DON'T MISS OUT! SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST

Michelle Malone 00:00
(Sings) I love those J i n g l e Bells. Those holiday J i n g l e Bells. I love those J i n g l e, B e double L s. I love those J i n g l e Bells. Jingle Bells jingle all the way.
80s TV Ladies Theme Song 00:22.
80s TV Ladies, I’m so sexy and so pretty. 80s TV Ladies, I’m steppin out into the city. 80s TV Ladies, I been treated kind of sh#*ty. Working hard for the money in a man’s world. 80s TV Ladies!

Sharon Johnson 00:43
Hello everyone, I'm Sharon Johnson and this is 80s TV Ladies.

Susan Lambert Hatem 00:46
And I'm Susan Lambert. 80s TV Ladies is our podcast where we get to talk about female driven television shows from the 1980s.

Today we are diving further into Remington Steele.

If you don't know by now this screwball comedy detective mystery show ran from 1982 to 1987 on NBC. It starred Stephanie Zimbalist as Laura Holt, Pierce Brosnan as the titular Remington Steele and Doris Roberts as Mildred Krebs. And you know what? I tried to say titular, because I thought it would be funny, but I couldn't get it out. But let's go on.

(Laughs) This detective show follow the cases of a female private investigator who starts her own agency, ends up having to create a fictitious male boss so she can get work because no one will hire a female detective. Suddenly, a mysterious man shows up and assumes the mantle of Remington Steele and they work together to solve mysteries.

And if you are still confused, go back and listen to our earlier episodes. And you'll hear all more about the show. And hear, you know, I hope you guys already listened to the episodes where we interviewed Stephanie Zimbalist and interviewed one of the writers from the show, Robin Bernheim. Those were amazing interviews. Please check 'em out. We're gonna be talking further about Remington Steele today, taking a look at some of detective show tropes of 80s TV making, including crazy cases, cars, big hair, and Doris Roberts.

And we'll be looking deeper into the shows, exploring highlights of Seasons Two and Three, asking a lot of questions about Four and Five

Spoiler alert! We are going to be giving away some story and plot so you are warned. If you haven't watched the show and you care about it. Stop listening. Go watch it and come back.

Exactly. Especially come back.

Yeah, definitely come back. But if you don't care, and you're ready to be surprised, there's still lots of enjoyment. We won't spoil everything.

It is an 80s TV show. So therefore spoilers are really not a big deal, then as they are now.

That is true. All right.

Let's do it. I actually want to start with Doris Roberts.

So let's do it.

Okay.

And I call her a TV trope of the 80s because she was on so many shows in the 80s. And so I think having her on a show is like good luck. She passed away in 2016. She was one of the beloved stars of 80s, 90s, 2000 television.

Yeah. She she has, she appeared in so many TV shows and memorably in so many TV shows. But is probably best known to most TV viewers today as Marie Barone. The quintessential meddling mother-in-law on Everybody Loves Raymond.

She won four Emmys for that show alone. She won her first Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama in St. Elsewhere in 1983. She would be nominated for, 11 times, including once for Remington Steele. And then of course, won most of them for Everybody Loves Raymond. She was born Doris May Green in St. Louis, raised by her mother and maternal grandparents in the Bronx after her dad left. Later, her mom remarried, and she took her stepfather's name, Chester Roberts.

She made her Broadway debut in 1955 in Williams Saroyan's The Time of Your Life, playing a hooker in a bar.

That's a, that's a good role for a lot of ladies between the 50s in the 80s.

You know it. Again, this this woman did, did a little bit of everything. She began in television on a TV series called Studio One, and then in episodes of The Naked City and The Defenders to bring it all full circle. She started doing films in 1961 with a movie called Something Wild. One of her most notable films was The Taking of Pelham 123, the original version of course. She appears very briefly as the mother of The Rose, played by Bette Midler in 1979s, The Rose.

One of my favorite movies, actually. Really a pretty amazing movie. An incredible, incredible performance by Bette Midler talking about ladies of 1979. Which I think we can you know, we can loop her into our Venn diagram.

And what what is amazing is one of the things I remember, I haven't watched the movie in a long time. It makes me want to go back and see it.

Absolutely.

Same.

She apparently, she's not a lot in The Rose, Doris Roberts. But her presence is felt a lot because basically, you know, The Rose is loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin, and she is spiraling into drugs and the worst parts of chasing fame. And so there's a really incredible scene where she is very high. She's supposed to be at her concert. She's not there, because she's having her own personal demons. And she pulls over and she's drunk and high and she pulls over to a phone booth and she calls her mother. I remember this scene. I don't remember exactly what she said. But basically, she calls her mother kind of for approval, and say, Do you love me?

mmmm. Yeah.

I just remember that scene from the movie being very, very strong. Anyway, we have digressed into The Rose but a lot of actresses didn't go back between television and movies in the 80s. But but Doris Roberts managed to do it. Full circle to our show. she did three episodes of Mary Hartman, which was written by Eugenie Ross Lemming, creator of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. And then she also guested on Cagney, & Lacey, a show that I definitely want to cover. So I think she's like a real 80s TV ladies. I mean, like she is all over it.

Yeah. Absolutely. And perhaps one of the reasons why she was able to go back and forth between film and television is because she was not playing Leads. And for the Lead, they're looking for someone who can bring in box office. Whereas it's, you know, character actors like Doris Roberts that they want someone talented, who can round out the cast and bring some gravitas to whatever role they're playing. And she certainly was capable of that. So.

Absolutely. And clearly beloved. She wrote a book. And from her book she talked about, basically, you know, she became known as, as you know, playing a lot of mothers. Because she was a great character actress. And so, this is what she says about her character on Everybody Loves Raymond. Marie is one of the world's all time most meddlesome mothers. I know a lot about being a meddlesome mom. Not only have I played that role in my life off screen, I've been cast as the mother of many stars of stage and screen. In fact, I keep a list in my purse of those I've mother, mothered. I love that. The list includes Billy Crystal twice, The Rabbit Test and My Giant. Bette Midler, of course The Rose. Tony Danza in Mamma Mia, Donna Pescow in Angie. Robbie Benson, Marlo Thomas, Charles Groden, Linda Lavin, Chevy Chase, Valerie Harper's mother-in-law, David Spade, and of course, Brad Garrett and Ray Romano. Of all the mothers I portrayed, Marie is the one who has solidified my reputation as the mother of them all. The mother of all mothers, or as they say in Shaft, one bad mother.

(Laughs)

I love that quote.

That's fantastic.

I really like that. And Sharon, we both talked about this. So when we were both researching, and we discovered the Television Academy interview with her. She spoke so passionately in that interview. That's a great interview. She spoke so passionately about ageism, and especially in the entertainment industry, and especially against women. She apparently spoke in front of the US Senate about it, and was a real advocate for women of any age to be able to pursue the careers that they wanted fully and completely.

And some of that is is kind of part of her story and getting cast, actually, in Remington Steele, if you will. Which we'll be getting to a little bit later.

