25 years ago this fall; The version that started it all - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

simmytbone · 10-02-2013, 03:30 PM

Hey guys,

25 years ago this fall, Saved by the Bell began with a version that started the whole Franchise

It's called Good Morning Miss Bliss

Good Morning, Miss Bliss is a teen sitcom that aired on the Disney Channel during the 88/89 Season (and later in syndication as part of the Saved by the Bell rerun package), Starring British Actress Hayley Mills who rose to fame in the Disney Film The Original Parent Trap as the title role about a teacher at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, IN

The show was originally a pilot for NBC, which was inspired by NBC president Brandon Tartikoff's idea for a show about an "inspiring" teacher. NBC decided not to pick up the pilot, but Disney Channel did, premiering the show on November 30, 1988, and airing it for one season. The show was later retooled as Saved by the Bell, with much of the same cast but without Mills, and with a different setting. The latter show focused on the students rather than the teacher, and had a much more successful run.

The series focuses on the life of junior high school teacher Miss Carrie Bliss (Hayley Mills) at John F. Kennedy Junior High in Indianapolis. She was often put into morally difficult situations by her work and often served as the only person her students could turn to. Her eighth grade students included:

Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a charming, manipulative scamp; lazy and not a good student and always looking for the easy way out. However, in the episode "Parents and Teachers", Miss Bliss said that Zack had the most potential of all her students.

Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), a rich shopaholic; and best friend of Nikki. Lisa is the crush of many guys in the school and in Miss Bliss' class, especially Screech.

Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), an awkward nerd with a crush on Lisa, but an excellent student and very honest.

Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), Zack's best friend, who, although not generally awkward as Screech, became quite shy around girls; a good student, especially in math and history but sometimes gets into conflict with Zack.

Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper), who was outspoken and often advocated the moral course of action when the others decided to do something mischievous.

The show also featured Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter), a maintenance supervisor, and Miss Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan), a quirky teacher and friend of Miss Bliss, with whom she would often discuss her personal life, with Miss Paladrino acting as sounding board. Dennis Haskins played the school principal, Mr. Richard Belding.

The show was cancelled after 13 episodes, and the rights were acquired by NBC, who reformatted Good Morning, Miss Bliss into Saved by the Bell. The series was integrated into the Saved by the Bell syndicated rerun package; episodes from this series were later introduced with a cold open by Mark-Paul Gosselaar explaining that these were from an earlier time frame than the rest of the series (despite the fact that the previous series was, for all intents and purposes, a different continuity), along with a retrofitted version of the regular Saved by the Bell opening theme.

The Cast

Starring
Hayley Mills as Miss Carrie Bliss
Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding
Joan Ryan as Miss Tina Paladrino
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zachary "Zack" Morris
Max Battimo as Mikey Gonzalez
Dustin Diamond as Samuel "Screech" Powers
Heather Hopper as Nicole "Nikki" Coleman
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
and
T.K. Carter as Mylo Williams

The original pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss aired on July 11, 1987, on NBC (in The Facts of Life's timeslot).

It featured up-and-comers Brian Austin Green (who later got his big break on Beverly Hills, 90210) as Adam Montcrief, Jaleel White (who later got his big break on Family Matters and the voice of SONIC The Hedgehog) as Bobby Wilson, and the late Jonathan Brandis (who later got his big break on seaQuest DSV) as Michael Thompson.

Brian Austin Green was, in essence, the "lead" student in the pilot, a particularly serious student, who wore business suits

Several other characters from the series existed in the pilot but were played by different actors; Mr. Gerald Belding was played by Oliver Clark, and Miss Tina Paladrino was played by Maria O'Brien. Other characters include Gabriel Damon as Bradley; Samantha Mills as Wendy; Julie Ronnie as Lonnie Maple; Matt Shakman as Georgie Winslow; Charles Siebert of TV's Trapper John, M.D. Fame as Charlie Davis; Britton Elliott as Janet Hillhurst; Josh Goddard as Steven; and Andrea Messersmith as Laurie

