That Girl - Season One
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Movie Reviews of That Girl - Season One
Movie Review: Marlo Thomas is THAT GIRL!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Long before Mary Tyler Moore and Ally McBeal, audiences were enchanted by the story of Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas), who travels from small-town Brewster to the bright lights of New York. Armed with Broadway dreams and faithful boyfriend Donald Hollinger (Ted Bessell), Ann's adventures mainly concerned her various attempts to break into showbusiness. Never before on television had audiences seen a girl making a life for herself - by herself - and making a success of it. THAT GIRL certainly paved the way for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Ally McBeal", with it's depiction of a girl's struggle for independence.
Marlo Thomas recruited the acclaimed writers of "The Dick Van Dyke Show", Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, to oversee all the scripts for the show; and when ABC network execs wouldn't guarantee the programme past it's debut season, Thomas formed Daisy Productions and bankrolled the entire series. THAT GIRL was a firm ratings winner during it's inaugeral season, but it wasn't until the show replaced "Love on a Rooftop" in the lucrative Thursday night line-up with "Bewitched" and "The Flying Nun" that it became one of the ABC network's top performers.
With her pert and perky demeanour, Marlo Thomas is adorable as Ann Marie, and her performance largely makes the series what it is. I can't imagine THAT GIRL being nearly as entertaining without her, and this was her first big break. Likewise, Ted Bessell is just about perfect as Donald. Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp add good gravity as Ann's well-meaning parents. Bonnie Scott plays Ann's helpful next-door neighbour Judy Bessemer.
Shout! Factory has now released the premiere season of THAT GIRL in this great 5-disc set, complete with brand-new interview segments with Marlo Thomas and the series creators. Also included is the rare original Pilot Episode, which featured many differences to the characters. Ted Bessell plays Don Blue Sky, Ann's somewhat-unsavoury agent/boyfriend (a jarring contrast to the affable, gentle Donald he would later play in the series proper).
COMPLETE EPISODE LISTING:
"Don't Just Do Something, Stand There" - Struggling actress Ann Marie meets her future boyfriend Donald Hollinger when he accidentally kidnaps her from the set of a commercial. THE PRE-SERIES PREVIEW EPISODE.
"Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye" - Against the wishes of her protective parents, Ann leaves her home in Brewster to fend for herself in New York.
"Never Change a Diaper on Opening Night" - Ann's latest audition is thwarted when she has to fill in as an emergency babysitter.
"I'll Be Suing You" - Ann is landed with a lawsuit when a pedestrian runs into Donald's car.
"Anatomy of a Blunder" - Ann decides to introduce Donald to her parents.
"Rich Little Kid" - Donald gets infected with the green-eyed monster when Ann starts falling for the suave charms of another man.
"Help Wanted" - Against his insticts, Donald hires Ann as a temporary secretary.
"Little Auction Annie" - After Ann buys a box of things at an auction, a strange man starts following her.
"Time for Arrest" - Ann tells Donald about the time she was arrested wearing a sexy cave-girl costume.
"Break a Leg" - Ann is overjoyed when her highschool friend Sandy lands a starring role on Broadway and asks her to be the understudy. Guest starring Sally Kellerman and George Karlin.
"What's in a Name?" - Ann's father hits the roof when her agent decides she should change her name.
"Soap Gets in Your Eyes" - Ann lands the role of an evil seductress on a popular soap opera. Meeting Donald's mother for the first time causes friction when the woman suspects Ann of being too much like her TV persona!
"All About Ann" - Ann becomes suspicious when Donald is seen around with another actress.
"Phantom of the Horse Opera" - Donald tries to help one of his neighbours by writing an article about him, but when the story hits the press, he mysteriously vanishes.
"Beware of Actors Bearing Gifts" - When one of Ann's actor friends starts giving her expensive-looking presents, she suspects them of being a thief.
"Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid" - Taking time off from her latest temp job, Ann remembers the Christmas she spent as a teacher in a boarding-school.
"Among My Souvenirs" - Ann takes a trip down memory lane to remember her childhood sweetheart.
