For Your Batty Consideration: Night Court (Season 11, Episode 1)

We began our eleventh season of Battle of the Network Shows with a look at the beloved 1980s NBC sitcom Night Court, talking about its cast changes, its variations in quality, and its place in the Eighties NBC pantheon. We are big fans of the show, and we saw that people were excited to see this as the season opener. 

Links:

Our podcast episode
Show notes and YT playlist

Anonymous Batty insider says: "Chatter around the podcast spiked when this episode dropped, but was it because people loved Night Court or because it was the first of the season? Maye a bit of both. This show will be a major contender in all the main categories and likely even stuff like the hair ones. Ultimately the two guys who vote are Mike and Rick, and they made it clear how much they enjoyed Night Court. Could be a big winner. Only thing to look out for is the show competing against itself in some divisions."

YouTube Spotlight: "Meet Millie" with a young Florence Halop

Our YouTube playlist this week features, thanks to the excellent Gilmore Box account, a clip of the opening credits of 1950s CBS sitcom Meet Millie:

We included this vintage piece of TV history because the sitcom co-starred Florence Halop as titular secretary Millie's mother. Halop, born in 1923 is in her early thirties here, though obviously "playing older." She replaced the great Bea Benederet in the role when the program moved to TV from its radio beginnings. The title role changed, too, with Elena Verdugo taking the title role after MGM forced Audrey Totter to leave. One of my all-time favorites, the great Marvin Kaplan, was another regular! In the latter part of the series' run, Roland Winters (Charlie Chan in a handful of flicks) played Millie's boss.

Wikipedia says that the Paley Center has episodes in its collections, but it is hard to find material online. The clips I posted here are all I saw on YouTube. One of my favorite TV books, Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows, doesn't even mention it even though it ran 4 years. I'd love to see more of it. There is something charming about that promo above, and you can't go wrong with Kaplan. Make Mine Millie!

Because I may never get the chance to write about Meet Millie again, here are some photos from my personal library:

No pics of Halop, to my regret, but the top is from Prime-Time Television: A Pictorial History by Fred and Stan Goldtein, the middle pic is from How Sweet It Was by Arthur Shulman and Roger Youman (Actually, a later edition of the book under a different title), and the listing is from a TV Guide dated April 2-8, 1955.

YouTube Spotlight: Starry Night presents "Nikki and Alexander"

Night Court  creator Reinhold Weege and his Starry Night Productions produced the unsold pilot Nikki and Alexander in 1989, and you can take a look at the full episode here.Tim Matheson is a New Yorker who takes in a homeless woman from Russia. It was referred to as a "spinoff" of Night Court in TV Guide, and the TCM website makes the same reference, but I can't figure out how it is. 

Irena Ferris (now Medavoy) is not playing the same character she does on Night Court--a glamorous blonde Soviet official denying Yakov a visa in "Russkie Business," which we mention on the pod! Monte Markham and Nana Visitor also appear. And shout-out to Kyle Heffner, who co-stars and, hey, appears to be the uploader! The great Robert Costanzo appears as a cop.

I can't find much more info about this pilot, but I do know that the end credits look a little familiar:

Power Rankings: Night Court!

Here we go! We kick off this new season of the pod with a look at Night Court, and it also time to resume the weekly power ratings. These are scientific analyses of various aspects of the shows we discuss on the podcast. Remember, this is based on who would win if these characters fought in a steel cage at a neutral site in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1) Harry: For few other hit shows would I fear stirring controversy by naming the main character number one. Harry Anderson was a likable performer who grew as time went on, and the series could have used more, not less, of Judge Stone.

2) Dan: What more can we say about Dan Fielding?

Well, that depends on the statute of limitations.

Later Dan = not so great, but early-mid-show's run Dan is gold.

3) Christine: I still think Night Court had some trouble finding her, but Markie Post is one of the iconic performers of the Eighties, and the majority of fans can't consider it "true" Night Court until she comes aboard.

4) Mac: Everybody loves Mac! Even his in-laws. He's the character you most would want to work alongside.

5) Bull: Great for several laugh-out-loud visual gags every few episodes or so, but often provided the show's heart (for better or worse) before it started straining to find it elsewhere.

