Shangri-La Plaza

I remember this pilot. There was something odd about a half hour musical set in a mini mall. The set was a sick little place that still exists to this day. It is at the corner of Vineland and Burbank Blvd. The trivia section says this only aired once but I do recall seeing the pilot sometime later on CBS very late at night. It was an odd time for TV. CBS was, at that time, renewing TV series not on Season contracts but six month commitments. I'm almost happy this didn't get picked up because it would have been a true struggle between the creators and network. I hope Nick decides to revise it as a cable series. It could actually work this time around.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see I'm not the only one who remembers this fun half-hour pilot from over 15 years ago! Filled with kitsch sets and bright colors, the plot is as follows: When her deadbeat ex-husband dies, Amy and her young daughter Jenny inherit a coffee/donut shop at the local mall, next to a garage run by two mechanics, the Bondo Brothers. The two brothers, sensitive George & player Ira, both fall instantly in love with Amy. Amy plans to sell the shop and move to France, but is thwarted when she discovers the shop is heavily in debt. Faced with no choice but to stay for the time being, she begins working.

The musical numbers were nearly all memorable, and range from the kitschy ("Donut Hole") to one really beautiful ballad ("Don't Tell Me I Can Really Care"). Terrence Mann and Savion Glover (as a rapper on crutches) are major Broadway stars (and the other three leads clearly could have been...Melora Hardin and Carmen Lundy are singer/actresses....Jeff Yagher is just an actor with a great voice), and the songs are done with style and by someone who truly loves musical comedy.

I taped this pilot by accident in 1990 and my sister and I watch it every few years for fun (it's in terrible condition, but you can still hear the songs). Not sure if they could have sustained the energy for an entire series, but it could have been fun to watch the game cast give it a try.