"These Boots Weren't Made for Walkin'" - To make ends meet, Ann takes a job as a door-to-door shoes salesperson. Guest starring Paul Lynde.
"Kimono My House" - Donald's new Japanese maid gets on the wrong side of Ann.
"Gone with the Breeze" - Donald foolishly gives Ann the sole copy of a novel he has written.
"Rain, Snow and Rice" - When Ann and Donald are forced to spend the night together in a cozy Inn, her parents imagine the worst.
"Paper Hats and Everything" - Ann and her father enjoy a very special birthday celebration.
"What Are Your Intentions?" - When Donald tells Ann's father that he feels unready for marriage, he suggests that the pair should consider seeing other people.
"A Tenor's Loving Care" - Ann decides to help Donald secure an interview with a handsome matinee idol, only to find herself the pursued instead of the pursuer!
"Leaving the Nest is Not for the Birds" - Ann has a tough time trying to prove that New York is the safest place to live.
"You Have to Know Someone to Be An Unknown" - Ann tries every trick in the book in order to audition for a difficult Broadway producer.
"The Honeymoon Apartment" - When Ann's cheapskate cousin gets married, she foolishly allows for the wedded couple to bed down in her apartment.
"This Little Piggy Had a Ball" - Ann's big toe gets hopelessly stuck in a bowling ball...hours before she is set to accept an award on behalf of a co-star.
"Author, Author" - Donald is asked to provide to provide some comedy material for Ann to use in an audition.
"The Mating Game" - Ann guests on a popular blind-date TV show. Guess who is one of the three eligible bachelors?...
Movie Review: Baby Boomer Heaven Found in the Comic Adventures of Struggling Actress Ann Marie
Summary: 5 Stars
No one on TV epitomized sunny 1960's-era optimism more than Ann Marie, the lovably determined young actress protagonist of "That Girl", the perky ABC sitcom that ran from 1966 to 1971. As played by Marlo Thomas with her then-trademark flip and false eyelashes, Ann was a breathless presence with a high moral code, a doting father, an eternally patient boyfriend in Newsview Magazine writer Donald Hollinger, and for her character's purported lack of solvency, a large Manhattan apartment and an enviably stylish wardrobe. The situation stretched credibility, but the basic concept was sound and for its time, quite groundbreaking for network television by showcasing a single woman out to seek success in the world. What pulled it all together and let it thrive for its five-year run was Thomas herself, who not only starred but produced the show well before such arrangements became the norm. She plays Ann with such unmitigated spirit that one can't help but see why Donald and the rest of the country were so captivated by her. When I was a child, I remember how happy I was when Ann and Donald finally got engaged in the final season.
As the primary custodians of vintage television videos, the Shout! Factory has thus far packaged the first three seasons in colorful DVD packages. Over five discs, the thirty episodes of the classic first season are presented along with several worthwhile extras. Throughout the series, you can see several actors before they became famous - Richard Dreyfuss, Carroll O'Connor, Rob Reiner, Teri Garr, George Carlin, Sally Kellerman, even a young Dabney Coleman as Leon, the obstetrician next door. Three episodes are particular favorites of mine. The first, "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There" shows how Ann and Donald first meet when she was working the newsstand in his office building. As they both vie for a roll-top desk in an antique furniture store upstairs, she gets hired to play a bound-and-gagged hostage in a TV commercial to be filmed in the lobby, where Donald mistakenly thinks he is witnessing a real crime and attempts to rescue her.
The second, "Anatomy of a Blunder", follows Ann and Donald as they drive up to Brewster where he will meet her parents for the first time. A bucolic picnic en route leads to a series of disasters for Donald, including a swollen foot after he steps on a bee, a case of hives due to the horseradish Ann uses in her chopped liver sandwiches, a pair of popped-out contact lenses gone missing, and a mud-soaking due mainly to Ann's inability to drive a stick shift. The third highlight is classic I Love Lucy-level hi-jinks when Ann gets her big toe stuck in a bowling ball after reading about someone who bowls with his feet. Much of the success of these shows rests on the slapstick-driven interplay between Thomas and Ted Bessell, who played Donald with pitch-perfect exasperation.