Well, we we could get to it now!

Let's get to it. (laughs)

Let's get to it now!

According to the interview that Susan just mentioned, they asked her about how it came about that she was cast on on Remington Steele. And she and her agent, or through her agent heard about it, and convinced th Producers to see her. She was not the type of actor that they were looking for.

They were going for like the 35 year old sexy secretary.

Yeah and she...

That's what they were looking for.

In the interview she mentions, she thought that the person that they actually were leaning towards was the Executive Producers wife, I believe.

Oh, my God. I didn't. Yeah, I missed that part of the interview.

Yeah, that was, that was very interesting. But Doris walked in the room, and by the time she walked out, it seems like she had the part.

Killed it.

Oh, yeah. And she brought so much to the show. They clearly made the right decision in my, in my estimation.

Oh, absolutely. And Michael Gleason does talk about that. He he, and I think he was a sucker for the funny.

mmHmmm

And she brought the funny. Like, sh, he was a total sucker for people who could sell comedy in, along with a lot of exposition.(guffaw) And, and so I think that she really kind of knocked their socks off. I mean, he talks about that in the behind the scenes stuff. So I am so glad she really brings a whole other component because she brings sort of she does bring a bit of a mother figure to the show. And instead of being you know, if they put the female secretary in there, it would have inevitably become a little bit of a rival for like it would be like it would have suddenly you'd have to think about the triangle. And, and again, I think trying to do a love triangle in Season two of the show, actually It was complicated. I think this somebody was pushing for it because they kept trying to do it a little bit throughout the five seasons. But I think that Doris Roberts, a she she cut, she said, it's a great character to bring in, because suddenly it's someone who doesn't know the secret. And in the first Season, everybody knows the two people that work at Remington the three, you know, the two people that work under Laura Holt at the Remington Steele agency know that the guy that shows up is not Remington Steele. Right. And so everybody's in on it. And I think there was a lot of fun in the second Season that I enjoyed, where where doors, Roberts thinks that the Remington Steele character is the boss of Remington Steele agency, weirdly enough, and so they get a lot they really get to nod to she's doing all the work, and he's taking all the bowels. And and it's frustrating for Laura Holt when she has to keep that up, even with people who work for her. So I thought that was a really great way to highlight the frustration for the Laura Holt character.

Yeah. And she added an element that was missing from the show that that brought a different energy from the the two characters that Mildred Krebs replaced. And they also gave her more to do that, I think, ultimately than the other two did. She was always involved in whatever case was going on. Others, they weren't.

And she wanted to be.

Yes.

And again, talk about a woman that took agency of her life path. You know, she she comes into the show as an insurance... No, no, IRS.

Yeah.

She's an IRS agent. And so she comes in and she stomps in, and she's gonna get to the bottom of why Remington Steele hasn't paid any taxes. (guffaw)

(Laughs)

This giant head of an Agency hasn't paid taxes, ever. So so suddenly, they have this big problem, which is kind of a funny problem that very much draws straight out of the concept. But then she has so much fun when she ends up chasing Remington Steele and Laura Holt down to Mexico. She has so much fun with their case, that she gets drawn into the idea that, that she could really do something different with her life. And it seems, and then she's like, Yeah, I want, I lost my job because I chased you down here and you ruined my life. But now I want to work here.

Yeah. And at first, she's mostly in the office and doing, you know, research and over time, she wants to get involved. She wants to be part of the case and be out in the field. And there's even an Episode where she actually takes on a case.

Yes.

There's another Episode where she actually tells her friends that she's a detective. (Laughs) They think that she is a detective.

Yeah, and she starts to, she starts, but and they but, they allow her.

Exactly

They allow her to pursue more, like they allow her to move up the ladder at Remington Steele. They, she continues to have to be everybody in the office. And she's apparent, the big joke is also she's the only one that can kind of work the computer.

Right.

The brand new computer that came, comes in, which is adorable and very 80s. He's like, Oh, we're gonna we're gonna print something out on the computer.

Yeah, there were a couple of shots just sort of as an aside where something is printing on that... I don't remember what it's called... But that paper that was all..

That had the, you tear away the sides

Yes. Yes.

Dot matrix printer? No.

Yes, I think that is. Yes, and I just thought, Oh, goodness! (guffaw) ... any of those things around anymore (laughs).

Yeah, it's very funny. The computer stuff in 80s. Television is always really fun. Because it seems so it's, it's like nostalgia, like, and it's so rudimentary. And I think somewhat inconceivable to younger generations, particularly now. We're gonna like, it's like watching like, like somebody on one of those old timey bicycles. (laughs)

(Laughs) Yes. It's like, there's this magic machine, as opposed to this thing that everybody just really takes for granted these days. So.

Yeah, anyway. So, I do love that. And I also love that again, she gets a little bit of some romances. You know? She talks about in some of the interviews that she was pushing for them to, you know, give her more romances. And I think they should have. I think that in Season Two and Three, they actually really use her a lot. And I'm not gonna say as opposed to other things, but that's for the next Episode. So I do love when they use her, and when, and what's great is also she becomes this sort of in between, for the two of them. She's both mother and like sister, and you know, high school friend. Because their relationship is so on and off and so tumultuous as they draw out that relationship between Laura and Remington Steele that she becomes a sounding board for both of them. And then becomes a champion for for them to be together

But at, but at this part in the show, because again, she's she's new to everything. She's very much, let's say a little in awe of Remington Steele.

She's a huge like she definitely yeah.

Whatever he wants, whatever he needs, she's there for him, you know, bends over backwards. And Laura, she's kind of like, alright honey, and kind of you know, whatever! I'll get to you eventually. But it's really great. It's really a lot of fun.

There's a great line. I think it's in Season Two, where there's some point where Laura Holt finally says, you have to tell her to listen to me. (Laughs)

(Laughs)

Because she's only listening to you. And so Remington Steele does. And then Doris Roberts has this moment where she's like, wait... So you're the boss. But you're in charge? Like, it's, it's great.

(Laughs)

And um, it's a, it's a really lovely moment that sums up the show, both thematically and, you know, descriptively. But also with a lot of comedy, which the show is clearly just so. I think really rightfully, and yet, sometimes so much turned into comedy. Like the screwball comedy element of this show, dialed up and down, depending on the Episode. Sometimes it's a little uneven, you know. Particularly looking back. You're like, Oh, this got really goofy, you know, like.

But it's, but I was kind of okay with that, because you really weren't quite sure. It was really weren't quite sure what to expect in terms of, you know, tone, the degree to which the comedy was going to be at the forefront versus the melodrama. And they did both very well. So I thought that was actually kind of kind of, kind of nice.