6) Selma: What a broad! Oh, what a shame it was she didn't last longer. No disrespect meant to Roz, but Selma alone makes much of that "early" Night Court worthwhile, and despite a short stint I consider her a core character/

7) Roz: Or as the captions read in an episode I just saw, "Ros." (The captions are wrong.) Marsha Warfield had a tough job to do but stabilized the role and the show. She could be higher if the show had been able to figure out how to utilize her sooner.

8) Yakov: You may ask, why, for a sitcom that ran 9 seasons, does a character who only appeared in a handful of episodes rank above many others who were more prominent?

Well, have you heard us talk about What a Country?

9) Florence: She left a big impression in her single season and had a lot of potential. Overshadowed by Selma and Roz but worth honoring.

10) Art: The building's resident handyman had some quirks, but I would hire him to work on the house. Art cracks me up, and the series resists the temptation to overexpose him.

Also receiving votes: Phil, Buddy, Liz, Lana, Mel Torme

Not receiving votes: Leon, Tony Giuliano

Episode 11: 1 Night Court

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 11-1 Night Court

*Welcome back to Battle of the Network Shows! We are excited and looking forward to a great eleventh season of the podcast! Join us here each Thursday for show notes clarifying, explaining, maybe even on rare occasions correcting what we say on the podcast.

*This is also the place to get quick access to our official video playlist for this episode, embedded right here/ Click below to see commercials! PSAs! Promos! The opening credits of...Meet Millie? A clip from The Pat Sajak Show? Yes, all that and much more in a supersized playlist!

Remember, you can always visit our YouTube page for access to past episodes and playlists for each one of them!

*Thanks again to Friend of the Show Ian of Ian Talks Comedy!

*The original Night Court ran on NBC for 9 seasons (1984-1992) and 193 episodes. It premiered in midseason 1983-84 (January '84) and then made the Fall 1984 schedule. 

*After beginning its run as a Wednesday night program, it moved to Thursdays at 9:30, where it stayed more or less until NBC placed it on Wednesdays in Fall 1988.

*The series earned 31 Emmy nominations and won 7, more than half of those going to John Laroquette before he withdrew from consideration in 1989. Night Court was nominated for best comedy series 3 times.

*Ratings-wise, it was a top 10 program in seasons 4 and 5 and slid down to the high 40s-ish for its final two seasons.

*Digital subchannel Laff is still around, but it no longer airs Night Court. The series is still streaming on FreeVee, though.

*Reinhold Weege is one man, but we confirm Reinhold Judge pronounces his last name "Judge," not "Judgee."

*Dear John aired on NBC for 4 seasons (1988-1992). It was an adaptation of a British series and starred Judd Hirsch and Jere Burns.

*Karen Austin was the first court clerk, Lana, and left under unclear circumstances. Austin reports being let go after coming down with Bell's Palsy; as Mike says, others have reported stories of conflict on the set.

*Paula Kelly, the series' original public defender (Uh, not counting the pilot, which starred Gail Strickland), actually got an Emmy nomination for her role even though today it's evident they didn't do very much with her. It appears that the producers just wanted to go in a different direction, and Markie Post was the original choice for that role anyway/ of course, it was Ellen Foley who replaced Kelly, so...There was a lot of turnover on this show the first couple seasons! 

Then of course there was the bailiff situation, with Selma Diamond dying after season 2 and capable replacement Florence Halop passing away after season 3.

*Sirota's Court was a short-lived NBC sitcom in 1976. You can see the opening credits in this week's YouTube playlist.

*Here is the picture from TV Guide (1984 Fall Preview) that I mention. It is in the "Early Starters" section along with shows like Riptide, featuring programs that had already debuted.

*You can see a bit of Ellen Foley's short-lived variety show 3 Girls 3 in our YT playlist.

*This particular episode, "Another Day in the Life," premiered February 18, 1988 as part of the series' fifth season. It went up against the Winter Olympics, as we mention on the pod.

*Pat Corley went on to play bar owner Phil on Murphy Brown.

*Marcia Wallace was best known for her role as receptionist Carol on The Bob Newhart Show.

*Here is a link to that Ken Tucker piece I mention that coincided with the series finale.

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...