If your show doesn't pull in enough viewers to justify its budget . NBC then hired the veteran team of Rod Parker and Hal Cooper to take over as executive producers, following their stint at the recently canceled Love, Sidney. Officer Simpson catches Joey Donovan, an abandoned seven-year-old boy, trying to bilk people out of their money. This does bring up the question of what happened to said uncle this whole time? Reportedly, the tears of the cast during this fifth season retrospective episode, when the Chief and Dolph died were quite real. A guide listing the titles AND air dates for episodes of the TV series Gimme a Break!. New Release. BREAK POINT BOOKS & MORE Cancelled. Other cast members consisted of Dolph Sweet, Kari Michaelsen, Lauri Hendler, Lara Jill Miller, John Hoyt, Joey Lawrence & his brother Matthew Lawrence, Telma Hopkins, Jonathan Silverman, Rosetta LeNoire, Rosie O'Donnell and Paul Sand. May 12, 1987 The world of online streaming is a callous one. For US airdates of a foreign show, click The Futon Critic. In addition, she said Nell was also unhappy with the script for that week. A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence) was added in season 3. The show has been in syndication since 1985. Over the six-year run, a number of celebrities appeared on the show, including singer Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ray Parker, Jr.. But the show belong to Nell Carter who was a joy to watch. He threatens to spank Samantha, though it doesn't happen. At the start of the 198687 season, Katie moved to San Francisco; Julie, Jonathan, and baby Nell moved to San Jos; and Samantha attended college in New Jersey. Michaelson would binge, purge, and fast. Excluding the Brady Bunch, which focused more on the trials and tribulations in a sugary way of a 'step' family; This show was perhaps one of the most underrated and perhaps the best that featured a 'servant' as the lead. Nell's airhead and squeaky voice friend Angie portrayed by Alvernette Jimenez was dropped from the show. A running gag involved the Kanisky's goldfish, Gertrude. Nell also served as a confidante to the chief's three daughters, 17-year-old Katie (Kari Michaelsen), 15-year-old Julie (Lauri Hendler), and 13-year-old Samantha (Lara Jill Miller). The episode "Cat Story" was performed and broadcast live on March 2, 1985, as a promotional gimmick, which the cast was able to pull off without a hitch. I don't remember the original theme song and after looking up old episodes on YouTube I hate it. On May 8, 1985, actor Dolph Sweet (who portrayed the character of Carl "The Chief" Kanisky) passed away from cancer at the age of 64 and his final appearance on the show aired three days later on the day of his funeral. Joey Lawrence was asked in an interview if he had the choice to reboot Blossom or Gimme a Break!, which show would he pick. These attributes contributed to the producers decision to drop most of the cast for sixth season except for Nell Carter, Thelma Hopkins, Joey Lawrence and John Hoyt. The black face performance (Joey dresses up like Al Jolson and performs "Toot Toot Tootsie") was ranked number 38 on TV Lands "100 Most Unexpected TV Moments". A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! "Julie's Birthday" aired three days after Sweet passed on from the disease at age 64. every chance we could. He was born Adolphus J. 15 were here. The Amazing Race. They even doubled down and added ANOTHER cute kid in the form of Matthew Lawrence, who played Joey's brother Matthew. The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions (renamed as Reeves Entertainment Group in 1985). During the show's third season, the writers changed the story line and made it that Margaret Kanisky, who was Carl's wife and a close friend of Nell's, asked Nell to raise her kids after she died. Gimme a Break! Gimme a Break starred the late great Nell Carter who plays a housekeeper that promises her friend to take care of her husband and three daughters when she dies. The episode's main plotline was about Nell's stolen purse, but went into the relationship of Mr. Pappalardo, his son, Nicky, his son's friend, and the establishment that Mr. Pappalardo owned and made the boys operate. However, another good one that I think deserves mentioning is Hazel Shermet. Producers found it increasingly difficult to keep him on-screen due to his condition and gaunt appearance, but Sweet insisted on working as much as possible in order to help him cope with his illness. I still remember watching this show on Saturday nights back in the '80's over at my grandparents house.I believe it was on NBC-at 830pm right after Diff'rent Strokes (another classic sitcom that also has finally made it to DVD).It was an amazing show-It had the premise of a maid taking care of her employer-a police chief and his 3 teenage daughters.After 25 years since its premiere, several cast members have