Episodes you just can't stand to watch

[RicoGregg]

I have to admit myself that Gimmie A Break was a stinker of a show but to me the bad ones were mainly after the death of Dolph Sweet. When Sweet died in 1985, I seem to remember Neil Carter and the girls on the show really wanted to end it as they all knew the show would not be the same. However either shortly before Sweet's death, maybe shortly after Gimmie picked up "cute little" Joey Lawrence and thinking Joey would be the next "big thing", Gimme A Break lasted a few more years even though one might as well called Gimmie A Break...."The Joey Lawrence Show".

Speaking about Joey Lawrence...some years back Yahoo flashed one of those "guess who this is" pics on their homepage. A shirtless bald headed guy with a goatee, sporting tattoos, wearing leather pants and workboots...At first I thought it was wrestler Bill Goldberg...but it wasn't...it was Joey Lawrence. Maybe at the time Joey Lawrence was trying to reach the S&M crowd

Lessee here, Joey Lawrence, Todd Bridges, Adam Rich, Brian Bonsall (Family Ties, now a wanted fugitive), Macauley Caulkin, and a host of others that all seemed to turn into such wonderful adults.

Child stars, I swear..... :

When I was a kid in the late 50s, I used to bug my parents to take me to auditions and studios and agencies that handled kids and such and my parents would always say no. In this instance, I am sooo grateful that my parents said no! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

Say Mary Kate, what really did happen with Heath Ledger, anyway? ???

 

[gr8oldies]

The kids who worked for Sheldon Leonard (Danny Thomas, Andy Griffith shows) seemed to turn out all right.

 

[Prais]

Most - not all.

On January 18, 1990, (Rusty) Hamer died of a single self inflicted gunshot wound to the head from a .357 Magnum, in DeRidder, Louisiana.[1]

Sad.

 

[RicoGregg]

The kids who worked for Sheldon Leonard (Danny Thomas, Andy Griffith shows) seemed to turn out all right.

That sounds real impressive until you suddenly realize that a total of three kids worked on those two shows mentioned.

The above poster makes an accurate statement.

 

[Otto Maddock]

The kids who worked for Sheldon Leonard (Danny Thomas, Andy Griffith shows) seemed to turn out all right.

Too bad Sheldon Leonard didn't produce Dennis The Menace. Jay North revealed all kinds of abuse he went through. It's one of my all-time favorite classic shows, but it's hard to watch now knowing what went on. Same way with those old Bing Crosby Christmas specials... I've heard or read stories how he wasn't exactly an ideal father.

 

[landtuna]

If you really want to read about the growing pains of child stars pick up Lauren Chapin's book from your local library. She was the little sister in Father Knows Best.

 

[mleach]

Lessee here, Joey Lawrence, Todd Bridges, Adam Rich, Brian Bonsall (Family Ties, now a wanted fugitive), Macauley Caulkin, and a host of others that all seemed to turn into such wonderful adults.

Child stars, I swear..... :

Actually for every child star who "turned bad", there are a good number of those who did ok as adults mainly because they had accepted the fact that they should be doing something else and that their moment in the spotlight is over. Like that girl who played "Sam" on Gimmie A Break..I believe she is a lawyer someplace and the girl who played "Dee" on Whats Happening, today she is a veterinarian. Its just those child stars and/or their parents who fail to know when to get off the train by thinking that their little ones will always be on TV..for the most part its those child actors who found "troubles".

Reminds me of the story I heard while attending a Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz convention several years ago. When "the Lucy Show" dropped the kids in favor of more guest stars, Vivian Vance actually called up the parents of Jimmy Garrett, Candy Moore and Ralph Hart ( the three kids on the Lucy Show ) begging them to "..please I beg you..take your kids out of show business..make them go to college and have them do something else and they will be successful in their adult years". Anyway the parents did take Vivian Vance's advice and as of yet one hasn't heard a peep about those kids "gone wrong" so I think its a safe bet to say they turned out OK.

 

[onairb]

Which version of the 'Alice' theme was more irritating: The original, bluesy arrangement(with that horrific 'FA-FA-FAAAA-FA-FAAA' closing); or the nauseatingly perky, hyper, cheerful one from later seasons?

The later one definately was the worst.

..."but if things work out she's gonna stay...a while...aaaawww YEAHHH!!!"

aww NO!!! :

YIKES!! ;D

Could have sworn I just replied to this...maybe it withered in a Linda Lavin high note!
The version I was thinking of ends in a line that goes something like, 'Life's gonna beeeee...sooooo....SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET...BA-DA-DA-BA-DA-DA!(and on the final note, they show some random clip of one of the girls throwing a net or something over Mel).

 

[morefaves]

The Star Trek Original Series Episode "Gem" about the deaf mute from girl that some big headed aliens were trying to develop unselfishness in. I HATE this episoe, and even thoufgh I'll watch anything and everything Trek several(hundred) times, I just won't watch this episode.

 

[firepoint525]

In Ms. Jewell's case, she actually made what would be considered by some to be "tasteless" jokes at her own expense in her comedy act, and encouraged others to see the lighter side of a disability. She felt that by embracing all those remarks that others would make anyway, she would take some of the stigma of her disability away and humanize it. Not sure it was the right approach, or that it had much effect, but I do recall from interviews with her at the time that this was her opinion.

And the ironic thing is that as I remember it was the OLDER folks who felt Jewell's jokes were tasteless. Ironic because today most of those who still tell HIV/AIDS jokes are those same people. The over 50 crowd. Stars like Eddie Murphy who once told such jokes in stand-up not only no longer do but even regret telling such jokes today.
I kinda blame the taboilds like the National Enquier for that. They tend to reach the older folks and as recently as last year whenever they do a story about AIDS/HIV they try to connect that to "gay". Example: "Oprah Winfrey's AIDS scare" ( the story was about one of Oprah's male friends coming out of the closet telling her that he is gay ) Nowhere in the story did it mention that the guy in question had HIV much less AIDS. And I am not going to begin what the tabolids did to Magic Johnson when he told the press he had HIV.

Can't say for certain, but it may be because while people realize that a disability is not a person's fault, they may think that AIDS is some type of "punishment" for being gay. I don't know. I'm not 50 yet. I'm 45! ;D

 

[firepoint525]

And I would add to this, any show in which the title or lead character has the same first name as the actor's (or most likely actress's) real name, such as Nell Carter as Nell Harper, etc. It gives the impression that the actor cannot answer to any name other than his/her own! :

I don't know - you're including some very good shows here - Bob Newhart was a "Bob" in that original great sitcom. I guess he was later a "Dick." ;D Mary Tyler Moore was "Mary"...didn't Ted call her "Mare?" Not to mention Jerry Seinfeld...he didn't even have a different last name. Same with Ozzie Nelson.

Fred Munster would have worked. Winkler could have been Henry Fonzarelli - it would have worked as well as Arthur, since he would have been Fonzie either way.

On the other hand, it's hard to imagine All in the Family's lead character being called Carroll Bunker. I Dream of Barbara wouldn't have worked at all....

Don't misunderstand. I'm not knocking actors who play themselves in TV shows; it's more the ones who play the thinly disguised versions of themselves. : If you are going to play yourself, fine. Just use your real first and last name. Some of the examples you gave here did that.

 

[firepoint525]

Which version of the 'Alice' theme was more irritating: The original, bluesy arrangement(with that horrific 'FA-FA-FAAAA-FA-FAAA' closing); or the nauseatingly perky, hyper, cheerful one from later seasons?

The later one definately was the worst.
..."but if things work out she's gonna stay...a while...aaaawww YEAHHH!!!"
aww NO!!! :

YIKES!! ;D

Could have sworn I just replied to this...maybe it withered in a Linda Lavin high note!
The version I was thinking of ends in a line that goes something like, 'Life's gonna beeeee...sooooo....SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET...BA-DA-DA-BA-DA-DA!(and on the final note, they show some random clip of one of the girls throwing a net or something over Mel).

