I am glad that there are some great new shows out there but I have a thing for nostalgia. I especially enjoy the nostalgic stuff more if I realize it is still fun after all those years.
Recently I re-watched Overboard and after seeing Katherine Helmund there, I wanted to watch “Who’s the Boss?” Again. There are reruns, youtube videos and DVDs around so if you are interested you can watch this lovely show again.
The Plot:
Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) is a nice, fun, down-to-earth single dad of Italian origin. He feels Brooklyn is getting too dangerous to raise her tomboy of a young daughter Samantha (Alyssa Milano) so he jumps at the opportunity of living in the Connecticut suburbia. The housekeeping job is a little unconventional for a man but Tony doesn’t mind. But after packing up and leaving their old lives behind, Tony gets a little surprise. His “employer” Angela Bower (Judith Light) doesn’t know anything about this. She is a single mother, living with her small son Jonathan (Danny Pintauro). She is an advertising executive and she has left her mother Mona (Katherine Helmund) to interview the candidates. Of course she should have known that her man-loving, youthful and fun mother would go with the handsome Tony. Although Angela is a lot more conventional and reserved, she is eventually talked into giving Tony a shot. From then on it is a bliss of comedy, romance, great family moments, awkward situations and a wonderful time.
The show went on for 8 seasons, from 1984 to 1992. It may not be the funniest show ever, but it is definitely one of the sweetest and it is a show whose jokes don’t get old and you can still relate to the characters even long after it is over. The show’s only vice is that because it takes place in the 80s, they have dressed Judith Light in the worst fashion possible. Her character Angela’s wardrobe is awful but hey, if bad clothes is the only bad thing about a show, you can definitely overlook it.
As I watch the episodes once again, I’ll be posting some really fun quotes. Here are some to get started:
Episode 1
*Angela can’t get her son to take his pet snake out of the living room.
Tony: It looks like a showdown between your snake and your mother. Remember, snake doesn’t pay your allowance.
Jonathan: Good point. (to the snake, as he is taking it away) Sorry, Wilbur. Money talks and you don’t.
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*Angela is unwilling to hire a man as her housekeeper.
Mona: Angela, what’s the problem?
Angela: The problem, Mother, is that you sent me a man for a housekeeper.
Mona: Oh, don’t be sexist, Angela. A man can do meaningless, unproductive work just as well as a woman.
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Angela is dating her boss, around the time she is about to get a promotion:
Tony: Let me tell you one thing, Angela! you will never catch me doing something dumb like sleeping with my employer!
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Episode 2
On Tony’s accidentally walking in on Angela when she is naked…
Mona: It’s the first time I feel like we are a real family.
Angela: A family?
Mona: After all we are the only 3 people in the world who know about your mole.
Here’s a fun video. Let me knows if the video stops working.
[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65VxIT_mJW4[/pro-player]
Other Comedies Featured
Cougar Town starring Courtney Cox
Friends and The Hollywood Stars That Guest-Starred in the Show
I used to watch “Who’s The Boss?” all the time back in the 80s. It was a good show, my husband and I never missed it. In retrospect I agree the fashions were horrible, although at the time I remember dressing similarly–especially the hair and shoulder pads. It wasn’t the funniest show on at the time, but it had it’s moments. One that always sticks in my mind is the “wash and dry” scene from episode where Tony and Angela go out their first real “date-date.”
It was on when I was younger and I loved it, so did my mom and my grandmom. I also have some painful fashion memories from my childhood in the 80s. Now, it wasn’t all bad, though. I still love leather and torn jeans;) But Angela’s clothes are a big no-no. Her mother Mona dressed pretty well, even for the 80s.
I loved their first date. But I pretty much love their first anything. They were adorable together. Remember the first kiss in season 1?