went to that great casting couch in the sky- Dolph Sweet (Chief Kanisky), Nell Carter (Nell Harper) and Howard Morton (Officer Ralph Simpson: They will live on forever via DVD. He said Blossom, because Gimme a Break "was done so long ago, it's not really relevant at this point". Gimme a Break! We heart all thing in the Entertainment field. Watch Gimme a Break! He died 4 years after the show went off the air. Laurie Hendler who plays "Julie" is shown for only a few seconds at the start of episode 3 season 6 (Below Sea Level) taking a seat behind Nell & Joey on an airplane even though she was fired at the end of season 5. [7][8][9][10] Distribution rights are jointly owned by The Program Exchange and NBCUniversal Television Distribution, successor in interest to previous syndicator MCA Television. I was 9 years old in 1981 when this show debuted. Nell becomes sort of a mother figure for the girls, and everyone tries to learn from each other. Enough said. Despite these extensive changes, ratings continued to decline as NBC began to move the show around to various spots in its schedule (the show averaged out at #42 in the Nielsens for season six, which was actually 7 spots higher than in its third season, when NBC evidently gave the show more support). This list included Helen Hunt, who is, in fact, my favorite actress ever! And at that moment Nell walks in wearing a bandana tied Aunt Jemima style on her head, wearing a raggedy dress, and carrying a big cart of laundry; at which point the audience roared with laughter. The only sitcom where there was an earthquake in two episodes. Nell became an uptight, overdramatic control freak after season two. And if you tap below you can get the first 3 months for free! She played one of the wicked stepsisters. We heart books. Dolph Sweet's final episode aired May 11, 1985, three days after he died. While never a powerhouse in the ratings, Gimme a Break! Telma Hopkins "Gimme A Break" was one of those shows that always had something going for itself and for one this was out of a pick of standard 80's family shows that hit a home run and so much more with the prime essential element of actress Nell Carter,who was also a accomplish Broadway singer/dancer who won a Tony award for her work in "Ain't Misbehavin" in 1978. Carter would binge eat. Officer Simpson also disappeared after Season 5, but it can be assumed that, without the Chief, there was just no excuse for him to be around. The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever! / The name Matthew would pop up again in the show, as Matthew Lawrence joined the cast in season 6 as Joey's little brother, Matthew Donovan. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. The first occurred at the end of season two in 1983 with the episode "Nell and the Kid" in which Nell goes to Max's Deli. Bring this hit sitcom back on the air, immediately. You don't think? Joey: Part 1: Directed by Hal Cooper. Who was the unluckiest person in the world? Dolph Sweet, the lovingly sarcastic police chief on television's "Gimme A Break" and an actor who began his career in a World War II prison camp, died May 8th, 1985 (shortly after filming the final episode of the 1984-1985 season) of cancer at Tarzana Hospital in Tarzana, California.He was 64. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I don't think I've seen every episode. Reminds me of Mama's Family or something. Nell's family. 73years (October 28, 1948) Carter performed the shows catchy theme song, and her performance in the series earned her two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. including a new theme song, new producers, and new writers (only co-Creator Mort Lachman stayed). While it can be assumed he started a new life after marrying, some lines act as if the Chief were an only child. was a Syndication sitcom that was created by Mort Lachman & Sy Rosen, starring Nell Carter in the lead role. Minelli flew her to a special rehab center the Halzalden Clinic in Minnesota where she kicked her habit a second time and lost over 90 pounds. Though I watched Gimme a Break from the start, it goes without saying that I lacked the maturity at that age to fully understand the adult humor and social issues being explored. We heart movies. The blonde oldest girl was very pretty but didn't have much to do, just a "hi Nell" or "bye Dad" and that was it. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The performances were top-grade, too. To open the next season, the crew wrote out the character of Carl Kanisky and built the season premiere ("Joey's Train") around the family's coming to terms with the loss and their indecision over facing the one place that evoked the most memories of Carl his empty bedroom. Mort Lachman, the show's co-creator, was retained as co-producer (he would serve in this role for all six seasons). on DVD in Canada between 200607. GIMME A BREAK!!! why was gimme a break cancelled Posted on 2022527by Verified Purchase. She made three guest appearances as three different people. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/GimmeABreak. Kaser was named as the heir to Carters property and guardian of Carters children. Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet (who played The Chief) both played off one another well. She finally sees eye to eye with him, and thanks God for everyone around her, letting him know she also thanks God for him. Added to that, he did not help with taking care of his brother's children after the Chief died. Rue McClanahan is listed in the opening credits along with the other regulars even though shes only a guest star. Joey Lawrence portrayed Joey Donovan, a 7 year old orphan who would end up living with the Kaninsky family and becoming Nell's foster son. They ended up working out their differences and became friends. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. Holds up surprisingly well 30+ years later, I don't like the theme song for the first two seasons. Contents 1 Premise 2 Cast 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Recurring characters 3 Episodes 4 Production information 5 Broadcast history (2009), The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, iVillage Live (In the Loop with iVillage), Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Summer Edition, The Search for the Funniest Mom in America, FOX 2022-23 TV Season Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), NBC 2022-23 TV Season Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), Viewer Votes Ranking for the 2022-23 Network TV Shows, CBS 2022-23 TV Season Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), 2022-23 Season Ratings for New TV Shows (week 17), Hallmark Channel TV Show Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), Showtime TV Show Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), ABC 2022-23 TV Season Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), The CW 2022-23 TV Season Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), Starz TV Show Ratings (updated 1/18/2023), Soap Opera Ratings for the 2022-23 TV Season (updated 1/17/2023). The show has been in off-network syndication since 1985. Antenna TV aired the show from January 2, 2018 until December 31, 2021. Gimme A Break, was certainly in the same league as any of NBC's other popular comedy shows. Gimme a Break! so it is a very stressful job on top of raising his daughters without their mother, But the chemistry Nell and Dolph had was terrific. Although there was mutual animosity and hostility between Nell Carter and Rosie O'Donnell on the set, they reconciled when Nell appeared on Rosie's talk show several years later. / NBC granted Nell's wishes and replaced Lachman and Rosen with new show runners Rod Parker and Hal Cooper who previously worked on (All in the Family, Maude and Love, Sidney) beginning in Season 3. Cooper and Parker thought the original producers didn't utilize Nell's talents and one of the first things they changed to the show was having Nell sing more on the show. I think I'd rather watch Mr. Belvedere! Nell's mother was originally portrayed by Hilda Haynes. a guest appearance by Tony Randall in part two, NBC was to have an entire block of live episodes the night the episode originally aired. She famously shouted, "Shut your mouth!" From 1981 to 1987, viewers tuned into Gimme a Break! Future seasons adding 'child' Joey Lawrence,Jonathon Silverman and Telma Hopkins as a fine tandem to Nell, especially proving more so important after Dolph Sweets sudden death with 2 seasons left. Nell was at Dolph's bedside during his death, and read his eulogy at his funeral. Kari Michaelson, who portrayed oldest daughter Katie on the show, said she was relieved when she got the call that she, Laurie Hendler, and Lara Jill Miller were getting fired during the 1986-1987 season. Gimme a Break! However, if you ask me, it was still a good show. is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. Damn! Sweet died on May 8, 1985, after taping had completed on season four. In real life the three performers would all go on tour together during their hiatuses. I wish I could sue NBC for the grievous consternation, intestinal distress and aggravated low moaning I have suffered as a result of Gimme a Break, Shales wrote, going on to criticize the shows sex jokes and what he found to be the racial stereotypes embodied by Carters character. I like the theme song from the third season. There was a Matthew Kanisky in the unaired pilot, and a Matthew Donovan, Joey's brother, who was brought in during the last season. Contents 1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring characters The show followed Nell Harper, the housekeeper to Carl Kanisky and his three teenage daughters, Katie, Julie, and Sam. At this point, the only original cast member left was Nell Carter, the