Stockard Channing in Just Friends and The Stockard Channing Show Coming to DVD - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

bencasey · 01-02-2007, 03:45 AM

So there are actually 5 Just Friends episodes missing.

boechsner · 05-11-2009, 05:18 AM

After doing extensive research, 3 episodes of Just Friends is Missing from the sets. The Tom Selleck episode A Fine Romance that aired on 6/10/79, Room at the Top in which Coral dates an abusive plumber which aired on 4/22/79 and one other episode with Dick Gautier offering Susan a promotion, that episode aired on 4/29/79 but I have yet to find a resource that lists that episode title.

Thus here is a complete episode list of all 13 episodes:

03/04/1979 Pilot
03/11/1979 Last of the Red Hot Tubs
03/18/1979 A Little Fright Music (Airdate to be confirmed)
03/25/1979 The Boy in the Band
04/01/1979 Health May Be Hazardous
04/08/1979 Lost Weekend (Airdate to be confirmed)
04/15/1979 Same Time, Next Night
04/22/1979 Room at the Top (Missing from DVD)
04/29/1979 (Unknown title) Dick Gautier guest stars (Missing from DVD)
05/06/1979 The Ziegenfuss Force
06/10/1979 A Fine Romance
06/17/1979 Invasion of the Body Grabber (Airdate to be confirmed)
06/23/1979 The Hollywood Syndrome (The series has moved to CBS Sat nights)

Robert 13 · 05-11-2009, 10:11 AM

I wonder why they are missing. I think VEI obtained the masters directly from Stockard Channing who owns the rights to the show (her company Little Bear Productions, I think). Too bad. I'd like to see the Coral episode.

James28 · 05-11-2009, 11:51 PM

When I first viewed Stockard Channing in Just Friends in early 1979, I thought that it was a good sitcom and because of its high ratings it should have been renewed for another season. However, the series was cancelled after its first season had finished. Why this sitcom was cancelled is not public knowledge, but The Stockard Channing Show probably got cancelled because of low ratings.

bencasey · 05-17-2009, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert 13

I wonder why they are missing. I think VEI obtained the masters directly from Stockard Channing who owns the rights to the show (her company Little Bear Productions, I think). Too bad. I'd like to see the Coral episode.

Because they didn't access the 2-inch masters. Either they don't have them or they didn't want to go to the expensive transfer process. It's very possible that CBS retains the 2-inches and all Stockard had were 3/4 inch backups, which is what the shows look like they came from.

Robert 13 · 05-20-2009, 11:11 AM

Ah, that makes sense. Too bad they didn't get them all transferred. I'm glad to have what we have of it though.

TV Knowledge Fan · 11-11-2009, 03:27 AM

...was due to her role as "Rizzo" in the 1978 movie version of "Grease". Bill Paley, who was still running CBS at the time, upon seeing the film, insisted she had "star quality" as a potential sitcom star, and had her signed to the network. She would produce her series through her and then-husband David Debin's production company, "Little Bear". Unfortunately, the "magic" that was supposed to make her first series a success just wasn't there: even though "...JUST FRIENDS" was scheduled as a 1979 mid-season replacement, right after "ALICE" on Sundays at 9:30pm(et), the ratings weren't as high as Linda Lavin's, and didn't carry over into "THE MARY TYLER MOORE HOUR" (another well-intentioned disaster) at 10. Before the 13 episode commitment was up, the network moved it to their version of "TV Siberia" on Saturdays, with the promise of her "trying again" next season with a different format.

Stockard's second {self-titled} series (with only Sydney Goldsmith held over as a co-star from the first one), created and produced by Aaron Ruben {veteran writer and/or producer of "THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW", "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW", "GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C." and "SANFORD AND SON'}, went on in the spring of 1980 as a mid-season replacement, Monday nights at 8:30. Again, lackluster ratings [how could she FAIL right after "WKRP IN CINCINNATI"???] forced CBS to move her that June to the same Saturday nignt time period "...JUST FRIENDS" had been "burned off" the previous year. This time, there was no "reprieve". Stockard swore off any further sitcoms (her marriage ended at the time, as well), and headed to Broadway, where she slowly rebuilt her career into what it is today. Just don't look for her to star in any further sitcoms: the last one she appeared in, "OUT OF PRACTICE", co-starring Henry Winkler, lasted just one season on CBS in 2005-'06, with 14 out of 22 episodes shown...just a bit longer than her previous series.

05-11-2009, 10:11 AM	#18
Robert 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,521	I wonder why they are missing. I think VEI obtained the masters directly from Stockard Channing who owns the rights to the show (her company Little Bear Productions, I think). Too bad. I'd like to see the Coral episode.
	__________________ Com'è straordinaria la vita, che un giorno ti senti come in un sogno e poi ti ritrovi all'inferno - Dolcenera

11-11-2009, 03:27 AM	#22
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	The reason Stockard did these series.... ...was due to her role as "Rizzo" in the 1978 movie version of "Grease". Bill Paley, who was still running CBS at the time, upon seeing the film, insisted she had "star quality" as a potential sitcom star, and had her signed to the network. She would produce her series through her and then-husband David Debin's production company, "Little Bear". Unfortunately, the "magic" that was supposed to make her first series a success just wasn't there: even though "...JUST FRIENDS" was scheduled as a 1979 mid-season replacement, right after "ALICE" on Sundays at 9:30pm(et), the ratings weren't as high as Linda Lavin's, and didn't carry over into "THE MARY TYLER MOORE HOUR" (another well-intentioned disaster) at 10. Before the 13 episode commitment was up, the network moved it to their version of "TV Siberia" on Saturdays, with the promise of her "trying again" next season with a different format. Stockard's second {self-titled} series (with only Sydney Goldsmith held over as a co-star from the first one), created and produced by Aaron Ruben {veteran writer and/or producer of "THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW", "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW", "GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C." and "SANFORD AND SON'}, went on in the spring of 1980 as a mid-season replacement, Monday nights at 8:30. Again, lackluster ratings [how could she FAIL right after "WKRP IN CINCINNATI"???] forced CBS to move her that June to the same Saturday nignt time period "...JUST FRIENDS" had been "burned off" the previous year. This time, there was no "reprieve". Stockard swore off any further sitcoms (her marriage ended at the time, as well), and headed to Broadway, where she slowly rebuilt her career into what it is today. Just don't look for her to star in any further sitcoms: the last one she appeared in, "OUT OF PRACTICE", co-starring Henry Winkler, lasted just one season on CBS in 2005-'06, with 14 out of 22 episodes shown...just a bit longer than her previous series.

01-02-2007, 03:45 AM	#16
bencasey Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: Long Beach Posts: 1,692	So there are actually 5 Just Friends episodes missing.

05-11-2009, 05:18 AM	#17
boechsner Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 2,212	After doing extensive research, 3 episodes of Just Friends is Missing from the sets. The Tom Selleck episode A Fine Romance that aired on 6/10/79, Room at the Top in which Coral dates an abusive plumber which aired on 4/22/79 and one other episode with Dick Gautier offering Susan a promotion, that episode aired on 4/29/79 but I have yet to find a resource that lists that episode title. Thus here is a complete episode list of all 13 episodes: 03/04/1979 Pilot 03/11/1979 Last of the Red Hot Tubs 03/18/1979 A Little Fright Music (Airdate to be confirmed) 03/25/1979 The Boy in the Band 04/01/1979 Health May Be Hazardous 04/08/1979 Lost Weekend (Airdate to be confirmed) 04/15/1979 Same Time, Next Night 04/22/1979 Room at the Top (Missing from DVD) 04/29/1979 (Unknown title) Dick Gautier guest stars (Missing from DVD) 05/06/1979 The Ziegenfuss Force 06/10/1979 A Fine Romance 06/17/1979 Invasion of the Body Grabber (Airdate to be confirmed) 06/23/1979 The Hollywood Syndrome (The series has moved to CBS Sat nights)

05-11-2009, 11:51 PM	#19
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,975	When I first viewed Stockard Channing in Just Friends in early 1979, I thought that it was a good sitcom and because of its high ratings it should have been renewed for another season. However, the series was cancelled after its first season had finished. Why this sitcom was cancelled is not public knowledge, but The Stockard Channing Show probably got cancelled because of low ratings.

05-20-2009, 11:11 AM	#21
Robert 13 Member Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,521	Ah, that makes sense. Too bad they didn't get them all transferred. I'm glad to have what we have of it though.