Monday, May 20, 2013

Sitcom Dreams

It's still Monday.  I'm going to make it!  For the first time since March, I'm jumping on Stasha's Monday Listicles coattails.

Today's theme is 10 Movie or TV characters.

I have always wanted to be on a sitcom.  Always.  Still do.  Not because I like to act (though that is fun) but because when you see the "behind the scenes" or "bloopers", the cast always looks like it's having so much fun. 

And if I couldn't be an actor in a sitcom, my second choice was to in the family the show portrayed.  My parents divorced when I was little, and at different points both remarried, which meant some unpleasantness in the growing up years.  On bad days, these were the shows I fantasized leaving my family for.

So, to the list.  8 TV Shows I Dreamed of Being On, and 2 That I Didn't:

Eight is Enough

I wanted to be in this family for a variety of reasons.  First, I always wanted an older sibling who could drive and take me out for ice cream.  Secondly, the dad was fun.  But most importantly, the stepmom was awesome.  She clearly loved the kids and did what she could to be mom-like without replacing their mom.  Whenever I see a group of people doing a pyramid or playing football in the backyard, I think of this show.



Charles in Charge

First, Scott Baio.  Duh.
His nerdy friend (who happened to be one of the kids on Eight is Enough) annoyed me, but I liked the idea of a fun, cute "nanny" who was there all the time to answer questions and take care of the other kids.  (As the oldest, I was always the one in charge when my parents weren't home, after school being the most treacherous.  My mom always knew when school was out, as her phone at work would immediately start ringing with pleas for help and accusations of wrongdoing.)



Cosby Show

Bill will always have a place as the person who made me first fall in love with stand-up comedy.  He was the first stand-up I ever saw, and I fell off the couch I laughed so hard.

I wanted to be in that family because, while it was a real family with arguments and rules and some chaos, there were two parents who adored each other and were a team in raising their children.  For me, it was a good example of the life I wanted.

Fresh Prince of Belair

I cannot tell you how many times I wished I had rich relatives who wanted to take me in. 

This, though, is the show that I really wanted to be on just to hang out with the actors.  You know Will and Carlton had an absolute ball on that show.  The two of them could make me cry from laughing.  This episode.  One of the best scenes ever in a sitcom.



Family Ties

Despite the fact that Jennifer annoyed me, and they added that last younger brother to try to get new material for the show, I wanted to be a part of the family.   Now that I think back on it, it's probably only because Michael J Fox was so cute.  And I thought Justine Bateman's brother Jason might show up on set every once in a while.  Love(d) that Jason Bateman.


Mork and Mindy

Who wouldn't want to be friends with a Martian who lived in the attic?  I am very good at keeping secrets, and would have been of tremendous help to Mindy. 

Facts of Life

Living in a house with a bunch of girlfriends and Mrs. Garrett?  What could be better?  Mrs. Garrett ran a tight, loving ship that I would have thrived in.  Jo and I would have totally hit it off.  "Tomboy" was my middle name growing up.  Plus, I could have met Molly Ringwald.  That would have been some serious celebrity connecting right there.

Dukes of Hazzard

I grew up a policeman's daughter, and I was old before my time.  I never broke any rules.  I lied to my dad one time and broke out in a cold sweat while doing it.  My siblings and I didn't exactly get along for many years, so the Hazzard family became my dream.

Daisy was adored by her two cousins and Uncle Jesse.  Despite the fact that Rosco P. Coltrane was forever chasing them, they were tame rebels who never broke any laws (besides speeding) that I remember.

One of the cars actually used in Dukes of Hazzard is owned by someone on the southside of Indy.  Every time I see it, I so want to slide in through the window, speed off, and go fly over a creek or something.



*************

Three's Company

It seems my parents didn't like our original names, as all four of us children have nicknames.   You all know my name is Christine, but until I moved to Arkansas and was able to get a new identity, I went by the name of Crissy.  Many in my family still do.  I don't think I would have had a problem with it if it weren't for the show Three's Company.

Thanks to Three's Company, "Crissy" will forever and always be associated with ditzy.  And clumsy.  And big-bosomed.  Basically, everything I don't want to be.  Or can't be without the help of a certain blog friend's husband. 

I wish this show had never been on the air.

Alf

I will never understand the reasoning behind putting a puppet on a sitcom.  Especially a puppet that wasn't very funny.


There you have it.  A little walk down TV memory lane. 

Any characters or shows resonate with you when you were young? 

Have a lovely day!

31 comments:

  1. Since I am ever so much older than you, my list is very different. I wanted to be on The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Love, American Style and Here Come The Brides. You will have to Google the last one, but I'll give you a hint: it had dreamy Bobby Sherman in it.

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    1. And now I will have to Google Bobby Sherman. :)
      I did watch the Brady Bunch, but I didn't want to live with them. I don't think I would have gotten along with the girls. Too many short dresses.

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  2. The shows were awesome in the 80s. So wholesome and all about family. I kind of miss those days.