Yeah. I did, too. I think sometimes when they were still trying to find it, I think in Two they were definitely still trying to find exactly where that sweet spot was. That some, some of them are like, Huh, okay. All right. Some, you know, but what also they were doing in Season Two was, I think, often not. We're gonna talk about TV Tropes today. That's the other thing I want to talk about. Because they, they have a lot of them in there. And there's a great website called tvtropes.org that you know, sort of showcases all the various tropes that happen in television, for any genre. But they have a lovely set for detective and mysteries. And, and so, and this hits, particularly in Season Two, it really just starts hitting all of them. There's the Boxer Episode, which is so funny. Like how many boxers actually had to hire detectives? Because in every detective show, there's a Boxing Episode. (guffaw)

(Laughs)

Like really? Like boxers and, are hiring detectives? Like was that a thing that was really happening in the 80s?

Who knew? (Chuckles)

But what's funny is so many episodes just sort of decided a new side of Remington Steele, like of the Pierce Brosnan character, the true backstory. So since his backstory is so unknown throughout the show, they just give him everything. So in the Boxing Episode, they're like, Oh yeah! He was a, he was a lightweight boxer. He's huge. He could have gone and, you know, toured through Africa or something. Like it's just, it's so, it's just a given that he's suddenly this great boxer. And they pull it off, you know. And your, you're like, okay. But that happens a lot in the show, where suddenly it's like, Oh, and he can steal diamonds. And he can do this.

Well, when you have a character whose background is completely a mystery, I guess you can throw anything in there. And we'll go along with it because we don't know. We have no idea what he's been up to since before the day he showed up at um, in Laura's life and took over as Remington Steele. So sure, why not?

Well, and he and it's, and it's so, so clear that he's not only sort of a thief. He's got you know, some thievery in his background, chasing down special diamonds and and fancy cursed paintings. But he also is a con man. And so the fact that he can kind of pretend to be anything, means he's got to be somewhat good at it, to pull it, pull it off. Yeah, so they, they definitely have the Boxing Episode. They have what TV Tropes call the Chained Heat, where at some point, Remington Steele and Laura Holt have to be chained together.

(Laughs)

And that's in the Episode, Steele Your Heart Away. They do that also in Scarecrow and Mrs. King. They also do it in an 80s show that's not female driven called Hardcastle and McCormick. I think, again, every other show in the 80s had to change their characters together and then put them on the lam.

Well, maybe it's one way to eliminate the need for another set. They're in one place. You don't have to worry about (Chuckles).

Well it is, it's the the fighting duo that has to work together. Right? That is definitely, that's been Movies and you know.

Yeah, it's been around a long time.

It's been around a long time.

Yeah.

And and, it's still you know. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? They're at the beginning, they're all chained together. So Season One, the opening to Season One is is the "saga sell". Is that beautiful Laura Holt, that beautiful Stephanie Zimbalist voice with her "Try this for a deep dark secret." I love it. And that beautiful Henry Mancini music. And then in Season Two, they change the opening. And that's a trope. Replacing the theme song is a trope that happens when you get new Seasons. Right? And you know, it's like, Okay, now we really know what the show is about. Anybody who's watching kind of understands the concept by now, we assume in Season Two. But, but this the opening of Season Two is so insane. Do you know what I'm talking about?

I do, in the movie theater?

Yeah.

Ostensibly watching clips of I guess what happened in Season One?

They're watching clips of themselves. (Laughs)

(Laughs)

So the two characters are in the movie theater, eating popcorn, while clips of their adventures from Season One play.

By themselves, by the way. There's nobody else in the theater except them.

So it's like, like, somebody's put together this movie for them (guffaw). To remind them how adventurous and sexy they've been. And how sometimes Laura's been a little more dangerous than she should have.

(Laughs)

It's so conceptually odd. Right? I love it.

And honestly, I hadn't really thought about what exactly it was and how odd it was that this was happening. And I just enjoyed it. I thought it was, I thought it was really fun. But yeah, it makes no sense. (Laughs)

It's super fun, but it makes no sense. And then and then of course, they also get romantic at the end of the clips. And then they disappear and leave the popcorn behind.

That's right.

And you get the sense that they have gone off to have a little date. Again, conceptually insane. Right?

Yeah.

You're like, it's so meta about the show, and about those characters being meta about themselves, and their relationship to the television show. And again, since there's a lot of references, you know. Remington Steele, the unnamed character, as a lover of old movies and classic movies and uses that to help him solve crimes. He's like, Oh, this is just like the Maltese Falcon, you know. And so that plays into this opening, clearly, but it's, it's really great. And it's gone by the beginning of Season Three.

Yeah, I found that a little odd that they replaced it at the beginning of Season Three.

They replace it and they replace the music.

Yeah, I don't know, it was rather strange. Because that's not something usually that happened in 80s TV, TV shows, I don't think. Really.

You would play some clips. You would add just, usually it's clips of the characters. And it's particularly for a character show. Right? Like, so particularly for like, here, we have these, these, these, these two going on there many adventures. And it's basically here's the coolest clips of them going on there many adventures. That's kind of the opening of many 80s TV shows. But this, and again, uh my theory is... What is it 1983 when Season Three starts? or 84? It's 84. Everybody got a computer. So this is what I'm gonna say about 1984 Season openers in television. All the studios got computers that year. And they all decided to use their computer graphics.

Ah!

They could use computer graphics, very early rudimentary computer graphics. And that's what they use for the opening of Season, they have this weird line drawing of Remington Steele and Laura Holt. And then they fly into it, and then get to the clips. And on one hand, probably in 1984, you're like, Whoa! Never seen that before, because you hadn't. Couldn't do that in a TV show. But they got a computer that year.

(Laughs)

And they had a computer graphics guy. He's like, look what, uh the editor's like, look what I could do! And I, you know, there's nice new clips in that new opening. They they, I don't love the version of the theme song. It feels to me like they slow down the theme song a little bit.

Well I'm not particularly crazy about the opening from Season Three. I really, for all of its oddness and oddity, I preferred the the one from Season Two.

I did too.

So...

I don't care that they're sitting in a movie theater watching clips of their life.

(lauging) I don't either.

The way that you do. (Laughs) It was perfectly adorable.

Yeah, exactly.

And this is less adorable.

Yeah.

Because it's all about the like, flying into the lines of their faces and hair. And you're like, I am not interested in that. I'm interested in watching these two, be cute together.

Exactly.

And solve crime...

...That's what we're here for.

That's what we're here for. Solve some crime. All right. So um. But enough about changing the theme song and changing the tune. What we're gona to have to do, Sharon, is we're gona have to take a break. And then we're gona come back and we're gona talk about a couple more tropes. And then we're gona go into... What's our next thing? What are we gona? Oh, oh! We gotta talk about....

... Episodes.

We got to talk about Episodes.

Yeah.

Our favorite episodes.

Yeah.

That's gonna be so much fun. Alright we'll see you in a minute.

80sTVLadies 24:23 ______________________________________________________________
(Commercial Break)

Alright, Sharon, welcome back!

There you go.

So this beautiful dialogue in the show. There's a lot of wonderful, sparkly, fun dialogue. And so they do have some lovely moments. Laura and Remington particularly about who he is. Right? And so Remington is talking to a client in I think Steeel Belted, and he says I guarantee your your exoneration on all charges buddy or my name isn't Remington Steele. And then Laura Holt turns to him and says, Your name isn't Remington Steele.

