Mr. Belvedere: Difference between revisions
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| starring = [[Christopher Hewett]]<br>[[Bob Uecker]]<br>[[Ilene Graff]]<br>[[Rob Stone (actor)|Rob Stone]]<br>[[Tracy Wells]]<br>[[Brice Beckham]] |
| starring = [[Christopher Hewett]]<br>[[Bob Uecker]]<br>[[Ilene Graff]]<br>[[Rob Stone (actor)|Rob Stone]]<br>[[Tracy Wells]]<br>[[Brice Beckham]] |
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| theme_music_composer = Judy Hart-Angelo<br>[[Gary Portnoy]] |
| theme_music_composer = Judy Hart-Angelo<br>[[Gary Portnoy]] |
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| opentheme = "According to Our New Arrival," performed by [[Leon Redbone]] "116 episodes" and [[Dr. John]] "For the |
| opentheme = "According to Our New Arrival," performed by [[Leon Redbone]] "116 episodes" and [[Dr. John]] "For the Pilot only" |
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| endtheme = |
| endtheme = |
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| composer = Jimmie Haskell {{small|(Pilot episode; |
| composer = Jimmie Haskell {{small|(Pilot episode; Music Arranged and Conduced By)}}<br>Lionel Newman {{small|(Music Supervision; Pilot episode/seasons 1–2)}}<br>[[Ben Lanzarone]] {{small|(Additional Music By; seasons 3–6)}} |
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| country = [[United States]] |
| country = [[United States]] |
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| language = [[English language|English]] |
| language = [[English language|English]] |
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The series' co-creators and [[executive producer]]s, Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, pitched the series as "a very elegant, very British sophisticate hired to restore order to a chaotic household in a [[Pittsburgh]] suburb." The show eventually developed with an upper middle-class family in suburban [[Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania|Beaver Falls]], [[Pennsylvania]]. According to Dungan and Stein, Pittsburgh was chosen as the show's setting because "It was either Pittsburgh or [[Paris]] and Paris doesn't have the [[Pittsburgh Penguins|Penguins]]... we wanted someplace with seasons and sporting activity... A city kinda going through a resurgence... with character and traditions that is moving into the '80s, a blue collar community that is moving into the up and coming, yet with the traditional spirit of the country. From everything we've read, Pittsburgh is moving into high tech." |
The series' co-creators and [[executive producer]]s, Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, pitched the series as "a very elegant, very British sophisticate hired to restore order to a chaotic household in a [[Pittsburgh]] suburb." The show eventually developed with an upper middle-class family in suburban [[Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania|Beaver Falls]], [[Pennsylvania]]. According to Dungan and Stein, Pittsburgh was chosen as the show's setting because "It was either Pittsburgh or [[Paris]] and Paris doesn't have the [[Pittsburgh Penguins|Penguins]]... we wanted someplace with seasons and sporting activity... A city kinda going through a resurgence... with character and traditions that is moving into the '80s, a blue collar community that is moving into the up and coming, yet with the traditional spirit of the country. From everything we've read, Pittsburgh is moving into high tech." |
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Weeks after choosing Pittsburgh, the city was named by [[Rand-McNally]] as the most livable American city, "national publicity" that the producers promised to use. Both Dungan (who hailed from [[Philadelphia]]) and Stein (who is from [[Cleveland]]) admitted to never having been to Pittsburgh prior to developing the series, though Dungan's sister attended [[Carnegie Mellon University]]. "I remember for four years she talked about how Pittsburgh was changing, and about how different it was from Philadelphia." Stein admitted that early on, "we thought about setting the show in Cleveland, but that's too jokey" and that "we're not doing Pittsburgh jokes. We like Pittsburgh. We like the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. That's a classy ballclub. And we like [[Willie Stargell]]." No scenes from the |
