Mr. Belvedere
Mr. Belvedere | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Based on | Belvedere by Gwen Davenport |
Developed by | Frank Dungan Jeff Stein |
Starring | Christopher Hewett Ilene Graff Rob Stone Tracy Wells Brice Beckham Bob Uecker |
Theme music composer | Judy Hart-Angelo Gary Portnoy |
Opening theme | "According to Our New Arrival" (performed by Leon Redbone for 116 episodes) (performed by an unidentified studio vocalist for the pilot only) |
Composers | Jimmie Haskell (Pilot episode; music arranged and conducted by) Lionel Newman (music supervision; Pilot episode/seasons 1–2) Ben Lanzarone (additional music; seasons 3–6) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 117 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Frank Dungan Jeff Stein Tony Sheehan (1985–87) Liz Sage (1989–90) |
Producers | Patricia Rickey Jeff Ferro (1988–90) Ric Weiss (1988–90) |
Production locations | Sunset Gower Studios Hollywood, California (Pilot and Season 1; 1985) ABC Television Center Hollywood, California (Seasons 2–6; 1985–1990) |
Editors | Edward J. Brennan Jessie Hoke Don Wilson |
Camera setup | Videotape Multi-camera |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies | Lazy B/F.O.B. Productions 20th Television[1] |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | March 15, 1985 July 8, 1990 | –
Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985 to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty.[2] The show stars Christopher Hewett as the title character, a butler for an American family headed by George Owens, played by Bob Uecker.
Premise
The series follows posh English butler Lynn Belvedere as he struggles to adapt to the Owens household in suburban
Several episodes deal with the relationship between Wesley and Mr. Belvedere, who are always at odds with each other, with Wesley constantly antagonizing Belvedere. Deep down, they are revealed to really love each other. In season two's "Wesley's Friend" – one of the series' many
Throughout the series, Mr. Belvedere serves as a mentor of sorts to Wesley, as well as to the other children. Being a cultured man with many skills and achievements (having even once worked for Winston Churchill), he also comes to serve as some sort of a "counselor" to the Owens clan, helping them solve their dilemmas and stay out of mischief. Belvedere is the only one who can tame Wesley.
Each episode, except "Deportation Part 1" (season three) and "The Counselor" (season four), ends with Mr. Belvedere writing in his journal, recounting the events of the day (which is heard by the audience via his narration) with the Owens family and what he gets out of it in terms of a lesson.
A frequent gag on the show involves Heather's air-headed best friend Angela (Michele Matheson), who almost always mispronounces Mr. Belvedere's name (such as calling him "Mr. Bumpersticker", "Mr. Bellpepper", "Mr. Butterfinger" or "Mr. Velveeta"). Belvedere's penchant for junk food is shown in many episodes, often being playfully mocked by other characters. Another frequent gag involves George and Mr. Belvedere butting heads, with George being annoyed with his "nosy English housekeeper" always interfering. Yet another recurring gag features George always trying to be initiated into a local charity club, the "Happy Guys of Pittsburgh". Wesley's highly acrimonious relationship with the never-seen next door neighbors, the Hufnagels (whose first names all began with the letter H), and the shenanigans he pulls on them is another recurring plot element.
Production
Development
The character of Lynn Belvedere was originally created by Gwen Leys Davenport in her 1947 novel Belvedere. The following year, the title character was portrayed by
Three previous attempts were unsuccessfully made to adapt the character to television: in 1956 with Reginald Gardiner,[3] in 1959 with Hans Conried[3] and in 1965 with Victor Buono.[3] In 1985, ABC aired Mr. Belvedere as a mid-season replacement, with British actor Christopher Hewett playing Lynn Belvedere.[4]
Pre-production
The series' co-creators and executive producers, Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, pitched the series as "a very elegant, very British sophisticate hired to restore order to a chaotic household in a Pittsburgh suburb." The show eventually featured an upper-middle-class family in a highly fictionalized version of the real Pittsburgh suburb of Beaver Falls. According to Dungan and Stein, Pittsburgh was chosen as the show's setting because "it was either Pittsburgh or Paris, and Paris doesn't have the Penguins... we wanted someplace with seasons and sporting activity... A city kinda going through a resurgence... with character and traditions that is moving into the '80s, a blue-collar community that is moving into the up-and-coming, yet with the traditional spirit of the country. From everything we've read, Pittsburgh is moving into high tech."
Weeks after Pittsburgh was chosen as the show's setting, the city was named by
The producers learned of Pittsburgh locales from a promotional calendar provided by the Pittsburgh Media Group (PMG), a consortium of public officials and Western Pennsylvania media. Dungan and Stein used it for story ideas during Season 1 after the PMG pitched several studio groups in Los Angeles in January 1985: "The calendar has Pittsburgh scenes for each month. The Bridge of Sighs is February. The PPG Building is March. Three Rivers Stadium gets three months."[5]
Cast
Main cast
- Christopher Hewett as Mr. Lynn Belvedere
- Ilene Graff as Marsha Cameron Owens
- Rob Stone as Kevin Owens
- Tracy Wells as Heather Owens
- Brice Beckham as Wesley T. Owens
- Bob Uecker as George Owens
Recurring cast
- Casey Ellison as Miles Knobnoster, Wesley's best friend, who is always the butt of jokes due to his orthodontic headgear.
