Week of April 30: The Long Reach of "Bosom Buddies"

It limped through two seasons and 37 episodes. In this corner, at least, the program was silly and juvenile. The best thing about it was its use of the Billy Joel hit song "My Life" (though not sung by Joel).

But "Bosom Buddies," which ABC featured from 1980-82, has a long reach.

To recall: The program was "Some Like It Hot" meets semi-real life. Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond needed to find a place to live that was affordable. The only place they could find was a building for women only. Voila! Kip and Henry got women's clothing and became Buffy and Hildegarde.

The series was produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, who went on to much greater success with other ABC sitcoms, including "Full House," "Perfect Strangers" and "Family Matters."

Peter Scolari, who played Henry/Hildegarde, later co-starred on "Newhart" and received three Emmy nominations as Michael Harris, the stuffy boyfriend of the equally snooty Stephanie Vanderkellen, played by Julia Duffy.

Then there's the guy who played Kip/Buffy. Some fellow named Hanks.......I certainly wouldn't have predicted stardom for him based on that show.

But he impressed a few people, including "Happy Days" star and budding director Ron Howard, who cast Hanks in a mermaid film called "Splash." You know the rest.

And Tom Hanks is the primary reason "Bosom Buddies" has received a second look....and honors at last week's TV Land Awards.

Go figure.

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of April 23: Best Television Theme Songs

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences plans to remove the category of Main Title Theme Music from the Emmy Awards. Let's face it, there's not a lot of theme music to be judged these days - in quantity, quality or length.

So here's an ode to Rabbit Ears' best odes in television history:

10. The Beverly Hillbillies: "Come listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed....." Paul Henning, who created the show, wrote "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs backed singer Jerry Scoggins. Y'all come back now, y'hear?

9. Peter Gunn: Henry Mancini wrote the theme, which is remembered far more than the series. The young piano player who performed those opening notes - John Williams - would later go on to his own greatness.

8. All In the Family: The simplicity of Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton, as Archie and Edith Bunker, singing "Those Were the Days" by Charles Stouse and Lee Adams won those days - especially when Edith hit that high note.

7. Cheers: Gary Portnoy sang the song he co-wrote with Judy Hart Angelo, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name." The title drawings were an elegant match with the song.

6. The Brady Bunch: Another fine story song, written by series creator Sherwood Schwartz. Frankly, it was the most tolerable thing the Bradys ever sang.

5. The Addams Family: Vic Mizzy, who wrote the music to "Green Acres" and many other series, wrote this show's catchy theme song. Snap, snap.

4. Gilligan's Island: Probably the best of the story theme songs, written again by Sherwood Schwartz with George Wyle. Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.....

3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Who can turn the world on with her smile? Writer and singer Sonny Curtis showed us that "Love Is All Around" in a great merger of lead character, scenes, music and lyrics. Mary's joyous hat throw is the exclamation point.

2. Hawaii Five-O: Morton Stevens' song combined with Reza Badiyi's combination of images (including Jack Lord on that Ilikai porch) to show Hawaii as it had never been shown before.

1. Mission: Impossible: Lalo Schifrin, quite simply, has written the best television theme song ever. Perfect display of the show's action and mystery.

Anyone out there have their choices for top theme songs?

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of April 16: The Best of Julia Sugarbaker

In tribute to Dixie Carter, here is the "Designing Women" scene that truly represents the best of Julia Sugarbaker. It came in the episode "Killing All the Right People," whose title came from this scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCR-5XnHyyE

Rest in peace, Ms. Carter.

Week of April 9: The Other Carol Burnett Shows (Including The Garry Moore Show)

Carol Burnett has published a new book, "This Time Together." Much of it is about her extraordinary television career.

The crowning achievement, of course, was "The Carol Burnett Show," which came into our homes via CBS at 10 p.m. on Saturday nights from 1967-78. Burnett has also had a rich television presence in variety series and specials beyond that.

Burnett speaks fondly of "The Garry Moore Show," which aired on CBS 1958-64. She was a member of the cast from 1959-62 and won an Emmy during her last season. At about 3 minutes into this clip, there is a great sketch spoofing game shows featuring Burnett, Moore, George Gobel and Marion Lorne (who would memorably go on to play Aunt Clara on "Bewitched"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxNith1q4Nc

Burnett would win another Emmy in 1963 for the first of three specials she's done with good friend Julie Andrews. Here's the intro to their second special, in 1971:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7nn9t952Do

During the run of her variety series, Burnett also made time for a CBS special with another good friend, legendary soprano Beverly Sills. "Sills and Burnett at the Met" got plenty of raves and laughs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evnf7T-nIPI

She also had another variety series, this one for NBC in 1990-91, called "Carol & Company." The young cast she worked with included Jeremy Piven ("Entourage"), Peter Krause ("SportsNight," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Parenthood") and Richard Kind, who later co-starred in NBC's "Mad About You," in which Burnett played the mother of Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt).

While variety is her forte, Burnett has also guest-starred on plenty of comedy and dramatic series, including "The Lucy Show," "Magnum, P.I." and her favorite soap opera, "All My Children," which also has another famous fan/guest star:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSJGBYvm_Es

We say "So Long" to this tribute by going back to the centerpiece, from the end of the 1969-70 season, which features the full version of the song that inspired the book title - "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgbYZ3F4DjM&feature=related

So are we, Carol. So are we.

"This Time Together" is on sale online and at bookstores.

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Reluctantly, we say goodbye to another television icon: John Forsythe.

Obviously, most tributes mentioned his work on "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty," but he had another hit: "Bachelor Father," from 1957-62. Forsythe played Bentley Gregg, who raised his niece, Kelly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_1A5Dzukc

Some trivia: Linda Evans, who would be Forsythe's co-star on "Dynasty," also guest-starred on "Bachelor Father," which hopped through all three main networks during its run.

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See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!