Opinions of "Man About the House" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Sean Snow · 03-15-2002, 10:54 PM

After seeing "Man About the House", what is your opinion? I'll post mine later, though I'll say I liked it.

Sean Snow · 03-15-2002, 11:05 PM

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it somewhere between a 9 and a 10. I liked the opening credits. I thought that how Chrissie (Paula Wilcox) lost her shoe on the doubledecker bus was funny, and that close up of Jo's (Sally Thomsett's) butt was interesting LOL

It was pretty weird how everything was so identicle with the first episode of "Three's Company," but I noticed some things added in (And somethings were added in on the TC one LOL) that didn't make it into the TC pilot, like the guy who Robin at first plans to live with is gay.

I think it would be great if PBS showed this or it's spinoffs in it's Britcom block.

Notorious · 03-16-2002, 02:48 AM

oh my god! i was SO surprised at this show! i thought it was SO great! but, i always thought that the blonde was chrissy and jo was the brunette! i think that's one of the only differences in the shows. but, i have to say that this is my favorite britcom! i loved it.

Robin: No Douglas, I didn't know you wore a toupee.

RainMan · 03-16-2002, 05:47 AM

I've never seen a real British Show (Other than the Weakest Link or those crumby British shows on PBS) before. I rather enjoyed it. But to tell you the truth I like The Ropers in the US Version better, and why did they have the names changed? Jo instead of Janet? George (I think it was) instead of Stanley? But I did like Robin. He was very funny. Better than Jack Tripper. I think his last name was just "Trip" I think I'm not sure. But all in all i loved watching the show. I wonder how long it lasted there? I think they should show more TV from the UK. I'td be a hell of a lot better than "Kids Say The Darndest Things" I'll tell you that.

Cordially,
Nathan Bush
"The Rain Man"

Mysty Eyes · 03-16-2002, 12:54 PM

Yeah, I thought it was kind of fun to see how much of the MATH pilot was used word-for-word in the TC pilot. And the little subtle differences were interesting as well.

My guesses about the name changes:
Jo - Maybe they thought that it was too "masculine" at the time. Or that people would think of Little Joe from Bonanza. Or...? Interesting that the writers had no problems with that a few years later on FOL. But even then Jo was a bit of a tomboy.

George - Had The Jeffersons already started? If so, then there was already a prominent George character in sitcoms at the time.

And yes, I heard the British last name as "Trip."

Beruche · 03-16-2002, 06:51 PM

I missed it! I really wanted to see it but I missed it! If I did I would give an opinion but I can't because I missed it! (is anybody sick of me saying that I missed it?lol) Aww oh well!

JT · 03-16-2002, 08:01 PM

MATH ran on Thames Television from 1973 to 1976.

I broke it down:

OPENING CREDITS/THEME SONG:
For those who didn't see, like JOblairJOblair, here is a description of the opening credits:
First Scene:A bunch of guys are getting on their motorcycles.Then they roll off and Robin gets on his and they show a close up and it says "Richard O'Sullivan" on the screen.
Second Scene:A doubledecker bus is shown.When Chrissie gets on a crowd of people get on with her and she loses her shoe.The bus pulls off as "Paula Wilcox" is seen on the screen.
Third Scene:Jo walks out of a building (a store?) and she passes an old man sitting on a bench.There is a closeup of her butt while "Sally Thomsett" is on the screen.
Fourth Scene:They show Robin looking at some statue.
Fifth Scene:They show Chrissie getting off of the bus and a man who gets off way after her finds her shoe hanging in the door.
Sixth Scene:Jo and a man both put up their umbrellas in a narrow doorway.Jo's umbrella is a plastic blue one while the man's is an expensive-looking one.
Seventh Scene:Jo and Chrissie go up to the flat/apartment building and they show Robin on his bike and it says "Man About The House" on the screen.
I liked it a whole lot!!!!!!!!!It was funny and the theme song was cool.