Weeks after choosing Pittsburgh, the city was named by [[Rand-McNally]] as the most livable American city, "national publicity" that the producers promised to use. Both Dungan (who hailed from [[Philadelphia]]) and Stein (who is from [[Cleveland]]) admitted to never having been to Pittsburgh prior to developing the series, though Dungan's sister attended [[Carnegie Mellon University]]. "I remember for four years she talked about how Pittsburgh was changing, and about how different it was from Philadelphia." Stein admitted that early on, "we thought about setting the show in Cleveland, but that's too jokey" and that "we're not doing Pittsburgh jokes. We like Pittsburgh. We like the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. That's a classy ballclub. And we like [[Willie Stargell]]." No scenes from the Pilot nor the first season's six episodes were shot in Pennsylvania, however the producers promised if they "get picked up for fall [1985–86] we'll probably come to Pittsburgh."<ref name=holsopple>{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z4kcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z2IEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5523,4976703&dq=mr+belvedere+pittsburgh+dungan+stein&hl=en|title=Pittsburgh Gets a TV Series|last=Holsopple|first=Barbara|date=March 10, 1985|work=The Pittsburgh Press|page=5|accessdate=April 25, 2013}}</ref> |
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The producers educated themselves on Pittsburgh locales with a promotional calendar provided by the Pittsburgh Media Group (PMG), a consortium of public officials and [[Western Pennsylvania]] media. Dungan and Stein used it for story ideas during season one after the PMG pitched several studio groups in Los Angeles in January 1985. "People were impressed... the calendar has Pittsburgh scenes for each month. The [[Allegheny County Courthouse|Bridge of Sighs]] is February. The [[PPG Place|PPG Building]] is March. [[Three Rivers Stadium]] gets three months."<ref name=holsopple /> |
The producers educated themselves on Pittsburgh locales with a promotional calendar provided by the Pittsburgh Media Group (PMG), a consortium of public officials and [[Western Pennsylvania]] media. Dungan and Stein used it for story ideas during season one after the PMG pitched several studio groups in Los Angeles in January 1985. "People were impressed... the calendar has Pittsburgh scenes for each month. The [[Allegheny County Courthouse|Bridge of Sighs]] is February. The [[PPG Place|PPG Building]] is March. [[Three Rivers Stadium]] gets three months."<ref name=holsopple /> |
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==Theme song and opening sequence== |
==Theme song and opening sequence== |
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The show's [[theme song]], "According to Our New Arrival," was performed by [[ragtime]] singer [[Leon Redbone]]. It was written by Judy Hart-Angelo and [[Gary Portnoy]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present|publisher=Ballantine Books|author=Tim Brooks|author2=Earle F. Marsh|date=October 17, 2007|edition=9|pages=903|isbn=0-345-49773-2}}</ref> who also co-wrote the theme songs to ''[[Cheers]]'' and ''[[Punky Brewster]]''. In the original |
The show's [[theme song]], "According to Our New Arrival," was performed by [[ragtime]] singer [[Leon Redbone]]. It was written by Judy Hart-Angelo and [[Gary Portnoy]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present|publisher=Ballantine Books|author=Tim Brooks|author2=Earle F. Marsh|date=October 17, 2007|edition=9|pages=903|isbn=0-345-49773-2}}</ref> who also co-wrote the theme songs to ''[[Cheers]]'' and ''[[Punky Brewster]]''. In the original Pilot, Dr. John sang the theme. |
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The song was originally composed in 1984 for a rejected [[television pilot]] called ''Help'' (which was later resurrected as ''[[Marblehead Manor]]'' for NBC in 1987). With a minor lyrical rewrite, it quickly became the theme song to ''Mr. Belvedere''.<ref>[http://garyportnoy.com garyportnoy.com]</ref> In 2007, a never-before-heard full-length version of the theme was released by Portnoy on his CD, ''Destiny''. |
The song was originally composed in 1984 for a rejected [[television pilot]] called ''Help'' (which was later resurrected as ''[[Marblehead Manor]]'' for NBC in 1987). With a minor lyrical rewrite, it quickly became the theme song to ''Mr. Belvedere''.<ref>[http://garyportnoy.com garyportnoy.com]</ref> In 2007, a never-before-heard full-length version of the theme was released by Portnoy on his CD, ''Destiny''. |
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In the early 2000s, reruns of the series aired on [[Foxnet]] (a master feed of the Fox network for markets without a local affiliate, which aired syndicated programs outside of network programming),<ref name="sitcomsonline.com">{{cite web|url=http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/09/familynet-fall-2011-schedule-part-ii.html|title=FamilyNet Fall 2011 Schedule Part II With Sitcoms Like Mr. Belveder; The Parkers Return to BET|date=September 6, 2011|publisher=sitcomsonline.com|accessdate=April 25, 2013}}</ref> and on [[Crossroads Television System|CTS]] in [[Canada]] from 2002 to 2004. |