- Michele Matheson as Angela Shostakovich, Heather's somewhat dimwitted best friend, who always mispronounces Mr. Belvedere's name. Angela's middle name, Raskolnikov, was mentioned in one episode.
- Raleigh Bond as Burt Hammond, bombastic and overly talkative chief spokesman and membership director for the Happy Guys of Pittsburgh, a local men's club; he is always trying to recruit George as a member. His final appearance was in the season five episode "Stakeout", as Bond died eight months after the show was taped.
- Jack Dodson as Carl Butlam, Mr. Hammond's obsequious assistant.
- Winifred Freedman as Wendy, Kevin's geeky and self-conscious high school friend who has a crush on him.
- Robert Goulet, singer and actor, who plays himself. Occasionally sings duets with Marsha. George finds him to be irritating.
- Norman Bartold as Skip Hollings, George's co-anchor at the television station. Prior to the character's first appearance in season four, Bartold played as a hotel clerk in a season three episode.
- Willie Garson as Carl, Kevin's best friend, who's always dragging Kevin into one of his schemes.
- Patti Yasutake (or by Maggie Han in some episodes) as Tami, one of George's co-anchors at the television station.
- Laura Mooney as Marjorie, a Junior High student, and one of Wesley's love interests during the final season. Prior to playing the character in season six, Mooney appeared as "Roberta" in a season four episode.
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 7 | March 15, 1985 | April 26, 1985 | |
2 | 22 | September 27, 1985 | March 28, 1986 | |
3 | 22 | September 26, 1986 | May 15, 1987 | |
4 | 20 | October 30, 1987 | May 6, 1988 | |
5 | 24[Note 1] | October 14, 1988 | May 5, 1989 | |
6 | 22[Note 2] | September 16, 1989 | July 8, 1990 |
- Broadcast History
- [6]
- March 1985–April 1985, ABC Friday 8:30–9:00
- August 1985–March 1987, ABC Friday 8:30–9:00
- May 1987–September 1987, ABC Friday 8:30–9:00
- October 1987–January 1988, ABC Friday 9:00–9:30
- January 1988–February 1988, ABC Friday 8:30–9:00
- March 1988–July 1989, ABC Friday 9:00–9:30
- August 1989–September 1989, ABC Friday 8:30–9:00
- September 1989–December 1989, ABC Saturday 8:00–8:30
- July 1990, ABC Sunday 8:30–9:00
Theme song and opening sequence
The show's
The song was composed in 1984 for a rejected
The show used four different closing themes during its original run:
- The unaired Pilot and early ABC promos of the show used a rock version of the main theme, with a guitar lead.
- Seasons 1 and 2 and one Season 3 episode featured an instrumental version of the theme song.
- Season 3 featured a Dixielandrendition of the ending theme.
- Seasons 4-6 employed a jazzier rendition of the ending theme.
Opening credits
First version (pilot)
This sequence consisted of a purple family portrait book, with pictures of the cast (including a picture of George at his construction job), set to the original version of theme song. This version was only used on the original unaired version of the pilot; the broadcast version used the second variation. It surfaced on Antenna TV in 2015.
Second version (season one)
Similar to the original unaired pilot, but now with a beige family portrait book, some of the cast pictures changed (most notably, George at his construction job), and Leon Redbone singing the theme. The Redbone version would be used in all subsequent variations of the opening. On the Shout! Factory DVDs of seasons one & two, this was only seen on the broadcast version of the pilot.
Third version (season two)
The opening was overhauled completely beginning with this season. It begins with a stock photo of a British palace, and then zooms in to Mr. Belvedere himself. It was then followed by Belvedere as different people (including a Man on Safari), followed by photos and clips from season one episodes, as well as general photos of the cast from said season. On the Shout! Factory DVDs of seasons one & two, this version was kept as is on all the season two episodes, but plastered the season one opening on episodes 2–7. In addition, the show adopted its familiar logo.
Fourth version (seasons three through six)
The opening was overhauled completely once more in season three. Now, it began with Mr. Belvedere writing in his journal, followed by the camera zooming in to the fictional World Focus magazine, with Belvedere on the front cover for the title card. It was then followed by edited images of Belvedere with famous people from around the world. The photos were updated to reflect how the cast looked in season three, and most of the season one clips were now replaced with scenes from season two episodes. In season four, the opening was updated to feature new positions of Tracy Wells on the couch. In season six, it was updated once more to feature clips from season five episodes, and new positions of Brice Beckham on the couch. A short 30 second version was also created, as well. In early syndication reruns, the short season four/five opening was used on all the episodes, with the exception of season six; early reruns of season six used the short open from said season.
