In the series pilot, Katie is arrested for shoplifting. Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service (September 30, 1991 to December 31, 1993), TBS Superstation (September 22, 1986 to December 27, 2004) and the USA Network (September 22, 1997 to September 11, 1998). Nell Carter, who plays the housekeeper for police Chief Carl Kanisky on ''Gimme a Break,'' will eulogize Sweet . May 12, 1987 Give her a break! And didn't tell Carl because they both feared the exact angry reaction he ended up having. One of Nell and Addy's New York neighbors was a young lady named Maggie O'Brien, played by Rosie O'Donnell. When he returned in the seventh episode, the cast was shocked by his thin appearance. Nell, first for the girls' mother, and then later after the death of their father. A feisty housekeeper named Nell helps a widowed police chief raise his three daughters in a sassy sitcom that mocked stereotypes by showing a loving relationship . Gimme a Break! Nell Carter, the robustly sassy singer and actress who exploded onto the New York musical stage in the Fats Waller revue Aint Misbehavin and went on to become a popular television star in the series Gimme a Break!, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 54. The episode's main plotline was about Nell's stolen purse, but went into the relationship of Mr. Pappalardo, his son, Nicky, his son's friend, and the establishment that Mr. Pappalardo owned and made the boys operate. Nell Carter including a new theme song, new producers, and new writers (only co-Creator Mort Lachman stayed). every chance we could. Before Lawrence arrived on set Nell would take Lara to eat at restaurants, but when Lawrence arrive on set Nell shifted her focus to the much younger and cuter Joey. In this episode, she was a busy body on a hospital pay phone. Theme song is catchy though,but that's it. The episode Julie's Birthday (1985) was Dolph Sweet's last appearance before his death. And because Joey Lawrence was a big hit with audiences, and seemed to supplicate their need on the show. But in the pilot, he slapped Katie, so that was not true. There were two reasons why it didn't happen. Tubi acquired all seasons of the show as of February 1, 2022. Gimme a Break! The show has numerous character recast throughout the duration of the series. 'Gimme A Break'!And Get This Travesty off the Tube. With Nell Carter's personal issues behind the scenes with her drug use, weight struggle, intense mood swings plaguing production and yet another proposed retooling NBC finally had enough and canceled Gimme a Break! The world of online streaming is a callous one. In some of these episodes, the guest would eventually perform a song with Nell. Sweet died Wednesday at Tarzana Hospital, said NBC-TV publicist Matt Bozek. I forgot about this show and I've been watching the reruns . The cast addition of Joey Lawrence's younger brother Matthew Lawrence in the final season, was forced on the producers and ordered from NBC to preserve the cuteness factor. In Season 6, actors were only shown in the opening credits for episodes in which they appeared. Sadly Dolph Sweet passed away during the 3rd season but the show was able to continue thanks to a stellar cast including the 3 daughters Katie, Samantha, and Julie (Kari Michaelsen, Lara Jill Miller and Lauri Hendler) also Silver screen legend John Hoyt as Grandpa Stanley, Howard Morton as the lovable but bumbling Officer Simpson as well as Thelma Hopkins as Addie and Joey Lawrence round out the cast. Officer Simpson, who remained a friend of the family after the death of his superior, stuck around for another season. And there was also occasional humorous interplay with the Chief's children and their grandfather, as well as with some of the early guest. The episode only includes Nell and Grandpa from the main cast, and begins with Nell telling Grandpa to go the senior citizen center because it has a mess of women, to which he agrees. IHeartHollywood.com is an online magazine about all thing "Hollywood." The Season 2 episode "Julie Smokes" has Carl slap his daughter across the face when, after she lied to him that she was not smoking, she accidentally blew smoke in his face, having unsuccessfully concealed that she had currently been smoking a cigarette. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. Even Jonathan Silverman was a semi-regular at one point playing Julie's husband. Gimme a Break! After the death of Dolph Sweet (Carl) after season 4, the series continued for a season with Nell as the sole head of the Kanisky household. She was 54. Alvin and the Chipmunks. Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet were very close and she was at his side when he died in 1985. Dolph Sweet was in classic movies ,and in Little House on the Prairie. Over the six-year run, a number of celebrities appeared on the show, including singer Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ray Parker, Jr.. She had moved in with her other daughter and son-in-law, who also recently moved to New York and was a TV weatherman. A new theme, with music by Jay Graydon and lyrics by Richard Page, was introduced in the third season and used for the remainder of the show's run. For US airdates of a foreign show, click The Futon Critic. Personally I'd kept Gimme a break on forever or even three more seasons. Gimme a Break! Nell's middle name is Ruth, which was also Nell Carter's middle name in real life. She had suffered from diabetes and had recovered from a near-deadly bout with a brain aneurysm in the 1990s. Logo TV may used to air this show reruns from 2015 until the end of 2017. Enjoy all of Ms. Carters' talents and cherish them for all time. Date of birth. As the fifth season saw the death of the chief, Nell became the head of the household. It was explained in the fifth season premiere that the Chief had died and the show continued with Nell taking over as the head of the household. The only other storyline in the episode consisted of the activities director Lilly, a four time widow, having a crush on one of the senior members named Andy, and how he refused to go to her house for dinner many times. But,they should of been in the show not wiped out all together. Gimme a Break! This is one of many shows I used to watch just because it was on, not because I particularly enjoyed it. Also, the network had nothing to replace the show with as they were struggling with their programming and ratings during this time period. She attempted suicide and struggled with her faith. Nell Carter would admit later in interviews that she had a serious cocaine problem when she starred on this show, which spiralled out of control. Houston played Rita, a friend of Katie Kanisky (Kari Michaelsen). [7][8][9][10] Distribution rights are jointly owned by The Program Exchange and NBCUniversal Television Distribution, successor in interest to previous syndicator MCA Television. Carter also said that she called other cast members by their character names for the same reason. As they were redoing it, the boy was replaced by Tracey Gold, who was going to play a tomboy named Samantha. They should of had a Gimme a Break reunion movie. It was sad when the actor who played the chief died. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We heart Beverly Hills. Although there was mutual animosity and hostility between Nell Carter and Rosie O'Donnell on the set, they reconciled when Nell appeared on Rosie's talk show several years later. Another episode that aired earlier in the 198485 season, "Baby of the Family", ranked No. Helen Hunt auditioned for the role of Katie Kanisky. Before that she was a contract singer for Motown. Unfortunately she passed way too early. If you grew up in the 80's this show was a must see. Joey's supposed backstory of living with an uncle was originally treated as a lie. She questioned the child stars' morals, and the media for playing into the victim mentality. 73years (October 28, 1948) Nell intervenes (by standing in the way) and stops him, and he eventually cools off and backs away. - A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! She did, however, return for an episode in Season 4, this time as a romantic interest for Grandpa. after Carl dies, much in the same way Florida Evans shouts the same thing after her husband James died on Good Times, ten years earlier. This was the first show in NBC's all-star Thursday night line-up. Nell's mother was originally portrayed by Hilda Haynes. The next networks I'm going to write to are TBS, PAX TV, and possibly ABC Family and request that they bring this incredibly show back on the air so I can tape it. KARI MICHAELSEN Advertisement The '80s was a great decade for young Kari Michaelsen. She was basically the whole show , which dealt with many cast changes, perhaps the most shocking being Chief Carl Kaminskys death- Dolph Sweet. John Hoyt's final acting role was Gimme A Break. The producers wanted a foil for Nell to interact with instead of just solving the girls problems. Laurie Hendler on the other hand, was upset and caught by surprise because she had recently purchased a new house. Enough said. The "wacky" Swackhammer character, who served as a foil to Nell, disappeared after a few episodes in the second season. What Are They Thinking of at NBC? The cast found out about the show's cancellation when it was announced at the wrap party. Nell wonders why her mother would have a date, and when her mother shows up, she meets her date, Ernie, a man from her past. "Baby of the Family" had a resentful and jealous Samantha dressing up Joey in black face for a performance at Nell's black church, to get even with Nell for ignoring