, Seinfeld - there was lots of dating and flirting
going on but fewer marriage examples than in previous decades.

Millennium (1996) 
This show featured a very strong marriage between Frank and Catherine
Black, albeit one always draped in bizarre goings-on, and the marriage
went through many ups and downs.  It eventually culminated with
Catherine sacrificing her life to the Marburg virus so that their only
child could live.  Frank Black, who possessed a strange gift of
insight, was nonetheless a loving husband and his wife was basically
supportive though she carried fear regarding her husband association
with the Millennium Group.

"As a clinical social worker, Catherine had deep insight into the
darker aspects of the human condition. Frank's increasing involvement
with The Millennium Group led her to question the safety of her own
family. She told Frank: "It's about things that happen to us that
don't happen to other people."

"[Frank's] submersion into the Group led to a painful separation from
Catherine and the realization his employers were dangerous people who
would later unleash a deadly plague that would kill both his wife and
friend, Lara Means."
From http://www.timferrante.com/Abyss/FAQ/FAQ5.html#002


The Nanny (1996)  This show began with nanny character, Fran Fine, as
a single girl, a cosmetics salesperson mistaken as an interview
candidate for a nanny for the Sheffield family.  Although her title
was nanny, her behavior was always that of a savvy mother.  Then, she
and Mr. Sheffield, her employer, finally married after much courting
and misunderstandings but nothing changes because their relationship
always mirrored that of a marriage.


Home Improvement (1991) "Every episode finds Tim the "Tool Man" Taylor
(Tim Allen) causing his share of goof-ups and mishaps and leaving his
long-suffering wife, Jill, family and friends to mop up the mess.  Tim
Taylor is your everyday DIY-loving husband but with a difference, he
has his own cable show and ain't that good at DIY."
From http://library.digiguide.com/lib/programme/9053


That 70s Show (1998)  The parents of Eric, Red and Kitty Forman, are
wacky yet they have a solid marriage.  "..Kitty is loveable, Red...
not so much. He's very strict and comes across as a big grump most of
the time. Red (played by Kurtwood Smith) is sure to use his favorite
word "dumb-ass" at least five times an episode and it's usually
because of Eric."
From http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p654.htm


Also, Rhoda (1974) marrried her boyfriend, Joe, in the first season. 
That show dealt with numerous problems in marriage and is mentioned in
Pink's "Firsts" list.  And That Girl (1966), starring Marlo Thomas (a
personal favorite show of mine) and I think she was the first TV woman
to eschew marriage in favor of a career.  Pink also mentioned "He and
She" which was a stellar show but too sophisticated for most viewers
at the time.  Also, on Columbo, the wife was never seen but Peter falk
played the "single" character so well that one could imagine his
loving wife and the great releationship they shared.

I'm continuing the searches and will post more information later.

Ooops, my computer crashed as I tried to send this comment. Here we go
again.
What a wonderful group effort, Voila & Journalist!  Thank you so much
-- this is so exciting. . . I feel like I'm WATCHING a show on
marriage LIVE on my screen!

OK, I know you're leaping ahead, but if you read this before you go
further, it will help.  Please keep your eye on the BULLSEYE: 
MARRIAGE.

"The Nanny" and "That Girl" feel too off-base.  I don't have enough
time in my piece to throw to shows where the leads are single.  Or get
married in the last few episodes.   I only wish we could make a
DOCUMENTARY with all the great stuff you all have provided, but this
is for a 7-minute segment of a 22-minute program.  I DO like the part
you've found about the '90s shows had more singles than marrieds. . .
this helps with the overview.

But use this guideline:  when you hear the name of the show, ask
yourself if MARRIAGE comes to mind first.  "Family" will go along with
that, but the marriage has to be the focus.  When you think "Nanny" or
"Friends" or "That Girl," marriage isn't the first thought that comes
to mind.
"Wonder Years," is another show, for example, will not count.  Even
though there is a married couple, it is told from the viewpoint of the
KID.   And that's what you think of first.

Again -- everyone, you are so generous, I'm really touched. . .but
please, relax and don't feel obliged to hurry AT ALL!!!  Yes, this was
a rush project for Pink when I posted the question last week. . .but
as of about 1 hour ago -- all that has changed!  I was given some some
breathing room.  So everyone else, feel free to take it, too!

Three more 1990s and one 1989:

King of the Hill (1997) FOX - A great animated marriage between Hank
and Peggy Hill, simple yet supportive parents.  They were both fairly
insecure about themselves yet would always manage to overcome personal
problems and learn from their experience.

