Bosom Buddies

This show, along with Three's Company and Happy Days, always bring back a great sense of nostalgia for me. It was a simpler time and while the shows back then could be a bit misogynistic, they were still fun. Bosom Buddies was one of those shows where it was fluff, but the actors were so adorable, you just couldn't help but like it.

Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari had great chemistry. You could tell they really liked each other and made believable best friends. The late Wendi Jo Sperber always played the high energy best friend who was reliable and good for a laugh. Her passing was a sad day as she had a lot of fun characters on her resume (Bachelor Party and Back to the Future). The lovely Donna Dixon as Sonny made my 14-year old self stand up and take notice of the attraction of a woman. I used to love Tony Orlando and Dawn back then and seeing Telma Hopkin in one of her first roles was a treat. She was great in Gimme a Break and Family Matters. Holland Taylor has made a career out of playing the tough, but lovable female guru (Romancing the Stone, Two and a Half Men, etc). All these actors were still relatively unknowns, but would go on to better, if not bigger, things in later years.

The gag ran out of steam after the first season, but it was still a ton of fun to watch. The way Kip used to snidely say Sonny's name over and over when he was trying to put something over on her, is something I still do today to people's names that end in the letter Y.

Graphics artist Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and writer Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) are best friends who work in an advertising agency in NYC. Ruth Dunbar (Holland Taylor) is their boss and Amy Cassidy (Wendie Jo Sperber) is the receptionist. Amy is desperately in love with Henry. When the boys lose their apartment to the wrecking ball, they find a place with Amy's help in her ladies-only Susan B. Anthony Hotel. Kip falls head over heels for Amy's roommate Sonny Lumet (Donna Dixon). The boys have to cross-dress as their fake sisters Buffy and Hildagar. In the second season, Kip reveals their secret identities to Ruth, Sonny and Isabelle Hammond (Telma Hopkins) who becomes the new manger of the hotel. The boys buy their own video production agency "60 Seconds Street" with Amy and help from Ruth.

The gimmick allows the boys to cross-dress but it doesn't take full advantage of its comic potential. Hanks and Scolari have great chemistry. Wendie Jo Sperber is great fun as a third wheel option. Donna Dixon is gorgeous and charming. Her character is great in the first season but diminishes without the chase in the second season. Telma Hopkins doesn't get much interesting material and Holland Taylor is a good boss character. I think revealing their secret to each character could be great fun. Doing it all at the same time takes away some comedic possibilities. Isabelle should have uncovered the ruse early on. Sonny could have discovered it at the end of the first season as a cliffhanger. I like The Reunion and its after-school special message. Most of this show's best stuff comes from the fun duo's great chemistry.

This film was about two guys who lived in a dive that ended up being condemned. The place's rent was dirt cheap and they apparently have a hard time finding something in its price range until they stumble upon an all female building and you guessed it, they dress like girls to move in and take advantage of its low rent. And as you can tell by my description it was a premise that could only go so far which is why the show only lasted 37 episodes and would likely be all but forgotten if not for the fact this show starred a young Tom Hanks before movie stardom. This is not to say it was a bad show, it was funny enough in parts, but it was just not built to last a very long time. The two guys dressing like girls worked for a few episodes, but you can only have so many episodes of everything built around the same joke. Near the end they had fewer episodes that did revolve around this and one of my favorite episodes had the two friends trapped in a cabin during a snow storm and they begin fighting over some creamer in the fridge, both fearing dehydration before foolishly realizing that they could melt the snow and have all the water they needed. Tom Hanks is good in this one and of course would become the mega star. Peter Scolari starred as the other friend and he would later go on to be a costar in the Bob Newhart show "Newhart" and appear in a few other television shows so while not having the same success he had a rather good run as well.

As a 14 year old boy, sitting in the studio audience of this show on quite a few occasions, many of my earliest Hollywood memories are wrapped around this show. The premise of the show was simple sure enough, but the lead actors really made it come to life. The moments before and after each taping were really memorable. Peter Scolari would always come out to the audience and hang out with us and chat. Sometimes juggle! He was a real sweetheart. Watching the show now brings it all back. How about a Bosom Buddies reunion show? I suppose Tom Hanks probably would like to pretend that the show never happened. Thankfully, the show is preserved on film forever.

This is where Tom Hanks' climb got started.

Two men dress in drag so they can stay at an all women's hotel. Why? Their hotel was demolished, while they were in it.

The drag angle gave this a boatload of sight gags to work with. Like when they were wearing wigs, bras, and shaving cream and singing 'Macho Man.' Hanks and Scolari made a GREAT duo. These two worked off each other perfectly.

The late Wendi Jo Sperber and Thelma Hopkins provided great comedy on their own too. Sperber was better than she ever got credit for.

Holland Taylor made a great foil for the humor. However, you almost wanted to like her.

Donna Dixon was the looks. She was beautiful, and still is. I only wish her acting was better. But then, she still did well.

This is one of those shows you wish lasted longer.