(Laughs)

And he's like, a mere technicality. What other tropes can you think of? I mean, there's a lot in this show. I mean, every detective show has them.

Well, I mean, there's there's always the you know, the relative with the cheating spouse, or the...

They do that. Laura Laura's sister, thinks her husband is cheating on her. And that's a whole drama Episode. I kind of, I have a theory about Laura's sister. So Laura's sister comes in during this time. Right? And there's a couple Episodes in Two, Three and Four with Laura's sister, and Laura sister is taking a more traditional female path.

Right.

And they make a point of it. Like Laura's sister who's got married and has kids. Her husband is an insurance? Dentist?

It's, I'm drawing a blank. Dentist is what I originally thought but I'm not ready to swear to it.

But but not not a you know, exhilarating, like dangerous career.

No, not at all. Just you know, you're you're very normal guy, basically. Nothing wrong with that.

So they bring Laura Holt's sister, but they've never really gotten along. And they, and Laura thinks it's because they have made different life choices. And she feels judged by not having gotten married and having kids. And Laura's sister thinks Laura is living this, you know, amazing, crazy life out in California. So they sort of have to come to an agreement on how they're going to move forward as sisters, through the course of this mystery that they have to solve where Laura's sister thinks that her husband's having an affair. And it's adorable. It's another level of talking about women and talking about stuff. It's also a little cliche. There's some, a lot of cliches in there. This Episode came after Scarecrow and Mrs. King had aired, and I think they are very aware, they're bringing in basically a 'Mrs. King' character...

Oh interesting.

...To this show, particularly the second time she, when she comes back. So she's in an Episode in Season Two, and then she comes back. And in a later Season she's literally driving I think, the same station wagon that Mrs. King drives on Scarecrow and Mrs King.

(Chuckles)

So I think there's sort of like nodding or poking at Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and they talked about being aware when we interviewed them. They talked about being you know, aware that that Scarecrow and Mrs. King was there and Moonlighting both coming after Remington Steele, but both clearly in the same world. But I think it's so interesting, because it's those episodes that are actually examining what are the roles of women. And they themselves are questioning what their role is and how they feel. I think Laura feels bad that she doesn't want that. Or that she doesn't have it. Or she feels like she's supposed to have it. She feels like less of a daughter to her mother. She talks about that.

Do you think that she feels that way? Or she feels that her mother feels that way?

She feels judged. Yeah, No. She she feels judged because of her life choices. Yes. No, she doesn't feel that way. But she does feel I think secondary to her sister.

Right.

Because her sister has been the good one. So. Right?

Yeah. No it, it was 80s. I mean, it wasn't... Well, not that it's still easy now. But it's wasn't, especially then, it wasn't easy to make a choice that was outside the quote unquote, norm, to go a different path as many women were trying to do. Because yeah, there was a lot of judgment about it.

And they talk about that. And I think there's even a moment where her sister asks her if she wants children or something. And she says, I don't know. I think there is. Maybe I made that up. But I think there is. I wonder if the Network had something to say about that.

Wouldn't surprise me.

Like how Laura Holt would answer that question. That they'd have an opinion about that. Okay. But the other, there's one more trope on the TV Tropes that I thought was very interesting because it is a trope that they say does not necessarily technically occur in the Remington Steele show. The real Remington Steele has become its own trope for other pop culture projects. So it's, it's sort of not a trope that technically happens in Remington Steele, but it takes its name from Remington Steele, which I thought was interesting....

Oh, gosh I didn't know that.

... According to TVTropes.org. And it's a new character shows up in the scene, usually with mystery. And eventually the mask, literally or metaphorically is removed, and the stranger turns out to be in a disguise created by an established character pretending for some plot reason. Right? They were tricking people. It happens apparently a lot in comic books.

Oh.

Oh, it turns out I'm really Magneto, and I've been pretending to be a dog this whole time. And then another character shows up being them too. Like it's like the... What's that spider man meme? gif?

Oh gosh yes. The three spider men.

The three Spider Mans.

Yes.

It's like wait, you're Spider Man. I'm Spider Man. So it's that. Somehow, that's the Remington Steele. That's called the Remington Steele trope. The real Remington Steele.

I didn't know that was named after Reming. That's so interesting. That's so interesting. (Laughs)

I thought that was interesting, too! Which is why I brought it up. (Laughs)

This is why we have a podcast people to learn about things like this.

To learn about interesting things. So there's not two, there's not another Remington Steele that shows up. There's just no Remington Steele. And then a guy shows up to be Remington Steele.

Right.

But at no point in the show, does another Remington Steele show up saying actually I'm the real Remington Steele. Which might have been funny.

It could've been interesting, but,

It could have been somebody else out there being Remington Steele.

Right.

That could be an episode. We should write an episode.

(laughs)

All right, now we're gonna talk about our favorite, some of our favorite and interesting episodes. We've talked about a few just during the course of the tropes, but some that felt really stand out, for reasons.

Well, I think I'd start with in Season Two, the the the introduction of Doris Krebs, and the first you see, the first two episodes. It's a great introduction and a great way to change the cast, as they've moved on from the the two cast members from Season One and moved in this direction. And the episodes themselves were a lot of fun to watch as well.

Yeah, the the Mexico episodes were really, you know they were shot and in a fun way. There was a lot of adventure, but they I think they hit that tone just right. Like and, and she, the Krebs, Mildred Krebs character is an amazing character who again allows the other two characters to even be more of themselves. And yet she sort of fits in pretty seamlessly. It's pretty quick that you're like, Yeah, we need her to be part of this. Yeah, you're pretty happy when when they are clearly heading in that direction.

And I think, you know, I think when we had started, when I started rewatching the show, on some level, I may have even forgotten that Mildred wasn't part of the show from the beginning. Because she's just so indelible, and so, in my head, part of the show.

She's she's the triumvirate.

Yeah.

It is the triumvirate.

Yeah.

And that is, when they, when they go off of that, is sometimes when the show isn't as strong. And again, what you then have is two female leads and one male lead. Which is, I think, a very interesting dynamic, particularly when it's not supposed to be a triangle. It's supposed to be people working together. And that dynamic, where they're all like, Okay. You're doing this and you're doing that, and we're doing this. And I found out this boss! It's pretty well oiled machine. And I like that.

Yeah, me too.

One of my episodes that I like is the Circus Episode. I would say a Circus Episode might be a TV trope. I don't know if it is officially on the TVTropes site, but I'm gonna call out that there are many, many shows that do a Circus Episode. More than most people go to the Circus.

Oh, yeah, I would guess the same.

But in this case, they did it for a reason. From what I read, they found out that Pierce Brosnan already knew how to eat fire.

Yeah.

That he had spent time as a fire eater. And you're like, Okay.

(Laughs)

And you'd be like, Wait. You can eat fire? Okay, hold the presses. We gotta figure out how to write an episode where Pierce Brosnan is gonna eat fire.