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    1. Lots of things in the 80s were awesome. One of my favorite decades, for sure!

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  3. Totally wanted to be on Eight Is Enough! Loved that show! And of course, who wouldn't want to be a Cosby kid?! Best TV family ever. Great take of this list!-The Dose Girls

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  4. You didn't like Alf? I thought he was funny. He was so sarcastic. He thought he was all that and yet he was a little twerp. And gave the dad such a hard time.

    My mom got those same phone calls at work during the summer when my sister and I stayed home and we had finally woken up for the day. Then she had to deal with our crying and screaming on the phone ALL day. I don't know how she could stand it. I'm laughing just thinking about how horrible it had to be for her.

    I was thinking that one of the people in my friend's neighborhood growing up had a copy of the General Lee, but then I remembered it was the Starsky and Hutch car they had. Ha!

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    1. No, I really didn't. Seems you did, though. :)

      To fix the problem of the phone calls, my mom got me a job at her office when I was 14. She worked for an insurance agent, and my first task was to get all the paper files entered onto the brand spanking new, first computer ever. I don't remember her getting many calls after that. :)

      Ha!

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  5. Even though it was a show before my time I would have loved to have been on the Monkees! Hanging out with Davy Jones? That would be beyond awesome!

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    1. Ah, yes. The Monkees. I never saw the show, but I can totally do the Monkee walk. Glad to know I'm not the only one who wanted to be on a show in order to hang out with the cute guy. :)

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  6. That was such a fun walk down memory lane! Many of those were my favorites too. I also loved Growing Pains - I had a crush on Mike and wanted to be a part of the Seaver family.

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    1. Glad you liked it. Growing Pains was on my long list. A good show, for sure.

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  7. Hmm, no Hogan Family with Jason Bateman?

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    1. Ha! Funny you should mention that! With all the changes they kept making with each season, I never really got into it. However, I have watched plenty of things Jason has been in since.

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  8. I used to like Who's the Boss as well, but I was convinced that I was Wonder Woman and used to tell everyone that I was and my parents weren't really my parents; it caused some problems.

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    1. I also enjoyed that show. I still think Alissa is one of the prettiest people on the planet.

      Hahaha! I imagine a child saying her parents weren't really her parents would cause at least a few eyebrow raises. :)

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  9. Wow...finally a tv list I could relate to! Ha ha - I just rarely watch it these days, and so I have not much of a clue about the current shows, but THESE! These are from my day! Especially loved Cosby Show Family Ties, Mork and Mindy and Facts of Life.

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    1. Ha! I didn't recognize more than half the people other bloggers put on their lists! Glad you liked it!

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  10. We have always loved the Cosby show!! Like you said, LOTS of laughs! What a fun post. :)

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  11. All great choices, and you're so right about the outtakes where the actors look like all they do is laugh ... I want a job like that, too. Laugh and have fun, how cool!
    The show I seem to remember the most is Prince of Bel Air ... so funny.

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  12. I think we must be similar in age, because I remember so many of these--I loved Eight is Enough and Mork and Mindy!

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  13. I LOVED Charles in Charge. I had such a crush on him, and you're right, his nerdy friend was super annoying. I also loved Kate and Allie; Do you remember that one? Or My Sister Sam?

    This is a fun little blast from the past.

    And I still loved Alf, and although super annoying, I enjoyed Three's Company, partly because I love the Ropers.

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  14. I wanted Charles to be in Charge of me, too!!

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  15. I WANTED to be Gidget--surfing, her cool clothes, her BFF, her whole life in sunny California. LOVED watching that show.

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  16. Home Improvement. I would have liked to be Jill. Smart, funny, normal mom. I also would have liked to have been on McGyver. Just cuz he was darned cute.
    from The Dugout

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    1. Oh, I watched Home Improvement, too! Never had dreams of being on it, though. :)

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  17. Loved them all. Except Mork and Mindy. They were funny but just not me. I remember I totally wanted to look like Jessica Biel in 8 is enough. See, she scored Justin. I was right!

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  18. Ooo wee - I am so late in responding....happy belated belated Monday Listicles.

    Well, I soooo wanted to be on Charles in Charge and have Scott Baio in my life - didn't every teenager at that time??? I loved Family Ties when I was younger too - I didn't miss an episode and sorry, the lil brother did mess everything up for me...just like the lil sister did in Growing Pains...she annoyed me too.

    Yona from http://artpark78.com/blog1

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  19. GAH I read this like two weeks ago and never responded, but trying to catch up some.

    I've never heard of that first show, but I loved many of the others listed, including Three's Company AND Alf! I think Alf was on of my favorite sitcoms for a while. He was always wanting to eat cats, but I can't recall if he ever actually did.

    Come to think of it, I wonder how they came up with the whole concept of Alf heh.

    Had I chosen a sitcom family to be a part of or to have IRL it would be The Fresh Prince. That was one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. That video you posted was hilarious! Will Smith is a badass :)

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!