In the early 2000s, reruns of the series aired on [[Foxnet]] (a master feed of the Fox network for markets without a local affiliate, which aired syndicated programs outside of network programming),<ref name="sitcomsonline.com">{{cite web|url=http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/09/familynet-fall-2011-schedule-part-ii.html|title=FamilyNet Fall 2011 Schedule Part II With Sitcoms Like Mr. Belveder; The Parkers Return to BET|date=September 6, 2011|publisher=sitcomsonline.com|accessdate=April 25, 2013}}</ref> and on [[Crossroads Television System|CTS]] in [[Canada]] from 2002 to 2004. |
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On December 17, 2009, [[American Life Network]] aired both of the series' Christmas-themed episodes, as part of the network's month-long block of [[Christmas holiday season|holiday]]-centered episodes of series from [[20th Century Fox Television]] (season four's "Christmas Story" and season six's "A Happy Guy's Christmas"). This was the first time in a little over a decade that ''Mr. Belvedere'' was syndicated in U.S.<ref name="sitcomsonline.com" /> On or around October 3, 2011, reruns began airing on [[FamilyNet]], marking the first time that the series had been regularly syndicated in over 15 years. Around November 2012, [[Dish Network]] began broadcasting FamilyNet's successor channel, [[Rural TV]], making the show viewable throughout the U.S. on weeknights (with commercial bumpers intact briefly).<ref name="sitcomsonline.com" /> On January 5, 2015, [[Antenna TV]] began airing reruns of the series, initially airing seven days a week. These have been completely unedited, and include alternate |
On December 17, 2009, [[American Life Network]] aired both of the series' Christmas-themed episodes, as part of the network's month-long block of [[Christmas holiday season|holiday]]-centered episodes of series from [[20th Century Fox Television]] (season four's "Christmas Story" and season six's "A Happy Guy's Christmas"). This was the first time in a little over a decade that ''Mr. Belvedere'' was syndicated in U.S.<ref name="sitcomsonline.com" /> On or around October 3, 2011, reruns began airing on [[FamilyNet]], marking the first time that the series had been regularly syndicated in over 15 years. Around November 2012, [[Dish Network]] began broadcasting FamilyNet's successor channel, [[Rural TV]], making the show viewable throughout the U.S. on weeknights (with commercial bumpers intact briefly).<ref name="sitcomsonline.com" /> On January 5, 2015, [[Antenna TV]] began airing reruns of the series, initially airing seven days a week. These have been completely unedited, and include alternate Pilot credits without Leon Redbone singing. |
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==DVD releases== |
==DVD releases== |
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Revision as of 18:01, 30 November 2015
| Mr. Belvedere | |
|---|---|
 Mr. Belvedere title card, from seasons 3–6 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Based on | Belvedere (novel), by Gwen Davenport |
| Developed by | Frank Dungan Jeff Stein |
| Starring | Christopher Hewett Bob Uecker Ilene Graff Rob Stone Tracy Wells Brice Beckham |
| Theme music composer | Judy Hart-Angelo Gary Portnoy |
| Opening theme | "According to Our New Arrival," performed by Leon Redbone "116 episodes" and Dr. John "For the Pilot only" |
| Composers | Jimmie Haskell (Pilot episode; Music Arranged and Conduced By) Lionel Newman (Music Supervision; Pilot episode/seasons 1–2) Ben Lanzarone (Additional Music By; seasons 3–6) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 117 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Frank Dungan Jeff Stein Tony Sheehan (1985–1987) Liz Sage (1989–1990) |
| Producers | Patricia Rickey Jeff Ferro (1989–1990) Ric Weiss (1989-1990) |
| Production locations | ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, California |
| Editors | Edward J. Brennan Jessie Hoke Don Wilson |
| Camera setup | Videotape Multi-camera Single-camera (on-location shoots for at least two episodes) |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production companies | Lazy B/F.O.B. Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | March 15, 1985 – July 8, 1990 |
Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985 to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty.[1] The sitcom stars Christopher Hewett in the title role, who takes a job as a butler with an American family headed by George Owens, played by Bob Uecker.
