Rags to Riches (TV series)

Last updated
Rags to Riches
RtoR-maintitle.jpg
Genre
Created by Bernie Kukoff
Starring
Opening theme Mark Mueller (lyrics)
Composer J. Peter Robinson (1.1)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producers
CinematographyPaul Onorato
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseMarch 9, 1987 (1987-03-09) 
January 15, 1988 (1988-01-15)

Rags to Riches is an American musical comedy drama that was broadcast on NBC for two seasons from March 9, 1987, to January 15, 1988. Set in the pre-British Invasion 1960s, the series tells the story of Nick Foley, a self-made millionaire who adopts six orphan girls. Each episode included musical scenes of hit songs from the era performed by the girls integrated into the plot (with the lyrics modified to provide commentary on the storyline).

Contents

Plot

Nick Foley (Joseph Bologna), the millionaire owner of Foley Foods, is a streetwise New Jersey-born businessman who realizes that his playboy lifestyle has been a liability for his business reputation. In the TV movie pilot that launched the series, Foley attempts to develop a family man image by bringing a group of six orphaned girls, who were featured in a newspaper story saying that they refused to be separated from each other, to live in the mansion in Bel Air where he lives with his butler, John Clapper (Douglas Seale). Foley does this to seal a business deal and does not intend to keep the girls permanently, but Foley's plans change as he grows attached to the girls, and he ends up adopting them as his legal daughters.

The adjustment is huge on both sides, as the girls acquire a new father with no parenting experience. Having spent the past few years in a rundown orphanage, the girls suddenly find themselves in a life of luxury (hence the series' title). The series follows the trials and tribulations of the girls and a man who has previously never loved anyone but himself, and often struggles to cope with his new family.

In the pilot for the series, Foley takes in a group of six girls; however, Foley only adopted five of them for the remainder of the series' run: Rose, 17; Diane, 16; Marva, 15; Patty, 14; and Mickey, 8. The sixth girl, Nina, appears only in the pilot (after the pilot was produced, it was decided that six children was too many for the series cast, so Nina was written out of the series as having been reunited with her birth mother as referenced in the episode "Patty's Mom").

The series differed from regular comedy dramas in that the girls would frequently burst into song to help explain their feelings or move along the plot. Each episode therefore contained at least two musical scenes with covers of popular songs from the early 1960s with the lyrics changed to provide commentary on the storyline of the episode.

Reception

Promoted with the tagline, "If you liked Annie , you'll like Rags to Riches". After very good ratings on Sunday night, it got moved to Friday in the fall of 1987 to make way for Family Ties . Ratings for the series were not strong enough for its Friday night time slot, and NBC canceled the show part way through its second season. [1] [2]

Musical numbers

Mark Mueller wrote new comedic lyrics for existing hit songs from the '50s and early '60s that were featured in most episodes of both seasons of the show. He also wrote the lyrics to the show's theme song. Many of the songs used were not around yet during the time frame when the series takes place; 1961-63.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 8March 9, 1987 (1987-03-09)April 26, 1987 (1987-04-26)
2 13September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18)January 15, 1988 (1988-01-15)

