Gimme a Break!: Season 01
Part of Series:
Gimme a Break! [TV Series]
Debuting October 29, 1981, on NBC, the half-hour sitcom Gimme a Break was originally set in the suburban community of Glen Lawn, CA. Nell Carter starred as Nell Harper, a feisty, pleasantly plump black housekeeper who ruled the roost in the home of corpulent white police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Recently widowed, the cantankerous chief had three growing daughters: Katie (Kari Michaelsen), Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara Jill Miller), aka "Sam," who came to look upon the outspoken but warmhearted Nell as a surrogate mom. The same could be said of Joey Donovan (Joey Lawrence), a six-year old orphan who joined the household during the series' third season. And although Nell and The Chief were frequently at each other's throats, it was crystal clear that there was a strong and affectionate bond between them. In the early episodes, Howard Morton was seen as The Chief's doltish subordinate Officer Ralph Simpson, while Alvernette Jimenez showed up as Nell's goofy friend Angie. By and by, John Hoyt joined the cast as Carl's crusty Polish-born dad, "Grandpa" Stanley Kanisky, who moved in with the family after the death of his wife; several episodes also featured Pete Schrum as Carl's brother Ed, a mortician. And after Angie left the show, her place as best-friend-severest-critic of Nell was taken over by the heroine's childhood pal Dr. Addy Wilson, played by Telma Hopkins. Following the death of actor Dolph Sweet in 1985, it was established that Carl Kanisky had also passed away, leaving Nell to take care of the family by herself. By this time, middle daughter Julie had impulsively married archeologist Jonathan Maxwell (Jonathan Silverman), and the couple eventually had a baby which they named after Nell. At the beginning of the series' sixth and final season, the Kanisky girls had moved out of the house, whereupon Nell, Addy, Joey, and Grandpa relocated to New York City, where Joey was reunited with his younger brother Matthew (played by Joey Lawrence's real-life kid brother Matthew Lawrence). The cast of regulars now included Rosetta Le Noire as Nell's mother Maybelle Harper, Paul Sand as Nell's wacky landlord Marty, and Rosie O'Donnell as street-smart neighbor kid Maggie O'Brien. Gimme a Break closed out its NBC run on May 12, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Includes Seasons:
Gimme a Break!: Season 01
Season one of Gimme a Break begins as sassy ex-singer Nell Harper (Nell Carter), honoring a favor owed to her late friend Margaret, takes over as housekeeper in the suburban California home of Margaret's husband, short-tempered police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Nell quickly forms a bond with The Chief's three daughters Katie (Kari Michaelsen), Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara Jill Miller), frequently taking the girls' side against their bombastic father. Even so, Nell and The Chief soon grow quite fond of one another, though it is hard to tell amidst the barrage of insults and "fat" jokes that the two hurl at one another. Also introduced this season is The Chief's curmudgeonly-but-lovable father Grandpa Kanisky (John Hoyt), whose wife, aka Grandma, is played by Elvia Allman in the episode "Katie the Cheat" and by Elizabeth Kerr in "Grandma Fools Around." Other supporting characters popping in and out of season one are Nell's scatterbrained friend Angie (Alvernette Jimenez); The Chief's thick-witted subordinate Officer Ralph Waldo Simpson (Howard Morton) and his mortician brother Ed Kanisky (Pete Schrum), Nell's ex-husband Tony (Ben Powers); and antagonistic reporter Hamilton Storm (played by Harrison Page, who also appeared in other roles), the main thorn in Chief Kanisky's side. Naturally, Nell Carter is afforded several opportunities to show off her singing talents during season one, most notably in the episode "Hot Muffins." These musical moments would increase significantly in later seasons when former Dawn singer Telma Hopkins joined the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Includes Episodes:
Gimme a Break!: Katie the Crook
Gimme a Break!: A Good Man is Hard to Find
Gimme a Break!: The Second Time Around
Gimme a Break!: Mom's Birthday
Gimme a Break!: Do or Diet
Gimme a Break!: A Man in Nell's Room
Gimme a Break!: Your Prisoner is Dead
Gimme a Break!: Julie's Rejection
Gimme a Break!: Julie's First Love
Gimme a Break!: Nell's Ex
Cast
Nell Carter as Nell Harper
Dolph Sweet as Chief Carl Kanisky
Kari Michaelsen as Katie Kanisky
Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky
Lara Jill Miller as Samantha "Sam" Kanisky
| Crew
Mort Lachman - Producer
Sy Rosen - Producer
Mort Lachman - Show Creator
Sy Rosen - Show Creator
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Gimme a Break!: Season 01
(not reviewed)
General Specifications: | | Language Options: | English | | Subtitle Options: | | | Sound Processing: | DDM2.0: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (Recorded in mono, but split to give the illusion of a stereo mix on home theater systems).
| | Additional Features: | cc
The Great '80s Flashback: Documentary about the pop-culture impact that various programs made on the television landscape during the '80s decade
Bonus episode -- Kate & Allie: Season One, "A Very Loud Family"
Bonus episode -- Charles in Charge: Season 1, "Extracurricular Activity"
Bonus episode -- Gimme a Break!: Season 2, "Neil Goes to Jail" | | DVD Aspect Ratio: | 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard
| | MPAA Rating: | NR | | DVD Discs Included: | 3 | | DVD Sides: | 3 | | DVD DVD Region Code: | 1 | | Content Length: | 467 min | | | |
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