GIMME-A-SIGN INC. Cancelled. I had a crush on Joey Lawrence and Matt was cute too. Julie and Jonathan, who were now living in the Chief's old room, found out they were expecting a baby; their daughter, whom they named after Nell, was born before season's end. 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. Very good show that was one of many throughout TV sitcom history that revolved around a housekeeper/butler. "Julie's Birthday" aired three days after Sweet passed on from the disease at age 64. Nell Carter was the only cast member to appear in every episode. At this point, the producers were faced with a dilemma: either cancel the series or renew it for a sixth season with significant changes. In 2009, VEI announced that they plan on releasing the entire series in a complete series box set in 2010. Final episode date. on February 14, 2006, available in the United States only. This prompts her to move out of the house temporarily, and when Carl stands his ground and justifies his actions, Nell, Katie and Samantha ostracize him forcing his hand and, in talking to Julie, getting him to reveal why he was so furious with her. True Hollywood Story, she was adamant that frequently calling her "Maggie" was a tactic to help young Joey and Matthew Lawrence focus on their lines, rehearsals and shootings without acting up, as kids often do. Ms. Carter collapsed and was found by one of her sons, said her spokesman, Roger Lane. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. GIMME A BREAK! Nell's family. During the third season, Pat Sajak guest-starred as himself when Nell and Addy were contestants on Wheel of Fortune. To each their own though. She attempted suicide and struggled with her faith. Rosetta LeNoire took over the role during the show's fourth season. The husband (played by Dolph Sweet) is the chief of police of Glenlawn CA. John Hoyt died in 1991, six years after his on-screen son died. All rights reserved. - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gimme_a_Break!&oldid=1105749188, Television series by Alan Landsburg Productions, Television series by Universal Television, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2011, Articles that may contain original research from July 2011, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bob Christianson (first two seasons only), Best Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series, Mort Lachman and Associates (Entire Series), Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell (seasons 1-5), This page was last edited on 21 August 2022, at 16:16. The episode aired three days after he died. Nell Carter had a stormy relationship with Gimme a Break! She questioned the child stars' morals, and the media for playing into the victim mentality. How much bleeding is normal in early pregnancy? Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule April 9, 2005, Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule May 14, 2005, Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule May 21, 2005, Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule May 28, 2005, Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule June 11, 2005, Discovery Kids on NBC Schedule April 2, 2005, Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell [seasons 1-5], Kari Michaelson as Katie Kanisky [seasons 1-5], Lara Jill Miller as Samantha "Sam" Kanisky, Dolph Sweet as Chief Carl Kanisky [seasons 1-4], Howard Morton as Officer Ralph Simpson [seasons 1-5], John Hoyt as Grandpa Stanley Kanisky [seasons 2-6], Joseph Lawrence as Joey Donovan [seasons 3-6], Telma Hopkins as Addy Wilson [seasons 4-6], Jonathan Silverman as Jonathan Maxwell [seasons 4-5], Peter Schrum as Uncle Ed Kanisky [season 2], Jane Dulo as Grandma Mildred Kanisky [season 2], Rosetta LeNoire as "Mama" Maybelle Harper [season 6], Matthew Lawrence as Matthew Donovan [season 6], Rosie O'Donnell as Maggie O'Brien [season 6]. 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. It turns out that he was a jazz musician that knew her mother When Grandpa comes to get the boys pajamas, since they are sleeping in his apartment because Addy is sick in bed, he tells Nell that her mother has a date. Moreover, they featured near-identical scorelines: wild card Kimberly Birrell upset No.31 seed Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 and No.26 seed Elise Mertens scored her first win over Garbie Muguruza 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) GIMME A BREAK!!! 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. 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. Nell Carter, the robustly sassy singer and actress who exploded onto the New York musical stage in the Fats Waller revue Aint Misbehavin and went on to become a popular television star in the series Gimme a Break!, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 54. To the show's credit, they initially did handwave her mother's change in personality as a reaction to her husband's death, but they also changed her name (from Emma to Maybelle) and the actress. 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". This is one of many shows I used to watch just because it was on, not because I particularly enjoyed it. Lauri Hendler was the only Jewish member of the original cast. Dolph Sweet was in classic movies ,and in Little House on the Prairie. With spotify premium, you get ad free music, forever! And because Joey Lawrence was a big hit with audiences, and seemed to supplicate their need on the show. It's that easy! Gimme A Break was in the sitcom line-up, on NBC in the 80s. At some point during the mid-1990s, Carter had begun a relationship with a woman named Ann Kaser, but this was not known to the public until after her death. Why Did People In Old Hollywood Talk Funny. This was and to this day is still one of my all time favorite sitcoms of the eighties. Over its run, the series used two different theme songs. Before Lawrence arrived on set Nell would take Lara to eat at restaurants, but when Lawrence arrive on set Nell shifted her focus to the much younger and cuter Joey. She