her. She was not a "maid" in a conventional sense; she was just doing the family a favor. BREAKIN' GROUND LANDSCAPING, INC. The American syndication rights are held by NBC Universal Television Distribution, the successor company to original syndication MCA Television. A very young Joey Lawrence also appeared in it as a young street-hustler-turned-foster-kid-for-the-family. She said that "Once that original formula was broken, it just didn't feel the same. / She was inconsolable for days after the cast wrap party, refusing to see even close friends as she fell into dark despair. websites online as a spin-off attempt, this episode most likely was a tester for a new series, as it aired at the end of the season (which is when tester episodes usually aired for new fall series). Nell Carter as an overweight housekeeper, a devout guardian to 3 teenage white girls and a force not to be reckoned with whenever she dealt with the Chief of Police - Carl Kanisky, pretty well sums up what this 1980s sitcom is about. Contents 1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring characters Gimme a Break! At the start of the 198687 season, Katie moved to San Francisco; Julie, Jonathan, and baby Nell moved to San Jos; and Samantha attended college in New Jersey. Like Laura Jill Miller previously, Joey Lawrence was getting older. Joey Lawrence portrayed Joey Donovan, a 7 year old orphan who would end up living with the Kaninsky family and becoming Nell's foster son. Her character married the only other Jewish person in the cast, Jonathan Silverman. We heart movies. Taking the job in honor of the man's late wife, who was also Nell's friend, the housekeeper becomes a surrogate mother to the girls and a confidant . The show's producers were very concerned about Nell Carter's escalating drug use, binge eating, rapidly fluctuating weight, and self-destructive lifestyle. Mr. Kaminsky was a widower with 3 daughters, in the initial seasons and Nell was the surrogate mom/housekeeper. True Hollywood Story, she was adamant that frequently calling her "Maggie" was a tactic to help young Joey and Matthew Lawrence focus on their lines, rehearsals and shootings without acting up, as kids often do. "Nell and the Kid" is about a deli owner who. By the fifth season, ratings started declining and NBC demanded the producers retool the show. Gimme a Break! Rosetta LeNoire took over the role during the show's fourth season. The US syndication rights are held by NBCUniversal Television Distribution, the successor company to original syndicator MCA TV. Visual Entertainment (under license from FremantleMedia) released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break! Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Best Actress Television Series Musical or Comedy, "List of Season's Top-Rated TV Shows With PM-Nielsens, Bjt", "Please! Copyright TV Series Finale. To each their own though. She famously shouted, "Shut your mouth!" The episode "Cat Story" was performed and broadcast live on March 2, 1985, as a promotional gimmick, which the cast was able to pull off without a hitch. was an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons from 198187, starring Nell Carter as Nell Harper, a once-aspiring singer who became a housekeeper for the Kaniskys: patriarch Carl, the chief of police of the fictional Glenlawn, California, and his daughters Katie, Julie, and Samantha. In the episode he slaps Julie, Carl reveals his regret he never slapped Margaret (his now late wife and daughters' late mother) when he couldn't get her to stop smoking, in what would have been a misguided (to say the least) attempt to wake her up to the fact that she was killing herself with her chronic smoking. When his backstory is finally explained when he reunites with his father, in particular that his mother is dead and his father was at sea, it turns out that he really was living with an uncle at the time Nell adopted him. [1], Main article: List of Gimme a Break! The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions (renamed as Reeves Entertainment Group in 1985). Their business is recorded as REGISTERED TRADE NAME. Age, 83years (April 22, 1939) Gimme a Break! On May 8, 1985, actor Dolph Sweet (who portrayed the character of Carl "The Chief" Kanisky) passed away from cancer at the age of 64 and his final appearance on the show aired three days later on the day of his funeral. The husband (played by Dolph Sweet) is the chief of police of Glenlawn CA. Nell Carter had expressed that throughout the series run she got criticized and backlash from the black media for her role on the show and that she was never asked to be on the cover on any black owned magazines. on DVD in Canada between 200607. Like the episodes "Nell and the Kid" and "The Center", this episode does not rely on any Gimme A Break! Plot The show was