394 replies to this topic

[bootrungar]

This show is great! I was happy last summer when they played 2 episodes every morning, but then they replaced one with some wannabe Saved By the Bell show. When it originally aired, I was too young to notice the gayness of Jonathan, but now I see how obvious it was, even in the earliest episodes. And I know everyone is looking forward to this fall's Tony Danza talk show.

[Lenono]

It is almost impossible NOT to notice Jonathan's gayness looking back. At the time these epoisodes were fresh I would have never picked up on it but now.....well.....there really is no question. Some of it is so blatent, I find it difficult to watch. Not that there is anything wrong with it, again paraphrasing Seinfeld, but you can just imagine the writers making snide remarks to each other and you kind of feel bad. In their defense they were probobly near suicide trying to figure out how to write him going on dates (convincingly).

[TheCustomOfLife]

Bumping this topic up. I haven't seen the DVDs yet but you better believe I bought them. I am not a fan of the cover art, but Sony makes the best box set DVDs so I don't think I'll be disappointed.

[Jazper]

I'm thinking of buying the DVDs. I was a huge fan of the show. WTB is coming to Nick at Nite soon though, no? I'll check those episode out first and see whether or not nostaglia gets the best of me.

[TheCustomOfLife]

The marathon starts airing next week. I was wary of buying the DVDs because I bought Punky Brewster, and even though I had good memories of it when I was a kid, I watched the whole season and felt so meh at the end. But I've seen the first nine episodes of Who's The Boss? on the DVDs and I thought they were still great after all this time.

[IvySpice]

Did anyone catch the E! True Hollywood Story on WTB? They had the screen test for all the Angelas. Judith Light completely blew everyone out of the water. Of course, she was on a soap and had a phenomenal "courtroom scene" that they showed.

I remember this. It was some kind of scene where she was screaming at someone and crying, and she was totally convincing and moving even in the middle of all the soap opera fluff. I had to remind myself that the people on sitcoms are ACTORS, and some of them may actually have the training to be good. When Judith Light was cast in the play Wit, which is an extremely demanding dramatic role complete with nudity and death, everyone was like, wtf? Well, thanks to that E! episode, I just thought, "Yup, she can actually act."

I didn't catch Danny Pintauro's gayness at the time (I'm roughly his age), but I did enjoy that VH1 special where a comic said, "Jonathan? He was gay...in the WOMB." Amen.

[TheCustomOfLife]

The scene in question was when her character, Karen Wolek, was revealed on the stand as being a prostitute. Her loving husband (who was also a distant cousin, which is kinda gross, but that's soap for ya) was totally taken aback. I know she won a Daytime Emmy for her work on One Life to Live but I'm not sure if that was the year.

A RealPlayer file of the scenes in question. I don't know how long it'll be up, so watch while you can. Taken from a 1992 rebroadcast.

Edited by TheCustomOfLife, Jun 9, 2004 @ 3:41 PM.

[TheCustomOfLife]

I've watched almost the entire season. Again, it's such a must-buy. You can tell that for some of the dramatic scenes, Judith's pedigree from OLTL really did show.

[Jazper]

Judith effing rocks. I'm this close to buying this shit, I'm telling you.

[Meedis]

Oh wow...Judith Light was very powerful, especially during the court scene. Hell I'd give her an Emmy if I could...:-)

[TheCustomOfLife]

I remember reading, in an interview, that these courtroom scenes were very draining on Judith, and that she almost collapsed from exhaustion when all was said and done.

[Eliot]

Wow, Custom, thank you for posting that link. I saw those Karen Wolek scenes back when they originally aired (yes, I am THAT old) and I never forgot them. They made such an impression on me I even remembered some of the dialogue word for word.

Weird to see them again after all these years. But still as compelling, nonetheless.

[Meedis]

I remember reading, in an interview, that these courtroom scenes were very draining on Judith, and that she almost collapsed from exhaustion when all was said and done.

Wow! I bet. I can't imagine having to do take after take of that. I mean, she may have missed a few words. Herb(?) may have looked the wrong way and they had to reshoot.

[TheCustomOfLife]

I don't think they've aired those scenes again, save for the 1992 death of Megan (what I linked) and a Daytime to Remember episode in 1997.

That would have totally sucked, to have Anthony Call fuck up his screen direction, and have to have Judith do the dialogue again.

[TheCustomOfLife]

News from the website that hosts that clip is that the server will be cleared this week, so watch while you can.

Yes, Judith Light was the best in those scenes. If anyone else got scenes like that, like say, her contemporaries, like Susan Lucci...I would have been tempted to say that would be fodder for overacting, but Judith did the scene just right. She even cried correctly. People like Susan are convinced that composure is key when you cry, but Judith had friggin' tears and snot all over her face. Pro.

[whip1]

Anyway, I have developed the bad habit of yelling "Tony Miceli called and he wants his van back!" every time I see somebody driving a beat-up old blue van.

