Night Stand with Dick Dietrick

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Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
Also known asNight Stand
Created byPaul Abeyta
Peter Kaikko
Timothy Stack
Presented by Timothy Stack (as Dick Dietrick)
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes96 (divided into 2 shows per episode)
Production
Executive producersLarry Strawther season one;
Timothy Stack season two
Production locations Sunset Gower Studios, Hollywood
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesRC Entertainment
Big Ticket Television
Original release
Network First-run syndication
E!
ReleaseSeptember 16, 1995 (1995-09-16) 
1997 (1997)

Night Stand with Dick Dietrick is an American television comedy show that satirized American tabloid talk shows. The series was originally broadcast in first-run syndication from 1995 to 1997, as well as on the E! Entertainment Television network. Night Stand was co-created by Paul Abeyta, Peter Kaikko and actor/writer Timothy Stack, who also starred as the show's host Dick Dietrick. The show benefited from contributions by writer/friends of the creators, namely co-exec producer Larry Strawther (the first season show-runner) and the long-time comedy writing team of Bob Iles and Jim Stein.

Contents

History

Night Stand premiered September 16, 1995 in syndication, running in over 87% of the US markets, mainly as a Saturday evening program airing against, or if carried by an NBC station, after Saturday Night Live . It also aired on E! Monday-Thursday at 10:30 p.m. (between Talk Soup and the Howard Stern ) and was distributed internationally. The partnership with E! led to a follow-up second season.

Unlike other shows, each hour-long syndicated episode was actually divided into two separate half-hour programs which yielded 96 episodes for E! reruns. (E! kept the show for several years but only in reruns.)

Much of the Night Stand production team went on to work with Howard Stern on Son of the Beach, with some of their "guests" also making appearances.

A well-received parody of tabloid talk shows, Night Stand had plenty of funny scenes, but one scene unexpectedly went too far when Dietrick (Timothy Stack) tore the clothes off a male model named Kal (played by Kevin Light) to see if he could impress a seemingly uninterested young woman guest, Gloria Holt (played by Beth Tegarden) looking for dates in the episode "Love on the Internet," produced in 1995. [1] After ripping off his shirt, the model's trousers were next, but Stack accidentally pulled Kal's underwear down as well; as a result, there was a brief, unscripted showing of Light's genitals, much to the shared shock of the audience and the performers. This scene has sometimes turned up on outtake and blooper programs such as It'll be Alright on the Night.

Night Stand was the first production from Big Ticket Productions, the company formed by former Warner Bros. development executive Larry Lyttle. Strawther had worked with Abeyta and Kaikko at Merv Griffin Productions and later worked with Lyttle on the shows My Sister Sam and Night Court. Strawther brought on Night Court director Jim Drake and they developed the tape-four-shows-a-week format that made the show financially practical. Strawther did not return as showrunner for the second season after he and Stack differed on when silliness went "over the top."

The show's original slogan "If you don't have Night Stand, you don't have Dick" and The Comedy That Makes Up Talk was later changed to The Comedy That Makes Fun of Talk.

Night Stand helped Big Ticket Productions get started. They did even better on its next project, Judge Judy . The show's original publicist was Howard Bragman, who is now considered one of Hollywood's top publicists.

Produced: 1995–1999 (96 episodes, 2 shows per syndicated episode)

The show's writers and executive producers watched episodes of tabloid talk shows, such as The Jenny Jones Show , for inspiration. [2]