Premise
The series follows posh butler Lynn Belvedere, as he struggles to adapt to the Owens household. The breadwinner, George (Bob Uecker), is a sportswriter (however, in the pilot, he worked in construction). His wife Marsha (Ilene Graff) is attending law school. At the show's start, oldest son Kevin (Rob Stone) is a senior in high school, daughter Heather (Tracy Wells) is a freshman, and Wesley (Brice Beckham) is in elementary school. Over the course of the series, George becomes a sportscaster (a career shared with Uecker, who balanced his role as the longtime play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers while starring in the series), Marsha graduates from law school and starts a career as a lawyer, Kevin leaves for college and gets his own apartment, and Heather moves up in high school.
Several episodes deal with the relationship between Wesley and Mr. Belvedere, who are always at odds with one another, with Wesley constantly antagonizing Belvedere. It is shown that deep down, however, they really love each other. In season two's "Wesley's Friend" – one of the series' many very special episodes – Danny, one of Wesley's classmates, contracts HIV via Factor VIII (the same type of the disease contracted by Ryan White). Danny is taken out of school due to the ignorance and uncertainty that shared by the parents of many of the other children at Wesley's school. After hearing rumors from his friends about how HIV can be spread, leading them to shun him if he keeps spending time with Danny. Wesley begins to shun Danny in fear of getting the disease himself. Mr. Belvedere is there for him and the child, and he helps Wesley to shed his fear of the boy and publicly accept him as his friend.
Throughout the series, Mr. Belvedere serves as a mentor of sorts to Wesley as well as to the other children. Being a cultured man with many skills and achievements (having even once worked for Winston Churchill), he also comes to serve as some sort of a "counselor" to the Owens clan, helping them solve their dilemmas and stay out of mischief.
Each episode ends with Mr. Belvedere writing in his journal, recounting the events of the day (which is heard by the audience via his narration) with the Owens family and what he got out of it in terms of a lesson.
A frequent gag on the show involves Heather's air-headed best friend Angela (Michele Matheson), who always (except for in one episode) mispronounces Mr. Belvedere's name (such as calling him "Mr. Bumpersticker", "Mr. Bellpepper", "Mr. Butterfinger" or "Mr. Velveeta"). Another frequent gag involves George and Mr. Belvedere butting heads, with George being annoyed with his "nosy English housekeeper" always interfering. Yet another recurring gag features George always trying to be initiated into a local charity club, the "Happy Guys of Pittsburgh". Wesley's highly acrimonious relationship with the never-seen next door neighbors, the Hufnagels, and the shenanigans he pulls on them was another recurring plot element.
