The Hello Larry episodes

[Christopher]

Does anyone else find these boring? I'm just watching this show for the first time through DVDs and I ended up fast forwarding the second crossover episode. I don't understand why they did it twice in season 2 when they had just spun Mrs. Garrett off into a show that was doing poor in ratings. Instead of trying to save Hello Larry, they should have done crossovers with The Facts of Life to support Charlotte's new adventure. The Facts of Life had very, very little support when it started. Even with the retooled version, there wasn't any support. What made Hello Larry so special that NBC wanted Diff'rent Strokes to help save it?

[80s Dude]

All the Different Strokes characters made at least one appearance on Facts of Life.

[RetroGuy2000]

I have no idea why Hello Larry got so much network attention while The Facts of Life got so little. In retrospect, it is very strange.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

All the Facts of Life characters made at least one appearance on Facts of Life.

The DS characters did appear on FOL.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

All the Facts of Life characters made at least one appearance on Facts of Life.

Guest appearances are different than crossovers. Crossovers are where one show has part of a combine story and concludes on a different show. Law & Order SVU does this with all the Chicago shows.

I read that the second half of these crossovers are actually Hello Larry episodes. DVD and syndication changed them to Diff'rent Strokes which would have been nice if it was worth it. I don't think it is. I feel like The Facts of Life should have had these. It's a great way to hook new viewers onto a show. When Angel spun off from Buffy, they had three crossovers that first season. I watched two out of those three because of who was crossing over. The writers should have done this during FOL's first season. I read Mrs. Garrett leaves without an explanation on Diff'rent Strokes. They could have used one of these episodes as a lead in with Rough Housing on FOL.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I have no idea why Hello Larry got so much network attention while The Facts of Life got so little. In retrospect, it is very strange.

Since Mrs. Garrett started out on Diff'rent Strokes during FOL's first season, I was hoping there would be an episode telling us why she changed her mind about working at Eastland. Charlotte was smart to get it in writing she gets to go back to DS if FOL failed. I'm sure she was confused why Hello Larry, a completely different show that had nothing to do with DS, was getting the hooks to watch it and not hers. I'm glad FOL became more popular than DS. They worked their asses to gain the popularity they have.

[80s Dude]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Since Mrs. Garrett started out on Diff'rent Strokes during FOL's first season, I was hoping there would be an episode telling us why she changed her mind about working at Eastland. Charlotte was smart to get it in writing she gets to go back to DS if FOL failed. I'm sure she was confused why Hello Larry, a completely different show that had nothing to do with DS, was getting the hooks to watch it and not hers. I'm glad FOL became more popular than DS. They worked their asses to gain the popularity they have.

I am sure that being a housemother at a "prestigious" private school pays a lot more than a housekeeper.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Does anyone else find these boring?

In a word, yes.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

I am sure that being a housemother at a "prestigious" private school pays a lot more than a housekeeper.

That's just an assumption to why Mrs. Garrett took the job. What they should have done was made Rough Housing a 2 parter with part 1 being on Diff'rent Strokes. They should have introduced Bradley taking over as headmaster and pleading with Mrs. Garrett to help with the girls dorm house. We also should have gotten more crossovers with Kimberly on FOL. Kimberly's graduation would have made a great crossover for the two shows. Hello Larry got a Thanksgiving episode. FOL should have gotten a Christmas or Halloween crossover that first year with the girls and the kids from DS spending the holiday together. It could also have helped build up Arnold's crush on Tootie better for when they established that in The New Girl. His crush on her came out of nowhere and made no sense because his previous appearance was avoiding the girls. They could have done a lot between the two shows. It's a wasted opportunity.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Christopher

It's a great way to hook new viewers onto a show. When Angel spun off from Buffy, they had three crossovers that first season. I watched two out of those three because of who was crossing over.

Wait... which episode did you skip?

"In the Dark" has Spike and Oz. "I Will Remember You" has Buffy. "Five By Five" and "Sanctuary" have Buffy/Faith. I can't imagine watching the Faith episodes on Buffy and then skipping them on Angel! That whole story arc across the two shows was brilliant. All SMG had to do is say the words "five by five", and we knew what Faith had done.

The writers should have done this during FOL's first season. I read Mrs. Garrett leaves without an explanation on Diff'rent Strokes. They could have used one of these episodes as a lead in with Rough Housing on FOL.

