Hello, Larry: Difference between revisions
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'''''Hello, Larry''''' was a |
'''''Hello, Larry''''' was a [[sitcom]] which aired on [[NBC]] from [[January 26]], [[1979]] to [[April 30]], [[1980]]. |
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Larry Alder (played by [[McLean Stevenson]]), was a radio talk show host who left Los Angeles after being divorced and moved to [[Portland, Oregon]] with his two teenaged daughters, Diane, played in the first season by [[Donna Wilkes]] and in the second season by [[Krista Errickson]]; and Ruthie, played by [[Kim Richards]]. In the first season, episodes centered on Larry at the radio station and his smart remarks to callers. The supporting cast consisted of producer Morgan ([[Joanna Gleason]]) and grotesquely obese engineer Earl ([[George Memmoli]]). In an effort to make the character (and series) more likeable, in the second season, the episodes were based almost entirely around the home life of Larry and the girls, with Morgan and Earl being seen less frequently. In the second season, various supporting characters were added in the apartment building where Larry and the girls lived, in an effort to save the series. These included a black neighbor, Leona, played by [[Ruth Brown]], who usually did not approve of Larry's parenting; Tommy, a purportedly world-wise teenage boy played by [[John Femia]], who became a love interest of Ruthie; former [[Harlem Globetrotters]] player [[Meadowlark Lemon]] as himself; and Larry's father, played by [[Fred Stuthman]], who moved in with the younger Alders. None of these people, nor a two-part episode in which Larry's ex-wife Marian (played by [[Shelley Fabares]]) tried to reconcile with him, were enough to save the show and it was cancelled in the spring of 1980. |
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Throughout the 1980s, "Hello, Larry" was often used as a [[punchline]] when a reference to a horrible television show was needed. |
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Although not a spinoff, "Hello, Larry" crossed over with [[''Diff'rent Strokes'']] on several episodes of each series, the premise being that Larry and Phil Drummond of "Diff'rent Strokes" (played by [[Conrad Bain]] were old Army buddies. |
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This show is a spin off of [[Diff'rent Strokes]]. |
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"Hello, Larry" had the misfortune of appearing on NBC at a time when that network was at its nadir in the ratings. Although not much better or worse than any other sitcom at the time, "Hello, Larry" got an extremely bad reputation and was often used as a punchline when a reference to a horrible television show was needed. |
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== Premise == |
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The series, created by Dick Bensfield and Perry Grant, consisted of 35 30-minute episodes. Bensfield and Grant had also worked on [[''One Day at a Time'']], a CBS sitcom about a single woman raising two teenaged daughters alone, and many critics noted the similarity of the two series. The show was produced by Woody Kling and directed by Doug Rogers. |
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The main character, Larry Alder (played by [[McLean Stevenson]]), is a call-in [[psychologist]] on a radio show. He is [[divorce]]d and raises his two teenage daughters alone in [[Portland, Oregon]]. Originally, the Hello, Larry cast appeared on what were three one-hour long episodes of Diff'rent Strokes. Diff'rent Strokes appeared on NBC in the time slot just before Hello, Larry. NBC tied in Larry Alder as an old service friend of Diff'rent Strokes character Phillip Drummond. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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[[Category:Sitcoms]] |
[[Category:Sitcoms]] |
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[[Category:1970s TV shows in the United States]] |
[[Category:1970s TV shows in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Television spin-offs]] |
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Revision as of 05:53, 10 December 2005
Hello, Larry was a sitcom which aired on NBC from January 26, 1979 to April 30, 1980.
Larry Alder (played by McLean Stevenson), was a radio talk show host who left Los Angeles after being divorced and moved to Portland, Oregon with his two teenaged daughters, Diane, played in the first season by Donna Wilkes and in the second season by Krista Errickson; and Ruthie, played by Kim Richards. In the first season, episodes centered on Larry at the radio station and his smart remarks to callers. The supporting cast consisted of producer Morgan (Joanna Gleason) and grotesquely obese engineer Earl (George Memmoli). In an effort to make the character (and series) more likeable, in the second season, the episodes were based almost entirely around the home life of Larry and the girls, with Morgan and Earl being seen less frequently. In the second season, various supporting characters were added in the apartment building where Larry and the girls lived, in an effort to save the series. These included a black neighbor, Leona, played by Ruth Brown, who usually did not approve of Larry's parenting; Tommy, a purportedly world-wise teenage boy played by John Femia, who became a love interest of Ruthie; former Harlem Globetrotters player Meadowlark Lemon as himself; and Larry's father, played by Fred Stuthman, who moved in with the younger Alders. None of these people, nor a two-part episode in which Larry's ex-wife Marian (played by Shelley Fabares) tried to reconcile with him, were enough to save the show and it was cancelled in the spring of 1980.
Although not a spinoff, "Hello, Larry" crossed over with ''Diff'rent Strokes'' on several episodes of each series, the premise being that Larry and Phil Drummond of "Diff'rent Strokes" (played by Conrad Bain were old Army buddies.
"Hello, Larry" had the misfortune of appearing on NBC at a time when that network was at its nadir in the ratings. Although not much better or worse than any other sitcom at the time, "Hello, Larry" got an extremely bad reputation and was often used as a punchline when a reference to a horrible television show was needed.
The series, created by Dick Bensfield and Perry Grant, consisted of 35 30-minute episodes. Bensfield and Grant had also worked on ''One Day at a Time'', a CBS sitcom about a single woman raising two teenaged daughters alone, and many critics noted the similarity of the two series. The show was produced by Woody Kling and directed by Doug Rogers.
External links
- Hello, Larry at IMDb