Friends

This was a very cute kids comedy/drama that I'm surprised it isn't mentioned much. This show was about three kids from different backgrounds and how we get to see the world through their eyes. Also, this show is interesting due to the fact that immediately following this show Jill Whelan would go on to a lengthy run playing Vicki Stubing on "The Love Boat". This show had a good concept and its just too bad that it couldn't find an audience.

I'm not crazy. This show really did exist. I remember watching it while I was at my grandmother's house in Florida. I was ten. I remember liking the show so much that I never really forgot it. How could you say that about any show you saw when you were ten? There are the classics like Incredible Hulk or even White Shadow or Greatest American Hero, but here was a show on NBC, with stories about kids my age. When NBC put Friends on the air years later, I always remembered this show, that still is in the back of my mind. I had no idea it was on just for two months. I remembered it disappeared, but it was a good memory from my childhood. It would be nice if they put it on DVD so we could relive those five episodes, that I remembered liking.

I remember this show too and I was around 12 or 13 when it came out. I was barely in high school. Not into boys yet either but the one thing I know I remembered was the "Love Boat" girl was on it. It was such a cute show and although I can't remember the episodes too well, I do remember the title and that 3 kids were hanging out together. I think this came out right after the "James at 15" series. The 70s had such great kid's shows especially the "ABC Afterschool Specials". Another thing is they had great kid's shows on the weekends like "Banana Splits" and "H.R. PuffNStuff". Too bad they don't make kid's shows the way they used to. They are not as innocent and family friendly. Totally retro, loved it!

The three friends were a white girl, a white boy, and a black boy, not the most common grouping at the time. I remember a particularly poignant episode where the white boy has lied to his athletic father, claiming to be the star pitcher on his little league team. The old man will never know - he works 6 days a week running his dry cleaning business. Then the dad announces he will make a major sacrifice and take Saturday off just to see the kid play. Horrified, the boy seeks advice from his older sister:

Sister: Just tell him. You can talk to your father. He's not going to hit you.

Boy (with a whine that makes it clear how much worse this is): He'll LOOK at me!

I remember this show. I was six when it came out and it was the first show I always looked forward to watching weekly. Probably drove my folks nuts asking when it was coming on the tube again. I remember three kids being friends and one of them being black. I also remember an episode where Jill Whelan's character was in the hospital. Can't remember why though. Unfortunately, it was canceled after only a few episodes. Only back in 1979 I didn't understand what "canceled" meant. I remember waiting for it to come back on and my parents not giving me a logical explanation why it didn't. What disappointment. Especially with my strange crush in Jill Whelan. It's funny now looking at the history of the show, only running from Feb 1979 through April 1979. As a six year old it seemed to me that that show was on forever. Anyways, I always wondered what happened with this show. Now I can sleep easier at night!