Season 1 (1987)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot" Bruce Seth Green Bernie Kukoff March 9, 1987 (1987-03-09)
In 1961, Nick Foley, a successful millionaire of food products, adopts six girls in order to secure a company merger and shed his playboy bachelor image. With help from his fun-loving butler John Clapper, Nick gets into more trouble raising the girls than he can handle. Patty has difficulty reading and Nina runs off with her boyfriend who is part of a motorcycle gang.
22"High Society"Bruce Seth GreenBernie Kukoff & Bill DaleyMarch 15, 1987 (1987-03-15)
Nick enters Rose to participate in a debutante ball, much to her chagrin. Rose then falls for Matthew Taylor (Grant Cramer), a rich kid who is only dating her for a one-time sexual fling.
33"Foley vs. Foley" Michael Lange David Garber & Bruce E. Kalish March 22, 1987 (1987-03-22)
The girls win a talent show at their favorite malt shop. However, when Rose goes to claim the trophy, she spies the owner Spiro (Jack Kruschen) being hectored by Miles Parnell (Richard Herd), a greedy land developer into selling his property. Spiro refuses to do so in that he is a Greek immigrant and this place represents making his mark in America. Nick encourages the girls to stand up for their beliefs and they stage a protest against this. However, Parnell turns out to be Nick's business partner, and the malt shop is being demolished to build an office building which has been a dream of Nick's for years. This was one of the few episodes where the girls' singing was part of the main script and not the fourth wall.
44"First Love"Bruce Seth Green Andrew Schneider March 29, 1987 (1987-03-29)
Nick is worried about Diane's blossoming relationship with Duke (Sasha Mitchell), an older student fearing that it will become sexual. Nick falls for Jessica Lynn (Mel Harris), a beautiful socialite.
55"Business Is Business" Mike Switzer Diane Frolov April 5, 1987 (1987-04-05)
Marva has plans to buy a food truck from Skip (Ken Osmond) and Rusty (Fabian), two men leaving the sandwich making business. Marva seems to be getting mixed messages from Nick, who has encouraged the girls to find their own path but has his misgivings about Marva entering the business world, relating his own early failures and struggles to get where he is today. Nick competes with Al Schweikert (Sandy Ward), an easily aggravated businessman, in buying a hotel. Things come to a head when Marva feels in over her head and seeks an illegal way out, when she is stopped by Nick, which leads to Marva admitting he was the closest thing to a dad after the loss of her true parents.
66"Patty's Mom" Chuck Braverman Steven Baum & Neil Alan LevyApril 12, 1987 (1987-04-12)
Patty believes that a random woman that she has spotted in the street is her biological mother. It turns out the woman is her mother, a wacky prop comedienne named Gloria Lang (Gina Hecht), who has no parenting skills.
77"Bad Blood"Michael LangeSteve Johnson & Sharon SpelmanApril 19, 1987 (1987-04-19)
Nick's brother Frankie (Joe Cortese) unexpectedly shows up, re-opening unresolved issues between the two men. Taking advice from Frankie, Patty gets even with a bully.
88"Born to Ride"Bruce Seth GreenAndrew Schneider & Bernie KukoffApril 26, 1987 (1987-04-26)
A newly-licensed Diane gets into a car accident, but is actually set up by Arnie (David Paymer), a petty criminal who is out to collect insurance money. Nick has the girls star in a TV commercial for his newest breakfast cereal.