Cast

Main

Recurring panelists

Episodes

Season 1 (1995–96)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten by
11"Cults" Jim Drake Larry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick probes into the shadowy world of religious cults with an exposé of the "Children of Yerry", which guest panelist Lynda (Laura O'Loughlin) credits with turning her life around, but others claim is a front for a prostitution ring. Dr. Lonnie Lanier is also on hand to try his luck at "deprogramming" Lynda, with the help of her mother (Carole Androsky).
22"Confessions"Jim DrakeLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Guests confess the dark secrets they've been hiding from their loved ones: one (Rebecca Kyler Downs) whose mother doesn't know she's quit medical school to become a stripper; another (Micah McCain) who wants to "come out" as heterosexual to his same-sex partner. Also making his first of two appearances on the Night Stand panel is Father Chip (Hal Sparks in one of his earliest televised roles), a hip young Catholic priest with a revolutionary new idea to modernize worship for the cyber generation: drive-thru confessionals.
33"Crime Show"Jim DrakeLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
After being publicly humiliated by front-page news coverage of his cowardly reaction to a mugging, Dick dedicates an entire show to defending his honor — and that of panelist Neil (Patrick T. O'Brien), the victim of a similar incident whom Dick helps to confront his assailant. Also on the panel are Maryanne Queefer (Lisa Lord), a former policewoman who's now hawking a line of self-defense-themed exercise tapes, and Vance Prudhoe (Shashawnee Hall), a vigilante-turned-self-help author who believes the best self-defense is a good "self-offense".
Note: John Paragon appears uncredited toward the end of the final segment as a cardiologist seated in the studio audience. Paragon would later go on to future Night Stand appearances in a variety of other roles; see the "Recurring panelists" section above.
44"Dating"Jim DrakeLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Delving into the world of dating, Dick — along with the irrepressible Mattie Gelman — tries to help a pair of lovelorn guest panelists (Michael Luckerman; Heather Ehlers) find mates, Dating Game -style. For the finale, Dick gets acquainted with his own "perfect date", a buxom blonde helpfully linked with him via an online matchmaking service.
Note: The aforementioned Dating Game-inspired segment marks the debut appearance of "Bachelor #3", portrayed by the similarly aforementioned John Paragon.
55"It's My Body and I'll Cry If I Want To"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Exploring the relationship between looking good and feeling good, Dick hosts a spirited debate between flamboyant fitness guru Jonathon Felcher (comedian Ant doing an over-the-top parody of Richard Simmons) and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Hamilton George on how best to deal unwanted body fat. Moreover, studio audience member Beverly (Helen Siff) is regaled with an impromptu makeover (and not the lifesaving liver transplant she desperately needs).
Note: Tim Bagley appears in one of his earliest roles as Hubie, the jilted ex-boyfriend of Jonathon's protégée Erline.
66"Supernatural Sex"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick interviews Mandy (Holly Long), a woman who claims to be carrying on a torrid affair with a ghost, yet yearns for a committed relationship based on more than just sex. How to let him off easy? The subsequent two guests — voodoo priestess Mambo Santa Maria (Bridget Morrow) and creepy life-after-death expert Dr. Morte Gunty (Matt Gottlieb) — help bring a most unexpected end to the dalliance.
Note: Jerry Springer's cameo at the end of the second segment marks the first of what will eventually be three appearances by him on the series. According to Stack, while most real-life talk show hosts tended not to appreciate being lampooned, Springer was an avid Night Stand fan who approached the show's producers specifically requesting to be written into an episode. [4]
77"So You Think You're a Lesbian"Dennis RosenblattPaul Abeyta, Peter Kaikko & David Morgasen
Samantha (Colleen Tate) recently split from her fiancé Ray (Michael McDonald) in the wake of an impromptu tryst with a stripper, Regina (Lynette Lane). Does this mean she's a lesbian? Dick invites all three on the show to hash the situation out — with a little help from Samantha's new therapist, Dr. Susan Sonspeen.
88"Transvestite Wedding Show"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Sue (Ana B. Gabriel) is madly in love with her fiancé Guy (Paul Witten), and has high hopes for a future of joyous wedded bliss. The only sticking point? Guy is a cross-dresser, and Sue's conservative, blue-collar father Bob (Ron Harper) is none the wiser. Luckily, Dick has invited Mattie Gelman onto the panel to help sort the whole mess out.
Note: Series regular Vinny Montello makes the first of his several appearances as a belligerent studio audience member on this episode, musing menacingly about "kick[ing] this freak's ass" (referring to Guy).
99"Arctic Heat"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick welcomes the famous comedy writer-director Garry Marshall onto the show: ostensibly as a forum to promote his then-recently published memoir Wake Me When It's Funny, but really to try and sell him on the idea for a reboot of Arctic Heat, a cheesy action-adventure series starring a cast of buxom models (Tané McClure, Enya Flack, and April Jayne) whom Dick spends the first two segments obsequiously fawning over.