The extras should satisfy die-hard fans. First, there is the unaired 1965 pilot in which Ann lands a bit part on a TV show only to be pressured by her agent to change her professional name. Bleached out from age, this show intriguingly has Bessell play her agent and aspiring boyfriend, an unfortunate casting situation stuck at cross purposes and made further idiosyncratic by inexplicably making him part Cherokee (his name in the pilot is "Donald Blue Sky"). Character actors Harold Gould (later Rhoda's dad and Rose's boyfriend Miles on The Golden Girls) and Penny Santon play Ann's parents, deemed too "ethnic" by research test groups and replaced by the more "acceptable" Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp in the series. Second, there is a 2006 interview with Thomas in which she explains the genesis of the series and its significance in the depiction of a woman seeking her own identity. Running nearly half an hour, Thomas is quite engaging, and there are plenty of vintage clips and stills interspersed throughout.
Along with series co-creator Bill Persky, Thomas also provides audio commentaries on four of the episodes (including "Anatomy of a Blunder"). It's as much a nostalgic look for them as it is for the viewer since Thomas admits not recollecting a lot of what was going on during their filming. In fact, they both apologize frequently for the long silences because they are simply enjoying the shows. They jointly provide more insight on a ten-minute outtake reel called "That Girl in New York": in which they comment on raw footage shot on location in Manhattan - including the shots used for the opening credits sequence. By the way, the more famous opening, with the train tracks, the pink kite with her face, the look-alike mannequin and the tousled hair, did not turn up until the second season. Rounding out the extras is a couple of vintage promos (replete with groovy music accompaniment) produced by ABC at the time.
I had not seen "That Girl" in nearly a quarter-century, but what strikes me now is how fresh the show still is despite the 1960's fashions and sensibilities. Much of the credit has to go to Persky and his partner Sam Denoff, writing veterans of The Dick Van Dyke Show, who intentionally avoided most topical references in favor of timeless situations to which anyone can relate. Moreover, there is genuine chemistry between Thomas and Bessell that obviously mimics the opposites-attract personalities of the young marrieds in Neil Simon's then-popular Barefoot in the Park. If you are a baby boomer who was addicted to primetime TV like I was in the 1960's, this one will definitely tickle you to no end.
Movie Review: "that's terrific!!"
Summary: 5 Stars
........to quote our young "Miss Independence"!! That was the original title that Ms. Thomas had suggested since that was what her father would call her. But "That Girl" got it instead and it just seems to fit.
What a great return to the 60's! Just to see the New York skyline, the sights, the sounds, the great clothes that Ann wore (isn't it amazing how incredilbly chic she was on the salary she had; all of them still classics!). To watch her move from her parents home to her own flat in the Big Apple (which changed from a cute compact place to a more spacious dig within the next season; who wouldn't have loved to live there?).
And of course her wonderful BF, Donald Hollinger. The situations that they both got into, all as they cemented the relationship of their two characters. Back then, that's what every girl wanted-------her very own Donald; Ted Bessell was and will be the real first "Donald" in New York.
This wonderful new DVD comes to us in a 5-disc set that looks like a fold-out book; the paper insert has the cartoon skyline of New York with a kite running across it, taken from the kite scene from a later show opening; the discs are nestled securely inside each clip. And of course, you have the "That Girl" caricature that everyone knows no matter where you go.
I was amazed at the young stars that were just up and coming: a VERY young Dabney Coleman, Rob Reiner, Teri Garr, Bernie Kopell, etc. You look at how their stars rose and shined even brighter since their appearance on the show.
Aside from all the great first season episodes, there is also a booklet enclosed within the set that gives an overview of what you will find on these discs. They are priceless because you enjoy seeing Ms. Thomas giving a recent recorded interview explaining all the insights and details of how "That Girl" was created. I was just enthralled with how she became, at the young age of about 22 years old, only the second female producer in Hollywood; she took responsibility for the show. Way to go Marlo. She also speaks about how she was able to get Bill Persky and Sam Denoff to come over from "The Dick Van Dyke" show to help write "That Girl".