Surprised it took them into Season Two to figure that out. (laughs)

I don't think they knew until Season Two.

(Laughs)

They were so excited to find this out. And so they make, so so they of course have to go undercover into a Circus where someone's been killed.

And all three of them go undercover including, including Mildred...

... And all three of them go undercover. It's a great, you know again, for a Circus Episode, which, personally I'm not a huge Circus Episode fan. It's actually a pretty good, pretty good Episode because everybody gets something to do.

Yes.

And Laura Holt poses as a trapeze artist, which is how one of the people died. Right? So it's a little bit more dangerous for her to be a trapeze artist, and then Remington as the fire eater. And it's and it's great. And she apparently, like Stephanie Zimbalist did most of her trapeze artist stuff.

Well she did most of her stunts in general. So, I guess it, it should be...

So impressive.

... too much of a surprise that she'd be like, Yeah, sure. I'll do it. You know?

So impressive. Like she's a, she's like, like, amazing.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. So that, that's a really fun episode because they're clearly having a good time. They're all do, get something to do. It's and, it's pretty great. It's pretty great that way, so I enjoyed that one. I actually did enjoy the Boxing Episode because it also had a, a baby.

(Laughs)

A Boxing Episode and a baby that came out of nowhere.

Those two things don't usually go together.

But man that's a great, that's a great scene. The baby and then there's a dead body in the locker in the Boxing Episode. That that that Boxing Episode actually holds up pretty well.

Yeah.

What are some of your favorites?

Well, nothing else jumps out of me at Season Two, but I have several in Season Three that I really like.

Alright before, I'm gona, I'm gonna say one more in Season Two that jumps out to me, which is the case that involves the Vintage Auto.

Oh yes of course.

Vintage automobile and.

Well only because it brings the, this car into the show.

Somehow they end up with the car. Spoiler alert. Spoiler alert. I am, I'm gonna have ta.

It's a, it's to, it's so conspicuous but it's the car is so gorgeous. So why not? Why shouldn't they be tooling around Los Angeles? In a...

It's the perfect Remington Steele detective who never actually hides while trailing someone...

(Laughs) Right.

... vehicle. What's funny is it does take their number of vehicles to three in that show. So she has at the beginning of show, the little Cabriolet. And then there's of course, the limo that already exists. That basically is representing to the world, Remington Steele. It's one of the things she's using to fake Remington Steele, is to have this limo show up places that everybody's like, Oh! Remington Steele must be in that limo. And uh, and be the mysterious head of the Agency. And then it turns out that they solve this case that has to do with murder and intrigue and diamonds and jewels in the car, and love affairs. And then somehow they end up with the car.

Yeah.

It's being stolen the whole show by like six different people.

Yeah, and changes hands serveral times. And then the next thing you know, it's their car.

It's their car. I'm still not sure how that happened.

I'm not either, but I, I...

But uh, you're like, okay. Great.

Yeah, pretty much.

And so that becomes kind of his car.

Yeah.

Anyway, it's kind of adorable. I'd now I'm like, all obsessed a little bit about that. So I'm gonna actually reach out to a friend of mine who does a car podcast about cars and movies and TV, and see if he'll come and talk to us about cars and 80s.

That'd be great.

I think so too, and particularly about Remington Steele. Alright, so Season Three. What, what's some of your, your special episodes?

Well, the first one that comes to mind is, other than I mean, I know that they started the Season on the French Riviera. And that was that was a lot of fun.

Ooo. I want to talk about that.

Yeah. Well, why don't we talk about it now?

Oh, ok.

Let's try to do it in some some semblance of order.

Because you know, when that was?

During the Olympics! (Laughs)

During the Olympics! And suddenly the opening of their Season, they were in the French Riviera and Malta! And so I guess they just packed up their LA crew. Said take it off, and we're going overseas. We're going to Europe. Shows aren't shot in LA anymore. Most television shows are not shot in Los Angeles and that is a shame.

Yeah. And and living here in this area. It's it's getting to a point where it's pretty easy to tell, even supposedly it's shot here or set here, whatever, if it's if it is or not. And it's always nice to see when shows are, that actually are shot here in and around town. You can, I can tell the difference. I'm you know, most people most viewers, maybe not they're not really paying attention to that that closely, but because I'm aware of how much production has left town that it does. It is somewhere in the back of my mind whenever I watch something so.

And I have to say this show is a little bit of a love affair with with Los Angeles. It is a very Los Angeles show, you know, and those buildings in Century City that they use to be, you know, one of them is the office of Remington Steele. Those are iconic buildings in Century City and even more iconic, because they're the Remington Steele. You know it because of Remington Steele. And driving around like there are times when we were watching and I was like, oh, that's 80s Los Angeles. And it made me nostalgic for 80s like Los Angeles freeway. I mean, come on. What is that about?

Absolutely.

So yes, so I love that they shot in LA and I love that then they all escaped. And they were afraid of the Olympics. And they went running away.

Yeah, it worked out great for those, those of us that were stuck behind. Because traffic was great. I think we've mentioned before.

Yes, traffic was great. And, and then we all got these fancy, they. Remington Steele did a lot of episodes. And I think use their locations well, when they went away.

Oh, very much so.

It was very exotic. It was clearly sort of very James Bondy. Very, you know, it was again another way for. That was special effects in the 80s. That was we're going to showcase something that you poor view are stuck at home may not ever get to see the French Riviera.

They made really good use of the locales and some amazing vistas, you know, on the water on or near the water was. It was awesome.

And we get to see. Like this is also when the relationship sort of deepens a little bit because we suddenly. We get to know that a lot of the reason he doesn't have a lot of history is he doesn't know a lot of his history. So an orphan and poor little orphan boy, little Oliver.

Yeah.

And they never name it. It's so hard to talk about the character behind Remington Steele since there is no name for that character.

Yeah. And even as the show goes on, so little is really known beyond what he doesn't know, obviously, he doesn't know and the show could have told us some things but they chose not to to keep it from us as well. So yeah, we really don't know that much about him. So.

So one of his names is Harry. Um, and we also get more Stephen, Efrem Zimbalist Jr, who's fantastic.

But that actually brings up something. Because I know that that's the name that Efrem Zimbalist Jr's character called him. There was a part of me that never believed that, that never trusted that he was telling the truth.

And I think there's some, we're gonna again, we're not right at Season Five. There's some other secrets to come out about the Remington Steele. The man behind Remington Steele.

Yeah.

And I, and in some ways, I think they, by giving Laura the sister and her mom, you know, was there early Season. And there's there's some, her backstory is that her dad walked out. So her trust issue. That's the trust, one of the trust issues she has with trusting this unknown man who has taken the mantle of Remington Steele. And will she ever know who he really is? And how can she fall in love with somebody when she doesn't know who he really is? And how can she trust that he'll stick around?

Yeah, understandable. Yeah.