1010"Foxy News Babes"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick hosts dueling television news anchors Mary Stanley Laurel (Maura Soden) and Holly Montagna Rancheros (Darla Haun), of whom the former lost her job to the latter for refusing to cater to the sexist demands of their boss, Link Tartikoff (Jon Kean). Link, in turn, plans to pass Holly over for a promotion in favor of his "newest superstar": airheaded ex-porn star McCoy Pepino (Donna Eskra). Does journalistic integrity really matter to today's news viewers, or is it all about sex appeal? To find out, Dick puts all three through an obstacle course-style competition, with the coveted anchor job on the line and the studio audience as judge.
1111"Hatred's Not a Four-Letter Word"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Keith Baim
Dick puts the spotlight on the rising specter of hate in America, in the form of Tiffany LeBlanc (Sarah Ann Morris): the newly hired spokeswoman for the Ku Klux Klan who's been tasked with revamping their tired old image for a new generation of bigot, and who squares off on the panel against urban cinematic auteur Tupac Zemeckis. Dr. Lonnie Lanier is on hand to mediate over a friendly game of "Twingo": his own self-created hybrid of Twister and bingo.
1212"Hooked on Hookers"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick takes "teenage hardbody prostitute" Krystal (Mathea Webb) off the mean streets of Hollywood and onto his panel: hearing out her hard-luck story, introducing her to reformed prostitute-turned-LAPD vice cop Molly Bolte (Julie Uribe) to set her on the right path, and then bringing on "call girl extraordinaire" and self-styled entrepreneur Tracy Ann Hepburn (Karen Person) to argue the counterpoint — and helm a "hooker fashion show" featuring selections from her self-owned catalog.
1313"Mama's Boys"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Andy (Kelly Perine) has been engaged for nine years to his exasperated fiancée Paula (Vanita Harbour) and set eleven different wedding dates, only to be thwarted each time by his overbearing mother, Blanche (Aloma Wright). Meanwhile, Roland (William Akey) is a never-married scoutmaster and musical theater fanatic who unapologetically describes his mother as his constant life companion. Both swear there's nothing amiss, but Dick's final interviewee — Teresa Matthews (D.D. Howard); couples therapist, self-help author, and ex-wife of a "mama's boy" — begs to differ.
1414"I'm Sorry"??
Because Night Stand has yet to see an official DVD or streaming release, and this is one of the numerous episodes that have not been uploaded unofficially onto YouTube or anywhere else online, it's therefore impossible at this time to provide a plot summary here.
1515"One-Night Stand Reunions"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
In which Dick solicits viewers' fond memories of long-ago romantic trysts and then sets about reuniting them with their former partners: circus dwarf Corky (Kevin Thompson) with motivational speaker Joanna (Kimberly Oja); frisky seniors Rose (Eve Brent) and Edward (Glen Vernon), who'd met at a USO show in 1942 just before shipping off to fight in World War II, and — more darkly — flight attendant Kathy (a rare live-action role for Christine Cavanaugh), looking to get even with a pair of pickup artist brothers she'd met in a hotel bar.
1616"The Fame Show"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Profiling the opportunists who live on the fringes of celebrity, Dick interviews Layla Downs (Carolyn Hennesy), a grifter whose M.O. is to stage accidents with famous people and feign injury as a pretext to ask them out on dates; sassy gossip columnist Francis DeMule (David Jahn); Barry Shaffer (Scott Hartman), the overlooked, bitter brother of bandleader Paul Shaffer, and Blanca Verde (Ana Mercedes), a humble immigrant housekeeper who's got a bone to pick with her employer: sitcom star Cindy Williams.
Note: In addition to Cindy Williams' appearance as herself, Dennis Miller also makes a brief cameo as one of Layla Downs' victims.
1717"Death in a Trailer Park"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
This time around, the limelight belongs to the colorful denizens of the Pair O' Dice Trailer Park, who are at the center of a nationwide scandal. Betty Wilma Cooper (Jana Arnold) is grieving the loss of her son, Billy Ray Jim, a septic tank magnate who recently died in a fiery auto wreck — or did he? A whirlwind of rumors is swirling around his widow Jolene (Sharise Baker) and trailer park owner Big Bob Little (Randy Polk), and investigative journalist Theresa Cook (Diane Glass) intends to get to the bottom of it all.
1818"Frivolous Lawsuits"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Attorneys Sharon Ann Kunstler (Annie Fitzgerald) and Norman Desmond (Mitchell Group) come on the panel to debate the pros and cons of our modern-day litigious society — and the merits of the discrimination case filed by Jamie LeFarr (Victoria Morsell), a client of Norman's who's suing her former employer over her termination after contracting a spurious disease known as "EIE". It all culminates in a mock trial with Sharon in the role of judge, Dick as defense attorney, and the studio audience as the jury.
1919"My Kid's a Race Traitor"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Becky (Aimee Bothwell) is a platinum-blonde teenager whose embrace of all things culturally African-American is driving her upper-class Bel Air parents to distraction. Similarly, Brad's (Sean Leisure) personal credo of "acting Black can hold you back" has drawn the ire of his father Timmafee Hardaway (J.D. Hall), a kente-wearing ex-Black Panther. Dick responds with a hastily improvised game show dubbed "The Race Card", where the kids team up to compete against the parents to see whose viewpoint carries the day.
2020"Myth America"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