Ratings and cancellation
Mr. Belvedere did not place within
Its first season (1985) was exempt from the Nielsen ratings as it aired too few episodes before the end of April to be counted.[8] In its second season (1985–86), the series ranked at #45 with a 14.8 rating.[9]
During season three (1986–87), the show fell to 51st place with a 13.7 rating.[10] At the end of the 1986–87 season, ABC decided to cancel the show after three seasons,[11] but negative feedback from fans of the series led the network to reverse its decision and order a fourth season that debuted in October 1987.[12] In season four (1987–88), the show fell to 64th place and an 11.5 rating for the year.[13] For its fifth season (1988–89), the show rose to a 12.2 rating, placing it at #47 for the season.[14]
For its sixth and final season (1989–90), Mr. Belvedere left its longtime Friday night slot (which began its evolution into the long-running
Syndication
In addition to its existing
On September 11, 1989 (about the time the show entered its final season), and continuing in sporadically until 1997, it was seen in local syndication on select Fox affiliates. Along with the addition of seasons four through six, ten previously unaired episodes (two from season five and eight from season six), were also added to the syndication package. The syndication package initially consisted of all 95 half-hour episodes produced up until the end of season five in 1989; the following year, season six (the remaining 22 half-hour episodes) was finally included in the package.
In the early 2000s, reruns of the series aired on
In December 2009,
Home media
In September 2015, Shout! re-released season 4 on DVD as a full retail release.[26]
DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date | Special Features |
---|---|---|---|
Seasons One & Two | 29 | March 17, 2009 |
|
Season Three | 22 | September 8, 2009 |
|
Season Four | 20 | January 19, 2010♦ September 8, 2015 (re-release) |
|
♦ - Shout! Factory Exclusives title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store.
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Primetime Emmy Award |
Won | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Series | George Spiro Dibie (For episode "Stranger in the Night") |
1986 | Young Artist Awards |
Nominated | Best New Television Series – Comedy or Drama | –
|
Best Young Supporting Actor in a New Television Series | Brice Beckham | |||
Won | Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series | Tracy Wells | ||
1987 | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama Series | Tracy Wells | |
Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series | Brice Beckham | |||
1988 | Nominated | Best Family Comedy Series | –
| |
Best Young Female Superstar in Television | Tracy Wells | |||
Best Young Male Superstar in Television | Brice Beckham | |||
1989 | Nominated | Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Drama or Comedy Series | Laura Jacoby (For episode "Pigskin") | |
Best Young Actress – Starring in a Television Comedy Series | Tracy Wells | |||
Best Young Actor – Starring in a Television Comedy Series | Brice Beckham | |||
Best Family Television Series | –
| |||
2004 | TV Land Award | Nominated | Best Broadcast Butler | Christopher Hewett |
See also
- Charles in Charge (1984)
- Gimme a Break! (1981)
- Who's the Boss? (1984)
References
- ^ "20th Century Fox Restructures Film, Television Units". Associated Press.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Gwen Davenport, 92, 'Belvedere' Author". The New York Times. April 15, 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ Proctor, Melanie (July 14, 1988). "Mr. Belvedere at your service". New Straits Times. p. 14. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ The Pittsburgh Press. p. 5. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ "Bio". GaryPortnoy.com. January 4, 2015.
- ^ "'Dynasty' Ends As No. 1 Series". The Albany Herald. April 27, 1985. p. 2B. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. April 23, 1986. p. 4E.
- ^ "Year-end ratings". USA Today. April 22, 1987. p. 3D.
- Philadelphia Inquirer. May 16, 1987. p. C1.
- ^ "Thank you, ABC, for bringing back "Mr. Belvedere"..." Los Angeles Times. December 20, 1987. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Final rankings for the 1987-'88 season". The Miami News. April 20, 1988. p. 3C. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- The Deseret News. p. 6C. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- Wichita Eagle. December 7, 1989. p. C1.
- ^ Ratings for the week of December 25, 1989
- ^ Bark, Ed (February 15, 1990). "For ABC, the King is dead". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ Ratings for the week of June 25, 1990
- ^ Ratings for the week of July 2, 1990
- ^ Mr. Belvedere Online
- ^ a b c "FamilyNet Fall 2011 Schedule Part II With Sitcoms Like Mr. Belveder; The Parkers Return to BET". sitcomsonline.com. September 6, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - SCOOP: Get Your First Look at DVD Package Art for Mr. Belvedere - Seasons 1 and 2!". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - The Butler is Back! A Season 3 DVD is Scheduled for Release". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere - Fans Get a Season 4 Set from Shout! Factory...But Not in Stores". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
- ^ David Lambert (November 12, 2012). "The "What's The Hold-up?" FAQ". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ Shout!'s 'Season 4' Re-Release Seems to be Sold in Stores This Time! Archived July 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Mr. Belvedere at IMDb
- Mr. Belvedere at epguides.com