90′s Sitcoms

Frasier Bloopers That Make Me Miss this Great Cast Madly!

by Joi

Frasier was one of the best sitcoms ever – thanks to great writing and casting that was sheer genius.  Below’s a blooper reel from the series that’s almost as funny as the real thing. You’ll recognize the voice of the great Dick Clark narrating the clips.

Frasier starred Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, and John Mahoney. The series ran from 1993 to 2004.

The wonderful Kelsey Grammer (who I’d love to see more of on tv and in movies) has been Emmy-nominated for playing the same character on three different shows: “Cheers” (1982), “Frasier” (1993) and a guest appearance on “Wings” (1990).

Frasier stands as the only television show, to date, that has won five consecutive “Outstanding Comedy Series” EMMY awards.

Remembering the One and Only Rue McClanahan

by Joi

“People always ask me if I’m like Blanche. And I say, ‘Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern Belle from Atlanta — and I’m not from Atlanta!’” - Rue McClanahan

One of my personal favorite entertainers ever, Rue McClanahan, passed away from a stroke on June 3. Best known as the sexy Blanche Devereaux on Golden Girls, Rue also appeared on Maude as Vivian Cavender Harmon and Mama’s Family as Aunt Fran Crowley. Another early role was on the hugely popular All in the Family.

This hilarious and talented actress was born in 1934 in Oklahoma. In addition to her wonderful work on television, Rue McClanahan was also very well known (and respected) for her charitable work. She lent her hand to organizations fighting against cancer, AIDS, and cruelty against animals.

She was married to her sixth husband, actor Morrow Wilson, at the time of her death.

Did You Know?

  • In 1997, Rue was diagnosed with cancer. She had a lumpectomy and five months of chemotherapy.
  • Was of Scot-Irish and Choctaw Indian ancestry
  • Played the same character, Blanche Devereaux, on four different TV series: “The Golden Palace” (1992), “The Golden Girls” (1985), “Nurses” (1991), and “Empty Nest” (1988).
  • Was a vegan.
  • Oddly enough, Betty White was originally considered for the role of  Blanche, on “The Golden Girls”. However, Betty had already been the sexy Sue Ann Nivens on “Mary Tyler Moore” while Rue had played the rather shy and unassuming Vivian on “Maude”. It was thought best not to typecast these two actresses by having them portray similar characters. So, Betty got the part of naive Rose Nylund and Rue played the sex-crazy Blanche!  It’s impossible to imagine it any other way.

It’s pretty depressing that two of the past posts on Hollywood Yesterday are centered around stars we’ve recently lost. But that’s really the whole idea behind Hollywood Yesterday – I wanted a place where the stars, movies, and shows of yesterday could live on forever and continue to touch lives.

This way we never really have to say goodbye. Mostly just, “Thanks.” And to Rue, of course, we have to add, “Thank you for being a Friend.”

King of Queens Bloopers: Classic Stuff!

by Joi

I’m not sure what planet I was trapped on when the series ran, but I never saw King of Queens when it originally aired. However, I have flat out fallen in love with this series in syndication – not to mention the dvd set.

The characters are priceless, the acting is freaking amazing and the writing is as hilarious as any series – EVER.

Below is a hilarious video featuring King of Queens bloopers… from one scene. Great stuff!

Watch for a lot more posts featuring King of Queens – and if (like me) you somehow managed to miss out on the fun the first time around, grab the dvds. You’re going to love this show!

Everybody Loves Raymond Coming to TV Land!

by Joi

TV Land has created a really powerful primetime line-up.  But wait!  It just got even better and even funnier.    Raymond just walked into the room and the party has officially begun.

One of the best-written, consistently hilarious comedies of all-time Everybody Loves Raymond is joining TV Land’s Primetime line-up.

“EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND”…AND TV LAND IS NO EXCEPTION!

Series Joins The Network On Thursday, March 18

New York, NY, January 25, 2010 – TV Land welcomes the hilarious Barone family to the network when the Emmy Award-winning sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” premieres on Thursday, March 18 with a four-day primetime event. The series then joins the schedule for a primetime block each weeknight starting at 9PM ET/PT. Viewers will fall in love all over again with the antics of Ray Barone’s entire family, from his over-bearing mother Marie and his wise-cracking father, Frank, to his wife Debra’s no-nonsense impatience with him and the incessant sibling rivalry between Ray and younger brother Robert.

“We’re excited to begin airing ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ so that we can infuse our schedule with a fan favorite, giving us a great lead-in audience for our newest original series “First Love, Second Chance,” states Jaclyn Cohen, senior vice president of programming and acquisitions for TV Land. “Our acquisitions of beloved television staples are critical to TV Land’s success as they transition viewers into our new original content. We are sure that our viewers will love this “Raymond and “First Love” pairing as both shows have the common thread of showing relationships in all their glory — the good AND the bad.”

