Blondes vs. Brunettes

Last updated
Blondes vs. Brunettes
ABC TV Special, Blondes vs. Brunettes.jpg
ABC-TV Promotional Advertisement
GenreVariety
Written byRod Warren, George Beckerman, David Scott Jones, Bus Cohan, Lisa Medway
Directed bySteve Binder, Sterling Johnson
Starring Joan Collins
Morgan Fairchild
Brooke Shields
Rita Moreno
Bruce Boxleitner
Phyllis Diller
Theme music composerFred Thaler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersClaude Ravier, Steve Binder
Running time60 minutes
Production company ABC-TV
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseMay 14, 1984 (1984-05-14)

Blondes vs. Brunettes was an ABC TV special that was broadcast on May 14, 1984. [1] [2] The one-hour variety show, co-hosted by Joan Collins and Morgan Fairchild, was a humorous look at the personality and lifestyle differences between blonde and brunette women. Time magazine characterized the special as a "showdown" between Collins, "…TV’s brunette meanie and Morgan Fairchild, 34, a blond TV vixen." [3] At the time of the release, Collins was starring in the popular nighttime soap opera Dynasty where she played a dark haired foil to the blonde Linda Evans. [4]

Despite the imagery of a confrontation, the special gently poked fun at popular culture's blonde vs. brunette rivalry [5] and attempted to "dispel the myths about blondes and brunettes." [6] The show featured a number of skits including a "Dynasty" skit where Fairchild and Collins played the roles of the show's blonde and brunette rivals. [7] The final skit featured Collins and Fairchild in their elderly years offering a toast to each other. [6] The lengthy guest cast included Brooke Shields and Bruce Boxleitner.

The special was widely criticized and mocked for its absurd premise.

"Do blondes really have more fun? Are blonde men more gentle than dark haired men? Which do you notice first, blondes or brunettes? Does ABC have any class? You can find out the answers to these and other inane questions on this special ... "experts" on the subject include Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Father Guido Sarducci." [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Collins</span> English actress and writer (born 1933)

Dame Joan Henrietta Collins is an English actress, author and columnist. With a career spanning nearly 8 decades, Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She is one of the last surviving actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. In 1983, Collins was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has been recognised for her philanthropy, particularly her advocacy towards causes relating to children, which has earned her many honours. In 2015, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her charitable services, presented to her by the then Prince of Wales, Charles III.

<i>Dynasty</i> (1981 TV series) 1980s American prime time television soap opera

Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981, to May 11, 1989. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver. Dynasty stars John Forsythe as oil magnate Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle, and later Joan Collins as his former wife Alexis.

Blonde jokes are a joke cycle based on a stereotype of a dumb blonde woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blond</span> Human hair color

Blond or blonde, also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of eumelanin, the dark pigment. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be from the very pale blond to reddish "strawberry" blond or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond colors. Occasionally, the state of being blond, and specifically the occurrence of blond traits in a predominantly dark or colored population are referred to as blondism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown hair</span> Human hair color

Brown hair, also referred to as brunette or brunet, is the second-most common human hair color, after black hair. It varies from light brown to dark hair. It is characterized by higher levels of the dark pigment eumelanin and lower levels of the pale pigment pheomelanin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Fairchild</span> American actress (born 1950)

Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series ever since.

<i>Paper Dolls</i> American TV series or program

Paper Dolls is an American primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 episodes on ABC from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York's fashion industry, the show centered on top modeling agency owner Racine, her conflicts with the family of cosmetics tycoon Grant Harper, and the careers of two teenaged models. The series was based on a 1982 television film of the same name. The show suffered in the ratings, despite positive reviews, and was cancelled midway through the first season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blonde stereotype</span> Stereotypes of blond-haired people

Blonde stereotypes are stereotypes of blonde-haired people. Sub-types of this stereotype include the "blonde bombshell" and the "dumb blonde". Blondes have historically been portrayed as physically attractive, though often perceived as less intelligent compared to their brunette counterparts. There are many blonde jokes made on these premises. However, research has shown that blonde women are not less intelligent than women with other hair colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catfight</span> Anglo-American term for a physical altercation between women

Catfight is a term for an altercation between two females, often characterized as involving scratching, shoving, slapping, choking, punching, kicking, wrestling, biting, spitting, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding. It can also be used to describe women insulting each other verbally or engaged in an intense competition for men, power, or occupational success. The catfight has been a staple of American news media and popular culture since the 1940s, and use of the term is often considered derogatory or belittling. Some observers argue that in its purest form, the word refers to two women, one blonde and the other a brunette, fighting each other. However, the term is not exclusively used to indicate a fight between women, and many formal definitions do not invoke gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leven Rambin</span> American actress

Leven Alice Rambin is an American actress. She is known for playing look-alike half-sisters Lily Montgomery and Ava Benton on All My Children, and for her recurring roles on Grey's Anatomy and Gone, as well as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, One Tree Hill, Wizards of Waverly Place, and CSI: Miami. She appeared in the sci-fi film The Hunger Games (2012) as the District 1 tribute Glimmer, and appeared as Clarisse La Rue in the fantasy film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearing blonde gene</span> Hoax

The disappearing blonde gene was a hoax claiming a scientific study had estimated that natural blonds would become extinct, repeated as fact in reputable media such as the BBC and The Sunday Times between 2002 and 2006. The hoax claimed that, because the allele for the genes for hair colour is recessive, blond hair would become less common as people with dominant non-blond hair alleles had offspring with people with the recessive alleles, even though such a pairing would retain one copy of the blond allele in the genome of the offspring. Claims that blond hair would disappear have been made since 1865.

<i>A Thief in Paradise</i> 1925 film

A Thief in Paradise is a 1925 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by George Fitzmaurice, and adapted by Frances Marion from Leonard Merrick's 1900 novel The Worldlings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francie (Barbie)</span> Barbie doll model

Francie Fairchild is a fashion doll issued by Mattel from 1966 to 1976 and re-introduced in 2011. Marketed as "Barbie's MODern cousin" from England, the doll had an extensive line of "mod"-style clothing, often employing bright colors and geometric patterns similar to fashions associated with Carnaby Street in the late 1960s to early 1970s. At 11¼ inches tall, the Francie doll was shorter than Barbie, but taller than Skipper, making the character presumably between the two in age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Child</span> Toy line from Mattel

My Child dolls are a toy made by Mattel from 1985-1988. Most had felt "skin" on their heads although some had vinyl skin.

<i>Prehistoric Women</i> (1967 film) 1967 film by Michael Carreras

Prehistoric Women is a British fantasy adventure film directed by Michael Carreras, starring Martine Beswick and Michael Latimer. It was first released in the US in 1967, and released in the UK 18 months later under the title Slave Girls, where it was trimmed by 17 minutes and played as the supporting feature to The Devil Rides Out (1968).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollette Sheridan</span> British-American actress

Nicollette Sheridan is a British-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera Paper Dolls in 1984, as well as starring in the romantic comedy film The Sure Thing (1985). She rose to prominence as Paige Matheson on the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1986–1993), for which she received two Soap Opera Digest Awards. Thereafter, Sheridan appeared in lead roles in numerous television films and miniseries, including Lucky Chances (1990), Virus (1995), and The People Next Door (1996). She also appeared in the feature films Noises Off (1992), Spy Hard (1996), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), and Code Name: The Cleaner (2007).

"To Surveil with Love" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 2010, as the 461st episode of the whole series. In the episode, radiation seeps out of Homer's gym bag after a bomb squad blows it up and Springfield officials decide to suspend all civil liberties. Meanwhile, Lisa dyes her hair after being stereotyped for being blonde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondes vs. Brunettes (charity event)</span>

Blondes vs. Brunettes is a powderpuff football game played in cities across the United States. Proceeds from the event are donated to The Alzheimer's Association. Games have been held in more than 40 cities and have cumulatively raised more than $15 Million for the care, support and research efforts of the Association.

The blonde versus brunette rivalry is a rivalry—whether real, imagined, or fictional—between women with blonde hair and those with brown (brunette) hair. In popular culture and everyday conversation, the words blonde and brunette are sometimes used as nouns to refer to women by these two hair colors. This supposed rivalry is a common fictional theme in books, magazine articles, film, and television. Some have argued that the spectacle of blonde and brunette women engaged in physical fights with each other has been a male fantasy for many years.

<i>Les Gladiatrices: Blondes vs. Brunes</i> 2004 film

Les Gladiatrices: Blondes vs. Brunes is a 2004 DVD based in a French reality TV show that featured women wrestling each other. The women were divided into two teams, one blonde and the other brunette.

References

  1. Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television: Series, Pilots and Specials 1974-1984. New York: BASELine Publications, page 50
  2. "Blondes vs. Brunettes" Internet Movie Database (IMdB), retrieved September 23, 2012
  3. Time Magazine, "People" May 14, 1984, page 59
  4. Collins, Joan (1999) Second Act: An Autobiography. New York: St. Martin’s Press, pages 192-193
  5. Douglas, Susan J. (1994) Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With The Mass Media. New York: Random House, pages 241-242
  6. 1 2 Washington Post, "The TV Column" May 14, 1984, page C9
  7. Flander, Judy (May 14, 1984) "Blondes battle brunettes" Lakeland Ledger, page 16. Retrieved October 2, 2013
  8. "Around the Dial : Blondes vs Brunettes". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 1 September 2019.