was basically the whole show , which dealt with many cast changes, perhaps the most shocking being Chief Carl Kaminskys death- Dolph Sweet. Although the show never cracked the top 30, it was still considered a solid enough hit to keep on the air for six years. stomach surgery It has been nice revisiting the story lines, how real they were , and how people can still relate .i am glad to eee some of the cast is extremely successful RIP to some of the cast who I loved as a teenager . "The day it was announced we had an MBA class and the topic was corporate culture. Enjoy all of Ms. Carters' talents and cherish them for all time. If you tap now and watch the short video you'll get 30 minutes of ad free music! The new theme has similarities to the first but with a more positive attitude. Dolph Sweet's final episode aired May 11, 1985, three days after he died. In the end, he forgives her, and tells her he was never as rich as he is now that he owns his own deli. She might as well not have been there at all. [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. When the show started, it was stated that the girls mother had recently passed six months prior. She and Max Green (Don Rickles) catch an orphaned girl named Danny stealing money and food. Howard Morton's role on the show as Officer Simpson served no purpose anymore with The Chief gone. In addition, she said Nell was also unhappy with the script for that week. He talks about how tough he and his family had it growing up, and also touches upon his deceased wife. Nell wonders why her mother would have a date, and when her mother shows up, she meets her date, Ernie, a man from her past. Reportedly, the tears of the cast during this fifth season retrospective episode, when the Chief and Dolph died were quite real. "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. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. It was explained in the fifth season premiere that the Chief had died and the show continued with Nell taking over as the head of the household. Hopkins appeared on many Motown hits and worked with legendary acts like the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. 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. Whitney was very young on Gimme A Break, and only had a minute or two on screen. Age, September 13, 1948 The show has been renewed for a fifth season, but it was undecided what would be done about Sweets character, Bozek said. ", "Gimme a Break! A very young Joey Lawrence also appeared in it as a young street-hustler-turned-foster-kid-for-the-family. There was a Matthew Kanisky in the unaired pilot, and a Matthew Donovan, Joey's brother, who was brought in during the last season. Alpha House. Like the episodes "Nell and the Kid" and "The Center", this episode does not rely on any Gimme A Break! O' Donnell has stated numerous times over the years during the final season of the show Nell Carter was in a bad place with personal issues and extremely miserable and unpleasant to be around. The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Early episodes implied it was recent, and any bad behavior from the girls was treated as a reaction to it, and the plotlines of a few early episodes revolve around Nell getting used to the family. She had moved in with her other daughter and son-in-law, who also recently moved to New York and was a TV weatherman. Gimme a Break! 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. In the series pilot, Katie is arrested for shoplifting. We heart Celebrities. #80s Began in 1981, ran 6 seasons & 137 episodes. I was young when this show aired. The original unaired pilot had the same plot as season one, episode one, "Katie the Crook", but it had a different set for the house, and the third Kanisky child was a redheaded boy named Matthew. Nell Carter would admit later in interviews that she had a serious cocaine problem when she starred on this show, which spiralled out of control. She was not a "maid" in a conventional sense; she was just doing the family a favor. Carter distanced herself from the show following its run. No infringement of previously copyrighted material is intended on this site. John Hoyt's final acting role was Gimme A Break. Her character married the only other Jewish person in the cast, Jonathan Silverman. Now, maybe it's just because I watched the three or four episodes that were the exception to the rule, but didn't that oldest daughter ever have any lines? Gimme a Break! He threatens to spank Samantha, though it doesn't happen. Kaser was named as the heir to Carters property and guardian of Carters children. She went into rehab several times during production and was blowing her money on cocaine every week . 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. Tubi acquired all seasons of the show as of February 1, 2022. The show "Gimme A Break" was based on a cop who moved his family from New York to California after his wife Margaret passed away and also became the chief of police in a small fictional California town who in turn had this housekeeper named Nell who was no only in charge of the household,but also was in charge of his three daughters too in which Nell was not only the mother to them,but she had some tough love around that too. The American syndication rights are held by NBC Universal Television Distribution, the successor company to original syndication MCA Television. "Gimme a Break!" became Sweet's last work because of his unfortunate cancer diagnosis, which took away his life in 1985. If I thought television could get substantially worse than this, I am not sure I would have the courage or desire ever to turn the set on again, Shales concluded. Originally, Nell's mother supported her dream of being a singer, but later became a shrill woman who never had faith in her. However, another good one that I think deserves mentioning is Hazel Shermet. A feisty housekeeper named Nell helps a widowed police chief raise his three daughters in a sassy sitcom that mocked stereotypes by showing a loving relationship . After Gimme a Break