YouTube Spotlight: He's Fired, She's Hired (1984)

Remember when the career gender-based role reversal gimmick was a big deal? I seem to remember the 1983 feature film Mr. Mom as the pioneer here. So naturally, CBS gets in on the action a year later with this bizarre-looking TV movie co-starring Wayne Rogers and Karen Valentine. You can see a vintage promo for this on this week's MASH-centric YouTube playlist, or you can check it out below:



Maybe "bizarre" is the wrong word--no, wait. after seeing Karen Valentine's hairstyle, I think it is. The movie looks comfortably mediocre but refreshingly retro. Imagine it being a thing with the hubby losing his job and coaching his wife into being the bread winner.

Unfortunately, this is the only trace of the movie I see on YouTube, though I do note the presence of a 10/10 review (!) on IMDB calling this "feature film quality." Judging by the promo, I think I lean to the other review: "  Of the bland comedies made on the subject matter during this period, "He's Fired, She's Hired" is probably blander than most and rather typical of the genre. "

However, why take the word of two IMDB reviewers when the contemporary review of The New York Times' John O'Connor is online?

My favorite lines from the review:

Alex Grier, played by Wayne Rogers with what appears to be a vocal impersonation of Peter Falk

That brings Annabelle into the world of Madison Avenue, which, in this version of agents and clients, is rather heavily weighted with homosexuals.

The head of the agency is Freddie Fox, portrayed with weary ferocity by Elizabeth Ashley. When not on her exercycle, Freddie is looking in a mirror and moaning, not without reason, ''I look like an old muppet.''

Not without reason!

Anyone else kind of want to see this?

On this day in 1957, Jailhouse Rock starring Elvis Presley premiered with a special opening in Memphis.

 

On May 26, 1981, this premiered on ABC:

Which is better? You make the call!

(Click here to learn more about the above photo by listening to our Happy Days episode)

Happy birthday, William Christopher

OK, so we didn't talk much about Father Mulcahy in this week's MASH episode, and so it isn't close to Christmas yet.  Still, when it's the late William Christopher's birthday, I see it as a good excuse to share this commercial--one that's not in our YouTube playlist this week!

MASH playlist is live!

The return of the podcast means new episodes each Thursday and our YouTube video playlists to accompany each one! This week, we take a closer look at the world of MASH with promos, commercials, and more!




Click the embedded link above to enjoy a glimpse of W*A*L*T*E*R, Alan Alda doing a cartwheel, Gary Burghoff teaming up with Dean Martin, arguably more Wayne Rogers than you see in the Tuttle episode, a look at the MASH toy line...and more!

Show Notes: Episode 5-1: MASH

*Tuttle, from season 1 of MASH, premiered January 14, 1973 at 8:00 on CBS. It's written by Bruce Shelley and Dave Ketchum, directed by William Wiard, and produced by Jonathan Tuttle (sorry couldn't resist).

*The series aired from 1972 to 1983--11 seasons and 256 episodes. Harry Morgan and Mike Farrell joined in season 4 (essentially replacing MacLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers), David Ogden Stiers (for Larry Linville) in season 6. We will surely talk about them when we cover the "later years" of the series!

Larry Gelbart left the series after season 4, and co-executive producer Gene Reynolds left after season 5.

*The finale drew a record 125 million + viewers on February 28, 1983.

*Ratings-wise, MASH never ended a season as the top-ranked show on TV. Its final season was its highest-ranked at number 3. It was always a top 10 show, though with the exception of its debut campaign (#46) and fourth season (when it moved from Tuesday to Friday and then back midseason, finishing 15 overall).

*We recommend this excellent piece for a great look at the series' syndication history:
https://www.mash4077tv.com/articles/mash_in_syndication/ Before it even entered off-network syndication, CBS was airing reruns some late nights AND every weekday at 3:30.   So even in 1978, the show was on all the time!

*Robert Altman's 1970 feature film was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and was #54 on the initial AFI 100 list in 1998.

*Author Richard Hooker created the original MASH novels.

*Click here for the definitive guide to the 8 action figures (including Klinger in drag), 3 vehicles, and headquarters set released by Tristar in 1982.

*Anachronism alert: Captain Savage is indeed a real comic book title, but it is a 1968 Marvel comic. The titular character is a Navy captain who was spun off from Sgt. Fury.

*James B. Sikking, who has a short appearance in Tuttle, would later gain greatest fame as Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues.

*Perhaps the other big American pop culture work dealing with the Korean War is The Manchurian Candidate (novel 1959, movie in 1962).

*Trapper John M.D.  aired 7 seasons and 151 episodes on CBS. According to an article on Digital Spy:

Seeking royalties, M*A*S*H's producers (who were independent of CBS) took Fox to court, claiming the series was a spin-off of their show, but Fox insisted that it was a spin-off from the *movie*.

The court decided in Fox's favour and Trapper John MD went on to last seven seasons (that's five seasons more than M*A*S*H's "official" spin-off, the critically reviled AfterMASH).

 

*The P.A. announcers were actors Todd Susman and Sal Viscuso.

 

*Ill-fated spinoff W*A*L*T*E*R got a pilot (directed by Bill Bixby), but only aired once--July 17, 1984--and even then it was pre-empted on the West Coast for the Democratic National Convention.

 

5-1: MASH "Tuttle"

We start season 5 with a true classic--MASH! To give supplies to a local orphanage, Hawkeye invents Captain Tuttle, but his best laid plans turn into a madcap scramble when Burns wants to meet the mysterious Tuttle.


Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...