Private Benjamin Boned the Fish When... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 09-29-2013, 05:33 AM

http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?3874

Quote:

Like the movie, the series is about a spoiled young socialite named Judy Benjamin adjusting to life in the army. She's popular among her fellow enlisted personnel, but not with her superiors. Most of the humor in the series is derived from Benjamin and her friends' attempts to evade the watchful eye of their sergeant. Although some of the actors from the film play the same characters on the TV show, (notably Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams) the title role is acted by Lorna Patterson instead of Goldie Hawn. While the series was initially shot on film and featured many outdoor scenes, later episodes were more like a standard sitcom, shot on video on soundstages and complete with a laughtrack. In the fall of 1982, Robert Mandan joined the cast as Colonel Lawrence Fielding. In late 1982, Eileen Brennan was struck by a car and Polly Holliday was brought in as Captain Amanda Allen, intended as a temporary replacement for Brennan's Captain Lewis character, but the show was cancelled shortly thereafter.

Mr. Television · 10-08-2013, 07:38 PM

Never. I loved this show. I wish someone would show it again. I know it was in syndication during the 1980's. I haven't seen it since. Lorna Patterson and Eileen Brennan were so good in this show. ... A female version of Gomer Pyle.

TMC · 02-26-2014, 06:23 PM

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/

Other Thoughts:

Private Benjamin may have been far from classic TV, but it was a classic case of "jumping the shark", when basic training (finally!) ended and those that stayed with the show got desk jobs. Sgt. Ross got promoted to Sgt. Major and lost the attitude that made him such a solid straight man to everyone's antics. There was still Cpt. Lewis's scheming but it wasn't even close to the same.
Now here's a switch. Private Benjamin, the movie; came first. Then came the TV show and a poor one at that! I loved Private Benjamin, THE MOVIE! I was not crazy about the tv series. Nothing personal, but I think Lorna Patterson was a bad choice for the lead character, considering Goldie Hawn's wonderful performance. Private Benjamin JTS when the producers of that sitcom tried to pass Ms Patterson off as Private Benjamin.

View Poll Results: Boned When...
Day 1	0	0%
Never Boned	1	100.00%
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10-08-2013, 07:38 PM	#2
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,127	Never. I loved this show. I wish someone would show it again. I know it was in syndication during the 1980's. I haven't seen it since. Lorna Patterson and Eileen Brennan were so good in this show. ... A female version of Gomer Pyle.
	__________________ Sonny

02-26-2014, 06:23 PM	#3
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,781	https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/ Other Thoughts: Private Benjamin may have been far from classic TV, but it was a classic case of "jumping the shark", when basic training (finally!) ended and those that stayed with the show got desk jobs. Sgt. Ross got promoted to Sgt. Major and lost the attitude that made him such a solid straight man to everyone's antics. There was still Cpt. Lewis's scheming but it wasn't even close to the same. Now here's a switch. Private Benjamin, the movie; came first. Then came the TV show and a poor one at that! I loved Private Benjamin, THE MOVIE! I was not crazy about the tv series. Nothing personal, but I think Lorna Patterson was a bad choice for the lead character, considering Goldie Hawn's wonderful performance. Private Benjamin JTS when the producers of that sitcom tried to pass Ms Patterson off as Private Benjamin.