wrapped in the spring of 1987, Telma Hopkins and Rosetta Lenoire would co-star two years later in the smash hit ABC sitcom Family Matters. We heart books. She was 54. Later additions to the cast included Stanley Kanisky (Carl's father), Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (Nell's best friend, played by Telma Hopkins), adopted son Joey (Joey Lawrence) and Nell's mother, Maybelle. We heart living like a star. However, if you ask me, it was still a good show. A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! It was warm, funny, and presented many contemporary topics that modern families struggle with, such as teen sex, drugs, alcoholism, dating, etc. The Chief hits Katie and Julie during the course of the show. As with many star vehicles in Hollywood, the main character was named after the star. While never a powerhouse in the ratings, Gimme a Break! I am sure if Nell Carter hadn't passed away, they would be bringing this show back. After the death of actor Dolph Sweet after Season 4, the series continued for a season with Nell as the sole head of the Kanisky household, which was sad, so they decided to completely revamp the show, and for the final season, most of the cast (minus the older Kanisky daughters) moved to New York Cityand enter pre-famous Rosie O' Donnel as wacky friend Maggie, and Paul Sand as Marty the loveable landlord. Sadly Dolph Sweet passed away during the 3rd season but the show was able to continue thanks to a stellar cast including the 3 daughters Katie, Samantha, and Julie (Kari Michaelsen, Lara Jill Miller and Lauri Hendler) also Silver screen legend John Hoyt as Grandpa Stanley, Howard Morton as the lovable but bumbling Officer Simpson as well as Thelma Hopkins as Addie and Joey Lawrence round out the cast. The episode Julie's Birthday (1985) was Dolph Sweet's last appearance before his death. Producer Rod Parker expressed that it was difficult decision to let the girls go . She was inconsolable for days after the cast wrap party, refusing to see even close friends as she fell into dark despair. She appeared in a Season 1 episode as one of Katie's friends. This was also the title of a song by Tony Orlando & Dawn, of which Telma Hopkins was a member. Nell became an uptight, overdramatic control freak after season two. Houston played Rita, a friend of Katie Kanisky (Kari Michaelsen). In a meta-sense, Carter received bushels of mail from children who watched the show, who saw her as one for them. He was born Adolphus J. The abrupt changes in tone are handled adroitly, John J. OConnor wrote. Your email address will not be published. Gimme a Break! / Jane Dulo who portrayed Mildred Kanisky, mother of Carl Kanisky (played by Dolph Sweet) was born October 13, 1917 (some sources give 1912 and 1918 as her birth year); and with Sweet being born July 18, 1920, he and Dulo are too close in age to be playing mother and son credibly. Damn!" episodes. But the show belong to Nell Carter who was a joy to watch. 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. . She said that she passed the bar in three states, had a successful career, and lived a positive life. Reportedly, Carter was jealous of O'Donnell about stealing the limelight and wouldn't speak to her on set. Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service and USA. During the first season, Nell Carter and Dolph didn't get along in the beginning coming from different backgrounds in real life and in showbiz. was an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons from 1981-87, 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. In an interview Carter gave for O'Donnell's E! Michaelson would binge, purge, and fast. The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions (renamed as Reeves Entertainment Group in 1985). He then claimed she wasn't very nice to Lawrence and didn't want to do much with him. Nell Carter TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Nell says "Damn! Nell Carter as an overweight housekeeper, a devout guardian to 3 teenage white girls and a force not to be reckoned with whenever she dealt with the Chief of Police - Carl Kanisky, pretty well sums up what this 1980s sitcom is about. Most of the show's humor came from the clashes of culture (Nell, the Sassy Black Woman from the South vs. straightlaced second-generation Polish Chief Kanisky) and generation (Nell and Carl vs. the girls) in an otherwise standard 80s Dom Com setting. Dolph Sweet was absent in the first six episodes of the fourth season due to stomach surgery. The Kanisky daughters need all the help they can . 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. What chapter does Gatsby meet Daisy at Nicks house. Contents 1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring characters When producers Hal Cooper and Rod Parker took over the show in Season 3 there many changes that occurred. She tries to steal food from Max's fridge and may leave on the run, yet Max catches her. A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence) was added in Season 3. United Paramount Network (UPN) Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Give her a break! Those episodes were: Nell and the Kid, The Center, and The Purse Snatcher. Though the sitcom was hardly groundbreaking for its time,the series earned Nell Carter two Emmy nominations for her work and in turn gave her an opportunity to sing and dance in some of the episodes occasionally. A female classmate had called Sam another ethnic slur, referring to her as a "dumb Polack," at school, which resulted in Sam getting into a physical altercation with the girl in which Sam was hit with a stick. The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions, whose successor-in-interest, Reeves Entertainment Group, took over production in 1985. However, she was still seen occasionally in the sixth season, visiting from school. Inter-Uterine Device, an implanted birth control device that, at the time, had a reputation for piercing the uterus and causing dangerous bleeding and possible infection. [14], This article is about the television series. 