After a disappointing second-place finish in the 1990 Miss American Miss competition, Amber-Jo Lynch (Kathe Weeks) has reinvented herself as a champion for "beauty pageant survivors". But is her shtick just sour grapes? Winning contestant Keli Rich-Victor (Debbie James, a real-life former Miss USA finalist) and renowned pageant coach Tex Guy (D. Ewing Woodruff) both think so. To settle the matter, Dick stages a rematch, using Miller along with a selection of studio audience members as judges.
2121"Mistrial of the Century"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
In a satire of the O.J. Simpson trial and the media circus that surrounded it, Dick dedicates this episode to a recap of the murder trial of the fictional martial arts movie star Jackie Wang. On the panel are prosecutor Patricia Stark (Brenda Varda), head defense attorney Jimmy Hawkins (Jay Arlen Jones), and "hostile witness extraordinaire" Tito Palin (Jon Beauregard), each of whom help recount Wang's desperate efforts to cover up his homosexuality, the ambiguous outcome of the murder trial that ensued, and what they've been up to since the hubbub died down.
Note: Robert Alan Beuth makes his Night Stand debut in this episode, portraying Donny, a former Wang juror-turned-bestselling author. Shortly thereafter, Beuth would replace Peter Siragusa in the recurring role of Mueller, Dick's loyal but perpetually abused showrunner.
2222"Post Office Show"??
Because Night Stand has yet to see an official DVD or streaming release, and this is one of the numerous episodes that have not been uploaded unofficially onto YouTube or anywhere else online, it's therefore impossible at this time to provide a plot summary here.
2323"Illegal Alien Star Search"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Dick takes aim at America's burgeoning anti-immigration movement in typically irreverent fashion: by staging an "Illegal Alien Star Search" where the winner receives a green card and the losers face immediate deportation courtesy of INS field director Colin Brown (James F. Dean), who just so happens to be part of today's studio audience. Contestants include Vietnamese-born cabaret singer Nookie Lee Jones (Lisa Inouye), Dhallywood actor Lockschlemanon Quingbadderdashee (Leon Fermanian), straight-outta-Copenhagen porn star Xenaphoba (Susanna Voltaire), and German-speaking stand-up comedian Gunther Johann (Phil Hartman).
2424"Soiled Cloth"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Peter Kaikko
Tackling the thorny issue of clergy sex scandals, Dick interviews Beth Ann McClear (Leslie Windram), author of a tell-all book recounting the string of torrid love affairs she'd carried on with a parade of prominent religious leaders; Rev. Martin N. Lewis (Michael Leopard), an ex-televangelist who parlayed the notoriety of his own scandalous downfall into a lucrative apology tour, and Didi (Ria Pavia), a college co-ed who claims to have been groped by a Buddhist monk (Dana Lee) on an airplane.
Note: This episode marks Peter Siragusa's final appearance in the role of Miller.
2525"Athletes as Role Models"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Ralph Greene
Society tends to idealize sports superstars as paragons of leadership and virtue, but given all their well-publicized antics, is that the correct approach? Veteran ESPN reporter Fran Howard (Tembi Locke) says no, and cites Dick's next guest, basketball great Donald "X-Man" Fisher (Josef Cannon, parodying Dennis Rodman), as a perfect example. We also hear from Margo Johnston (Trasy Broussard), a "sports groupie" who's written a tell-all book detailing her trysts with a who's who of professional athletes.
Note: This episode is the first for which Robert Alan Beuth is credited in the role of Mueller. However, the character would not actually appear on screen until several episodes later.
2626"Strippers Are Ruining My Marriage"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Ralph Greene
On the panel are Barbara (Leslie Sachs), to whom the episode's titular predicament applies; her husband Steve (Ivan Allen), who defends his daily trips to the Thong Kong Club as harmless fun, and Libby (Lisa Boyle), Steve's favorite dancer at said club. The ensuing debate seems stuck at an impasse until Dr. Lonnie Lanier arrives with one of his trademark out-of-left-field solutions.
2727"The Self-Improvement Show"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Ralph Greene
Dick shines the spotlight on the burgeoning self-help industry, with panelists Robin Anthony (Randal Keith) and Teri Cole Williamson (Jodie Fisher) butting heads over their contrasting approaches to helping clients maximize their potential — as well as their own shared romantic history. Whose theory works best? Enter Lester (George "Buck" Flower), a homeless man whom Dick has recruited off a local street corner to serve as their mutual test subject.
2828"Are Talk Shows Out of Control?"Dennis RosenblattLarry Strawther, Paul Abeyta & Ralph Greene
Debating the question in the episode title are activist Donna Wilder (Deborah Driggs), who complains that typical daytime syndicated fare is corrosive to common decency and singles Night Stand out for particular scorn, and Zach (Deron McBee), a male stripper and perennial talk show guest who dismisses the controversy as harmless fun. Naturally, Dick takes the opportunity to deflect all of Donna's criticism onto his arch-rival Jerry Springer — that is, until Jerry himself makes a surprise appearance on the panel to settle the score.
Note: This episode features Robert Alan Beuth's first on-screen appearance as Mueller.

References

  1. Love on the Internet,IMDB Page
  2. Moore, Scott (December 31, 1995). "It's Not Just Another Talk Show". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  3. "Peter Siragusa". IMDb .
  4. 1 2 Spacek, Nick (February 3, 2021). "'Oh, People – People, No!': TV's Tim Stack on the Cult of 'Night Stand'". Grumpire. Retrieved October 21, 2025.