But they had drag it out. By this point you're like, okay. And even he says is like, I've been around for three years now. (guffaw) Ain't that enough? But he does run. So he, I guess he takes, he get he feels like the Agency is at risk. And so he he takes off. Right? That's what happens at the end of Season Two. Right? Yeah. And so, because he takes off a couple of times.

Yea.

They both run away a bit, but mostly him. So he is running away.

And it just sort of reinforces for her that she needs to know more before she can go feet first into this relationship. Again, underst, I think totally understandable.

All right, but in Season Three, so they eventually come back from Europe once they figure out that there's a lot more mystery to the man behind Remington Steele. And but they decide they're gona to work together again, but they still not sure if they're going to sleep together, basically. And you're like, really? Three years? It was the 80s. So, on television.

(Laughs)

The 80's in real life, I think we're very different. What I do love is they continue the shout out to all the classic classic movies.

Oh, yeah.

So much fun. And there's a lot of a lot of fun ones in Season Three. They literally go and get big stars. So one of my favorite episodes is Episode Nine of Season Three, Cast In Steele, with Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan as themselves and trying to figure out who is attempting to kill them.

That is one of my favorites as well because I thought...

Very adorable.

... This is so wonderful. That they were able to do this after spending, you know, two and a half Seasons calling out all of these classic movies, and then get some classic movie stars to actually be in the in the show. I just thought that was fantastic.

Yeah, it it, and I like when they're 'meta-ing'. Right? It's a little bit of meta for that show. It's like he gets to meet some real stars. And whenever that happens, he's like a complete, you know, fan. And then they are using these movie references to solve crimes.

Yeah, exactly.

Which you're like, Okay, sure. I'd buy that.

One of my other favorites is a few episodes before that Episode Seven called A Pocketful of Steele. The one with the the Orphan who basically is, sort of out stealing Steele. And uh.

Yes.

He's a he's a witness to something or other. And they're trying to find him and trying to...

And he yeah.

And yeah, he's it's it's great watching how perplexed Remington Steele is that this kid is constantly getting the best of him. And it feels like the tables have been turned on him a little bit. And he can he get, he's getting a sense of what Laura has been going through in terms of him.

Yes.

I really I really enjoyed that.

And he's also looking at a young himself.

Yes.

And so yeah though, that. Adorable!

Yeah, I had a lot of fun with that episode. But so many so many good episodes.

You also see that they're still keeping up a really nice level of craft. Season Three, they they're still puttin' in the effort.

Oh absoloutely.

I don't know if they're, if they're, I don't know that their budget got cut, this was actually the most successful Season. They actually had a, they were a little bit on the bubble, Season One. They weren't for sure coming back into Season Two. And so they were very happy to get picked up for Season Two. But by the time they went into Season Three, it was a successful show. It was a big hit. And so they are really doing some neat things. Like one of the episodes that just felt like really like, Oh! They they did something kind of cool. They did a, the comic strip.

Illustrated Steele.

Illustrated Steele, Episode 19. A comic strip Inker hires them because he has been, he realizes like he's had almost like near death experiences. And it turns out he's been there, they're based on the comics he's inking of a fictional detective, that sort of loosely based on Remington Steele. So it's really fun.

And if I may, last but not least for Season Three, one of my all time favorite episodes happens to be Episode 20, Steele In the Chips, co-written by...

Our two fabulous guests.

Yes, Stephanie Zimbalist and and Robert Bern, Robin Bernheim. Even before I realized that Stephanie was one of the co-writers, I absolutely loved this Episode.

Yes.

Love this episode, coincidentally because it has several huge stars who were guests on this episode too! Namely Geena Davis, and and Jean Smart amongst others. It is the episode that takes the screwball side of things, the comedy side of it, and pushes it as far as they possibly can, while still telling a good story, I think.

Yeah.

And trying to solve a, an interesting mystery.

But very, very clever. It's very cleverly written. It's got beautiful like, female dynamics in it. I agree. It's one of my favorite of that Season.

One of my all time favorites.

And even before we knew it was people we were gonna get to interview. And that it happened to be co-written by the star and, and her best friend and an amazing writer. So really, really great. I think we we may have to start wrapping up. I think it's time for...

I do too.

Audio-ography.

That sounds like a plan.

Alright, so I'm gona talk about some websites. I already mentioned tvtropes.org Super fun site for everything, not just Remington Steele. But Remington Steele based, I want to talk about a fan site. I love the fans that have kept their love alive for the show. So SteeleInLove.com is a is a very useful fan site if you want to explore some more information or pictures. So before there were podcasts, there were blogs, back in the day. And there were a lot of blogs about Remington Steele. But I think the favorite that I happen to come across during my research was Laura Holt's Closet. And you can google Laura Holt's Closet, and this site will come up. It is also at LauraHoltsCloset.blogspot.com. And it is a Fashion Blog, looking at the costumes and products used by the character Laura Holt, in the show. And then creates like outfit suggestions inspired by those those costume. She's like, if you want to put together this outfit that Laura is wearing in this scene, here they are. And and it would link to places where you could go buy that. It was like the Vogue of of the Remington Steele show. And I just thought that was adorable. That was such a a specific to the 90s I would say. I don't know when this blog was actually created. But I would say that was nine, so 90s, in or early 2000s is, create the blog that is so niche, but is actually really useful, and is going to drive you to, where to put together an outfit that looks just like Laura Holt in Season Two of Episode 5. (guffaw)

(Laughs)

I love it. There's also an official Doris Roberts Facebook page.

Just go to Facebook and search official Doris Roberts.

The book I'm going to shout out today is 'Are You Hungry, Dear? Life, Laughs and Lasagna' by Doris Roberts, with Danielle Morton.

We know it's a busy, exciting and stressful time of year. So hang in there dear friends. Curl up by the fire and watch some 80s Ladies TV. And to help you get in the spirit, let's welcome a special guest to the show today to wish you a very happy holiday.

Friend and fan of the pod. The amazing singer songwriter Michelle Malone is stopping by to say hello. Welcome Michelle to 80s TV Ladies!

Thank you so much for having me!

We are so happy to have you on!

We were talk, you and I were talking about how important 80s TV was to us growing up. And so we wanted to have you on the show really quickly for the holidays. What are some of your favorite 80s TV Ladies that you remember?

Well, I like I was just sort of saying to you before we went on air I loved Kirstie Alley and Cheers. And actually they had a lot of great women on there. Rhea Perlman.

Yes.

She was fabulous. All the 'lil four feet of her. And uh. Who else was on there? Shelley Long.

Yeah.

I mean, there were some great actresses, really funny characters on there. And I loved Cheers. I loved Designing Women. I really loved Golden Girls, but I don't know that we're going there today. For the Christmas episode. (Laughs)

Well, we are eventually gonna get to Golden Girls. Holding off, cause it's, it's the one everybody knows and loves.

But yeah, I was of a certain age in the 80s, where I didn't watch as much TV in the 80s as I did in the 70s. But I loved Cheers.

