flackjacket
Unfortunately, they started playing reruns of this show on Antenna TV today. I had forgotten about it until now. Like "Alice" I had blocked it out of my mind due to the fact that it sucked to high heaven.First problem with this fake puke inducing "sitcom" is Bonnie Franklin with her lame "bob" Patty Duke haircut. Second is Mackenzie "Let me snort that for you" Phillips. Third is the cliché Pat Harrington Jr., who is apparently supposed to be funny based on the laugh track, but never is. And speaking of laugh tracks, that would be fourth in the problems with this show. But, fifth, and most repulsive, is the character David "I need a man bra" Kane. How can anyone find Pat Harrington Jr. funny? How can anyone believe Bonnie Franklin as the character she so desperately tries to portray? How can anyone stomach more than 5 seconds of Mackenzie "Let me shoot that in my arm" Phillips? How can anyone not want to throw a brick at their TV the second Richard Masur enters the scene?Several reviews say how this show didn't age well. Truth is it sucked back then and still sucks to this day. It actually set the standard for suck, by which all other shows are measured. In reality, the only reason it lasted as long as it did is because there were enough teenage geeks and losers that had a crush on Valerie Bertinelli to keep the ratings up. But I'm not sure why, because her tomboy character wasn't exactly one that would desire a male, if you know what I mean.
Syl
This show was a revolutionary in the women's movement. Bonnie Franklin played red head divorcée and mother of two teenage daughters who moves from Loganport, Indiana to the big city of Indianapolis. Her daughters are played by the wonderful, Valerie Bertinelli, and Mackenzie Phillips. They played Barbara and Julie. Remember Schneider who frequented the apartment as the building handyman. Nan Fabray who played Ann's mother. I loved Richard Masur as Ann's first boyfriend after her divorce. I thought he should have stayed on but it wouldn't work if Ann remarried so soon after the divorce papers were inked. I remember Shelley Fabares on the show as one of her co-workers as well as Mary Louise Wilson as a cocktail waitress neighbor. It was one of the few shows that I could recall was set in Indianapolis. I thought the show was well-written most of the time and the acting was worthy of the Emmys it received. They don't make shows like this. I remember the apartment layout most of all. Despite Phillips' substance problems, Valerie was truly a star in the making. The show grew and evolved and was well-loved by its audience.
Gentsyu
I just read a post about a 4-year-old remembering the first episode-it really was a great show & one of my favorites. I just wanted to comment about Mackenzie Phillips drug-use.Incidentally, I don't know if this is a "spoiler" or not, but just so I don't get "blacklisted" as it said beside the spoiler box, if you don't warn the readers, I went ahead & checked the box. Now, with Mackenzie living with her father, John & his wife, Michelle Phillips, of "The Mamas & the Papas," there was not much discipline or even early curfews for school nights, etc., I heard this straight from Michelle's lips on an interview. She said, "You know, I was pretty young, myself, I didn't know that Mackenzie really should have a regular curfew, rules, & there shouldn't be drugs lying around in every room-free for the taking-really, until I gave birth to Chynna, myself. I suddenly had all those 'mothering' instincts kick in & actually began arguing with John about Mackenzie's VERY free-rein lifestyle with him. I really feel that maybe she wouldn't have been fired for being hooked on the COCAINE-but this is eventually what led to the divorce, John just wasn't going to change-he would sit there & do drugs together with his daughter-which you may have heard Mackenzie herself say, on occasion. She did say she wasn't putting the responsibility on anyone else but herself, like, after they found out through her erratic behavior & excessive skin problems what was going on on the show's set & in her life, & they gave her a warning to get help, time off to do so, & they would write in her absence until she could come back. She DID clean up, but, living with her father, or even visiting, she was right back on it, & ultimately fired." Michelle is still close with Mackenzie & they are very active in keeping people, especially children-who don't ever have to start ANY drug under their parents' guidance & love-off of drugs. Now, I'm not saying-by any means-that Mackenzie never did heroin, I'm sure that was available-in fact, I can't think of ANY drug that may NOT have been available at John's house, except maybe some that have come along since he died, but, Mackenzies PROBLEM drug, the one she was addicted to during the course of the show was cocaine. It came out in the tabloids back when it happened, but also, Mackenzie herself has said straight-out that cocaine would have been the death of her, had she not gotten help, I think a FEW times, before she actually succeeded, & has been a wonderful wife & mother & advocate for a drug-free life ever since. I know something that you loved a lot at the age of 4, you WOULD remember, but maybe drug info is a bit less of something that would lodge in the brain in an exact manner! God Bless!
Brian Washington
This was one of my favorite shows, at least for the first few seasons that it was on. This was one of the first shows that dealt with divorce and more importantly how it effects the children. Bonnie Franklin did a wonderful job as Ann and Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli were great as Julie and Barbara respectively. However, the character that really made the show was immortal Dwayne F. Schneider played by Pat Harrington. He brought a wonderful sense of humor to offset the more serious moments of the show. However complaint I do have a few complaints about the show. One is that I think that once Julie was written out of the show it should have ended there. Another is that like so many other shows that struggled for ratings, they fell into the trap of bringing on the cute kid character in the form of Alex. Also, if Ann was truly trying to be the modern independent woman, why did she wind up getting married towards the end of the show?