Dave's World (1993) CBS - "...based on Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist
Dave Barry's syndicated columns. Dave is a child of the '60s trying to
survive in the '90s, confronting the absurdities of life -- as
husband, father and semi-responsible citizen. He muddles through with
the help of his wife, Beth, who's weary of being the responsible
one..."
From http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-1561/

Family Matters (1989) ABC "Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow
(the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts.
Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable
father to three kids: Eddie Winslow, the rebel son; Laura Winslow, the
smart-ass daughter; and cute little Judy Winslow."
From http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-474/

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) CBS - The show began with her as
single and then she finally married long-time love interest, Sully.
"In the later years, the show focused on Dr. Mike and Sully (Joe
Lando) who got married and had a daughter towards the end of the shows
successful run."
From http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-782/

********

Regarding "I Love Lucy," that is definitely Pink's domain.  While I
watched the show frequently, I feel Pink is your person on this one. 
I also notice that I neglected to give you the studios responsible for
the shows in my first posting.  Here they are:

Millennium (1996) FOX
The Nanny (1996) CBS
Home Improvement (1991) ABC
That 70s Show (1998) FOX

*****************

Other marriages I enjoyed:

The Addams Family (1964) ABC
The Munsters (1964)  CBS

**********

All In The Family (1971) CBS - A show that dealt with two marriages in
the same home.  "The series centered around the Bunker family who
lived a home located at 704 Houser Street in Queens, New York. Archie
Bunker was the main character, and what a character he was. He was
televisons most famous bigot, crass and down right rude. Yet he was
loveable, with a soft side just beneath the surface. Edith Bunker was
his somewhat dizzy wife whom he called "Dingbat". Edith put up with
Archie and had qualities about her that made her one of television's
most unforgetable characters. Also living in the Bunker household,
where Archie and Edith's daughter, Gloria and her husband Mike,
"Meathead" as Archie calls him.

"The stories revolved around many controversial topics including,
rape, homosexuality, death, and other topics that were relevant to the
1970's, especially political strife and inflation. Archie Bunker was
probably the first character in a situation comedy to use racist
remarks referring to blacks, homosexuals and Mexicans. Yet another
first for television."
From http://www.tvtome.com/AllintheFamily/

**********

I'll let Pink know I've posted this info.  Though not nearly as
eloquently presented as Pink's missive, I hope that the information
I've provided is of assistance to you.  Should you have any
instructions for me, please post them here in the comments and I'll be
happy to do further research.

Thanks for the bull's eye reminder, Cryptica.  :)  Also, I'm happy for
the breathing room as I know Pink wants to assist you as much as she
can.  I've found a huge list of TV shows and am currently reviewing it
for more possibilities.  I'll add as I discover pertainent marriage
info.

Yes, yes, Journalist, breathe!  Let's all do online Pilates together
or downward facing dog or something to hold off the stress.

Your giant list of shows:  be careful.  I don't want you to do all
that typing for naught.  Again, I must remind you that I'm looking for
IMPORTANT, SEMINAL SHOWS.  You're starting to give me QUANTITY.  I
need QUALITY.  "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman", no.  "Dave's World, no." 
These are not important shows.
I'm not looking for every show that had a marriage --only shows that
set the standard, broke new ground, raised the bar, propelled us
forward .... that last batch, with the exception of "All in the
Family" does not stand up in the er... "pantheon" of TV marriages.  I
hope I'm not being a meanie, Journalist -- tell me if I am, since
misunderstandings can abound when all we have to go by is typing and
not inflections and tone, etc.  And especially since you're so kind to
jump in and help Pink.

But please.  Start reading from my very first postway up at the top-
and follow the thread downward.  I'm very SPECIFIC about what I'm
looking for and you've got better things to do than make unnecessary
work for yourself!

Oh!  You terrible meanie!  lol  Now that I think about it, the quality
of my own marriage during the 90s was eons off groundbreaking. 
Perhaps that's why I recalled only less memorable examples.  The 90s
seemed so oriented towards the single person.  Maybe Dharma and Greg,
that's about the only one I can think of.

Dharma and Greg (1997) ABC - Two completely different people, with
polar opposite families, get married.  Hippies meet Yacht Club. 
Dharma meets Dogma.

Dharma meets Dogma. Great line.  OK, here's one for you: since you
mentioned your marriage, if it were a sitcom -- or dramedy -- what
would be the title?

Dear pinkfreud,

I hope you're feeling much better soon, for you're not only an
absolutely brilliant researcher, but you're an extremely nice lady,
too.

Lucille Ball was certainly a first class actress. I remember watching
the reruns of I Love Lucy back in the 70s when I was a child. As I
recall, my sisters often played their funky hippy music while I
watched the show. lol

"...since you mentioned your marriage, if it were a sitcom -- or
dramedy -- what
would be the title?"

Surviving Bubba

A dramedy about a city girl who becomes infatuated with a country boy
and marries him before she discovers that his favorite authors appear
only in Sports Illustrated.  In Ep 1, we hear him say, "But has
Dominick Dunne ever played for the Dolphins??  Nuh uh."