Production
Development
The character of Lynn Belvedere was originally created by Gwen Leys Davenport in her 1947 novel, Belvedere. The following year, the title character was portrayed by Clifton Webb in the film Sitting Pretty, which told the story of an arrogant genius who answers an employment ad for a babysitter for three bratty kids. He accepts such employment because he is secretly writing a novel about a community filled with gossips and busybodies. Webb's performance in the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and he reprised the role in two more movies, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).[1]
As early as the 1950s, attempts were made to adapt the character to television; three pilots for proposed series based on the Belvedere character were made during the 1950s and 1960s, including a 1965 version starring Victor Buono in the title role. All efforts, however, were unsuccessful until 1985, when ABC picked up Mr. Belvedere to series to serve as a mid-season replacement, with British actor Christopher Hewett playing Lynn Belvedere.[2]
Pre-production
The series' co-creators and executive producers, Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, pitched the series as "a very elegant, very British sophisticate hired to restore order to a chaotic household in a Pittsburgh suburb." The show eventually developed with an upper middle-class family in suburban Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. According to Dungan and Stein, Pittsburgh was chosen as the show's setting because "It was either Pittsburgh or Paris and Paris doesn't have the Penguins... we wanted someplace with seasons and sporting activity... A city kinda going through a resurgence... with character and traditions that is moving into the '80s, a blue collar community that is moving into the up and coming, yet with the traditional spirit of the country. From everything we've read, Pittsburgh is moving into high tech."
Weeks after choosing Pittsburgh, the city was named by Rand-McNally as the most livable American city, "national publicity" that the producers promised to use. Both Dungan (who hailed from Philadelphia) and Stein (who is from Cleveland) admitted to never having been to Pittsburgh prior to developing the series, though Dungan's sister attended Carnegie Mellon University. "I remember for four years she talked about how Pittsburgh was changing, and about how different it was from Philadelphia." Stein admitted that early on, "we thought about setting the show in Cleveland, but that's too jokey" and that "we're not doing Pittsburgh jokes. We like Pittsburgh. We like the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's a classy ballclub. And we like Willie Stargell." No scenes from the Pilot nor the first season's six episodes were shot in Pennsylvania, however the producers promised if they "get picked up for fall [1985–86] we'll probably come to Pittsburgh."[3]
The producers educated themselves on Pittsburgh locales with a promotional calendar provided by the Pittsburgh Media Group (PMG), a consortium of public officials and Western Pennsylvania media. Dungan and Stein used it for story ideas during season one after the PMG pitched several studio groups in Los Angeles in January 1985. "People were impressed... the calendar has Pittsburgh scenes for each month. The Bridge of Sighs is February. The PPG Building is March. Three Rivers Stadium gets three months."[3]
Cast
Main characters
- Christopher Hewett as Mr. Lynn Belvedere (appeared in all 117 episodes)
- Bob Uecker as George Owens (appeared in 114 of 117 episodes)
- Ilene Graff as Marsha Cameron Owens (appeared in all 117 episodes)
- Rob Stone as Kevin Owens (appeared in 115 of 117 episodes)
- Tracy Wells as Heather Owens (appeared in 116 of 117 episodes)
- Brice Beckham as Wesley T. Owens (appeared in all 117 episodes)
Recurring characters
- Casey Ellison as Miles Knobnoster, Wesley's best friend, who is always being made fun of because of his orthodontic headgear.
- Michele Matheson as Angela Shostakovich, Heather's best friend, who always mispronounces Mr. Belvedere's name.
- Raleigh Bond as Burt Hammond, bombastic and overly talkative chief spokesman and membership director for the Happy Guys of Pittsburgh, a local men's club; he is always trying to initiate George as a member. His final appearance was in the season five episode "Stakeout," as Bond had died several months after the show had been taped.
- Jack Dodson as Carl Butlam, Mr. Hammond's obsequious assistant.
- Winifred Freedman as Wendy, Kevin's overweight, geeky and self-conscious high school friend who has a crush on him.
- Robert Goulet, legendary singer and actor, who plays himself. Occasionally sings duets with Marsha. George finds him to be irritating.
- Norman Bartold as Skip Hollings, George's co-anchor at the television station. Prior to the character's first appearance in season four, Bartold played as a hotel clerk in a season three episode.
