The oft-overlooked Kenneth Kimmins

[highloon]

Happy New Year everybody! I was just wondering if anybody else feels that Ken Kimmins was fantastic as Howard Burleigh. I always thought that the character of Howard was very entertaining. I really felt that Ken gave Howard several layers and did a nice job of developing him over the years. It was lots of fun seeing him go from Tewksbury's lackey, to the anal boss, to the outcast trying to fit in, to the devoted husband. Ken always gave 100% and never got boring, in my opinion. What are your feelings? Do you agree that Howard is one of the unsung heroes of Coach? Are there any favorite moments with Howard that you'd like to share?

[Janice]

Howard Burleigh was the cat's pajamas or shall we say Elvis' pajamas, lol.
He was underutilized. He contributed so much to the show, and it was a guaranteed laugh-fest when he was onscreen. Hayden banging on his ceiling to summon Howard always cracks me up.
Loonstruck was great of course as was the episode where Shirley works for Howard. Howard and Shirley's complacency with their lack of communication was clever. Hey, it worked for them. Funny how they promise to never be honest about their feelings again, lol.
I finally saw Howard Christmas carolling. Great stuff. "I see you Hayden. You can't hide." or something like that, lol. I was looking for Shirley, but didn't see her singing.
The Burleighs singing showtunes for Hayden and Christine was good too. They're the type of couple that just don't take a hint.
It's hard to believe that Howard was his boss the way that Hayden treated him.
His appearances were so rare, and that may have been by design. On The Bob Newhart Show, for example, one of his patients, Mr. Carlin, completely stole the show whenever he was on that he left viewers begging for more.
I think Craig T. Nelson's ego is intact, but often they don't want someone to really shine all that much. Peripheral characters often 'breakout', such as the cases of John Travolta on Kotter or Michael J. Fox on Family Ties which I know created tension for Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter.
I doubt this is the case in Kenneth Kimmon's case, but I'm just tossing it out there for whatever it's worth.
I'd like to see Kenneth find another vehicle to showcase his talents. He deserves a place onscreen.
In my mind, the breakout character on Coach was none other than Luther Van Dam. Now, there's a scene stealer if there ever was one. He should have been arrested for grand larceny

[highloon]

Janice, I just knew you'd agree about how talented Ken Kimmins was. You're right. Whenever he was onscreen, you knew some good laughs were on the way. I also remember Jack Riley as Mr. Carlin on "The Bob Newhart Show". That was always great. He would constantly insult and demean Bob, yet he was dependent upon him for his mental health. What a great, strange relationship between the two. Always funny.

I remember when my friend and I were at the taping for "Shirley Burleigh, Girlie Friday" and Howard kept referring to Hayden as the Devil. When Hayden mentioned Christine, and Howard called her the She-Devil, my friend and I were in tears. That was great. I'm glad you finally got to see Howard Christmas-caroling, by the way. My wife and I have a running joke at Christmas time. Whenever "Here We Come-A-Caroling" comes on the radio or something, we look at each other and laugh and say, "You're not fooling me, Hayden! I know you're in there!" It's great fun, and how cool is it to have a spouse who knows the quotes as good as you do? She's the best.

I also agree with you about Luther being the ultimate scene-stealer on the show. For the longest time, I watched Coach to see Luther. Hayden was fun, but Luther was the man for quite some time. But now, having watched the eps so many times, I love them both.


In conclusion, I just want to share a few favorite Howard moments, because I'm bored and I feel like it.

Howard: You are a tempter, Hayden. You are an agent of Lucifer and I don't want you in my house!


Howard: You got me to hire Shirley, you got me to fire Shirley. As far as I am concerned, you are the Devil!


Howard: Before we get to our speaker tonight, I'd like to address a subject not altogether unrelated to basketball: bees. They don't scare me, Dean Rollins. What kind of a man sends bugs to do his bidding? A weak man. Not a strong man. Not a man who can spend six hours in a cramped office with a frenzied swarm of killers! And now, coach Judy Watkins.