Follow the never-ending string of her repeated social mishaps as, each
week, she attempts to "fit in" with the locals and always winds up
being laughed at for not knowing how to can or bake.  In Ep 2, she
makes a stunning Sashimi feast for her in-laws and is crushed when her
mother-in-law states, "Honey, I think you forgot to cook this. 
Where's your Crisco?"

The last ep will be titled "Bye Bye Bubba."

Now THAT'S a show I'd watch! Get this girl a development deal!

What?  No mention of my favorite TV show of all time, with
one of the greatest TV couples of all time as well?

Of course, I am speaking of "Green Acres" ...

http://www.teenink.com/Past/1989/271.html
"'Green Acres' originally ran on CBS-TV from 1965 to 1971.
Eddie Albert plays Oliver and Eva Gabor, sister of Zsa Zsa,
plays a fantastically dizzy Lisa."

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/G/htmlG/greenacres/greenacres.htm
"... Green Acres stands proudly as the furthest point on
the envelope of television's psychedelic era."

A sequence of "Oliver" yelling "Lisa!" would say it all.


Looking Forward, denco-ga

Hi, Mary Jo!

(I'm still waiting for those pictures of the fireplace!!!)

Other than the various incarnations of Star Trek, I've never been a
huge TV watcher, but one show I did watch whenever it aired was
"McMillan & Wife", on of the rotating shows on the NBC Mystery Movie,
which aired from 1971 to 1977 (although the "wife" was not present
during the last season) featuring San Francisco Police Commissioner
Stewart McMillan (Rock Hudson) and his wife Sally (Susan Saint James).

"...Sally, was a free spirit whose dilettantism consistently landed
her in danger and/or at the center of her husband's caseload... Though
City locations are used liberally, the real action in the series takes
place in the McMillan bedroom. The scripts were heavily laced with
sassy dialogue, sexual innuendo, and pillow talk. Puffy but studly,
Hudson was 21 years older than Saint James during the series."
http://www.mistersf.com/cinema/index.html?cinmcmillan.htm

That husband-and-wife detective duo was succeeded on ABC in 1979-1984
by the pairing of Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner), a self-made
millionaire, and his wife Jennifer (Stefanie Powers), a journalist.
According to Wagner he envisioned the series as having the same sort
of style as 'The Thin Man', starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Like McMillan and Wife, the couple's relationship involved sassy
repartee and dangerous action, sexual innuendo, and pillow talk.

Both of these shows were dramas, with at times extensive comedic
elements.

Hope this is a help to you!

Regards,

ace

Cryptica,

Many thanks for the five-star rating! This has been a unique
experience. It's very exciting to have been involved in the
development of a creative project like this one. I can't speak for my
colleagues who helped on this, but I feel a little bit pregnant! :-D

I have asked the Google Answers Editors regarding your request for a
phone contact. Their answer was that they prefer being contacted by
email at this address:

answers-editors@google.com

~Pink

OK, I'll write the M.O.'s  (Mysterious Ones.)

Yes, this was sooo much fun to work with you all on.  And the Lucy
stuff is all part of the mix, as well as Tutuzdad's previous research
on celebrity marriages.
A true group effort.   

The only bad news.  If I actually license photos or footage from all
the shows we selected, I'm told it will cost over $20,000!   And in
some instances, not only do we pay the network or production company a
fee, we also have to get permission from each celeb in the photo.  
Only on some of them -- but can you imagine getting permissions for a
photo of say, THE BRADY BUNCH?
It would take a lifetime!

Regarding the licensing of likenesses, what about using celebrity
impersonators instead of the real thing? I know there are a whole
passel of Lucy lookalikes out there somewhere, because I saw 'em in
the movie "Rat Race." :-D

Maybe you could even get a mock celeb to introduce each segment of the
show?

(I am totally out of my league here, so if this is legally laughable,
please forgive.)

Your idea might work if this were for a comedy show, but remember,
we have a higher purpose on this one.  (I confess management has 
yet to inform me as to what that higher purpose IS, but I know we 
have one!)

I take extreme issue with your painting The Dick Van Dyke Show as
typical 50's fare essentially.  Evidence?  Without taking time to go
through all the episodes, in many many instances, Rob Petrie winds up
being *wrong* about the disagreement or issue between Laura and
himself in a given episode.  In fact, I will say they were the first
Husband and Wife on TV whose relationship wasn't essentially a
superior / subordinate in nature, but instead related to each other as
very affectionate *equals*.   The "Oh Rob" was often said as much
*questioning* Rob as head of household as in the mode of young
subservient wife.  The DVDS was the first, in my mind, show of its
kind where the nature of the couples' relationship wasn't
fundamentally an adversarial one!

Hi cryptica-ga, 
 
Thank you for your Request for Answer clarification on 21 May 2003. 
We wanted to let you know that we sent you emails on 4/25 and 5/7 to
the address you used to correspond with us.  On 5/21 we sent you
another message to all email addresses we have on file for you.
 
Thank you, 
 
The Editors