Guess what, strawberryblond. I'm stealing that.

Edited by whip1, Jun 14, 2004 @ 1:41 PM.

[Brn2bwild]

Mona was much better in the early episodes. She was vital without trying to be some pathetic sex kitten.

[memememe76]

Tony and Angela had decided to separate but Tony decided to move back to Connecticut. He knocked on the door and Angela opened it in her bathrobe--just as in the pilot.

[ChinkyGirl]

I'm not ashamed to say that I stayed up until 2:30am to finish the "Tony & Angela's first kiss at camp" episode. It was 2 parts, dammit!

[YourDensity]

On EST the "Kiss at Camp" ended at midnight. It was a CHALLENGE to go to bed, let me tell you. I just kept saying to myself "I work two jobs and have had no sleep but these are all the best episodes with Angela & Tony's unrequited lust! Damn you Nick at Nite.. DAMNNNN YOUUUUU..." yeah I'm exhausted.

Although, I don't remember being as annoyed by Tony and Angela when I was 8. Now I find myself saying "Oh Angela loosen up.. you too Tony. Sheesh, what are you... clergy?" I kept thinking oh just do it already. Seriously.. DO IT.

[ChinkyGirl]

The thing was, I missed it on EST and actually stayed up to catch the later feed of it! And here I am..exhausted at work, but it was worth it!

And I find it so disappointing that Jonathan was so adorable when he was little, but grew up to be so annoying. And Sam was so pretty, and still is, but Alyssa Milano just seems so trampy lately!

Edited by ChinkyGirl, Jun 15, 2004 @ 8:38 AM.

[TheCustomOfLife]

"Tony & Angela's first kiss at camp"

Wait...Tony and Angela's first kiss wasn't at camp. Am I missing something?

[ChinkyGirl]

Angela and Tony were recalling their very first kisses and came to the conclusion that they originally met way back in the day when they were both at camp. There was a wooded area that separated the two camps and a place called "Kissing Rock". So, thinking back, and doing a bit of investigating, it turns out that they did, in fact, have their first kisses together (of course, Angela told Tony that her name was "Ingrid", so he never knew until she told him otherwise).

After an awkward night reflecting on this, they decided to keep it a secret from everyone else. Very cliche, IMO, but still cute :)

[naugastyle]

I watched the whole marathon too! I actually did not remember the first kiss being so early in the run. The writers really did go to ridiculous lengths to keep those two apart! Also I think when I was younger I only noticed "romantic" overtones, not "sexual." But damn...Like that scene in the drunk episode, when Tony says that if they ever cross that line, he would want her to remember it. AND SHE WOULD. Then Angela gives him this steamy (teen steamy) look and says SO WOULD YOU. Oh my.

I missed the very beginning of the first episode though...how exactly did Mona meet him?

Much like DJ on Roseanne, Jonathan was adorable as a kid. Hideous from puberty on.

There was an earlier post (from pre-N@N) about Marilu Henner playing a slutty neighbor. I don't remember that. I remember Delta Burke playing a slutty neighbor though, and looking pretty damn gorgeous. Someone also asked why Tony always played Tonys, but I think it was Marilu Henner who joked they were afraid he wouldn't know to react to another name.

I'm surprised this only started one year before Golden Girls. When Betty White shows up as a sleazy local reporter, she looks so different from Rose! Younger, to me. I guess it's all makeup and wardrobe.

Some things I found really funny: In the drunk birthday episode, Sam saying that in the old neighborhood, they got to play stickball. Stickball? For real? In the 80s? I mean, I know the kids in my neighborhood play handball, but...stickball? How quaintly Brooklyn, the writers thought. In the first episode, when Angela removes the towel from her head her hair is PERFECTLY dry and curly. In the camp episode Angela is so shocked about Tony lying about his age. Doesn't she know how old he is NOW? Why was she asking how old he was THEN?

Edited by naugastyle, Jun 15, 2004 @ 10:58 AM.

[YourDensity]

What I found awesome was that Jeff Conway (Bobby from Taxi, famous as Kinicke from "Grease" with John Travolta" had a bit part in the "first kiss" eppie (as adults 'first kiss') when Tony was at the Y with his buddy "Jeff" playing basketball.

I was like THAT'S BOBBY FROM TAXI!! It was pretty quick too.

[TheCustomOfLife]

And we never saw him again.

[ChinkyGirl]

But damn...Like that scene in the drunk episode, when Tony says that if they ever cross that line, he would want her to remember it. AND SHE WOULD. Then Angela gives him this steamy (teen steamy) look and says SO WOULD YOU. Oh my.

LOL! Your description is too cute! :)

And what about the camp ep? Pretty much the same exchange goes on when Tony says, "Things are great between us the way they are now," and Angela says, "But they could be greater..." Followed by some more "great's" and that was a pretty steamy scene as well. And then they hopped into bed together! Eeeee!