On Our Own

You can tell from the posts on this page that On Our Own was not a big hit. But, the audience for this show would be phenomenally large for any show today. I watched a few episodes but millions of others must have, too. I looked and acted a lot like Lynne Greene. Everywhere I went, parties, discos, total strangers told me I looked and acted like this actress (who was an inch taller and ten pounds thinner than me.) Even my family, living 1,500 miles away, called me long distance telling me to turn on the TV to watch my double. Not just because I look like her, I thought the character was a good one, really funny. In the second season, the characters were no longer roommates. One night, the Bess Armstrong character got sick. Being out of town and young, she did not have a doctor in NYC, so she called Maria, the New Yorker. Of course, Maria had the phone number of a cousin who was a doctor. When reading the number to Bess, she began, "Area code...." Back then, that meant long distance! What a trip.

The front of my house and even my current apartment were used in the opening credits. One of the characters opens a window and leans out holding a cup of coffee. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I'd love one episode of this to show my husband and child.

It was filmed very quickly in the mid 1970's. I don't think they were here more than two days, it may have only been one day. I just remember being really excited that our building was going to be on TV.

Because of the house I would faithfully watch it each week. Although as an eleven year old I don't think I was quite the target audience and I found it a bit boring.

This same apartment was in the running to be in Spike Lee's Malcolm X. The key selling point to the apartment at that time was that it has bay windows and you could see the living room from the kitchen--it was supposed to be the Boston girlfriend's apartment. We didn't make that one.

Found this page by accident and have a vague memory of the show. - mainly that I watched it a couple of times and couldn't figure out why it was on. Scripts were rehashings, dialogue was cliched; just boring. None of the characters or actors were memorable (never was a fan of Carter- what an overactor!).

It's telling that about half the posters here remember it fondly because they had some attachment to it ( my house.... I saw it filmed....... I was on it...etc. ). Forgotten, as it should be.

An attempt at creating another "Laverne and Shirley," "On Our Own" also featured the pairing of a cute perky Shirley-type (Julia) and a not-so-cute street-wise Laverne-type (Maria). The best thing about this series was the discovery of Bess Armstrong as Julia. She was very cute in this series which otherwise was a snooze-fest. Not a terrible show, just nothing to distinguish it from any other sitcom.

Back in 1977 (when I was 15) I loved 'On Our Own'. Maybe it was because it was filmed in NY and I got to see it taped live twice...but honestly, I loved the characters. Bess Armstrong & Lynnie Green were a great team. Some may compare them to Laverne And Shirley, but these were two very different characters. In addition, Dixie Carter was hysterical with her drawling delivery as well. Her comedic timing was impeccable. As an actor I would be honored to work with anyone involved with that show. It was a fun show and I missed it after the one season. There is always so much 'trash' on the air, yet sometimes the good one's get away. Larry