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. If you grew up in the 80's this show was a must see. every chance we could. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. Rosie O' Donnell and Nell didn't get along during the final season and O' Donnell said Nell treated her terribly. Dolph Sweet and Nell didn't get along at first but ended up becoming friends. Everyone called Carl "Chief" or "Daddy" except for his parents and brother who called him by his first name. Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service (September 30, 1991 to December 31, 1993), TBS Superstation (September 22, 1986 to December 27, 2004) and the USA Network (September 22, 1997 to September 11, 1998). Gimme a Break! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/GimmeABreak. Nell Carter didn't get along with the original producers, Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. Parker said he was always most concerned on the effect Nell's intense mood swings could have on the kids on the show. The Season 2 episode "Julie Smokes" has Carl slap his daughter across the face when, after she lied to him that she was not smoking, she accidentally blew smoke in his face, having unsuccessfully concealed that she had currently been smoking a cigarette. on DVD in Canada between 2006-07. She was a mother figure on the set. Nell intervenes (by standing in the way) and stops him, and he eventually cools off and backs away. DVD news: Announcement for Gimme a Break! In 2009, VEI announced that they plan on releasing the entire series in a complete series box set in 2010. Hopkins revealed she convinced LeNoire who was hesitant to read the script and take on a role on the series predicting it would be a big hit. I loved grandpa too. Even Jonathan Silverman was a semi-regular at one point playing Julie's husband. outdated and vaguely stereotypical. 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. Tracey Gold was originally tapped to play Samantha, but at the last moment was replaced by Lara Jill Miller. Theme song is catchy though,but that's it. Visual Entertainment released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break!' 's original producers Coleman Mitchell and Geoffrey Neigher, which involved personality conflicts and creative differences. Carter had begun experimenting with cocaine while in the cast of Aint Misbehavin The daughters were all fired at the end of the fifth season, because of the low ratings on the show. The two made peace in 1997 when Rosie had her hit talk show which lasted for six seasons. I was 9 years old in 1981 when this show debuted. 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. This would eventually become known as "Must See TV", and come to include shows like Cheers (1982), Family Ties (1982), The Cosby Show (1984), Hill Street Blues (1981), Seinfeld (1989), L.A. Law (1986), ER (1994), Friends (1994), Will & Grace (1998), and The Office (2005), and would dominate the network ratings from the '80s into the 2000s. We heart local Los Angeles attractions and events. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the Kanisky household in season three. Hazel,The Nanny, Mr. Belvedere, Benson,and Family Affair. She was 54. Too many changes were made and and the series was a completely different show from when it started. 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. One of the producers saw him perform on The Johnny Carson Show and immediately wanted to add him as a cast member. Dolph Sweet also played a police chief in the original Out of Towners movie (1970). I don't remember the original theme song and after looking up old episodes on YouTube I hate it. From 2006 until 2010, both networks are Ion Television and MeTV reruns this show, during daytime and nighttime. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. is an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons (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 last of the kids played by a young Lara Jill Miller). Gordon Ramsays 24 Hours to Hell and Back, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Nov 05, 2007 #8. We heart influencers and interesting people. Carter found that she saw eye to eye more often with Parker and Cooper on all levels, and due to the stability the latter team would stay with the program for the rest of its run. There were some memorable episodes (such as when Samantha puts Joey in black face to get back at Nell, or when Nell undergoes hypnotherapy to remember where she had put something only to become helpless whenever someone knocked three times, or when the chief was on a stakeout with another officer and told him a horrible gay joke, only to learn that the other officer was gay), but the show was fairly standard. She finally sees eye to eye with him, and thanks God for everyone around her, letting him know she also thanks God for him. I have, in fact, written a review of this episode and it has been posted. She famously shouted, "Shut your mouth!" Unfortunately she passed way too early. What Are They Thinking of at NBC? 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. is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman. We heart TV shows. The plan was for Nell to become a housemother at Samantha's college dorm, reminiscent of the early seasons of the hit NBC sitcom the The Facts of Life. But in the pilot, he slapped Katie, so that was not true. Pete Schrum who portrayed The Chief's brother Uncle Ed, who got married in season 2, disappeared. Sweet continued dropping weight, due to cancer. 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. In revealing that their late mother, Margaret, was a heavy smoker, Carl reveals that he and Margaret had fought about the issue many times and that he wishes he had slapped her to get her to realize she was killing herself. Joey Lawrence would reminisce in interviews about Nell Carter taking him to concerts and to shows and performances with her. The show has numerous character recast throughout the duration of the series.
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