After the huge success of Saved by the Bell, episodes of this series were added to the syndication package. As previously mentioned, intros by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, in character as Zack Morris, were added to the beginning of each episode, and the title sequence was remade in the style of Saved by the Bell (giving Good Morning, Miss Bliss the title Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years). The series currently reruns on TBS, along with its spin-off. Good Morning Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell were previously aired on The N from late 2008 to July 2009

Haley Mills is best known her dual role as Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick in the 1961 Disney Film The Original Parent Trap and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress

She also starred in 3 Sequels

Parent Trap II for The Disney Channel's Sunday Night Movie and 2 more for NBC

Parent Trap III and Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon Co-Starring Barry Bostwick of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spin City and Leanna Creel who ironically played Bad Girl Biker Tori Scott on Saved by the Bell when she replaced Tiffani Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies and Dennis Haskins are the only cast members to appear in all 4 Saved by the Bell Series:

Good Morning Miss Bliss, Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class

Dustin Diamond appeared in a total of 248 episodes which is more episodes than any other cast member in the franchise

Dennis Haskins appeared in 229 episodes which includes the Thanksgiving Episode of The College Years and all 143 episodes of The New Class

The Theme to Good Morning Miss Bliss was entitled "These are the Best of Times" and it was composed by Charles Fox who also did themes to popular TV shows such as ABC Wide World of Sports, The Original Monday Night Football, abc's Longest Running Sitcom Happy Days, the spin-off Laverne and Shirley, Angie ("Different Worlds" sung by Maureen McGovern), The Paper Chase ("The First Years" sung by Seals and Crofts; Emmy-nominated Best Song) and Wonder Woman w/Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter. He also composed "The Love Boat" theme with Paul Williams, sung by Jack Jones and later, by Solid Gold Queen Dionne Warwick

He also co-composed "Killing Me Softly with His Song" with Norman Gimbel in 1972 which become an international #1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1973 and again for The Fugees in 1997. The song won the Grammy for Best Song 1973).

Good Morning Miss Bliss was Produced by Peter Engel Productions in association with The Disney Channel and NBC Productions

and now, here are Video Clips:

The Opening and Closing Credits to Good Morning Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell: The Jr. High Years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxUbm_7pYcw

Pilot Episode - Written by Series Creator Sam Bobrick and Directed by Peter Bonerz of TV's 9 to 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqUzn1DSX0

Episode #1: "Summer Love" Guest Star TV Veteran Barry Jenner of Dallas and Family Matters Fame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Rc4xTOki4

Episode #2: "Love Letters"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIJb0AFlYyw

Episode #3: "Wall Street"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqYNju5t4qw

Episode #4: "Leaping to Conclusions"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06JM4VaAryA

Episode #5: "Parents and Teachers" Guest Star Robert Pine of TV's "CHiPs" Fame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3K3pvXBSxM

Episode #6: "Showdown"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ8sfmdwZxI

Episode #7: "Save the Last Dance for Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3sWRyY5qrI

Episode #8: "The Boy Who Cried Rat"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebYcrf-oYn0

Episode #9: "Let's Get Together"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je-5qRaM9_o

Episode #10: "Practical Jokes" (My Personal Favorite)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcYzfSWBHw

Episode #11: "Stevie"
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10...vie_shortfilms

Episode #12: "Clubs and Cliques"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHFH54wEyPw

Episode #13: "The Mentor" Guest Star the late Robert Donner of Adam-12 and Mork & Mindy Fame
The Final Episode of the Series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjGqtqmKYPA

SBTB Geek · 10-02-2013, 07:07 PM

Wow, 25 years... I have literally grown up watching this show. So grateful for it.

irehtman · 10-03-2013, 07:56 AM

Whatever happened to both Heather Hopper and Max Battimo?

Marvo301 · 10-03-2013, 01:39 PM

I actually liked "Good Morning Miss Bliss" better than "Saved By The Bell" !

SBTB Geek · 10-04-2013, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irehtman

Whatever happened to both Heather Hopper and Max Battimo?

Max is apparently a referee for men's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which is a Division I ice hockey conference.[1]

irehtman · 10-09-2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBTB Geek

Max is apparently a referee for men's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which is a Division I ice hockey conference.[1]

Max no longer acts, but still no word about Heather?