Hayden: Howard, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?

Howard: I want to be the Highloon, goshdarnit!
Hayden: Alright! And what do you have to do to get it?
Howard: I'm gonna have to kill you!


Hayden: Howard, once upon a time, there was a princess, and there was a Knight. And the Knight wanted to impress the princess, so he went into the woods and shot a deer and brought the dead carcass back to the princess and that made her happy. So every day, the Knight would go out and keep bringing her back some dead thing. But one day the Knight was sick and so he didn't go out and kill her anything. But the next day he felt better and brought her another dead animal and she was happy again. But then he started missing days at a time. I mean he'd kill her something occasionally, but he was busy with jousting tournaments, and bear baiting and grail searching...is any of this making sense, Howard?

Howard: My God, Shirley's having an affair!


Just a little glimpse into Howard's world...

How about you? Any favorite Howard moments?

[speedbump]

This one hasn't aired on NickatNite yet, but it's when Hayden is in the pros with the Orlando Breakers and Howard comes to visit him without mentioning to anyone he was fired at Minnesota State. I love it when he finally tells Shirley at the end of the first part that "Hayden's gonna find me a new job!" It's a two-part story and ends with Howard getting a job as head of media relations with the Breakers so he is reunited with Hayden again. This is one where Hayden tells Howard you are the albatross that hangs around my neck. I didn't quote it because I don't know if that is the exact line. It's a good one though. One thing I really enjoy about Coach is just how the whole cast really worked so well together. That show wouldn't have been what it was without any of those characters. I don't know if anyone else could have played those roles so well, but I doubt it.

[Big Coach Fan]

Just remembering the episode with the bees... classic.


That was hilarious when Howard was speaking to Dean Rollins!

[highloon]

Hey Big Coach Fan, I was glad to see that you remembered the bees. Of course, the main plot was the practical jokes between Hayden and Judy. I just loved when she shows up in Hayden's office to confront him and then right in the middle of their dialogue, as a total nonsequitor, Luther runs across the screen in the background screaming his head off because of the bees. It was so funny to see Hayden and Judy not even react to it, because it's Luther. Wasn't that one of the best?

[Big Coach Fan]

I really think their cast was one of a kind. Kenneth Kimmins did a great job as howard and every time he was on he was great for a laugh.


I just upgraded my Tivo and if they ever play episodes in order I can start downloading all the Coach episodes and convert over to VCR tapes... too bad I cant get 1-200 in order.. I've been watching every night again... this and Seinfeld.

[highloon]

Hey Big Coach Fan, I finally had a chance to see an ep from the first season. It was the one where Hayden is jealous that Christine has gone to the opera with a male friend. Having only seen later eps, it was strange to me. To be honest, I didn't really think it was all that funny. Also, it was weird seeing Hayden's early look. His hair was so thin on top and his bald spot was so prominent. His appearance definitely improved over the seasons. On the other hand, I thought Christine looked really good. I like that early look before her hair got long, blonde and frizzed out.

But the main thing is that, after seeing that ep, I feel like the first season wasn't really that impressive. For the most part, is that true in your opinion? I'm sure there are a few exceptions, and a few stand-out eps, but did you generally find this to be the case?

[Janice]

I think Coach, like most shows, improved with age. The early episodes of Seinfeld, Cheers etc, appear unpolished. I think the actors are still trying to get a handle on their characters as well as fit together with the other actors/characters. It's sort of working out the kinks.
Highloon, I agree about Hayden's appearance. That bald spot is tough to take, lol. Craig is such a handsome man and covering that up made all the difference.
Christine's character improves as time goes on. She got sweeter. She wasn't as perky in the beginning.
With all the trouble spots, it was still evident that this show was going to be a classic. I just love it.