about a woman named Nell Harper (Nell Carter), who agrees to be a housekeeper for the Kanisky household as a special favor to her late friend, Margaret Huffman Kanisky (played in flashback by Sharon Spelman) who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Grandma Kanisky was dropped from the show with the explanation that she had passed away. Sadly, Nell Carter, who played Nell, and Dolph Sweet, who played Carl, have since passed away. The network deemed Gimme a Break! Nell Carter didn't get along with the original producers, Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. We heart Celebrities. Later additions to the cast included Stanley Kanisky (Carls father), Adelaide Addy Wilson (Nells best friend, played by Telma Hopkins), Rue McClanahan is listed in the opening credits along with the other regulars even though, She was 54. In her autobiography, Rue McClanahan says this was a bad television show, but at that point in her career, she had to take what she was offered. GIMME A BREAK! Parker sat down with Lawrence and had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and thought was a real pro. However, if you ask me, it was still a good show. Nell Carter was absolutely magnificent. As the show grew in popularity, the cast also grew and they added in Carl's father played by Stanley Kanisky (who is almost like the original dad from Fraiser), Adelaide Wilson, who was Nell's best friend, played by Thelma Hopkins, Howard Morton who played Officer Ralph Simpson, and as all 80's shows of that time didthey added in an adorable kid, this one played by Joey Lawrence (pre Blossom) as adopted son" Joey"clever. Originally, Nell's mother supported her dream of being a singer, but later became a shrill woman who never had faith in her. Joey Lawrence was asked in an interview if he had the choice to reboot Blossom or Gimme a Break!, which show would he pick. Helen Hunt portrayed Katie's pregnant friend Valerie in season 1. Gimme a Break! There were two Matthews on the show. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. Age, September 13, 1948 The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. As ABC was developing Growing Pains, and putting the final touches on it before it went to series; they decided to replace the young actress who played Carol in the pilot, Elizabeth Ward, because she was not testing well with audiences, so Tracey Gold was tapped to take over for the role. so it is a very stressful job on top of raising his daughters without their mother, But the chemistry Nell and Dolph had was terrific. After The Cosby Show (1984) became a big hit, NBC didn't want to a show about a black housekeeper raising a white family on the same network as the Cosby Show with a black family where the father is a doctor and the mom is a lawyer. The blonde oldest girl was very pretty but didn't have much to do, just a "hi Nell" or "bye Dad" and that was it. Nell's family. He never did, however, and eventually, Carl's worst fears losing his wife and partner in raising their daughters to lung cancer came true. Moreover, they featured near-identical scorelines: wild card Kimberly Birrell upset No.31 seed Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 and No.26 seed Elise Mertens scored her first win over Garbie Muguruza 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1. Tracey Gold was originally tapped to play Samantha, but at the last moment was replaced by Lara Jill Miller. "Gimme a Break!" became Sweet's last work because of his unfortunate cancer diagnosis, which took away his life in 1985. He died 4 years after the show went off the air. FremantleMedia owns the international rights, as they own Thames Television, which acquired Alan Landsburg Productions and Reeves Entertainment Group product in 1990. This is ironic since McClanahan was being groomed by the producers to be a regular character on the show - a love interest for the Chief (Dolph Sweet). The first two seasons use a different theme than the later seasons. It came to a natural end with Tom moving away to be in Crossroads, but as we all know, that too has died on its arse so I. She's in the "White Boys/Black Boys" number with Night Court (1984)'s Ellen Foley. DMCA. Carl has to deal with the aftermath of shooting a man dead. Miller also expressed in the same interview that she felt the producers made a big mistake getting rid of the daughters and implied that the decision came from the girls receiving less story-lines starting around the fourth season and more emphasis being put on Nell Carter and Thelma Hopkins. Visual Entertainment released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break!' In real life the three performers would all go on tour together during their hiatuses. The abrupt changes in tone are handled adroitly, John J. OConnor wrote. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Lauri Hendler was the only Jewish member of the original cast. All rights reserved. Nell Carter / Gimme a Break! premiered on NBC from October 29, 1981, and aired its final episode on May 12, 1987. You don't think? (TV Series) Julie Smokes (1983) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Jim Drake Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) Produced by Film Editing by Larry Harris Casting By Randy Stone Art Direction by Peter Clemens Costume Design by Palmer Brown Makeup Department Production Management Nell says "Damn! Carter performed the lyrics in both versions of the theme song. He then claimed she wasn't very nice to Lawrence and didn't want to do much with him. They kept Lara Jill Miller as Sam. The producers took notice Miller's jealousy on set towards Lawrence and that's what inspired them to write the infamously controversial black face episode Baby of the Family. John Hoyt, however, who played Sweet's on-screen father Stanley, was born October 5, 1904 (some sources say 1905), nearly 16 years before him, making their age difference more credible. Ms. Carter collapsed and was found by one of her sons, said her spokesman, Roger Lane. There, they discovered Joey's irresponsible father, Tim (guest star Patrick Collins), who showed him his brother, Matthew (played by Matthew Lawrence, Joey's real-life brother), and left them with Nell and Grandpa. Carter died in 2003, at age 54. I just hope some network brings this series back one day so that I'll be able to see every episode. One of the producers saw him perform on The Johnny Carson Show and immediately wanted to add him as a cast member. Dolph Sweet, the lovingly sarcastic police chief on television's "Gimme A Break" and an actor who began his career in a World War II prison camp, died May 8th, 1985 (shortly after filming the final episode of the 1984-1985 season) of cancer at Tarzana Hospital in Tarzana, California.He was 64. Now, in conclusion, when and if this show is ever brought back on the air, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good. But her mom did and helped her obtain it. Considering it was a. During the first season, Nell Carter and Dolph didn't get along in the beginning coming from different backgrounds in real life and in showbiz. is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series was taped at Metromedia Square in Hollywood before a studio audience. , Whatever Happened To: The Cast Of "Gimme A Break!". The final spin-off attempt of Gimme a Break was at the end of season 5 in 1986 in "The Purse Snatcher". Watch Gimme a Break! She believes it was the customer that the two guys had her sit with, and who she took a liking to. / How do they think of this stuff? Joey accidentally shoots Nell in the leg while playing with Carl's gun, not realizing that it was loaded. The show centered on the lives of the Kanisky Family in Glenlawn, CA, headed by Carl (Dolph Sweet), the widowed Chief of Police in town. This was meant to be a cliffhanger season finale, as the episode ends saying "To Be Continued", but the next season's premiere had to be retooled to have the family deal with the Chief's death instead of his reaction to Julie's sudden marriage. He talks about how tough he and his family had it growing up, and also touches upon his deceased wife. Answer (1 of 2): A2A When Gimme A Break started out it was mildly funny. However, Samantha usually acted as if she never knew her mother. Ironically, Tracey Gold, who was herself replaced last minute before the show went to series; wound up doing this herself to another actress for another family sitcom 4 years later. She was 54. / TV Listings. She revealed an incident where the cast was in the lunchroom doing a reading of the script and Joey and Matthew Lawrence's mother Donna Lawrence started making her way into the room and Nell Carter yelled across the room at the boys mother to get out and inappropriately called her the "c-word slur" right in front of the two brothers who were in the room when the incident happen. is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. John Hoyt died in 1991, six years after his on-screen son died. usually managed to land in the Top 40 during its first four seasons. Nell Carter, 54, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best remembered for her role as the motherly, no-nonsense housekeeper on NBC's hit 1980s series "Gimme a Break!," died Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, the Associated Press reports. These attributes contributed to the producers decision to drop most of the cast for sixth season except for Nell Carter, Thelma Hopkins, Joey Lawrence and John Hoyt. Reportedly, the tears of the cast during this fifth season retrospective episode, when the Chief and Dolph died were quite real.
why was gimme a break cancelled