SBTB Geek · 10-10-2013, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irehtman

Max no longer acts, but still no word about Heather?

I googled her not too long ago and some info came up

10-02-2013, 03:30 PM	#1
simmytbone Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 17, 2009 Posts: 1,513	25 years ago this fall; The version that started it all Hey guys, 25 years ago this fall, Saved by the Bell began with a version that started the whole Franchise It's called Good Morning Miss Bliss Good Morning, Miss Bliss is a teen sitcom that aired on the Disney Channel during the 88/89 Season (and later in syndication as part of the Saved by the Bell rerun package), Starring British Actress Hayley Mills who rose to fame in the Disney Film The Original Parent Trap as the title role about a teacher at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, IN The show was originally a pilot for NBC, which was inspired by NBC president Brandon Tartikoff's idea for a show about an "inspiring" teacher. NBC decided not to pick up the pilot, but Disney Channel did, premiering the show on November 30, 1988, and airing it for one season. The show was later retooled as Saved by the Bell, with much of the same cast but without Mills, and with a different setting. The latter show focused on the students rather than the teacher, and had a much more successful run. The series focuses on the life of junior high school teacher Miss Carrie Bliss (Hayley Mills) at John F. Kennedy Junior High in Indianapolis. She was often put into morally difficult situations by her work and often served as the only person her students could turn to. Her eighth grade students included: Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a charming, manipulative scamp; lazy and not a good student and always looking for the easy way out. However, in the episode "Parents and Teachers", Miss Bliss said that Zack had the most potential of all her students. Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), a rich shopaholic; and best friend of Nikki. Lisa is the crush of many guys in the school and in Miss Bliss' class, especially Screech. Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), an awkward nerd with a crush on Lisa, but an excellent student and very honest. Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), Zack's best friend, who, although not generally awkward as Screech, became quite shy around girls; a good student, especially in math and history but sometimes gets into conflict with Zack. Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper), who was outspoken and often advocated the moral course of action when the others decided to do something mischievous. The show also featured Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter), a maintenance supervisor, and Miss Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan), a quirky teacher and friend of Miss Bliss, with whom she would often discuss her personal life, with Miss Paladrino acting as sounding board. Dennis Haskins played the school principal, Mr. Richard Belding. The show was cancelled after 13 episodes, and the rights were acquired by NBC, who reformatted Good Morning, Miss Bliss into Saved by the Bell. The series was integrated into the Saved by the Bell syndicated rerun package; episodes from this series were later introduced with a cold open by Mark-Paul Gosselaar explaining that these were from an earlier time frame than the rest of the series (despite the fact that the previous series was, for all intents and purposes, a different continuity), along with a retrofitted version of the regular Saved by the Bell opening theme. The Cast Starring Hayley Mills as Miss Carrie Bliss Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding Joan Ryan as Miss Tina Paladrino Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zachary "Zack" Morris Max Battimo as Mikey Gonzalez Dustin Diamond as Samuel "Screech" Powers Heather Hopper as Nicole "Nikki" Coleman Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle and T.K. Carter as Mylo Williams The original pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss aired on July 11, 1987, on NBC (in The Facts of Life's timeslot). It featured up-and-comers Brian Austin Green (who later got his big break on Beverly Hills, 90210) as Adam Montcrief, Jaleel White (who later got his big break on Family Matters and the voice of SONIC The Hedgehog) as Bobby Wilson, and the late Jonathan Brandis (who later got his big break on seaQuest DSV) as Michael Thompson. Brian Austin Green was, in essence, the "lead" student in the pilot, a particularly serious student, who wore business suits Several other characters from the series existed in the pilot but were played by different actors; Mr. Gerald Belding was played by Oliver Clark, and Miss Tina Paladrino was played by Maria O'Brien. Other characters include Gabriel Damon as Bradley; Samantha Mills as Wendy; Julie Ronnie as Lonnie Maple; Matt Shakman as Georgie Winslow; Charles Siebert of TV's Trapper John, M.D. Fame as Charlie Davis; Britton Elliott as Janet Hillhurst; Josh Goddard as Steven; and Andrea Messersmith as Laurie After the huge success of Saved by the Bell, episodes of this series were added to the syndication package. As previously mentioned, intros