[Big Coach Fan]

I think that this was a show that had to grow on you.. it took a few episodes to get into it. I know there are some funny episodes in the first season though...

Ill have to look through the list to see which I liked.. I'll check it out later

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Janice

I think Coach, like most shows, improved with age. The early episodes of Seinfeld, Cheers etc, appear unpolished. I think the actors are still trying to get a handle on their characters as well as fit together with the other actors/characters. It's sort of working out the kinks.
Highloon, I agree about Hayden's appearance. That bald spot is tough to take, lol. Craig is such a handsome man and covering that up made all the difference.
Christine's character improves as time goes on. She got sweeter. She wasn't as perky in the beginning.
With all the trouble spots, it was still evident that this show was going to be a classic. I just love it.

I agree 100%! I've loved Coach since it was on the first time. It's one of the VERY few shows everyone in my family can agree on. Kenneth Kimmins and Georgia Engel were absolutely perfect as the annoying, clueless but loyal Burleighs. Too much of them went a long way, but thankfully the producers didn't go overboard (most of the time). Where is Kenneth Kimmins now?

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Janice

Howard Burleigh was the cat's pajamas or shall we say Elvis' pajamas, lol.
He was underutilized. He contributed so much to the show, and it was a guaranteed laugh-fest when he was onscreen. Hayden banging on his ceiling to summon Howard always cracks me up.
Loonstruck was great of course as was the episode where Shirley works for Howard. Howard and Shirley's complacency with their lack of communication was clever. Hey, it worked for them. Funny how they promise to never be honest about their feelings again, lol.
I finally saw Howard Christmas carolling. Great stuff. "I see you Hayden. You can't hide." or something like that, lol. I was looking for Shirley, but didn't see her singing.
The Burleighs singing showtunes for Hayden and Christine was good too. They're the type of couple that just don't take a hint.
It's hard to believe that Howard was his boss the way that Hayden treated him.
His appearances were so rare, and that may have been by design. On The Bob Newhart Show, for example, one of his patients, Mr. Carlin, completely stole the show whenever he was on that he left viewers begging for more.
I think Craig T. Nelson's ego is intact, but often they don't want someone to really shine all that much. Peripheral characters often 'breakout', such as the cases of John Travolta on Kotter or Michael J. Fox on Family Ties which I know created tension for Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter.
I doubt this is the case in Kenneth Kimmon's case, but I'm just tossing it out there for whatever it's worth.
I'd like to see Kenneth find another vehicle to showcase his talents. He deserves a place onscreen.
In my mind, the breakout character on Coach was none other than Luther Van Dam. Now, there's a scene stealer if there ever was one. He should have been arrested for grand larceny

I love the Christmas ep. "Hayden! You're not fooling me, Hayden! I know you're in there!" My dad absolutely roars when Hayden yells, "AAAH!! It's Howard Burleigh and his stupid theatre group!!"

[w6xrl4]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I love the Christmas ep. "Hayden! You're not fooling me, Hayden! I know you're in there!" My dad absolutely roars when Hayden yells, "AAAH!! It's Howard Burleigh and his stupid theatre group!!"

Remember the episode when Howard & Shirley show Hayden they are Barbie collectors! Hayden calls then dolls and they get all nuts saying they go on Barbie cruises and attend conventions, OMG, I thought I'd die laughing, great show!

[biffbronson]

Great to see Kenneth getting the props he so deserves...!

This show's supporting cast was just so entertaining. I haven't seen most of the Orlando episodes in years, and look forward to watching them again. I also originally missed many of the 1994 eps due to my work schedule back then, so once in a while I'm coming across ones that are new to me.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by w6xrl4

Remember the episode when Howard & Shirley show Hayden they are Barbie collectors! Hayden calls then dolls and they get all nuts saying they go on Barbie cruises and attend conventions, OMG, I thought I'd die laughing, great show!

Was that in the Orlando years? I don't remember that ep.