Then she speaks about the cast. The love and respect that she had for Ted Bessell was very touching; you can tell how much he is missed. Originally he was to play her agent/boyfriend, with a totally different name, but they decided that combination didn't work well, though the chemistry between the "Ann and Donald" was cemented, so they made him boyfriend/journalist and Ronnie Schell got the part as her agent.
She also speaks of Lew Parker who plays her father, and Rosemary De Camp as her mother, and how they came to be casted; her respect for them is touching. One of the bonuses within this set is the "That Girl" pilot that had a very young Harold Gould play her father originally. Apparently the parents in the pilot were a bit too "ethnic" and old-fashioned, and they felt that they needed to make them a bit more approachable to the 60's mentality of women being able to make it on their own. So in came Parker and De Camp. The bonuses within this set are priceless. You even get "commentaries" on certain episodes.
My social commentary: My one disappointment with the series back then , and today, is that "Ann and Donald" never married. They were engaged but never married on the show. As a little girl, we were really disappointed. As adults, you're hopefully over it. But then I read a comment that made me understand why Ms. Thomas chose not to have them get married, and that's what disappoints me now. The DVD booklet that is enclosed has an excerpt from Stephen Cole, who wrote a book called "That Book About That Girl". In it he states that Ms. Thomas didn't want to leave them (audience) with the belief that marriage was the only happy ending. I couldn't disagree more. The point of the series was to show that it was possible to enjoy a career and still be happy with a personal life; something that up to then, was not the norm for women. Responsibly entering into marriage with the mutual kindness and respect that are crucial to it's life, as her show characters displayed, would have given a solid way of wrapping up all the statements that Ms. Thomas was trying to make during those past 5 years. To claim that marriage would ruin or alter that ability, was disappointing. OK........I can just hear the collective moans, see the eyes rolling, and feel that mouse going to the "no" button. But as Marlo said, "free to be, you and me".
Get this set and just enjoy this trip back to the 60's.
Movie Review: Pleasing to see that girl again.
Summary: 5 Stars
Marlo Thomas jumps out at you from virtually the first episode of That Girl as a very powerful and radiant presence on the small screen. 40 years have not dated her beauty or style in the least. The show holds up very well in no small part, because Marlo Thomas is so easy, appealing and funny to watch.
There has been a lot said about how ground breaking the premise of the show was for the time - i.e. a young independent single woman trying to make it on her own in the big apple, and of course that's true, but the strength of the show is in its solid pedigree in situation comedy and it's ability to deliver laughs out of `Anne Marie's' everyday life - albeit in amazingly expensive designer outfits, that also hold up very well 40 year later. There's a hint of Audrey Hepburn's `Breakfast at Tiffany' style in Ms. Thomas's look against the back drop of the plentiful New York City exterior shots used in the series.
Although Ms. Thomas is certainly no Dick Van Dyke, `Van Dyke' and That Girl show creators, Persky and Denoff threw of a lot Van Dykesque, physical humor her way in the series and her lower key style actually makes a lot of the bits funnier. Although she doesn't flail and yell for laughs the way her very talented father did, she has a strong talent in broad comedy and it really is what is at the heart of this very successful show.
Despite her independent, 'i'm gonna make after all' attitude, most of the shows have her squarely centered between the two men in her life, her adoring boyfriend (Ted Bessell) and her loving Father (Lew Parker). Both seem to know they have a Tiger by the tail and both seem to relish the ride. The chemistry among the actors is exceptional and really helps to sell the lunacy always present in the sitcom world.
If you like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and/or The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl is pretty close to must see TV. Shout has done a nice job on the presentation and I found the inclusion of the unaired pilot episode very interesting (see below). Note to big screen That Girl Fans - this series was shot a long time ago when small TVs meant a lot of extreme head and shoulder close -ups. The show can get a little claustrophobic at times on a really big TV. The show looked a lot better when I watched it on 32" regular TV instead of our big LCD.