by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, in character as Zack Morris, were added to the beginning of each episode, and the title sequence was remade in the style of Saved by the Bell (giving Good Morning, Miss Bliss the title Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years). The series currently reruns on TBS, along with its spin-off. Good Morning Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell were previously aired on The N from late 2008 to July 2009 Haley Mills is best known her dual role as Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick in the 1961 Disney Film The Original Parent Trap and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress She also starred in 3 Sequels Parent Trap II for The Disney Channel's Sunday Night Movie and 2 more for NBC Parent Trap III and Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon Co-Starring Barry Bostwick of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spin City and Leanna Creel who ironically played Bad Girl Biker Tori Scott on Saved by the Bell when she replaced Tiffani Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies and Dennis Haskins are the only cast members to appear in all 4 Saved by the Bell Series: Good Morning Miss Bliss, Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class Dustin Diamond appeared in a total of 248 episodes which is more episodes than any other cast member in the franchise Dennis Haskins appeared in 229 episodes which includes the Thanksgiving Episode of The College Years and all 143 episodes of The New Class The Theme to Good Morning Miss Bliss was entitled "These are the Best of Times" and it was composed by Charles Fox who also did themes to popular TV shows such as ABC Wide World of Sports, The Original Monday Night Football, abc's Longest Running Sitcom Happy Days, the spin-off Laverne and Shirley, Angie ("Different Worlds" sung by Maureen McGovern), The Paper Chase ("The First Years" sung by Seals and Crofts; Emmy-nominated Best Song) and Wonder Woman w/Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter. He also composed "The Love Boat" theme with Paul Williams, sung by Jack Jones and later, by Solid Gold Queen Dionne Warwick He also co-composed "Killing Me Softly with His Song" with Norman Gimbel in 1972 which become an international #1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1973 and again for The Fugees in 1997. The song won the Grammy for Best Song 1973). Good Morning Miss Bliss was Produced by Peter Engel Productions in association with The Disney Channel and NBC Productions and now, here are Video Clips: The Opening and Closing Credits to Good Morning Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell: The Jr. High Years http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxUbm_7pYcw Pilot Episode - Written by Series Creator Sam Bobrick and Directed by Peter Bonerz of TV's 9 to 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqUzn1DSX0 Episode #1: "Summer Love" Guest Star TV Veteran Barry Jenner of Dallas and Family Matters Fame http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Rc4xTOki4 Episode #2: "Love Letters" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIJb0AFlYyw Episode #3: "Wall Street" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqYNju5t4qw Episode #4: "Leaping to Conclusions" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06JM4VaAryA Episode #5: "Parents and Teachers" Guest Star Robert Pine of TV's "CHiPs" Fame http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3K3pvXBSxM Episode #6: "Showdown" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ8sfmdwZxI Episode #7: "Save the Last Dance for Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3sWRyY5qrI Episode #8: "The Boy Who Cried Rat" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebYcrf-oYn0 Episode #9: "Let's Get Together" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je-5qRaM9_o Episode #10: "Practical Jokes" (My Personal Favorite) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIcYzfSWBHw Episode #11: "Stevie" http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10...vie_shortfilms Episode #12: "Clubs and Cliques" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHFH54wEyPw Episode #13: "The Mentor" Guest Star the late Robert Donner of Adam-12 and Mork & Mindy Fame The Final Episode of the Series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjGqtqmKYPA
	__________________ Lisa Marie Varon, Lisa Moretti, Jazz, Lilian Garcia & Dawn Marie The Fab 5-Underrated, but AWESOME in my book Atlanta Falcons: RISE UP Last edited by simmytbone; 02-12-2014 at 03:03 AM.

10-02-2013, 07:07 PM	#2
SBTB Geek Smooth Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 21, 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,004	Wow, 25 years... I have literally grown up watching this show. So grateful for it.

10-03-2013, 07:56 AM	#3
irehtman Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 15, 2013 Location: Montgomery County, Maryland Posts: 4,826	Whatever happened to both Heather Hopper and Max Battimo?

10-03-2013, 01:39 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	I actually liked "Good Morning Miss Bliss" better than "Saved By The Bell" !
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin