100 Blogs!! Forgive the self-congratulations, but I just can’t
believe I have written 100 blogs on here since last August! Ok, sure some of
them kind of sucked but that’s cool. I
hope that you have enjoyed reading them half as much as I have enjoyed writing
them.
To celebrate, I am going to do something a little different
this week. Going to have a theme week! I give you, production week!
Now, I know how it sounds but keep reading anyway. Of course
all movies and TV shows have producers, and sometimes producers will
collaborate and form production companies which are responsible for making sure
there is money for the project, overseeing the production, and making sure that
it will actually air. If done correctly the company will crank out several
shows under the same umbrella. This is especially true for sitcoms. All week I am going to pick out one of the
more famous production teams and discuss the programs that they produced. Those
not in the know may be surprised to find out how many classic shows one company
produced. Those who do know this, well, just sit back and enjoy a little trip
down memory lane. Today I am starting with one of my favorites. Miller/Boyett
Productions!
I love them so much I made my own fans boy tribute video for
them. Alas, I can’t seem to find a way to get it on here. It was on YouTube
until they made me remove it.
Alright, at the risk of boring everyone to death let me
explain that this company originated in 1974 when it was called Miller-Milkis
Productions. Thomas L Miller and Edward K Milkis founded the company, and in
1980 they were joined by Robert Boyett. When Milkis resigned, the company
formally became Miller/Boyett five years later.
Enough history. I promise the rest of this article will be
more opinion. Now, let’s talk about the shows that spawned from this production
company. When the company was known as Miller-Milkis, it’s most famous show was
a little program called:
Happy Days
I have said lots of stuff about Happy Days. It’s one of
those shows you love and hate at the same time. I think what saves it is the actors
in it. It was probably hard to believe when the show first premiered, but now
the cast roster is a very respectful list. Ron Howard and Anson Williams are
established directors, Henry Winkler is a director and a respected actor, Tom
Bosley, Marion Ross, Scott Baio….well, ok that’s a bad example. This show was
corny, it was silly….and I still watch it every so often. Although it was on
for eleven years I will never understand!
Well, of course if they did Happy Days you know they had to
produce this one;
This
spin-off starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams was
really good, although I have likewise never been a loyal fan. It was
also on a
year or two too long. It did have a great supporting cast, especially
Micheal McKean and David Landers as Lenny and Squiggy. I will be talking
more about them down the line. This show a little more realisitic than
Happy Days, the girls struggled with a crappy job at a brewery while
trying to find mr.right. The big thing about this show was the physical
comedy. There was tons of it in the show, almost all done by Penny
Marshall and Cindy Willians themselves. It seems like that was the trend
with this co, their shows were either warm family shows or broad
physical comedies like another show we will discuss in a minute. All in
all, it was funny and well done. I just wish they hadn't move to
California!
Here are some other shows that Miller-Milkis produced:
Mork & Mindy, Angie, Blansky’s Beauties, Out of the Blue.
Later on after Boyett joined the company they produced Joanie Loves Chachi, and
a little show called Bosom Buddies which starred a relatively unknown actor
named Tom Hanks. One of the things I love about Tom Hanks is that rather than
be embarrassed by that show, he embraces it and enjoys the fact that one of the
greatest actors today appeared in such a silly, silly sitcom.
After Milkis resigned the company became known as
Miller/Boyett officially. Then they started coming out with the most unique
series of family comedies ever. I loved these shows; I think I was just about
the right age when they came on. They were ABC staples (except one, and
actually pretty much every show they produced appeared on ABC), and these shows
made TGIF what it was in the 90’s. One of the cool things about these shows is
the openings. They all had unique, original songs which you don’t hear on TV
anymore (or, really, back then) along with a corny opening featuring scenes of
the characters doing various things (usually around the city the show was set
in) mixed with shots of the characters smiling at the camera while their name
appears. These openings kind of became a trademark for these shows, and have
often been made fun of by others.
First, let’s talk about the one show that did not appear on
ABC Friday night, instead it appeared on NBC Monday night, right after Alf.
The Hogan Family.
This is a little show with a lot of controversy.
After Valerie
Harper left the show in a contract dispute, Sandy Duncan took her place.