CHARACTERS:
The characters were JUST LIKE the TC characters.Robin was a show off who cooked,Chrissie was an average brunette,Jo was dumb,The Ropers weren't intimate.I like the characters alot.Characters' names were:Robin Tripp,Chrissie Plummer,Jo ????,George and Mildred Roper.I gotta admit Mildred seemed younger than Helen.She seemed to have a softer voice.

ACTORS/ACTRESSES:
They were brilliant.Richard O'Sullivan was great as Robin.Physical comedy and all.Paula Wilcox reminded me alot of Joyce DeWitt as Janet.They both had basically the same 'do.Sally Thomsett was OK as Jo.She was ugly but she was OK.Brian Murphey and Yootha Joyce were great as the Ropers.

THINGS THAT I NOTICED:
There were a LOT of lines and scenes from MATH and the first TC episodes were in common.Her are some I noticed:

1)In the beginning both brunettes come out their rooms while the other is vacuuming.They btoh ask "Do you have no respect for the dying?".The blonde says "You're not dying."The brunettes says "I'm hoping too!"

2)Both brunettes asks if the terrible girl at the party was them.Both blondes say yes.

3)Both brunettes look at their tongues.

There are others I'll post later.

TV Guy · 03-16-2002, 08:14 PM

At one point, Jack's name in TC was going to be Jack Tripp, but the producers found out that there was a real-life Jack Tripp living in the area, so they added the "er". They didn't use the name Robin because it's not a common name in the U.S. The first, unaired TC pilot retained George and Mildred as the Ropers' first names, though. Who knows why they were changed.

Sean Snow · 03-17-2002, 01:03 PM

I think they may have also tried to differentiate "Three's Company" from "Man About the House" by not having the same names, like when "Till Death Do Us Part" was remade for the US market as "All in the Family". Chrissy didn't originally have a name in "Three's Company", I believe the second Chrissy (Susan Lanier) came up with 'Snow'. Same with Janet's name orinally being Jenny.

Notorious · 03-17-2002, 04:29 PM

"Till Death Us Do Part"*

Notorious · 03-17-2002, 04:38 PM

(sorry for all the spelling corrections)

may i ask a question?

why do you peeps continuely spell Chrissy's name as Chrissie? I have 'Man About The House' on tape and at the end, it has the character's name at the bottom of the actor's name and it is spelled 'Chrissy'.

Sean Snow · 03-17-2002, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sitcomsnow
(sorry for all the spelling corrections)

may i ask a question?

why do you peeps continuely spell Chrissy's name as Chrissie? I have 'Man About The House' on tape and at the end, it has the character's name at the bottom of the actor's name and it is spelled 'Chrissy'.

And can I ask a question? Why the Priscilla Barnes does it matter? So we're mispelling it, no one really cares except you. And what was the point of just one post that says "Till Death Us Do Part*"? You may as well have put it into one post

k272br · 03-17-2002, 10:22 PM

MATH was funny I would like BBC/America to air it.

DJM77 · 03-18-2002, 06:41 PM

I enjoyed the Man About The House episode. I laughed out loud several times. I would like to see more episodes. I also think it would be interesting to see the pilots for Till Death Do Us Part and Steptoe and Son.

Curtis3331 · 03-19-2002, 02:24 AM

I absolutely loved it!!! I'm definately glad I taped it. Like what Sean said, I thought the begining intro was pretty interesting and weird, but I still loved it. I just had a hard time understanding what they were saying b/c of their heavy English accents and they talk really fast, it almost sounds like they were mumbling. I wish BBC america would air some episodes though. You gotta love Robin's sideburns!

03-15-2002, 10:54 PM	#1
Sean Snow moo Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,407	Opinions of "Man About the House" After seeing "Man About the House", what is your opinion? I'll post mine later, though I'll say I liked it.
	__________________ If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal." - John F. Kennedy

03-15-2002, 11:05 PM	#2
Sean Snow moo Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,407	My Thoughts On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it somewhere between a 9 and a 10. I liked the opening credits. I thought that how Chrissie (Paula Wilcox) lost her shoe on the doubledecker bus was funny, and that close up of Jo's (Sally Thomsett's) butt was interesting LOL It was pretty weird how everything was so identicle with the first episode of "Three's Company," but I noticed some things added in (And somethings were added in on the TC one LOL) that didn't make it into the TC pilot, like the guy who Robin at first plans to live with is gay. I think it would be great if PBS showed this or it's spinoffs in it's Britcom block.