- Willie Garson as Carl, Kevin's best friend.
- Patti Yasutake (or by Maggie Han in some episodes) as Tami, one of George's co-anchors at the television station.
- Laura Mooney as Marjorie, a Junior High student, and one of Wesley's love interests during the final season. Prior to playing the character in season six, Mooney appeared as "Roberta" in a season four episode.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | First air date | Last air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 7 | March 15, 1985 | April 26, 1985 | |
| Season 2 | 22 | September 27, 1985 | March 28, 1986 | |
| Season 3 | 22 | September 26, 1986 | May 15, 1987 | |
| Season 4 | 20 | October 30, 1987 | May 6, 1988 | |
| Season 5 | 24* | October 14, 1988 | May 5, 1989 | |
| Season 6 | 22* | September 16, 1989 | July 8, 1990 | |
The last 2 episodes of season 5, and episodes 13-20 of season 6, only aired in Syndication.
Theme song and opening sequence
The show's theme song, "According to Our New Arrival," was performed by ragtime singer Leon Redbone. It was written by Judy Hart-Angelo and Gary Portnoy,[4] who also co-wrote the theme songs to Cheers and Punky Brewster. In the original Pilot, Dr. John sang the theme.
The song was originally composed in 1984 for a rejected television pilot called Help (which was later resurrected as Marblehead Manor for NBC in 1987). With a minor lyrical rewrite, it quickly became the theme song to Mr. Belvedere.[5] In 2007, a never-before-heard full-length version of the theme was released by Portnoy on his CD, Destiny.
There were four different ending themes during the show's original run:
- A rock version of the main theme, with a guitar lead, was used for the original broadcast of the Pilot. It was also used in early ABC promos for the show.
- An instrumental version of the theme song was used as the ending theme for Seasons 1 and 2.
- A Dixieland rendition of the ending theme was used in Season 3.
- A jazzier rendition of the ending theme was used in Seasons 4–6.
Opening credits
First version (Pilot)
This sequence consisted of a purple family portrait book, with pictures of the cast (including a picture of George at his Construction job), set to the Dr. John version of theme song. This version was only used on the original broadcast of the Pilot. It resurfaced on Antenna TV in 2015.
Second version (Season one)
Similar to the original Pilot, but now with a beige family portrait book, some of the cast pictures changed (most notably, George at his Construction job), and Leon Redbone singing the theme. The Redbone version would be used in all subsequent variations of the opening. On the Shout! Factory DVDs of Seasons One & Two, this was only seen on the recut version of the Pilot.
Third version (Season two)
The opening was overhauled completely beginning with this season. It begins with a stock photo of a British palace, and then zooms in to Mr. Belvedere himself. It was then followed by Belvedere as different people (including a Man on Safari), followed by photos and clips from season one episodes, as well as general photos of the cast from said season. On the Shout! Factory DVDs of Seasons One & Two, this version was kept as is on all the season two episodes, but plastered the season one opening on episodes 2-7. In addition, the show adopted its familiar logo.
Fourth version (Seasons three through six)
The opening was overhauled completely once more in season three. Now, it began with Mr. Belvedere writing in his journal, followed by the camera zooming in to the fictional World Focus magazine, with Belvedere on the front cover for the title card. It was then followed by edited images of Belevedere with famous people from around the world. The photos were updated to reflect how the cast looked in season three, and most of the season one clips were now replaced with scenes from season two episodes. In Season four, the opening was updated to feature new positions of Tracy Wells on the couch. In Season six, it was updated once more to feature clips from season five episodes, and new positions of Brice Beckham on the couch. A short 30 second version was also created, as well. In early Syndication reruns, the short season four/five opening was used on all the episodes, with the exception of season six; early reruns of season six used the short open from said season.
Ratings and cancellation
Mr. Belvedere did not place within Nielsen's Top 30 shows at any time during its six-season run; however it did have a relatively solid ratings base, and often won its time slot.
Its first season (1985) was exempt from the Nielsen ratings as it aired too few episodes before the end of April to be counted.[6] In its second season (1985–86), the series ranked at #45 with a 14.8 rating.[7]
During season three (1986–87), the show fell to 51st place with a 13.7 rating.[8] At the end of the 1986-87 season, ABC decided to cancel the show after three seasons,[9] but negative feedback from fans of the series led the network to reverse its decision and order a fourth season that debuted in October 1987.[10] In season four (1987–88), the show fell to 64th place and an 11.5 rating for the year.[11] For its fifth season (1988–89), the show rose to a 12.2 rating, placing it at #47 for the season.[12]
For its sixth and final season (1989–90), Mr. Belvedere left its longtime Friday night slot (which began its evolution into the long-running TGIF block that season) and was moved to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday nights. The move led Mr. Belvedere to suffer a steep ratings decline, falling to a 6.3 rating. The final episode to air before it was put on hiatus on December 30, 1989 ranked #70 out of 83 shows.[13][14] ABC canceled the series for good in February 1990.[15] The two-part finale, which aired on July 1 and July 8, 1990, ranked #59 and #37, respectively, out of the 86 shows that aired during those weeks.[16][17]
Syndication
In addition to its existing prime time airings, ABC aired reruns of the first three seasons of Mr. Belvedere on the network's daily daytime schedule from September 7, 1987 to January 15, 1988, replacing the game show Bargain Hunters.[18]
On September 11, 1989 (around the same time the show entered its final season), and continuing in an on-and-off manner until 1997, it was seen in local syndication on select Fox affiliates. Along with the addition of seasons four through six, ten previously unaired episodes (two from season five and eight from season six), were also added to the syndication package. The syndication package initially consisted of all 95 half-hour episodes produced up until the end of season five in 1989; the following year, season six (the remaining 22 half-hour episodes) was finally included in the package.
In the early 2000s, reruns of the series aired on Foxnet (a master feed of the Fox network for markets without a local affiliate, which aired syndicated programs outside of network programming),[19] and on CTS in Canada from 2002 to 2004.
On December 17, 2009, American Life Network aired both of the series' Christmas-themed episodes, as part of the network's month-long block of holiday-centered episodes of series from 20th Century Fox Television (season four's "Christmas Story" and season six's "A Happy Guy's Christmas"). This was the first time in a little over a decade that Mr. Belvedere was syndicated in U.S.[19] On or around October 3, 2011, reruns began airing on FamilyNet, marking the first time that the series had been regularly syndicated in over 15 years. Around November 2012, Dish Network began broadcasting FamilyNet's successor channel, Rural TV, making the show viewable throughout the U.S. on weeknights (with commercial bumpers intact briefly).[19] On January 5, 2015, Antenna TV began airing reruns of the series, initially airing seven days a week. These have been completely unedited, and include alternate Pilot credits without Leon Redbone singing.
DVD releases
Shout! Factory (under license from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) has released the first four seasons of Mr. Belvedere on DVD in Region 1, featuring the original unedited prints of the episodes.[20][21][22] Currently, Shout! Factory does not have the DVD rights to seasons five and six, and has been involved in protracted negotiations to acquire those remaining episodes (46 in total) for future releases.[23]
On September 8, 2015, Shout! re-released season 4 on DVD as a full retail release.[24]
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons One & Two | 29 | March 17, 2009 |
|
| Season Three | 22 | September 8, 2009 |
|
| Season Four♦ | 20 | January 19, 2010 September 8, 2015 (re-release) |
|
♦ - Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Primetime Emmy Award | Won | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Series | George Spiro Dibie (For episode "Stranger in the Night") |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best New Television Series – Comedy or Drama | |
| Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series | Brice Beckham | |||
| Won | Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Tracy Wells | ||
| 1987 | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama Series | Tracy Wells | |
| Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series | Brice Beckham | |||
| 1988 | Nominated | Best Family Comedy Series | ||
| Best Young Female Superstar in Television | Tracy Wells | |||
| Best Young Male Superstar in Television | Brice Beckham | |||
| 1989 | Nominated | Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Drama or Comedy Series | Laura Jacoby (For episode "Pigskin") | |
| Best Young Actress – Starring in a Television Comedy Series | Tracy Wells | |||
| Best Young Actor – Starring in a Television Comedy Series | Brice Beckham | |||
| Best Family Television Series | ||||
| 2004 | TV Land Award | Nominated | Best Broadcast Butler | Christopher Hewett |
In popular culture
The show's theme song, "According To Our New Arrival" has been prominently featured in episodes of four popular US television shows:
- April 9, 2006 in the Deep Throats episode of the iconic Fox animated series Family Guy
- January 3, 2007 in the “Brace Yourself” episode of the long running CBS comedy The King of Queens
- November 5, 2015 Seth Rogen performed the theme on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- November 16, 2015 In the "Everything Stays" episode of the Adventure Time miniseries Stakes, Marceline is seen singing the show's theme song in one of her flashbacks.
References
- ^ a b "Gwen Davenport, 92, 'Belvedere' Author". The New York Times. April 15, 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Melanie Proctor (July 14, 1988). "Mr. Belvedere at your service". New Straits Times. p. 14. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ a b Holsopple, Barbara (March 10, 1985). "Pittsburgh Gets a TV Series". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 5. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ Tim Brooks; Earle F. Marsh (October 17, 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 903. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
- ^ garyportnoy.com
- ^ "'Dynasty' Ends As No. 1 Series". The Albany Herald. April 27, 1985. p. 2B. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Season's Final Ratings". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. April 23, 1986. p. 4E.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Year-end ratings". USA Today. April 22, 1987. p. 3D.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Parton Show Heads 8 New ABC Fall Series". Philadelphia Inquirer. May 16, 1987. p. C1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Thank you, ABC, for bringing back "Mr. Belvedere"..." latimes.com. December 20, 1987. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Final rankings for the 1987-'88 season". The Miami News. April 20, 1988. p. 3C. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ Joseph Walker (April 26, 1989). "Poking Around Through the Rubble Of the 1988-89 Television Season". The Deseret News. p. 6C. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "ABC Puts Two More On Cancellation List". Wichita Eagle. December 7, 1989. p. C1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Ratings for the week of December 25, 1989
- ^ Ed Bark (February 15, 1990). "For ABC, the King is dead". The Dallas Morning News.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Ratings for the week of June 25, 1990
- ^ Ratings for the week of July 2, 1990
- ^ Mr. Belvedere Online
- ^ a b c "FamilyNet Fall 2011 Schedule Part II With Sitcoms Like Mr. Belveder; The Parkers Return to BET". sitcomsonline.com. September 6, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - SCOOP: Get Your First Look at DVD Package Art for Mr. Belvedere - Seasons 1 and 2!". tvshowsondvd.com.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - The Butler is Back! A Season 3 DVD is Scheduled for Release". tvshowsondvd.com.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - Fans Get a Season 4 Set from Shout! Factory...But Not in Stores". tvshowsondvd.com.
- ^ David Lambert (November 12, 2012). "The "What's The Hold-up?" FAQ". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ Shout!'s 'Season 4' Re-Release Seems to be Sold in Stores This Time!
External links
- Mr. Belvedere at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com show
- Mr. Belvedere at epguides.com
- Mr. Belvedere fansite
- Mr. Belvedere on FishAndSpaghetti.com A tournament designed to determine TV's best housekeeper featuring Mr. Belvedere
- 1985 American television series debuts
- 1990 American television series endings
- 1980s American television series
- 1990s American television series
- 1980s American comedy television series
- 1990s American comedy television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American television sitcoms
- American comedy television series
- Television series by 20th Century Fox Television