Open All Night

Amazing! 35+ years later, I remember something from such an obscure show.

Gordon is complaining that Susan's neer-do-well ex is back on the scene, and that he'll never change from being a jerk.

Bubba Smith says with perfect dryness:

"People do change. Look at me - 15 years ago, I was a little white man from Switzerland!"

I, too, was randomly inspired to look this show up just now. I was 12 when it aired, so I don't know how I'd react to it now, but most of the shows I liked back then have held up reasonably well -- and I'm a pretty harsh critic.

I recall the show as being absolutely hilarious in an oddball way that -- whatever the actual quality of the execution -- was ahead of its time. My best friend and I (who have long thought we were the only people in America who actually watched it) were quite disappointed, if not surprised, when the show was canceled, and have been lamenting its passing -- and quoting it -- ever since.

I'm also interested to note that it starred George Dzundza, an obscure but brilliant actor best known for his powerful work in The Deer Hunter and as the first-season lead on Law and Order. I hadn't made that connection.

I must check YouTube to see if anyone has been kind enough to preserve some remnant of the series.

This one just goes to prove that the TV moguls know nothing about what is good. They had a great cast here, and the writers consistently churned out good, laugh-filled scripts. I loved the one where the store was robbed and the Son was locked in the freezer. Dad asked what he did while the store was being robbed and he replied "Well, uh, I ate a roast of beef!"...well maybe you had to be there. This was one of the best, too bad no one watched it, but it ran opposite that great series "The Dukes of Hazzard" and who could pass up that kind of drama?

I remember watching it watching it from the start, I was not a Dukes fan and I didn't exactly care for what was on NBC at the time, either, and in 81 the PBS stations were usually world news programs running opposite it. I watched the first episode and thought, "What a fricken cool theme song!" it was very much like boogie woogie bugle boy, I wish I could download a copy of it off iTunes. It is sad that it was short run. I enjoyed it with my dad, in turn we later watched Open All Hours, and laughed our arses off at the Nurse Gladys Emanual innuendos and other running gags in it, also. That, too, was a good program. I am half hoping that the whole has not been destroyed as some failed programs are. I would like, very much, to own the series on DVD. A friend of mine likes to watch Married With Children, Keeping Up, Are You Being Served, Sanford and Son, I know he would like BOTH coasts' versions of this TV show. The odd part is, with it being on for 4 months in America they almost made more episodes than the original BBC which ran, off and on for 5 years, and they had made only 30 episodes. English broadcast was odd. I think they have adopted the American shooting schedule of one episode for each week, for up to and including 28 to 32 weeks, depending on writing, contracts, ideas with scripts, tempers of the divas, etc....

This was one of those 'summer filler' shows that networks used to use when it really wanted to dump a series by eliminating reruns.

It was stupid. It was stupid in a funny way. It was not slapstick, it was not sight gags, it was not skit/ensemble comedy.

The Feesters lived in the flat above their "364 Store", which is essentially a 7-11. The son, Terry, was from his wife Susan's first marriage, and the father, Gordon, was stuck with him. Terry was every 'failed to launch' post-college hanger-on you've ever known, who refused to leave the nest, with a mother who would kill to keep him tied to her apron strings.

Gordon just wanted to make a living. He and his sole employee, Robin, were the only sane people in the store, and Gordon wasn't too sure about him...

Scenes to remember: The son being released from the freezer unit, describing how he survived the imprisonment by digesting a frozen 10-pound roast...whole.

The orange chutney episode...and the consequences.

The lawsuit, one with a closing argument consisting of a saxophone solo.

The snakes...and just where _were_ they?

The show would never change the world, cure cancer or cause the planets to align into the Answer Of The Secrets of the Universe...

But it is simply entertainment, and probably would have lasted a full two seasons were it not for network executive stupidity.

I doubt it will ever make it to DVD, and my VHS tape of all episodes was lost in a nasty break-up...but as much as my memories playing in my head may seem a lot more funny than if you watched it, I think you will find out that this is not a "funny" that fits the mainstream definition.

It was a good summer, and one with fond and funny memories from a show that didn't fit into some studio exec's idea of "sitcom".

If you know anyone with a set or copies, catch at least two episodes, and if you can catch what I mean about it not being a 'normal' comedy program.