To
tell the truth, I always enjoyed the Sandy Duncan episodes better. This
show
has kind of been forgotten over the years (though anyone who saw the
episode
with Willie’s zombie nightmare sure hasn’t forgotten it). This show has a
very
special place in my childhood memory, the explanation of why I will not
bore
you with. The real amazing thing is that I love this show even though
Jason
Bateman is in it. Man I hate him today. I am thankful that I still have
episodes of this show recorded on tape, since I doubt it will ever come
out on DVD.
Perfect Strangers.
This show was on Friday’s but ABC tended to bounce it around
the schedule. However, when TGIF started it was Perfect Strangers which led the
way (along with Mr.Belvedere, and Just The Ten of Us). Actually Mr.Belvedere
just missed out, but that is a subject for another article. I am getting off
track this article isn’t about TGIF.
Perfect Strangers was about Larry Appleton and his
cousin
Balki, who was from a distant country called Mepos. Basically every
episode the
two would get into some ridiculous situation, and have to find a way out
of it.
This show could be really funny, and while some episodes get a little
too silly
the really good shows were, well, really good. Through the course of the
series
Larry and Balki dated and married Jennifer and Mary Ann. Also Larry went
from working
a lousy job in a store to being a photo journalist for the Chicago
Chronicle. If
you liked broad physical comedy, this was the show for you. Jusrt like
Laverne and Shirley, almost every show involved some crazy stunt that
Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn Baker did themselves. This show kind of
faded away, and ABC burned off the last of the episodes during the
Summer of
1991.
Full House.
This was the other show that began TGIF, and I have talked
about this show a lot. Either you love it, or you hate it. I loved it. I freely
and openly admit it. This show was set in San Francisco and featured three guys
raising little three girls. What can I possibly say about this show that hasn’t
been said? Bob Saget, John Stamos and Dave Coulier were the stars. It also
featured Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen who were adorable in the beginning and kind
of whiny toward the end (when the show moved to Tuesday’s). Full House was also
produced in association with Jeff Franklin Production, which also gave us
Hangin w Mr.Cooper.
Family Matters
If Full House and Perfect Strangers created TGIF, Family
Matters turned it into a hit. Well, to be more accurate Steve Urkel turned it
into a hit. This show was a Perfect Strangers spin-off produced in association with
Bickley-Warren, a production company established in 1991 that was started and
run by William S. Bickley, Jr. and Michael Warren. They also had a hand in the
next program we will talk about. This show was supposed to simply be about a
middle class black family (sounds an awful lot like an NBC show I used to
watch), but Jaleel White came along and the show suddenly became a little more
than that. The truth is, if not for Urkel this show probably would have just
faded into obscurity because, really, it wasn’t that good. Steve Urkel was so
popular he appeared on Full House and Step By Step as well. I still remember my
first reaction to seeing Steve Urkel, which was I had never seen a better
example of a nerd on a TV show before. Anyway, Family Matters was a decent
enough program. The show got silly and stupid toward the end, but for awhile it
was a really decent comedy which also tackled serious subjects from time to
time.
Step By Step
What can I say about this little show? Basically a modernized
version of The Brady Bunch. Except here, the kids don’t exactly get along very
well. I will be honest; I was never what you would call a loyal fan of this
show. I have seen some episode and it was decent enough. This may be the only
thing Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers did that I actually liked. This show was
also saved by a breakthrough character, Cody played by Sasha Mitchell. As I
said I never watched it regularly so I really can’t comment. Also like Family
Matters, this show went on a little too long.
Of course they weren’t all gems. During their huge run in
the early to mid-90’s we also got Getting By, Going Places, On Our Own, and Two
of a Kind which would be the last show to be produced by this company. This
show was another vehicle for Mary Kate and Ashley, which didn’t last very long.
I find it funny that Hogan Family, Family Matters, and Step
By Step all ended their run on CBS. That was it for this production company,
but their legacy will last forever. The shows they produced are such a unique part
of TV history, and some are still on to this day on ABC Family and Nick @ Nite.
I mean, how can you forget characters like Fonzie, Balki, Michelle, or of
course Steve Urkel?
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