Season 2 (1987–88)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
91"Vegas Rock" Michael Switzer Andrew Schneider September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18)
102
The girls travel to Las Vegas to obtain an autographed guitar signed by Elvis Presley for a charity. Nick also travels to Las Vegas collaborating with the FBI to entrap Michael Rapp (Alex Rocco), a shady businessman. Clapper falls for Ruby (Priscilla Pointer), a fellow Vegas vacationer.
113"Once in a Lifeguard" Bruce Seth Green Chris Carter September 25, 1987 (1987-09-25)
Rose wants to become a lifeguard, but must deal with her sexist employer to prove herself. Patty changes out of her tomboy look, to get the attention of Sean Howland (Ken Olandt), a handsome lifeguard.
124"That's Cheating" Kim Friedman Story by: Molly-Ann Leikin
Teleplay by: Molly-Ann Leikin and Harry Longstreet & Renee Longstreet
October 2, 1987 (1987-10-02)
Rose is struggling in Mr. Mazza's (Graham Jarvis) chemistry class, and is tempted by Arnold (Rob Stone) to cheat on a big exam. Nick competes to win a major award while also donating to a struggling hospital and is butting heads with a dedicated doctor Stanley Strumlan (Oliver Clark). Mickey goes overboard selling Girl Scout cookies, with Diane giving in to eating them despite trying to keep her slim figure.
135"Wilderness Blues"Michael SwitzerStory by: Deborah Baron
Teleplay by: Deborah Baron & Andrew Schneider
October 16, 1987 (1987-10-16)
Nick feels that he and the girls don't spend enough time together, so he forces them to join him on a weekend getaway in the woods. Marva, however, would rather spend time with her college boyfriend. Patty is remaking the film Psycho for a video school project.
146"Dear Diary"Daniel Cahn Robin Schiff October 23, 1987 (1987-10-23)
Phil Johnson (Dick Van Patten), a fellow businessman friend of Nick's, leads a campaign to have the girl's English teacher Ms. Newman (Robin Curtis) fired for her unorthodox teaching methods. As a result, Marva and Rose use the school newspaper to fight for Ms. Newman and protect their first amendment rights. Patty is having difficulty with writing in her English class, so Ms. Newman gives her a blank diary, so she can go wild her imagination. With help from Diane, Clapper takes part in series of radio trivia contests.
157"Hunk in the House"Bruce GreenHarry Longstreet & Renee LongstreetNovember 6, 1987 (1987-11-06)
Billy Gallento (Richard Grieco), Nick's godson of an old World War II buddy, stays over at the Foley mansion, having most of the girls swoon over him. Diane just coming off a difficult breakup, falls for Billy the most and uses Rose's advice to impress him, while Rose is also interested in being with Billy. Mickey is given a school assignment to look for safety hazards around the mansion.
168"Marva in the Key of Cee"Michael SwitzerSusan GoldbergNovember 13, 1987 (1987-11-13)
Celia Smith (Margaret Avery), Rose's new piano teacher was once a famous singer. Marva then discovers this, and tries set up a comeback for Celia without her permission. Ernie (Aeryk Eagan), an old friend of Mickey's from the orphanage, sneaks over to the mansion and plans on running away to Mexico.
179"Beauty and the Babe"Bruce Seth GreenChris CarterNovember 20, 1987 (1987-11-20)
Diane enters a beauty pageant, which interferes with her studies. Brady Ladean (Peter Barton), a popstar and one of the judges of the pageant makes the moves on Diane. Nick begins dating television star Babe Adair (Shannon Tweed), who has a long list of ex-lovers. Mickey becomes obsessed with unicorns, after spotting a non-sellable unicorn glass statue at a store.
1810"A Russian Holiday" Charles Correll Andrew SchneiderDecember 11, 1987 (1987-12-11)
Viktor Leskov (Joseph Mascolo), a Russian diplomat and his son Alex (Jay Pickett) visit America to form a business deal with Nick. Rose takes a liking to Alex and shows him a good time, sneaking away from security. Mickey tries to soften up one of Leskov's security guards.
1911"A Very Foley Christmas"Daniel CahnStory by: Susan Goldberg & Robin Schiff
Teleplay by: Andrew Schneider and Harry Longstreet & Renee Longstreet
December 20, 1987 (1987-12-20)
Louise McMillan (K Callan), a stern social worker, visits the Foleys on Christmas Eve, and the girls look back on memories since being adopted by Nick. Meanwhile, Nick's car breaks down on a far away road and seeks help from Eli Tuttle (Robert Donner), a curmudgeon car mechanic.
2012"Guess Who's Coming to Slumber?" Michael Lange Robin SchiffJanuary 8, 1988 (1988-01-08)
Marva runs for class president and decides to throw a slumber party to impress the female student body, while Nick is away and Clapper is sick with the flu. The party soon gets out of control when rowdy students show up. Nick gets Patty a job at a horse stable, and she steals a racehorse who can no longer run.
2113"Sweet 16"James KellahinSteven Baum & Neil Alan LevyJanuary 15, 1988 (1988-01-15)
Diane agrees to have a late Sweet Sixteen birthday party, until the Cuban Missile Crisis ruins the plans. Fearing the worst in relation to the crisis, Nick installs a fallout shelter.

Home media

On June 5, 2012, Image Entertainment released Rags to Riches: The Complete Series on Region 1 DVD. [3]

DTP Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Germany. Season 1 was released on May 13, 2011, and season 2 on October 27, 2011.

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
1988 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Under Ten Years of Age in Television or Motion PicturesHeidi ZeiglerWon
1988Young Artist AwardBest Family Comedy Series
Nominated
1988Young Artist AwardExceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Television Comedy SeriesBlanca De GarrNominated

Related Research Articles

<i>Gilligans Island</i> American television series (1964–67)

Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series follows the comic adventures of seven castaways as they try to survive on an island where they are shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts to escape their plight, with the ship's first mate, Gilligan, usually being responsible for the failures.

<i>NewsRadio</i> American television sitcom

NewsRadio is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995, to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, Maura Tierney, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Khandi Alexander, and Phil Hartman in his final regular role before his death in 1998; Jon Lovitz joined the show after Hartman's death.

<i>Family Ties</i> American television sitcom (1982–1989)

Family Ties is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the social shift in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. Because of this, Young Republican Alex P. Keaton develops generational strife with his ex-hippie parents, Steven and Elyse Keaton.

