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Fame: Season 01
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Fame [TV Series]
Created by Christopher Gore and based on the 1980 movie hit of the same name, the weekly, hour-long musical drama series Fame was set in New York's famous High School of the Performing Arts, where gifted students prepared for careers as professional singers, dancers, and actors. Carried over from the movie version were Debbie Allen (who also directed and choreographed several episodes) as no-nonsene dancer instructor Lydia Grant, actor-composer Albert Hague as bearded, imperious music teacher Benjamin Shorofsky; Lee Curreri (who wrote most of the series' original songs) as music student Bruno Martelli and Gene Anthony as dance student Leroy Johnson, who in later years joined the school's faculty. Debuting January 7, 1982 on NBC, the series version of Fame featured scores of other regulars, many of whom went on to substantial show business careers. Among those introduced in Season One who appeared on the show for the longest period, were Erica Gimpel as singer-dancer Coco Hernandez, Carlo Imperato as aspiring stand-up comic Danny Amatulo P.R. Paul as drama student Montgomery McCall, Valerie Landsburg as wannabe actress-writer-director Doris Schwartz, Carol Mayo Jenkins as strict English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood and Ann Nelson as ditsy school secretary Mrs. Gertrude Berg. Several of the earliest episodes were told from the viewpoint of new student Julie Miller (Lori Singer), a cellist. Though a favorite of teenage viewers and extremely popular abroad--as witness the many "Kids from Fame" concerts performed all over the world by the leading players--Fame tanked in the ratings during its season and a half on NBC (ironically, it received five Emmies in this period, four in its first season alone). Cancelled by the network on August 4, 1983, it was brought back by popular demand on a locally syndicated basis by home studio MGM and LBS Communications in the fall of that same year, remaining in production for the next four seasons. Most of the regulars from the network Fame were retained for the syndicated version, with the exception of Lori Singer. Erica Gimpel (Coco) was active in the earliest syndicated episodes, but left midway through Season Three, returning for a handful of guest appearances later on. Inasmuch as the series was set in a high school, there was quite a bit of cast turnover over the next few years. Among the regulars who were most prominently featured were Cynthia Gibb as Holly Laird, Janet Jackson as Cleo Hewitt, Nia Peeples as Nicole Chapman, Jesse Borego as Jessie Velasquez, Billy Hufsey as Christopher Donlon, Page Hannah as Kate Riley, and Carrie Hamilton (the daughter of Carol Burnett) as Reggie Higgins. Because it was deemed necessary to add a "menace" to the syndicated version, Ken Swofford joined the cast as the school's obstreperous, rule-bound vice principal Quentin Morloch. Other "adult" characters seen in the non-network version were Dick Miller as Lou Mackie, owner of the kid's favorite hangout, Lou's Lanes; Graham Jarvis as Morloch's replacement, Principal Dyrenforth; and Eric Pierpoint as drama teacher Paul Seeger, the successor to previous drama instructors Mr. Crandall (played by Michael Thoma, who died at the beginning of season two) and Mr. Reardon (Morgan Stevens). The format of the series adhered closely to that of the original movie: Straightforward dramatic plotlines, punctuated by exuberant musical numbers and elaborate student-staged productions (never mind that the real High School of the Performing Arts never put on such productions, much less "starred" the same students week after week!) At first, the series was fairly realistic, dealing with the genuine triumphs and heartbreaks of show business; gradually, the stories grew more and more exaggerated and fantastic, incorporating broad takeoffs of "The Wizard of Oz", "The Prisoner of Zenda", "Cyrano de Bergerac" and the "Sherlock Holmes" canon. Many of best-received episodes were plotless documentaries, culled from actual "Kids from 'Fame'" concert footage. The last first-run episode of Fame was telecast in 1987. Ten years later the property was briefly revived by another syndicated series, Fame LA; and in the early 21st century, the show was reformatted as an American Idol-style talent show, with Debbie Allen returning to host the festivities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Includes Seasons:
Fame: Season 01
The first season of the musical drama series Fame could boast of several carryovers from the 1980 film favorite of the same name, beginning with Debbie Allen as Lydia Grant, tough-taskmaster dance teacher at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Not only did Allen introduce each episode, but she also choreographed most of the big dance numbers--and won one of the series' four Season One Emmy awards in the process (other winners included director Harry Harris, cinematographer William W. Spencer, costume supervisor Marilyn Matthews, art directors Ira Diamond and Joseph J. Stone). Also repeating their film roles as Albert Hague as the school's music professor Benjamin Shorofsky, still so dedicated to his craft that he doesn't know who Johnny Carson is, nor any other "ethereal" contemporary entertainer; Lee Curreri as arrogant keyboard student Bruno Martelli (Curreiri also contributes most of the original songs heard this season); and Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy Johnson, who hopes that his dancing gifts will enable him to escape his ghetto neighborhood. Among the newcomers to the property are Erica Gimpel as singer-dancer Coco Hernandez, impatient to break free from school and make her professional debut. Carol Mayo Jenkins as martinet English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood, who regards talent as secondary academic achievement; P.R. Paul as drama student Montgomery MacNeil, struggling to emerge from under the shadow of his mother, a famous actress; Valerie Landsburg as Doris Schwartz, who intends to be an actress, a writer, a director or a combination of the above; Carlo Imperato as wannabe standup comic Danny Amatulo; Michael Thoma as drama teacher Mr. Crandall; and last but far from least, Lori Singer as the loner of the bunch, Julie Miller, a cellist from the Midwest. In fact, most of the series' first episode is seen through the eyes of Julie as she begins her first day at the school. While Julie struggles with a sense of displacement, Coco must come to grips with the realities of showbiz in the second episode, when she finds herself competing with her teacher Lydia Grant for a plum professional stage role. In later episodes, Leroy tries to steer his brother away from a street gang and also gets in trouble with the faculty when he attempts to ad-lib his way through a Shakespearian play; Bruno is seized with a sudden attack of stage fright; Doris poses as a hooker to research a writing project; Danny runs into resistance from his dad as he attempts to pursue his comedy career; the icy Miss Sherwood melts a bit as she comes to the rescue of a pair of talented derelicts (played by Ray Walston and Art Carney; and the human side of the imperious Shorofsky is revealed when he is hospitalized with a serious illness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
Fame: Metamorphosis

Fame: Passing Grade

Fame: Tomorrow's Farewell

Fame: Alone in a Crowd

Fame: To Soar & Never Falter

Fame: The Sell Out

Fame: The Strike

Fame: Street Kid

Fame: But Seriously Folks

Fame: Come One, Come All

DVD Genres

FAME-SEASON 1 (DVD/4 DISC/P&S 1.33/STEREO/ENG-FR-SUB) DVD

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