B. J. and the Bear
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| B. J. and the Bear | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Christopher Crowe Glen A. Larson |
| Directed by | Gil Bettman Bruce Bilson Daniel Haller Bruce Kessler Christian I. Nyby II Michael Preece Charles R. Rondeau |
| Starring | Greg Evigan Claude Akins |
| Theme music composer | Glen A. Larson |
| Composer(s) | William Broughton Stu Phillips |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 48 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Glen A. Larson Michael Sloan |
| Producer(s) | Lester Wm. Berke Joe Boston Richard Lindheim Robert F. O'Neill |
| Cinematography | Frank Beascoechea Charles Mills Frank Thackery |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Universal Television |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | February 10, 1979 – August 11, 1981 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo |
B.J. and the Bear is an American comedy series which aired on NBC from 1979 to 1981. Created by Christopher Crowe and Glen A. Larson, the series stars Greg Evigan and Claude Akins.
[edit] Plot
Greg Evigan stars as B.J. (Billie Joe) McKay, a professional freelance itinerant trucker who traveled the country's highways in a red and white Kenworth K-100 cab over semi truck with his pet chimpanzee, Bear (named after Bear Bryant, the famed football coach for Alabama, explaining the chimp's choice of headwear). He was constantly harassed by Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo (Claude Akins, who eventually spun off onto his own show, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo). Ben Cooper appeared in an episode of B.J. and the Bear and continued his "Waverly" character in The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.
In 1981, when the show returned from hiatus, B.J. had settled down to run Bear Enterprises, a trucking company based in Los Angeles. His nemesis was Rutherford T. Grant (Murray Hamilton), the corrupt head of the state's Special Crimes Action Team, who was a silent partner in a competing trucking company. Because of Grant's harassment, B.J. was unable to hire experienced truckers, and he was forced to hire several beautiful young female truckers, including Grant's daughter Cindy (Sherilyn Wolter), and another busty blonde nicknamed "Stacks" (Judy Landers).
[edit] Popular Culture
In the 1995 movie Mallrats, Jason Lee's character Brodie makes a reference to the show with: "Why don't they ever bring back or remake good shows, like 'BJ and the Bear.' Now there's a concept I can't get enough of, a man and his monkey".
In an episode of My Name is Earl, Earls's brother Randy asks Joy why a chimp was named "Bear". She obligingly explains that B.J. McKay was a fan of the University of Alabama's football team, hence the moniker.
In the series Breaking Bad a replica of the red and white Kenworth appears in the episode One Minute.
[edit] External links
- B. J. and the Bear at the Internet Movie Database (Pilot)
- B. J. and the Bear at the Internet Movie Database
- B. J. and the Bear at TV.com
- B. J. and the Bear at epguides.com
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This comedy television series-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1979 television series debuts
- 1981 television series endings
- 1970s American television series
- 1980s American television series
- American comedy television series
- English-language television series
- Fictional chimpanzees
- NBC network shows
- Television series by NBC Universal Television
- Television shows set in Los Angeles, California
- Comedy television series stubs