ALL the Alice themes were lame! : In the last couple of seasons, they freeze-framed that shot of throwing the net over Mel. A season or two before that, they did not freeze-frame that shot. But they managed to show that shot of Vera scattering the straws every season that show ran, didn't they? :

And the Gimme A Break theme song got worse with each passing year! A completely new (and lame) theme for the last couple of seasons! :

 

[nightfly61]

ALL the Alice themes were lame! In the last couple of seasons, they freeze-framed that shot of throwing the net over Mel. A season or two before that, they did not freeze-frame that shot. But they managed to show that shot of Vera scattering the straws every season that show ran, didn't they?

...Can't forget the shot of Philip Mckeon (Tommy) dressed in some horrid cowboy getup playing guitar with a cheezy grin strumming away!

back to topic:
Couldn't watch any Malcolm In the Middles after the mom was pregnant & after boy #4 was born.
As a kid I never liked any Mr. Rogers when he had little kids come over & visit & watch the "this is how this is made" t.v in the wall.

 

[radioman148]

>>...Can't forget the shot of Philip Mckeon (Tommy) dressed in some horrid cowboy getup playing guitar with a cheezy grin strumming away!>>

Thanks for reminding me of that--NOT!!

 

[firepoint525]

There have been several references to a "Tommy" on this thread, and apparently, nearly all of them have been about the Tommy in Alice. But what about the Tommy on St. Elsewhere? I suppose you could say that Chad Allen gave an accurate portrayal of an autistic child ("Tommy go now," etc.), but I'm sure that many of you couldn't help but be upset when, at the tail end of the series finale, they revealed that the entire show had been the made-up imagination of Tommy, the autistic boy.

Chad Allen went on to be on Our House (along with pre-90120 Shannen Doherty) and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

 

[mjlarochelle]

Digging up an old thread since I've been away for a month...

Any Simpsons episode from Season 1, and from after Season 13. And the God-awful clip shows, especially that one where they're singing and Snake breaks in. The Simpsons long-ago jumped the shark and I only want to see the classics, sans those really corny ones from Season 1 which were never funny.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

Like that girl who played "Sam" on Gimmie A Break..I believe she is a lawyer someplace

Lara Jill Miller (Samantha) was most recently the title voice of "The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee" on Cartoon Network just a few short years ago.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

>>Chip's hippie wife on My Three Sons>>

Polly wasn't so bad, but by that time the show really deteriorated.

Ronne Troup (daughter of Bobby) is perhaps best known to most of us as Leslie Hayden (the late Frank Aletter's TV daughter) on "Danger Island" basically being the Kim Bauer of her day (getting herself kidnapped/held as a hostage on a frequent basis); BTW, she was also on another one of "Diff'rent Strokes"' infamous "very special episodes" where she kidnaps the new annoying kid Sam (don't blame NBC for this one, as the show moved to ABC by then).

 

[azumanga]

Ronne Troup (daughter of Bobby)... was also on another one of "Diff'rent Strokes"' infamous "very special episodes" where she kidnaps the new annoying kid Sam (don't blame NBC for this one, as the show moved to ABC by then).

I think that very episode was the first episode that was on ABC -- kind of strategic for them to start their run in their new home with a "very special episode".

 

[David67]

It's one of your favorite classic TV shows. You watch reruns of it every chance you get.

BUT.....there's that one episode. Maybe it has an annoying guest star. Perhaps it's a very poor concept, or has your favorite character(s) acting horribly OUT of character. Or there's something that just rubs you the wrong way -- sticks in your craw. As much as you love the series as a whole, whenever THAT episode comes on, you groan and quickly flip the channel.

And that episode is.............?

I couldn't stand Married with Children when they added that smart ass little kid.