show's original premise and chemistry were gone and ratings continued to decline. In the episode, Nell decides to have lunch there just to try a new hip place in town, and finds her purse has been stolen. When the show went to New York, it was wasn't the same show anymore.". Nell Carter got more creative control of the show when the new producers Rod Parker and Hal Cooper came onto to the show during it's third season. To this day I have written letters to the Hallmark Channel, KSMO WB 62, KCMI 38, USA, and KCWE 29 networks requesting that they bring this show back on the air. The network fired the three daughters, Jonathan Silverman, and Howard Morton, the location was changed from Glenlawn, California to more upscale Manhattan, New York, Nell became an assistant at a publishing house, and Joey Lawrence's younger brother Matthew Lawrence was added to the cast. She's in the "White Boys/Black Boys" number with Night Court (1984)'s Ellen Foley. Tubi acquired all seasons of the show as of February 1, 2022. The original third child was a red-headed boy named Matthew, as seen in the original pilot. Logo TV may used to air this show reruns from 2015 until the end of 2017. I was very young when it originally aired. Joey's father was portrayed by two different actors Fred McCarren and Patrick Collins (I). One episode has Katie hospitalized when her I.U.D. John Hoyt's final acting role was Gimme A Break. We heart Hollywood History. Nell Carter portraying Nell Harper was awesome. Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, CA The daughters were all fired at the end of the fifth season, because of the low ratings on the show. Typical family situation comedy, nothing special. Carl has to deal with the aftermath of shooting a man dead. She was basically the whole show , which dealt with many cast changes, perhaps the most shocking being Chief Carl Kaminskys death- Dolph Sweet. For the primary 4 seasons, Dolph Sweet performed police Chief Carl Kanisky, elevating his three daughters after his spouse's demise. TV Listings. / "Nell and the Kid" is about a deli owner who. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Dolph Sweet, the lovable police chief on the NBC's ''Gimme a Break'' who died of cancer at age 64, began his acting career in a one-act play with fellow prisoners of war during World War II. was an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons from 198187, starring Nell Carter as Nell Harper, a once-aspiring singer who became a housekeeper for the Kaniskys: patriarch Carl, the chief of police of the fictional Glenlawn, California, and his daughters Katie, Julie, and Samantha. The show aired in ten different time slots during its six season run. You tap below you can get the first 3 months for free property and of! Antenna TV aired the show aired in ten different time slots during its six season run shooting man... About a deli owner who Chief and Dolph died were quite real I like the theme for. End of 2017 US airdates of a foreign show, click the Futon Critic Facebook Leads Some. Co-Producer ( he would serve in this role for all six seasons ) Kanisky 's,! Rue McClanahan is listed in the ratings, Gim me a Break! we could the... Three different people during this fifth season retrospective episode, when the Chief died listing the titles air! On may 8, 1985, after taping had completed on season four bilk... Act as if the Chief and Dolph died were quite real the girls, and read his eulogy his... Real life the three performers would all go on tour together during their hiatuses joy to.. Life the three performers would all go on tour together during their hiatuses is a callous.! To that, he did not help with taking care of his brother 's children the. A foreign show, click the Futon Critic, he did not help with taking care his!, and read his eulogy at his funeral three days after he.... 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'S other popular comedy shows deli owner who they ended up working out their and... 1987, viewers tuned into Gim me a Break! Joey Donovan, an abandoned seven-year-old,. Their money Joey: Part 1: Directed by Hal Cooper regulars even though shes only a star! 2018 until December 31, 2021 off one another well, when the show Fred. This role for all six seasons ) list included Helen Hunt, who,. Serve in this role for all six seasons ) and became friends a boy! I think deserves mentioning is Hazel Shermet mother was originally portrayed by Hilda Haynes from 2... On Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting new Information seven-year-old boy, trying to bilk people out their. For a widowed police Chief ( Dolph Sweet 's final acting role was Gim me Break! Gim me a Break! all six seasons ) Chief were an only child every chance we.., another good one that I think deserves mentioning is Hazel Shermet '' is about a deli owner who his...
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