I love Cheers, too. And we were just talking about there being a Christmas Episode of Cheers called, Christmas Cheers.

Bahaha. Haha.

We thought it would be fun to have you on to help us welcome people to the Holiday Season. Because you have a new Christmas Album out with Michelle and The Hot Toddies.

I do. Technically it's only out for people who come to my shows or did the Kickstarter. And then it's gonna be, get it's International release next Christmas. But I can give you a sneak peek.

Would you?

I can play it for you. But first, I want to show it to you. Dudah!

Oh, it's beautiful.

It's the album.

It's a whole album.

It's pretty fun. Yeah. And that's the back.

That's very 80s of you.

Yeah, it didn't very, well what we do in The Hot Toddies. It's kind of a throwback to more of the classic Christmas songs and in a retro feel. And you know, they're bouncy. Fun, fun fun. And and just as a side note, this record is in red vinyl.

Okay, that's very cool. It looks like, it looks like candy.

Makes me want to eat it. Right?

It looks like a Jolly Rancher record.

(Laughs) Well doesn't quite taste like one. I wish I could put like uh, scratch and sniff, or like taste tests on the record. Wouldn't that'd be great?

It would be.

But uh, do you want me to sing you a song?

Yes, please.
Michelle Malone 50:33.
Okay, I'll sing yah, the song we start every Hot Toddy Show with every December, of every year since 2017. Which is the one everyone knows and loves. (strums guitar and sings) I love those j i n g l e bells. Those Holiday j i n g l e bells. I love those j i n g l e b e double l s. I love those j i n g l e bells. Everybody! Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh. O'er the fields we go. Laughing all the way. Ha ha ha. Bells on bobtails ring. Making spirits bright. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighin' song tonight. Oh, Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. There's another verse. A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride. Soon, Miss Fanny Bryce was seated by my side. The horse was lean and lank. Misfortune was his lot. We got into an open drift and then we got upsot. Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. I love those j i n g l e bells. Those Holiday j i n g l e bells. I love those j i n g l e b e double l s. I love those j i n g l e bells. Jingle bells jingle all the way.

Woo! (applause)

That's the shorter bridged version for you folks.

I love it because we're not sittin' in a bar, having a good time. (Laughs)

I know! It's nice to not be in a bar and still hear music.

I know. So tell us more about The Hot Toddies and how they came to be?

Well, I was in the studio in 2017, recording a record I put out called, Slings and Arrows. And I had just done a reunion with my old band, Drag the River. And my original guitar player didn't want to be part of the reunion. So we got a guy that my drummer recommended, who had been in the Atlanta music scene for many years. And I'd met him back in the 80s. But I'd never really played with him or hung out with him too much. And so he filled in for the Drag the River show. And I really enjoyed playing with him. And I liked his energy and his style and everything. So I invited him to play guitar on that record Slings and Arrows. And that went really well. And one night, after a day of recording, the drummer from that record, had a little cocktail gig in a jazz venue in midtown Atlanta. So when we got done that day in the studio, we went to see him play, his gig. And they invited Doug the guitar player, his name is Doug Keys. So Doug sat in with them and proceeded to shred in a jazz way. And the wheels started turning in my head because I've been wanting to put together a Christmas Band ever since I can remember. And if anyone who knows me can recall in '92, I put out a live Christmas record.

You did. I think I saw a show you did at Christmas time in like the 80s or 90s.

Well it would have been that one.

Ok. All right. All right. Yeah.

And the band, you know, we didn't rehearse so much. And then I was a smoker back then. So you know, everything was what it was. But fast forward to now, Doug Keys and I, we have three bands (guffaw), including The Hot Toddies and he plays in my Michelle Malone Band. And he's just fun. He's like my brother from another mother. So when I saw him play that night, I finally went, Oh my God! I can have my Christmas Band. And he and I brainstormed and came up with the name. And then we were off to the races. I just started booking shows. And now every December we book about, I don't know, 10 or 12 shows in the month of December and it, whoo. It's a lot of fun, but it's a whole lot of work being the Christmas Elf. I understand now. (Laughs)

Sending that holiday cheer to everyone. That's a lot of work.

Yeah. And we we set up, you know, a backdrop and Christmas trees and we wear fancy outfits. And so we really try to make it a nice throwback, you know. That, remember that scene in the movie White Christmas? Where they're in the battlefield, essentially, it was the opening scene and they have that Winter backdrop. And they're trying to have a Winter Christmas Show for the soldiers. Well, that's kind of what our backdrop looks like. It's a lot of fun.

That is so fun. Oh my god, I'm so excited to have you on and hear you play music and it's really special for me. I you know, uh uh full disclosure we're doing a project together called The Flirt Bar which is having its first in person reading. It's a musical with music by you, Michelle Malone and Amy Ray. And so I'm excited for the journey that we're just starting with that show. But it's not Christmassy and it's not Holiday-y. So we'll get back on the point which is... Would you mind playing us another song?
Michelle Malone 56:31.
I would love to. So a lot of times we play Christmas songs like you've heard them your whole life, in the traditional way. And then other times we take them and we will rearrange them in you know, a slightly different way. Or even turn it on its ear. But I have a nice swingin' kind of version of Silent Night. We have an upright bass that plays with us normally, who uh (strums the guitar and sings). Silent Night. Holy night. All is calm. All is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from Heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia, Christ, the Saviour, is born! Christ, the Saviour, is born! Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep.

Awesome. (Claps)

That is so great. Oh my God I love your voice.

Thanks so much. It's a it's a it's a little jazzer when you have an upright bass and a jazz guitar on it, you know. But, but I'll try to do 'em justice.

(Laughs)

(Laughs) Well, and then we're gonna have you back on in the New Year. So um, we will have you back on and do a full show with you. Because that'll be really fun. And we can talk about our favorite 80s television shows...

Michelle Malone 1:00:06
That would be great.

Susan Lambert Hatem 1:00:07
... and stuff.

And we can talk about the Musical.

And we can talk about the Musical! I mean, I'm, I'm really excited for, that we're finally getting to do it in person. And, and that that's a huge part of development, is to hear it out loud, in a room, with actors. And we got to do some Zoom development. And it was with The Orchard Project, and I got some really great feedback for that. But now we can really get serious about it.

I'm excited. It's gonna be great. It's a wonderful script.

Thank you. We're really, I mean I, and the music. People are just, I I, it's really fun to now hear actors. Right? Do your guys's music.

I'm excited to hear that. That's crazy.

I'm so glad. I don't want to keep you for too long. Because I know you gotta go back off and run off. But I just wanted to get you on for the Holidays. And we'll have you back on. You're gonna be a friend of the show. We're gonna get you back on.

(Laughs) Well, I was raised by television. So I'd be happy to do that.

I love it. And and so were we.

Yeah, our parents had antennas.

70s and 80s Television was very formative for all of us.

Sharon Johnson 1:01:13
I don't know anybody from that time frame who kind of wasn't raised on TV to a certain extent.

It was our internet.

Yep. Absolutely.

It was the form of communication that was available to us.