The winner of 15 Emmy® Awards, “Everybody Loves Raymond” ran in primetime on CBS for eight seasons. The premise was born out of Ray Romano’s own life experiences of raising his children along with his wife, all while his parents and brother lived close by. In “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Romano plays Ray Barone, father of three and a sports writer for a local newspaper. Patricia Heaton plays his wife, Debra, who endures her husband’s overbearing parents played brilliantly by Doris Roberts and the late Peter Boyle. As in real life, Ray’s brother Robert, played by Brad Garrett, is a policeman who lives with his parents. Guest stars for the series run included hilarious appearances by Kevin James, Fred Willard, Georgia Engel and Chris Elliott.

Tim the Tool Man and the Rest of the Taylors Are Coming to TV Land!

by Joi

One of the most hilarious sitcoms of all time, Home Improvement, is coming to TV Land. The network will celebrate the Taylor’s arrival with a week-long marathon of hilarity.

From TV Land:
“Does everybody know what time it is?” “TOOL TIME!” Make some room Sheriff Andy Taylor, there are new Taylors in town when the hilarious comedy “Home Improvement” joins TV Land beginning Monday, January 4, 2010 at 8:00PM ET/PT. The series kicks off with a week-long marathon featuring the accident-prone “Tim Taylor” (Tim Allen) as he amusingly tries to balance the drama and chaos of his life as a husband, father and his fix-it television show “Tool Time.” Beginning January 11th, “Home Improvement” can be seen weeknights at 9:00PM ET/PT on TV Land.

“TV Land is thrilled to add another hugely popular and much-loved television family to our network,” states Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land. “Men and women alike love to watch with Tim Allen’s lovingly know-it-all character on the show because they either know someone just like him…or they are married to him.”

“Home Improvement” was a smashing success on ABC where it ran for eight seasons and received numerous awards and nominations including seven Emmys and a Golden Globe win for Tim Allen in 1995 for “Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical.” Audiences fell in love with the hysterical and often-times relatable family dynamic between “Tim,” his wife, “Jill” (Patricia Richardson) and sons “Brad” (Zachary Ty Bryan), “Randy” (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and “Mark” (Taran Noah Smith) — making the Taylors one of the most popular television families. Tim’s partner and best friend “Al” (Richard Karn) added an additional comedic layer to the show, as did the Taylors’ neighbor, “Wilson” (Earl Hindman), and the gorgeous “Tool Time” assistant, “The Tool Time Girl” (Pamela Anderson and later Debbe Dunning).

The “Home Improvement” week-long launch event schedule is as follows (all times listed are ET/PT):

Monday, January 4, 2010
8:00PM #001 – Pilot
8:30PM #004 – Wild Kingdom
9:00PM #007 – Nothing More Than Feelings
9:30PM #006 Satellite On A Hot Tim’s Roof
10:00PM #11 – Bubble, Bubble Toil & Trouble
10:30PM #019 – Baby It’s Cold Outside

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
8:00PM #021 – Birds Of A Feather Flock To Taylor
8:30PM #022 – A Battle Of The Wheels
9:00PM #025 – Read My Hips
9:30PM #037 – Bell Bottom Blues
10:00PM #042 – Bye Bye Birdie
10:30PM #047 – Birth Of A Hot Rod

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
8:00PM #049 – To Build Or Not To Build
8:30PM #054 – This Joke’s For You
9:00PM #058 – A Frozen moment
9:30PM #062 – Twas The Night Before Christmas
10:00PM #067 – The Eve Of Construction
10:30PM #071 – What You See Is What You Get

Thursday, January 7, 2010
8:00PM #072 – Swing Time
8:30PM #077 – He Ain’t heavy…
9:00PM #086 – Some Like It Hot Rod
9:30PM #088 – Twas The Night Before Chaos
10:00PM #091 – It’s My Party
10:30PM #092 – Super Bowl Fever

Friday, January 8, 2010
8:00PM #109 – Room Without A View
8:30PM #114 – Oh, Brother

Saturday, January 9, 2010
8:00PM #115 – High School Confidential
8:30PM #124 – Mr. Wilson’s Opus
9:00PM #125 – Alarmed By Burglars
9:30PM #154 – Room At The Top
10:00PM #159 – Jill’s Passion
10:30PM #163 – Bright Christmas

Sunday, January 10, 2010
8:00PM #168 – Taking Jill For Granite
8:30PM #176 – From Top To Bottom
9:00PM #191 – Knee Deep
9:30PM #193 – Young At Heart
10:00PM #194 – Love’s Labor Lost pt. 1
10:30PM #195 – Love’s Labor Lost pt. 2

Credit: Images and information courtesy of TV Land.