Forgotten Imported Sitcoms Memorial Thread (or The Conrad Bain Trust)

[Bean Is A Carrot]

another import i used to watch was let the blood run free, an australian spoof medical drama. i recently found out that when it was originally shown, viewers could phone in and vote for the outcome of each show. it was the first interactive tv programme. i remember it being funny in a ridiculously ott way, with characters called nurse pam sandwich and dr richard lovechild. the actor who played warren cronkshonk is now in kath and kim

I remember watching Let The Blood Run Free on Channel 10 and wishing my parents would let me phone in with my vote. It wasn't really interactive (but then neither is today's interactive TV). You only had two choices. And thinking about it now the "plot" would have been pretty much the same irrespective of what people voted for. Mind you, I could be completely wrong about that as I believe the team behind it started out doing a similar thing live. There were a lot of theatre sports around in the 80s. Shaun Micallef and Francis Greenslade did that kind of thing in Adelaide years before they hit the big time.

[Duffy]

Anyone remember The Two of Us, an American sort-of-remake of Two's Company with Peter Cook as the 'uptight English butler'©? Probably late-80s or something, and pretty awful, if memory serves. Never repeated, as far as I know.

[The Mumbler]

Anyone remember The Two of Us, an American sort-of-remake of Two's Company with Peter Cook as the 'uptight English butler'©? Probably late-80s or something, and pretty awful, if memory serves. Never repeated, as far as I know.

Piloted for CBS in early 1981, with a series later that year.  Actually was briefly very successful in its early days, but it only lasted one season, ending in the spring of 82.  It was shown here on ITV (never networked though), and I'm pretty sure my region HTV ran it at lunchtime.

[Jemble Fred]

The Establishment's been trying to get hold of some for years. I think they may have found one dodgy copy, but I'm not sure. As rare as a turkey trombonist.

[Morrisfan82]

But I think the worst part of all was how they ruined the Munsters theme music by adding lyrics to it - "We're the Munsters! We're the Munsters! Todaaaaaaaay!" Cringeworthy.

We went to sleep
Thirty years ago
Now we've woke up with a brand new show!

<pierces scrotum with pencil>

Perfect Strangers, with Balki the crazy foreign cousin. I used to love that. Though the only gag I can remember is when Balki goes for an eye test and the optometrist asks him to cover one eye and read the bottom line of the eye chart aloud. He covers one eye and reads out:

'Copyright 1982 American Eye Foundation, all rights reserved, patent pending.'

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Two's Company

Speaking of which, I'd like to see the final two episodes of Nearly Departed (having got the first 4 from an American friend). It's not a great show, but the title sequence is brilliant.

[Darrell]

The Establishment's been trying to get hold of some for years. I think they may have found one dodgy copy, but I'm not sure. As rare as a turkey trombonist.

Picture courtesy of the lovely Mr ApexJazz.

[trotsky assortment]

For years now, I've had vague memories of a US sitcom shown in the very early 80s.  It was another of those used to fill an empty slot and I have no idea if people watched it or not.

My memories of it are so vague.  I know it was a school comedy, but one of the only things I recall is during the title sequence, the teacher spins around in his chair and has a rose between his teeth...(or maybe he doesn't, it's all really, really fuzzy).

One long trawl through the internet later, I'm convinced this was probably 'Welcome Back Kotter'.  Does anyone else recall it and was it awful?
(I have a feeling it may have been).

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Welcome Back Kotter was late 70s and starred a pre-Grease/Saturday Night Fever John Travolta.

Anyone ever see the US sitcom Mamma's Family? It was so bad that even Australia's Channel 9 could only bare to put it out at 2pm on weekdays over the summer non-ratings period.

[The Mumbler]

The theme song to Welcome Back Kotter (called "Welcome Back") by The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian was an American number one single in early 1976.

[Harfyyn Teuport]

That TV Guide has the most ridiculous news item ever at the top right hand corner.

[Munday's Chylde]

For years now, I've had vague memories of a US sitcom shown in the very early 80s.  It was another of those used to fill an empty slot and I have no idea if people watched it or not.

My memories of it are so vague.  I know it was a school comedy, but one of the only things I recall is during the title sequence, the teacher spins around in his chair and has a rose between his teeth...(or maybe he doesn't, it's all really, really fuzzy).

Sure that wasn't 'head of the class'?



only the rose comment rings a bell and i've never seen welcome back kotter

[Gavin]

Flying Blind is the one I remember watching. A young man doing a Woody Allen impression who was obsessed with extremely sexually active Tea Leoni. Probably shown late weekday nights on ITV in 1994-ish. I liked it initially but it was very repetitive.

[trotsky assortment]

For years now, I've had vague memories of a US sitcom shown in the very early 80s.  It was another of those used to fill an empty slot and I have no idea if people watched it or not.

My memories of it are so vague.  I know it was a school comedy, but one of the only things I recall is during the title sequence, the teacher spins around in his chair and has a rose between his teeth...(or maybe he doesn't, it's all really, really fuzzy).

Sure that wasn't 'head of the class'?

only the rose comment rings a bell and i've never seen welcome back kotter

Originally, I thought it might be, but then I recalled the teacher having a mop of curly hair and possibly a moustache.  Funnily enough, that bloke from 'Welcome Back Kotter' sort of fits the description.

Chances are the rose memory may have been from 'HOTC' and I'm muddling very old memories up again...but the teacher from 'WBK' seems very familiar, although I remember absolutely nothing else about the show.

http://www.nndb.com/people/144/000023075/kotter-gum.jpg

[waste of chops]

That TV Guide has the most ridiculous news item ever at the top right hand corner.

I thought it was a mocked-up spoof cover until I found it at http://www.tvguide.com/games/covergallery/