<i>The Facts of Life</i> (TV series) American sitcom

The Facts of Life is an American television sitcom created by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon and a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes that originally aired on NBC from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on Edna Garrett, as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Bologna</span> American actor (1934–2017)

Joseph Bologna was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films My Favorite Year, Blame It on Rio, and Transylvania 6-5000.

Blossom is an American sitcom that aired for five seasons on NBC. Debuting as a pilot preview on July 5, 1990, it premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995. Don Reo created the series, which starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenager who lived with her father and two elder brothers. It was produced by Reo's Impact Zone Productions and Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touchstone Television.

<i>The Donna Reed Show</i> American sitcom (1958–1966)

The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1958, to March 19, 1966.

<i>The Dean Martin Show</i> 1965 American TV series or program

The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tisha Campbell</span> American actress

Tisha Michelle Campbell is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1986 rock musical comedy film Little Shop of Horrors, and later starred on the NBC musical comedy drama Rags to Riches (1987–1988). She has appeared in films including School Daze (1988), Rooftops (1989), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Boomerang (1992), and Sprung (1997). She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for playing Sidney in the comedy film House Party (1990). She reprises the role of Sidney in the sequels House Party 2 (1991) and House Party 3 (1994).

Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles, who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley, British producer Jack Good, and production executive Art Stolnitz. The original pilot was rejected by ABC and David Sontag, then executive producer of ABC, redeveloped and completely redesigned the show. A new pilot with a new cast of artists was shot starring Sam Cooke. That pilot aired as the premiere episode.

<i>Square Pegs</i> American television sitcom (1982–1983)

Square Pegs is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–83 season. The series follows Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson, two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School.

<i>The Patty Duke Show</i> American television series

The Patty Duke Show is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966.

<i>The Rag Trade</i> British TV sitcom (1961–1978)

The Rag Trade is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by ITV between 1977 and 1978. Although a comedy, it shed light on gender, politics and the "class war" on the factory floor.

Douglas Seale was an English film and stage actor.

<i>The Bradys</i> 1990 television series

The Bradys is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from February 9 to March 9, 1990. The series is a sequel and continuation of the original 1969–1974 sitcom The Brady Bunch, focusing on its main characters as adults, and was the second such continuation after the 1981 sitcom The Brady Brides.

Heidi Zeigler is a former child actress from the United States. Zeigler's most notable roles were in the television series Rags to Riches (1986–1988) and Just the Ten of Us (1988–1990).

<i>The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.</i> 1976 American TV series or program

The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. is an American comedy television series that aired on NBC from September 11 to November 20, 1976, and reran from April 9 to September 3, 1977. All 13 episodes of the series were produced and directed by Stanley Z. Cherry; among the executive producers was Don Kirshner. Both Cherry and Kirshner had previously worked on The Monkees, Cherry having written the episode "Some Like It Lukewarm" in 1968, while Kirshner was the original musical supervisor for The Monkees until early 1967.

<i>Strike Up the Band</i> (film) 1940 American musical film by Busby Berkeley

Strike Up the Band is a 1940 American musical film produced by the Arthur Freed unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Busby Berkeley and stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, in the second of a series of musicals they co-starred in, after Babes in Arms, all directed by Berkeley. The story written for the 1927 stage musical Strike Up the Band, and its successful 1930 Broadway revision, bear no resemblance to this film, aside from the title song.

<i>The Golden Girls</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television comedy series The Golden Girls originally aired on NBC in the United States between September 14, 1985, and May 10, 1986. Created by television writer Susan Harris, the series was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions and ABC Studios It starred Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty as the main characters Dorothy Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, and Sophia Petrillo. The series revolves around the lives of four older women living together in a house in Miami.

<i>The Kids in the Hall</i> (TV series) Canadian sketch comedy show

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy TV series that aired for five seasons from 1988 to 1995, and a sixth revival season in 2022, starring the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. The troupe, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, and Scott Thompson, appeared as almost all the characters throughout the series, both male and female, and wrote most of the sketches.

References

  1. Shales, Tom (1987-03-09). "Rags: Moderately Rich; NBC Rips Off Annie, Hits Easy Street". The Washington Times.
  2. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. Penguin Books. p. 683. ISBN   0-14-024916-8.
  3. Lambert, David (February 29, 2012). "Rags to Riches - We've Got the Scoop on a DVD Release of the Show Starring Joseph Bologna and Tisha Campbell". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.