That's true. And quite frankly, it was a lot easier to use. (Laughs)

It was.

(Laughs) It really was.

You could turn it off real easy. You could only (chuckles), you could pinpoint what what was exciting to you.

And ignore the rest.

We had six channels, and we liked it! (Laughs)

(Laughs) Thank you so much. I love music. And there's nothing for me better than hearing great singers, singing a beautiful song in a way that I can hear it and appreciate it and enjoy it without. I mean bells and whistles and all sorts of other stuff are fine for some songs. But mostly I just want to hear somebody sing. I just, that's what I want. So thank you. That was marvelous.

Yeah. Gosh. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it. And thanks for having me on the show!

All right. And where can people find you, Michelle?

I can be found in all my incarnations at MichelleMalone.com. Michelle has two L's, Malone has one.

All right. And we'll have the link on our, on our podcast site. 80s TV Ladies. So, and then you are also in the seven... What's the 70s band you're doing?

Oh, well. Okay, the 70s Band's called Canyon Land. We do the greatest hits of the 70s from Laurel Canyon. You know, the vibe is Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash. All that. Canyon Land is a year old and we're just, you know, having a ball.

Alright well, one time it's gonna line up when I'm coming back. So I;ll have to come see you. It's been a while since I've seen you live. So I'm excited to see you again.

Well, you know, we should do a live stream of the band some time for folks like you who don't live here, so. Because Canyon Land and The Hot Toddies, we don't really tour per se. So.

If you're in Georgia, you should go check it out.

Yeah thanks.

Or even like Alabama, Florida. It's worth the drive. South Carolina. (Laughs)

There ya go.

Thank you so much. It has been an absolute pleasure. It's always fun to see you and we'll have you back on.

You're so sweet. Thank you so much.

Take care.

And now we want to shout out six special Christmas episodes from 80s television.

Let's start with Remington Steele. Season Four Episode Nine entitled Dancer Prancer Donner and Steele. Special guest stars were John Del Regno and Tom Everett as well as Jennifer Tilly. It aired December 17, 1985. So in this Episode, a Christmas party at the office ends up being a hostage situation when too many Santas show up and one pulls a gun.

It's a very funny episode and weird but very odd tone. Anyway, throwback to of course my favorite Scarecrow and Mrs. King Christmas Episode, The Long Christmas Eve, which aired December 19, 1983 is from Season One, Episode 10. Amanda has to pretend to be the long lost daughter of a double spy triple spy who's kind of trying to turn himself in. But the man in question is also being hunted by KGB agents and so they all end up trapped in a cabin in the woods on Christmas Eve drinking vodka with Russian spies.

I really like the way that Amanda kind of takes charge of the situation in her best Amanda way. Yes, that's one of the things I love about it. Next, there is an Episode of A Different World a show we haven't quite gotten to yet. It's called Gift of the Magi. It's from Season One and it's Episode 10. A Different World stars, Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison. In this Episode, Whitley and her father have planned a Holiday in Switzerland together for Christmas break, but Whitley is surprised when her father shows up with some unexpected baggage. his new girlfriend. Well, Whitley was always kind of a daddy's girl, kind of possessive. I could see where this might be a problem for her.

Certainly, for Christmas.

Yes, an unexpected surprise, so.

Yes. We're gonna shout out a Cagney & Lacey Episode, I'll Be Home for Christmas from Season Two, Episode Nine It air December 20, 1982. And of course, everyone in the precinct is trying to get home for the Holidays, but an escaped criminal dressed as Santa Claus complicates things, and makes it challenging for Cagney & Lacey, to get to their Christmas.

Next, A Muppet Family Christmas from 1987. Of course this is not really 80s TV Ladies, but it is an all star Muppet cast, with characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street's Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies, all at the height of their Muppet fame. And who doesn't like the Muppets? Christmas, Summer, whatever holiday.

Well, I think it was the ultimate crossover, like it's a, early Christmas crossover episode because you didn't see Sesame Street characters in with the Muppet characters, in with the Fraggle Rock characters in the Muppet Babies. You might see that now, but in the 80s, that was tough to see.

Melissa Roth 1:06:30
And wait a minute. Wait a minute.

I know Melissa objects.

Miss Piggy?!

I'm not saying there weren't 80s Ladies in the Muppets.

Ok. Just making sure. (Laughs)

But it is not an 80s Ladies television show. And again, name another female Muppet.

Not too many.

Not too many.

Yeah.

But Miss Piggy did stand strong. And Miss Piggy lasted. Right? Like she really she's she's she's right up there with Kermit as an icon of that show.

Yes, she was in the movies. I mean, she is a movie star.

She was a movie star. But again, I would love to see if any of you viewers can off the top of your head without googling, name another female Muppet from the 80s. (Laughs) Okay, our final show is Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse. Oh my goodness. Also, technically not an 80s TV Ladies show but a show from the 80s. Pee Wee's Playhouse if you don't know was an Emmy Award winning children's show that ran from 1986 to 1990, starring Paul Reubens as Pee Wee Herman. The Season Three Christmas Special which aired December 21, 1988... 34 years ago from the day we dropped this show... was filled with so many amazing 80s Ladies, we had to include it. If you've not seen Pee Wee's Playhouse, you might want to start with this most insane show ever because it's already an insane show. But in this show, Grace Jones shows up to sing Little Drummer Boy. Other guests include Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers, Magic Johnson, K.D. Lang, Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Charo, Little Richard, Zaza Gabor, and Cher. It's bonkers. It's so funny and fun and amazing. And it also has a little section on Hanukkah. They give a little nod Hanukkah which again, very rare in the 80s to to have on Network TV.

I can't think of any show in the 80s that you see that the many shows like Love Boat that would have this all star cast that would not have killed to have this cast on one of their shows. My god.

And, and it's so it's just I don't know. It's like a chaos painting.

Well you gotta remember Paul Rubin's was an early gender bender.

Yes.

And he's, I mean, look at the lineup, just having Grace Jones singing Little Drummer Boy, I mean. K.D. Lang, you know.

It was pretty fun to discover that, when my little, looking for cool Holiday Episodes. So we wish you a very Happy Holiday indeed. And what's the 80s Ladies driven TV show that you remember? Or want us to cover? What are your favorite 2020s TV Ladies? Tell us all. Go to our website. Tell us what we should do. 80sTVLadies.com

So, we hope 80s TV Ladies brings you joy and laughter and lots of fabulous new and old shows to watch. All of which will lead us forward toward being amazing ladies of the 21st century. See you next time!

Bye now!

Michelle Malone 1:09:43.
(Singing) ... well the moon is drawing near. I am so glad, I'm so glad you're here. You make every day of the year feel like Christmas. Doo doo da doo doo. da doo doo.....

Episode 112: “Remington Steele Holiday Fun: Deep Dive Into Seasons 2 & 3”

The Conversation

Our Audio-ography

DON'T MISS OUT! SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST

SPECIAL MESSAGE

CREDITS

Transcription