Brothers and Sisters (1979 TV series)

Last updated
Brothers and Sisters
Genre Sitcom
Created byArthur Silver
Bob Brunner
Written byPaul Diamond
Jeff Franklin
Allen Goldstein
Bernie Kahn
David Lerner
Brian Levant
Jerry Mayer
Andy Ruben
Roy Teicher
Directed byNick Abdo
John Bowab
Lowell Ganz
Will Mackenzie
Dick Martin
Tony Mordente
Dennis Steinmetz
George Tyne
Starring William Windom
Chris Lemmon
Jon Cutler
Randy Brooks
ComposersKen Heller
Mark Snow
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers Bob Brunner [1]
Arthur Silver
ProducersNick Abdo
Hy Averback
Jerry Mayer
Running time30 mins
Production companiesFrog Productions
Huk, Inc.
Paramount Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseJanuary 21 (1979-01-21) 
April 6, 1979 (1979-04-06)

Brothers and Sisters is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from January to April 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the 1978 motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House . It was the second of three frat-house comedy series to air in early 1979 (the others were ABC's Delta House and CBS' Co-Ed Fever ).

Contents

Synopsis

Brothers and Sisters takes place on the campus of Larry Krandall College, with William Windom starring as Dean Larry Krandall. Chris Lemmon (Milos "Checko" Sabolcik), Jon Cutler (Larry Zipper), and Randy Brooks (Ronald Holmes III) play three students who live in the basement of Pi Nu fraternity, nicknamed "Le Dump". Rather than attend class, the three cellar-dwellers create havoc with the more strait-laced members of the fraternity, and interact with the Gamma Iota sorority sisters who live nearby.

On January 21, NBC debuted Brothers and Sisters as a follow-up to their telecast of Super Bowl XIII, three days after ABC aired the first episode of its Animal House-inspired series (which was, in fact, the official series in everything but name). Two weeks later (February 4), Co-Ed Fever made its debut on CBS after a broadcast of the motion picture Rocky , but all three "frat-house" series were off the air by the end of April (with Co-Ed Fever having only one episode broadcast) after all of them ran into trouble with the networks' Standards and Practices departments because of their content. Brothers and Sisters made its last appearance on April 6, 1979; Delta House followed suit on April 21, 1979.

Of the three (if CBS' series had been picked up), Brothers and Sisters was arguably the least successful of them (mainly because of the networks having three similar shows, not to mention NBC's own woes at the time), with the show's lack of success apparent when series regular Mary Crosby turned up as a celebrity on NBC's Hollywood Squares for a week in March 1979; host Peter Marshall mentioned Brothers and Sisters as airing "on another network", only to be informed by Crosby that they were, in fact, on the same network.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot" Lowell Ganz Ron Leavitt & Brian LevantJanuary 21, 1979 (1979-01-21)
Accepting a wager from snooty Pi Nu president Harlan, Zipper unwisely bets his entire tuition that he can lure beautiful sorority girl Suzi Cooper into his bedroom by midnight. As the deadline approaches, Zipper's buddy Checko devises a plan to help his friend win the bet.
2"High Time"George TyneRon LeavittJanuary 26, 1979 (1979-01-26)
When the college president's tipsy daughter passes out in their room after curfew, Checko, Ronald and Zipper try to sneak her back to her own room.
3"Man in Chains"Dick MartinJeff FranklinFebruary 2, 1979 (1979-02-02)
The angry sisters of Gamma Iota kidnap Zipper after suspecting him of stealing their diaries.
4"Mirror Image"Tony MordentePaul DiamondFebruary 9, 1979 (1979-02-09)
Scrambling to find Zipper a date for the Valentine's Day dance, the Pi Nu brothers settle on Seymour's overweight sister Marilyn, who is visiting for the weekend. As a prank, Harlan arranges for Zipper to be crowned "King of Hearts" at the dance.
5"Made in Japan"Nick AbdoBrian LevantFebruary 16, 1979 (1979-02-16)
After seeing his pals Checko and Ronald split up over a beautiful Asian student, Zipper tries to force a truce by locking them in the same room together — unaware that the fraternity house is on fire.
6"A Wrenching Problem"Dennis Steinmetz Bernie Kahn February 23, 1979 (1979-02-23)
When Zipper's father arrives on campus for a visit, Checko and Ronald conspire to trick him into believing that his son is a model student. Since Harlan is out of town, Zipper attempts to pose as president of the fraternity.
7"Lucky Me"John BowabDavid Lerner & Roy TeicherMarch 9, 1979 (1979-03-09)
Checko and Ronald attempt to cure Zipper of his tendency to hiccup when excited, which has been sabotaging his romantic life. Meanwhile, Harlan finds out and tells everyone.
8"Love and Marriage"Will MackenzieJerry MayerMarch 16, 1979 (1979-03-16)
Checko, Ronald and Zipper organize their own version of "The Newlywed Game" after enrolling in a marriage survival course that requires pairing off with a female partner.
9"Spring Vacation"Dennis SteinmetzPaul DiamondMarch 23, 1979 (1979-03-23)
En route to Florida for spring break, Checko, Ronald and Zipper end up stranded at a seedy roadside diner when their car breaks down. They are shocked to discover the snobbish Mary Lee working as a waitress.
10"Save the Monkey"Tony MordenteDavid Lerner & Roy TeicherMarch 28, 1979 (1979-03-28)
Zipper creates chaos when he rescues a chimpanzee from a fatal research experiment. Mary Lee is none too happy when she winds up baby-sitting the lovable chimp, who mimics her every move.
11"Main Event"Nick AbdoAllen Goldstein & Levi TaylorMarch 30, 1979 (1979-03-30)
Harlan challenges Ronald to a boxing match to defend Mary Lee's honor, while Checko and Zipper take bets.
12"Truth or Consequences"Dennis SteinmetzAllen Goldstein & Levi TaylorApril 6, 1979 (1979-04-06)
Harlan cheats on a calculus exam and Zipper is blamed for it.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phi Kappa Tau</span> North American collegiate fraternity

Phi Kappa Tau (ΦΚΤ), commonly known as Phi Tau, is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of May 2024, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 83 active chapters, 7 associate chapters, and about 3,900 collegiate members. SeriousFun Children's Network, founded by Beta chapter alumnus Paul Newman, is Phi Kappa Tau's National Philanthropy. According to its Constitution, Phi Kappa Tau is one of the few social fraternities that accepts both graduate students and undergraduates.