03-16-2002, 02:48 AM	#3
Notorious Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 13, 2001 Location: Sunnydale, CA --- and I actually registered at sitcomsonline July 25th, 2001 Posts: 1,494	Man About The House oh my god! i was SO surprised at this show! i thought it was SO great! but, i always thought that the blonde was chrissy and jo was the brunette! i think that's one of the only differences in the shows. but, i have to say that this is my favorite britcom! i loved it. Robin: No Douglas, I didn't know you wore a toupee.
	__________________ <center> My World, By~~: Avril Lavigne http://www.tvlinksonline.com/boards/...&postid=424095 Can't help if I space in a daze, My eyes tune out the other way, I may switch off and go in a daydream, In this head my thoughts are deep, Sometimes I can't even speak, Will someone be and not pretend? I'm off again in my World

03-16-2002, 05:47 AM	#4
RainMan Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 09, 2002 Location: Churdan, Iowa USA (Wish it was the UK so I could go to Holmfirth, West Yorkshire to see the cast of Last of the Summer Wine!) Posts: 1,175	Man About The House I've never seen a real British Show (Other than the Weakest Link or those crumby British shows on PBS) before. I rather enjoyed it. But to tell you the truth I like The Ropers in the US Version better, and why did they have the names changed? Jo instead of Janet? George (I think it was) instead of Stanley? But I did like Robin. He was very funny. Better than Jack Tripper. I think his last name was just "Trip" I think I'm not sure. But all in all i loved watching the show. I wonder how long it lasted there? I think they should show more TV from the UK. I'td be a hell of a lot better than "Kids Say The Darndest Things" I'll tell you that. Cordially, Nathan Bush "The Rain Man" Attached Images

03-16-2002, 08:01 PM	#7
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,219	MATH ran on Thames Television from 1973 to 1976. I broke it down: OPENING CREDITS/THEME SONG: For those who didn't see, like JOblairJOblair, here is a description of the opening credits: First Scene:A bunch of guys are getting on their motorcycles.Then they roll off and Robin gets on his and they show a close up and it says "Richard O'Sullivan" on the screen. Second Scene:A doubledecker bus is shown.When Chrissie gets on a crowd of people get on with her and she loses her shoe.The bus pulls off as "Paula Wilcox" is seen on the screen. Third Scene:Jo walks out of a building (a store?) and she passes an old man sitting on a bench.There is a closeup of her butt while "Sally Thomsett" is on the screen. Fourth Scene:They show Robin looking at some statue. Fifth Scene:They show Chrissie getting off of the bus and a man who gets off way after her finds her shoe hanging in the door. Sixth Scene:Jo and a man both put up their umbrellas in a narrow doorway.Jo's umbrella is a plastic blue one while the man's is an expensive-looking one. Seventh Scene:Jo and Chrissie go up to the flat/apartment building and they show Robin on his bike and it says "Man About The House" on the screen. I liked it a whole lot!!!!!!!!!It was funny and the theme song was cool. CHARACTERS: The characters were JUST LIKE the TC characters.Robin was a show off who cooked,Chrissie was an average brunette,Jo was dumb,The Ropers weren't intimate.I like the characters alot.Characters' names were:Robin Tripp,Chrissie Plummer,Jo ????,George and Mildred Roper.I gotta admit Mildred seemed younger than Helen.She seemed to have a softer voice. ACTORS/ACTRESSES: They were brilliant.Richard O'Sullivan was great as Robin.Physical comedy and all.Paula Wilcox reminded me alot of Joyce DeWitt as Janet.They both had basically the same 'do.Sally Thomsett was OK as Jo.She was ugly but she was OK.Brian Murphey and Yootha Joyce were great as the Ropers. THINGS THAT I NOTICED: There were a LOT of lines and scenes from MATH and the first TC episodes were in common.Her are some I noticed: 1)In the beginning both brunettes come out their rooms while the other is vacuuming.They btoh ask "Do you have no respect for the dying?".The blonde says "You're not dying."The brunettes says "I'm hoping too!" 2)Both brunettes asks if the terrible girl at the party was them.Both blondes say yes. 3)Both brunettes look at their tongues. There are others I'll post later.
	__________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk

03-16-2002, 12:54 PM	#5
Mysty Eyes Dreaming... Senior Member Join Date: Feb 04, 2002 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 1,144	Yeah, I thought it was kind of fun to see how much of the MATH pilot was used word-for-word in the TC pilot. And the little subtle differences were interesting as well. My guesses about the name changes: Jo - Maybe they thought that it was too "masculine" at the time. Or that people would think of Little Joe from Bonanza. Or...? Interesting that the writers had no problems with that a few years later on FOL. But even then Jo was a bit of a tomboy. George - Had The Jeffersons already started? If so, then there was already a prominent George character in sitcoms at the time. And yes, I heard the British last name as "Trip."

03-16-2002, 06:51 PM	#6
Beruche Chicago Senior Member Join Date: Aug 27, 2001 Location: In anti land singing the lala song Posts: 2,613	I missed it! I really wanted to see it but I missed it! If I did I would give an opinion but I can't because I missed it! (is anybody sick of me saying that I missed it?lol) Aww oh well!

03-16-2002, 08:14 PM	#8
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	At one point, Jack's name in TC was going to be Jack Tripp, but the producers found out that there was a real-life Jack Tripp living in the area, so they added the "er". They didn't use the name Robin because it's not a common name in the U.S. The first, unaired TC pilot retained George and Mildred as the Ropers' first names, though. Who knows why they were changed.

03-17-2002, 01:03 PM	#9
Sean Snow moo Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,407	I think they may have also tried to differentiate "Three's Company" from "Man About the House" by not having the same names, like when "Till Death Do Us Part" was remade for the US market as "All in the Family". Chrissy didn't originally have a name in "Three's Company", I believe the second Chrissy (Susan Lanier) came up with 'Snow'. Same with Janet's name orinally being Jenny.

03-17-2002, 04:29 PM	#10
Notorious Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 13, 2001 Location: Sunnydale, CA --- and I actually registered at sitcomsonline July 25th, 2001 Posts: 1,494	"Till Death Us Do Part"*

03-17-2002, 04:38 PM	#11
Notorious Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 13, 2001 Location: Sunnydale, CA --- and I actually registered at sitcomsonline July 25th, 2001 Posts: 1,494	(sorry for all the spelling corrections) may i ask a question? why do you peeps continuely spell Chrissy's name as Chrissie? I have 'Man About The House' on tape and at the end, it has the character's name at the bottom of the actor's name and it is spelled 'Chrissy'.

03-17-2002, 10:22 PM	#13
k272br Classic TV Lover Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 23, 2002 Location: Missouri Posts: 60	MATH was funny I would like BBC/America to air it. Attached Images
	Last edited by k272br; 03-17-2002 at 10:27 PM.

03-18-2002, 06:41 PM	#14
DJM77 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: May 15, 2001 Location: Missouri Posts: 5,555	I enjoyed the Man About The House episode. I laughed out loud several times. I would like to see more episodes. I also think it would be interesting to see the pilots for Till Death Do Us Part and Steptoe and Son.
	__________________ Marge: There are only 49 stars on that flag. Abe: I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missouri!

03-19-2002, 02:24 AM	#15
Curtis3331 Kimberly Rules! Frequent Poster Join Date: May 13, 2001 Location: TX Posts: 428	I absolutely loved it!!! I'm definately glad I taped it. Like what Sean said, I thought the begining intro was pretty interesting and weird, but I still loved it. I just had a hard time understanding what they were saying b/c of their heavy English accents and they talk really fast, it almost sounds like they were mumbling. I wish BBC america would air some episodes though. You gotta love Robin's sideburns!