That would have been so cool... these were very different times, though. 1979 was two decades removed from 1999. The cool crossovers that happened between BTVS and Angel could happen because The WB knew it had a hit show with Buffy, and were willing to allow Joss to tell these crazy, multi-series storylines. If you wanted to know, for example, how the Boxer Rebellion ended, you HAD to watch both shows.

FOL and DS didn't have that type of storytelling. They had incredible characters, but by 1999, storytelling on TV was on a completely different level. Joss was one of the visionary people who changed the television medium, making it feel almost as big as film.

The Hello Larry crossovers feel wasted in part, I think, because HL didn't become a hit series. Had HL been a hit, these crossovers would have been hailed as revolutionary, years later. For whatever reason, NBC seems to have been focused on trying to make Hello Larry happen. But Hello Larry was never going to happen, and FOL got off to a rocky start because of it. It was like NBC couldn't juggle three shows at once. But juggling two things isn't even juggling. Diff'rent Strokes and Hello Larry were up in the air, but The Facts of Life was still sitting on the table, unused. By the time The Facts of Life was added, Hello Larry had already been dropped.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Wait... which episode did you skip?

"In the Dark" has Spike and Oz. "I Will Remember You" has Buffy. "Five By Five" and "Sanctuary" have Buffy/Faith. I can't imagine watching the Faith episodes on Buffy and then skipping them on Angel! That whole story arc across the two shows was brilliant. All SMG had to do is say the words "five by five", and we knew what Faith had done.

I skipped the Angel episode with Oz and Spike. I wasn't a fan of the daylight ring story. I only watched the crossovers with Buffy and Faith when they aired. I also watched Faith's second round on Angel when it first aired during season 4.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That would have been so cool... these were very different times, though. 1979 was two decades removed from 1999. The cool crossovers that happened between BTVS and Angel could happen because The WB knew it had a hit show with Buffy, and were willing to allow Joss to tell these crazy, multi-series storylines. If you wanted to know, for example, how the Boxer Rebellion ended, you HAD to watch both shows.

But they were doing these type of crossovers in 1979 with DS and HL. They could have done that with FOL and DS. I really would have liked to seen how The Crock left Eastland and Bradley came on. I also would have liked to have seen what specifically changed Mrs. Garrett's mind on taking the job at Eastland. Was it because The Crock left and she thought the new headmaster was a better fit as her boss? Was it changing the girls in the dorm house (adding Cindy and Natalie) that she felt closer to ? There could have been so much to help FOL start out with success instead of starting it out on a whimper like Lisa said in one of those documentaries.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Christopher

I skipped the Angel episode with Oz and Spike. I wasn't a fan of the daylight ring story. I only watched the crossovers with Buffy and Faith when they aired. I also watched Faith's second round on Angel when it first aired during season 4.

I can see why the ring storyline might not resonate. I enjoyed it, but not everyone will.

But they were doing these type of crossovers in 1979 with DS and HL.

Not nearly at the same level. I mean, they're crossing over for a two-part storyline, but it's to have dinner.

They could have done that with FOL and DS. I really would have liked to seen how The Crock left Eastland and Bradley came on.

That would have been really cool, of course, and I always wanted a full first season.

In real life, the guy who played The Crock, Jack Riley, was a VERY last-minute addition: two days before tape date, according to the script, someone else was still scheduled to play The Crock: Jack Riley was a down-to-the-wire replacement, and was never intended to permanently play the headmaster. He chewed up the scenery, which was funny, but I think the producers realized they needed a more level-headed headmaster, to make Eastland function correctly.

But it would have been cool to see the continuity of seeing Mr. Crocker hand the Eastland baton to Mr. Bradley: we never got to see any continuity between headmasters, with the exception of Mr. Morehead to Miss Warner, at the very end of the series.

I also would have liked to have seen what specifically changed Mrs. Garrett's mind on taking the job at Eastland. Was it because The Crock left and she thought the new headmaster was a better fit as her boss? Was it changing the girls in the dorm house (adding Cindy and Natalie) that she felt closer to ?

Sadly, we'll never see that, but it would have been cool to know what exactly convinced Mrs. Garrett to go; I suppose they didn't want to finalize her departure on air if FOL didn't make it as a series: then they would have a weird episode on DS where Mrs. Garrett gives a tearful farewell, only to come back shortly thereafter.

[FOL-FAN-ITA]

Hello, Larry is such a terrible show. I really don't understand why NBC gave it another chance with a second season after it did very poorly in the ratings. The crossovers were pointless and DS wasted an episode (two, if we consider the second part) for that silly show. I would have liked a crossover involving Facts. HL was doomed to fail but the network only pushed its cancellation, Facts was instead their new show, they could have draw attention to DS natural spinoff and build an audience.

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

I am sure that being a housemother at a "prestigious" private school pays a lot more than a housekeeper.

In one episode, Mrs. Garrett says she doesn't want to be just a housekeeper with no authority. Maybe she left the Drummonds for this reason, hoping that a housemother job would be more fulfilling

Originally Posted by Christopher

What they should have done was made Rough Housing a 2 parter with part 1 being on Diff'rent Strokes. They should have introduced Bradley taking over as headmaster and pleading with Mrs. Garrett to help with the girls dorm house. We also should have gotten more crossovers with Kimberly on FOL. Kimberly's graduation would have made a great crossover for the two shows. Hello Larry got a Thanksgiving episode. FOL should have gotten a Christmas or Halloween crossover that first year with the girls and the kids from DS spending the holiday together. It could also have helped build up Arnold's crush on Tootie better for when they established that in The New Girl. His crush on her came out of nowhere and made no sense because his previous appearance was avoiding the girls. They could have done a lot between the two shows. It's a wasted opportunity.

I absolutely agree with you, Christopher. They should have promoted Facts, a spinoff of their show, rather than Hello, Larry, a "cousin show" of DS.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I suppose they didn't want to finalize her departure on air if FOL didn't make it as a series: then they would have a weird episode on DS where Mrs. Garrett gives a tearful farewell, only to come back shortly thereafter.

Yeah, it would have been confusing. They should have done an episode where the headmaster offers Edna a full time job at the school, since <<the housemother thing is temporary>>. Then the Drummonds arrive and Edna says she loves her new job, she doesn't want to get back to the penthouse and becomes a full time member of Eastland. By 1981, it was clear that Mrs. Garrett would have never returned again on Diff'rent Strokes.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by FOL-FAN-ITA

Hello, Larry is such a terrible show. I really don't understand why NBC gave it another chance with a second season after it did very poorly in the ratings.

Consider what else was on NBC's schedule in 1979: Here's Boomer, BJ and the Bear, and Eischied!

I think the idea of Hello, Larry was so much better than the execution: a single father raising two girls could have been the male version of One Day at a Time. But most of the episodes felt so bland, and McLean Stevenson was so out of his element.

The crossovers were pointless and DS wasted an episode (two, if we consider the second part) for that silly show. I would have liked a crossover involving Facts. HL was doomed to fail but the network only pushed its cancellation, Facts was instead their new show, they could have draw attention to DS natural spinoff and build an audience.

It really was a shame they kept pushing HL. Even with a Diff'rent Strokes lead-in, their ratings were bad. Why couldn't NBC see this earlier? HL ran for 38 episodes!

Yeah, it would have been confusing. They should have done an episode where the headmaster offers Edna a full time job at the school, since <<the housemother thing is temporary>>. Then the Drummonds arrive and Edna says she loves her new job, she doesn't want to get back to the penthouse and becomes a full time member of Eastland. By 1981, it was clear that Mrs. Garrett would have never returned again on Diff'rent Strokes.

That would have been cool, and would have been better continuity: we know the housemother thing is temporary... so when does it officially become permanent? We never see that happen on-screen.

[FOL-FAN-ITA]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Consider what else was on NBC's schedule in 1979: Here's Boomer, BJ and the Bear, and Eischied!

I think the idea of Hello, Larry was so much better than the execution: a single father raising two girls could have been the male version of One Day at a Time. But most of the episodes felt so bland, and McLean Stevenson was so out of his element.



It really was a shame they kept pushing HL. Even with a Diff'rent Strokes lead-in, their ratings were bad. Why couldn't NBC see this earlier? HL ran for 38 episodes!



That would have been cool, and would have been better continuity: we know the housemother thing is temporary... so when does it officially become permanent? We never see that happen on-screen.

I believe the job became permanent when Mrs. Garrett was offered the position of school nutritionist. Maybe Mr. Harris (or Mr. Bradley prior to his firing) told her: "Look Edna, we have a replacement. Would you like a full time promotion to school dietitian or you go back to your former occupation?"