John MacDonald Badham is an American film and television director. He is best known for directing the films Saturday Night Fever (1977), Dracula (1979), Blue Thunder (1983), WarGames (1983), Short Circuit (1986), Stakeout (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Hard Way (1991) and Point of No Return (1993). He is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, a two-time Hugo Award nominee, and a Saturn Award winner. He is also a Professor at Chapman University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Matheson</span> American actor (born 1947)

Tim Matheson is an American actor. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated Jonny Quest TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 1978 comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House, and the recurring role of Vice President John Hoynes in the 2000s NBC drama The West Wing, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<i>Duet</i> (TV series) American television sitcom

Duet is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from April 19, 1987, to May 7, 1989. Originally, the story centered on the romance of a novelist and a caterer, but gradually the focus shifted to their yuppie friends and the show was rebranded as Open House. The series was created by Ruth Bennett and Susan Seeger, and was produced by Paramount Television.

The following is the 1978–79 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1978 through August 1979. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1977–78 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Crosby</span> American singer and bandleader (1913–1993)

George Robert Crosby was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younger brother of famed singer and actor Bing Crosby. On TV, Bob Crosby guest-starred in The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He was also a regular cast member of The Jack Benny Program, on both radio and television, taking over the role of bandleader after Phil Harris' departure. Crosby hosted his own afternoon TV variety show on CBS, The Bob Crosby Show (1953–1957). Crosby received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for television and radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Tau Delta</span> North American collegiate fraternity

Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ) is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapters and colonies nationwide, with an estimated 10,000 undergraduate members and over 170,000-lifetime members. Delta Tau Delta is informally referred to as "DTD" or "Delts."

<i>The Hollywood Palace</i> American television variety series

The Hollywood Palace is an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace for its first few weeks, it began as a midseason replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show, which lasted only three months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Crosby</span> American actress

Mary Frances Crosby is an American actress, the only daughter of actor/singer Bing Crosby and his second wife Kathryn Grant. She played Kristin Shepard in the television series Dallas.

The Brothers García is an American teen sitcom created by Jeff Valdez, Mike Cevallos, and Gibby Cevallos. It was among the first projects of Sí TV, an effort to produce programming featuring Latino characters that are aimed at a diverse audience. The series was billed as the first English-language sitcom to have an all-Latino cast and creative team. It aired on Nickelodeon from July 23, 2000, to August 8, 2004. After the show, Sí TV launched its own cable-television network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTOK</span> Radio station in Oklahoma City

KTOK is a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City and airs a news/talk format. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. KTOK and its sister stations, KGHM, KJYO, KOKQ, KTST and KXXY-FM, have offices and state of the art studios at 6525 North Meridian Avenue on the Northwest side of Oklahoma City.

<i>Delta House</i> 1979 sitcom

Delta House is an American sitcom that was adapted from the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House. The series aired from January 18 to April 21, 1979 on ABC.

<i>Co-Ed Fever</i> American sitcom

Co-Ed Fever is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House. It was the third of three "frat house" comedy series to air in early 1979. After CBS aired the first episode of Co-Ed Fever as a "special preview" on February 4, 1979, the airing's low ratings and viewer complaints caused the network to cancel it before it ever aired in its planned Monday-night time slot.

<i>The Farmers Daughter</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

The Farmer's Daughter is an American sitcom, loosely based on the 1947 film, that was produced by Screen Gems Television and aired on ABC from September 20, 1963, to April 22, 1966. It was sponsored by Lark Cigarettes and Clairol, for whom the two leading stars often appeared at the show's end, promoting the products; the commercials were also filmed. The Farmer's Daughter also enjoyed a brief run in syndication when it aired on CBN Cable in the 1980s.

<i>The Joey Bishop Show</i> (TV series) American sitcom

The Joey Bishop Show is an American sitcom starring entertainer Joey Bishop that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1964. After NBC canceled the series because of its low ratings, it was aired by CBS for its fourth and final season.

The Dennis O'Keefe Show is an American sitcom produced by Cypress Production/United Artists Television which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run and was canceled after one season. The series was largely forgotten until a "Best Of" DVD release by Alpha Video during 2004. Certain episodes of the show can also be seen at the Internet Archive. It appears this series has entered the public domain.

<i>Dallas</i> (1978 TV series) season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1980–81 TV season.

In North America, fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues thereafter for life. Some accept graduate students as well. Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most share five common elements:

  1. Secrecy
  2. Single-sex membership
  3. Selection of new members based on a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging
  4. Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live
  5. A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors
<i>Sweepstakes</i> (TV series) 1979 American television series

Sweepstakes, stylized as $weepstake$, is an American anthology television series that aired in the United States on NBC during the 1978–-79 television season. It depicts the lives of people who hope to win a large amount of money in a sweepstakes and what happens after they win — or do not win — the money.

References

  1. "Bob Brunner, 'Happy Days' writer, dies". Variety . 2012-11-08. Archived from the original on 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2012-11-27.