After coming to the realization that I'm obsessed with TV maids, housekeepers and butlers, I decided to initiate a very un-scientific poll on Facebook to determine who the top household "domestic" in TV history is. Here are the first 6 (of 12) rounds of Level One.
ROUND ONE: Alice Nelson (63%) of THE BRADY BUNCH beat Hazel Burke (37%) of HAZEL A quote from a voter:
"Alice! Six kids and a dog vs one kid? No contest...Alice should also get points for getting the Brady's a discount on meats. What did Hazel ever do except re-enactments from "Come Back Little Sheba"?"
ROUND TWO: Alfred Pennyworth (42%) of BATMAN gets bested by Benson DuBois (58%) of SOAP and BENSON. A voter notes:
"Has to be Benson. I believe it's still the only spinoff that lasted more than twice as long as the series it spun off from."
ROUND THREE: Mrs. Livingston (45%) of THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER gets a beating from Mrs. Edna Garret (55%) from DIFF'RENT STROKES and THE FACTS OF LIFE. A voter observes "Not much of a contest - few people under 50 know who Mr. Eddie's Father is. Mrs. Garrett in a walk."
ROUND FOUR: Florence Johnston (38%) of THE JEFFERSONS and CHECKING IN was sent packing by Florida Evans (62%) of MAUDE and GOOD TIMES. Another wise observation "I wouldn't want to take on Florida, I think she's gonna sweep the whole race!"
ROUND FIVE: Rose Buck (21%) of UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS was flattened by Nell Harper (79%) of GIMME A BREAK. A witty voter exclaims "Nell hands down! And if you're wondering, with Nell, those hands would be down in a box of donuts!!!"
ROUND SIX: Mr. Belvedere (37%) of his self-titled series loses out to Mr. French of FAMILY AFFAIR (63%). A bug shout out to French: "If you aren't voting for Mr French it's only because you're too young to know his majesty..."
Come back soon for the balance of the LEVEL ONE results.
1 comment:
The comment about a spin-off lasting "more than twice as long as" its parent show certainly piqued that trivia drawer in the back of my brain. The field is pretty slim and I'd have to go trawling through IMDB to verify any of it, but I think SPACE:1999 (spun off of U.F.O.) and HAPPY DAYS (spun off of LOVE AMERICAN STYLE) might count. Also, I'm not sure if the short lived series MARSHALL DILLON aired before or concurrently with GUNSMOKE. There are numerous series that last longer than their parent shows (such as FRASIER), but twice as long is a hard criterion to satisfy.
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