Fun Stuff
Ms. Thomas and Mr. Persky provide commentary on the remake of the pilot episode, `What's in a Name?" There were a few oddities that they missed though:
1. In the original pilot Ted Bessell played Ann's boyfriend and agent `Don Blue Sky." When they remade the pilot, Don Blue Sky became Don Hollinger boyfriend and the agent's name was changed to Peck. In order to reuse the second scene of the pilot where Ann calls her agent from a pay phone asks for "Mr. Blue Sky." - she had to over dub "Mr. Peck" - even though her mouth is clearing saying the longer syllabled "Blue Sky'
2. In the original pilot, Ann is living in an all women's hotel with a clerk at the front desk. Later, Ann's angry Father (Harold Gould) shows up and blows by the clerk saying a funny line in the process about the no men allowed rule. In the remake, even though Ann is now living in her own apartment with kids, couples, etc as neighbors, they re-shoot the angry dad scene (now with series Dad Lew Parker) - desk clerk and lines unchanged! It especially bizarre because the previous scene has Don her boyfriend and the married neighbors all in Anne's apartment. I guess they couldn't throw a good joke away, even if it now made absolutely no sense what so ever!
3. Not really a continuity issue, just a bizarre comment by Ms. Thomas. In the documentary, she makes a point to say that she was on The Make Room for Daddy and Dick Van Dyke Show sets a lot growing up, but when Mr. Persky mentions looking at a scene in the remade pilot that Van Dyke regular Jerry Paris is in, and says that he played the neighbor on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ms. Thomas comments was "Oh really?"
Hey, I forgive her - she's THAT GIRL - in color!
Movie Review: That Girl...In Color...
Summary: 5 Stars
Diamonds, Daisies, Snowflakes,
That Girl
Chestnuts, Rainbows, Springtime...
Is That Girl
She's tinsel on a tree...
She's everything that every girl should be!
Sable, Popcorn, White Wine,
That Girl
Gingham, Bluebirds, Broadway...
Is That Girl
She's mine alone, but luckily for you...
If you find a girl to love,
Only one girl to love,
Then she'll be That Girl too...
That Girl!
Oh, yeah...I remember That Girl...maybe not when it first came out, but I do remember the reruns on Los Angeles channel KTTV, channel 11...I must've been like six years old and I was flippin' the knob as fast as I could...remember doing that?...and all of the sudden the television landed on a show with this beautiful girl on it. Like I said, I was only six but I knew a beautiful lady when I saw one and she was definitely beautiful. Little did I know I was forming a lifelong passion for brunettes.
When you watch this show now it was so hokey and so corny, but I think that's what makes it so endearing, just this gentle, sweet innocence going on and there wasn't too much innocence going on in the sixties. People were ripping the blinders off their eyes and seeing things not only as they were, but as they could be. Despite all the bloodshed, the rebellion, the anger, I think the sixties were a very pivotal point in not only the history of the United States, but the whole world. People began to really tune into life at this time. People began to understand that the individual plays a HUGE ROLE in the transformation of the world. But if you asked my dad about the 60s, he'll just say it was all about "dirty, stinky hippies in dire need of a shower." That could be true, too...
But anyway, back to our program...this was a great and wonderful show about a girl struggling to be her own woman...her own person...that in itself is a wonderful premise. Like Shakespeare once said, "To thine ownself be true...." We must learn to be true to ourselves, to our ideals, to our values so we can look at those naysayers in the face and say proudly, "I may fall 1,000 times, but I will still get up..."
The 60s were all about the empowerment of the individual. What happened? Now everyone wants to be the same. It's like we have become too conformed to life...too prepackaged...I go to the mall and everyone wants to look like Brittney Spears or Paris Hilton...those girls are role models?
Excuse me while I barf...
Marlo Thomas was a role model for women 40 years ago and she is still a role model for women...and she is still just as beautiful if not more so. Maybe what this country needs is a good war...yeah, that'll stir things up a bit...oh, wait...sorry...scratch that...maybe what we need are more people who are willing not only to exude passionate individualism, but also sweet and gentle transfomation, as well.
Great Show. Definitely belongs on any serious 60s fan list.