Blansky's Beauties

[treky]

anyone remember this short-lived sitcom from 1977? I remember it was on ABC and aired on Saturday nights. It starred Nancy Walker, and I think it was also from Gary Marshall.

[arnoldtoddfan]

I loved that show!it was from gary marshall.im lucky enough to have most of it in my collection.
great show indeed

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by arnoldtoddfan

I loved that show!it was from gary marshall.im lucky enough to have most of it in my collection.
great show indeed

Are your eps from ABC or cable?

[bencasey]

A little early for off-air from ABC. TV Land ran most of the series.

[Du Mont]

I fondly remember 'Blanksy's Beauties' from ABC's golden do-no-wrong season of 1976-77 when the Alphabet finished the regular season with a 21.5HH average, it's highest average Nielsen rating in its history and a pinnacle that no other network has since equaled or exceeeded. 'Blanksy's Beauties' got a damned fine 16.7HH average on Saturday nights, but ABC was so awash with highly rated programming that, in the end, 'Blansky's Beauties' was left off the 1977-78 sked when upfronts rolled around.

It was Mr. Fred Silverman's period of ascendancy at ABC, and 'Blansky's Beauties' was a second attempt that season (first attempt 'The Nancy Walker Show' had averaged 17.6HH in the fall) to launch star Miss Nancy Walker in an ABC series. Miss Walker had been lured over to ABC with an expensive talent deal, pulling her away from two other hit series on other networks, CBS's 'Phyllis' and NBC's 'McMillan & Wife' (part of the 'Sunday Mystery Movie' Wheel).

'Blansky's Beauties' went through so much tinkering, and was such an odd program in many ways, tied to ABC's 'Happy Days' through multiple cast crossovers... Nancy Blanksky was introduced on 'Happy Days' as Howard Cunningham's cousin, and the series had crossovers from 'Laverne & Shirley', Mr. Pat Morita as Arnold (fresh out of 'Mr. T. & Tina) and Miss Roz Kelly as Pinky Tuscadero. But the show also had Mr. Scott Baio (Chachi) and Miss Lynda Goodfriend (the boring Lori-Beth) in the cast, yet they played different roles from their 'Happy Days' characters. And yet, despite the crossovers, 'Blansky's Beauties' was set in the seventies and not the fifties as were 'Happy Days' and 'Laverne & Shirley'.

Part of the tinkering came about because of the unexpected collapse of 'The Nancy Walker Show' that fall, and Mr. Silverman's determination to have Miss Walker headline a hit ABC series. The 'Blansky's Beauties' concept had first been talked about as a pilot vehicle for a spinoff of the Pinky Tuscadero character from 'Happy Days' after her highly rated guest starring on three episodes as Fonz's love interest in September-October 1976. Mr. Silverman asked the 'Happy Days' producers to develop a spinoff concept for the fall of 1977, thinking he might have another 'Laverne & Shirley' megahit in the offing. Negotiations ensued to secure Miss Kelly for 'Pinky', and work progressed on developing the concept which was to have involved untoughening Pinky Tuscadero for primetime; I believe this involved moving her to Vegas, putting her into a showgirl setting, getting her out of all that biker leather and wearing a bit more make-up. In the midst of a pilot being filmed, along came Miss Walker, now free and available, and the pilot and series bible was hastily re-tinkered (scripts overhauled, new characters added) so it would be built around Miss Walker's den-mother character. At this point, I believe Miss Kelly chose to ankle the series (or was dumped?), although I'm not sure that she had ever signed on or been confirmed beyond the pilot. This is why Miss Kelly guest starred in the premiere episode "Blanksky's Biking Beauty" which carried over footage/elements from the abandoned 'Pinky' pilot. Perhaps influenced by the 'Pinky' development process, Miss Kelly never reprised her Pinky Tuscadero character on 'Happy Days', despite ABC pressures to bring her back as stunt casting.

I've long wondered whether 'Pinky' might have hit it big as a series in the fall of 1977 had 'The Nancy Walker Show' not been cancelled so precipitously. 'Pinky' could have been a real Nielsen contender, and it would have been a full year ahead of the coming hit spinoff 'Mork & Mindy'.

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Originally Posted by Du Mont

Miss Walker had been lured over to ABC with an expensive talent deal, pulling her away from two other hit series on other networks, CBS's 'Phyllis' and NBC's 'McMillan & Wife' (part of the 'Sunday Mystery Movie' Wheel).

McMillan (sans wife) could ill afford to lose her that season, but her other regular role was as Ida Morgenstern--mother of Rhoda.

[Du Mont]

Originally Posted by TV_on_the_Porch

McMillan (sans wife) could ill afford to lose her that season, but her other regular role was as Ida Morgenstern--mother of Rhoda.

Ooops...I meant 'Rhoda' but typed 'Phyllis'.

[McGillicuddy]

I never understood why Nancy Blansky was introduced as Howard Cunningham's cousin, when Happy Days was set in the 1950's and Blansky's Beauties was set in the (then) present day '70's. I also never understood why Eddie Mekka, Scott Baio, and Lynda Goodfriend were playing different characters from their roles on L & S and HD, yet Pat Morita was playing Arnold. And did they leave these shows to be on Blansky? Maybe if the plotline and characters to make some sort of sense, this show could have succeeded.

[treky]

"HAPPY DAYS" & "LAVERNE & SHIRLEY" (or, as my little sister with downs syndrome used to call it "BERN-SHOOWEY" and she called "HAPPY DAYS" "HIP DAYS" don't get me wrong; I'm not making fun of her) were set in the 50s, and in their final seasons, the early 60s, but dipped into the 70s and early 80s.