Perfect Strangers (1986)
Harper Scott 
Perfect Strangers premiered 32 years ago tonight.
Bronson Pinchot was riding high after appearing in Beverly Hills Cop. This was when flamboyant characters were acceptable as comic relief, but not acknowledged as gay.
Still one of the best and aspirational theme songs ever, and it always makes me think about moving to Chicago.
Do you remember when Perfect Strangers first aired on TV?
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 55 | December 15, 2018 1:03 AM |
Yes, my dad didn't want me watching those "cocksuckers" ....which made 12 year old me want to watch all the more...
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | March 26, 2018 3:04 AM |
[quote] Still one of the best and aspirational theme songs ever, and it always makes me think about moving to Chicago.
Mark Linn-Baker, the actor who played cousin Larry, played himself in an episode of The Leftovers in which the theme song is played at the beginning.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | March 26, 2018 3:13 AM |
I remember this got a lot of publicity when it first came out. Bronson Pinchot was actually the big name at the time, and was used in a lot of the promotions.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | March 26, 2018 3:32 AM |
They changed their theme intro every season. There are slightly different versions on YouTube.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | March 26, 2018 3:39 AM |
[quote]Perfect Strangers premiered 32 years ago tonight.
Are you going on memory or do you have, like, a calendar that tells you these things?
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | March 26, 2018 3:39 AM |
R5 there's also something called the internet
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | March 26, 2018 3:44 AM |
Definitely up there with other theme song greats Greatest American Hero, Angie and the Golden Girls.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | March 26, 2018 4:02 AM |
I never watched the show, and didn't realize it was based in Chicago. I lived there for a few years after college, and watching that clip made me nostalgic. Chicago is a great place to live. I also didn't know Mark Linn Baker was in it. I knew him mostly from Broadway, and we had a mutual friend. I always thought he was adorable.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | March 26, 2018 4:10 AM |
I vaguely remember "Oh don't be ridiculous".
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | March 26, 2018 4:33 AM |
I didn't remember that this show was on for eight seasons.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | March 26, 2018 3:46 PM |
I have seen a few esp and loved the cast. Jo Marie Payton Noble had a secondary role she was great at. The earlier esp seemed to be better. The only worthwhile Miller Boyett series.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | March 26, 2018 3:59 PM |
One of those epic, anthemic 80's TV show theme songs
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | April 1, 2018 5:36 AM |
I love this show but it seems mostly forgotten now. Only the first two seasons were released on DVD and it's not as fondly remembered as the show that spun off from it - Family Matters.
Baker and Pinchot had great chemistry and I loved the Balki Dance of Joy.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | April 1, 2018 5:49 AM |
I had no idea that Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spin-off
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | April 1, 2018 5:53 AM |
r14 I don't think most people remember. Harriette was the elevator operator on Perfect Strangers and ABC decided to give Jo Marie Payton her own show, yet Family Matters really became a vehicle for Jaleel White who played Steve Urkel. Harriette retreated into the background on FM as Steve usually took centre stage in the episodes and Harriette's husband Carl (Reginald VelJohnson) seemed to get more screen time with Urkel.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | April 1, 2018 6:00 AM |
No but I was very young when it premiered. However, I do remember the theme song.
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | April 1, 2018 4:04 PM |
I loved this show. I was a pre-teen and I had such a crush on Bronson. I also loved Mark, and I also loved him in the film version of My Favorite Year. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and the show mattered a lot to me because of that too. I kept the magazines and TV Guides with articles about them. I remember Bronson discussing his family's financial struggles when he was growing up, his mother raising him and his siblings alone. How he was named after Bronson Alcott. I remember a commercial Bronson did about having people over and they would have to sit in lawn chairs and it would make their thighs look like Belgian waffles.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | April 1, 2018 4:24 PM |
I like the episode where Cuzin Larry and Belki found out they weren't related to each other at all.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | April 1, 2018 4:28 PM |
I liked the episode where Balki became a pop star but it turns out he couldn't sing or the label wanted to use a different voice, so Balki had to decide whether he should lip-synch or give up fame and fortune and retain his integrity. This was after the Milli Vanilli scandal.
Who knew PS had social commentary??
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | April 1, 2018 4:39 PM |
It was fairly low rated during its run. Surprised it lasted 8 seasons.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | April 1, 2018 4:48 PM |
I used to love Lydia who worked with the "cousins" at the Chronicle. She was so quirky.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | April 1, 2018 4:48 PM |
[quote] Harriette was the elevator operator
What’s an elevator operator?
| by Anonymous | reply 23 | April 1, 2018 5:49 PM |
r23 Brilliant. (I hate that Apple commercial with the heat of a thousand suns).
| by Anonymous | reply 24 | April 2, 2018 4:44 AM |
[quote]The only worthwhile Miller Boyett series.
And what was I, chopped liver? Oh, right.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | April 2, 2018 10:31 PM |
One of the girlfriends was an heir to the Mr. Whipple enterprise.
| by Anonymous | reply 26 | April 2, 2018 10:34 PM |
I never cared for the Cousin Balki schtick. Very grating show like that show with Cousin Urkel.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | April 2, 2018 10:48 PM |
[quote] Very grating show like that show with Cousin Urkel.
As noted upthread, it was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers.
| by Anonymous | reply 28 | April 2, 2018 10:51 PM |
[quote] It was fairly low rated during its run. Surprised it lasted 8 seasons.
[italic]Who's The Boss, Growing Pains[/italic], and [italic]Full House[/italic] were worse and got better ratings. All of those were on ABC during the same time period.
| by Anonymous | reply 29 | April 5, 2018 4:54 PM |
The theme song is always good for solo inspiration
| by Anonymous | reply 30 | September 15, 2018 2:34 AM |
I think I watched a bit during the first season or two but once they coupled them off with the too-hot-for-them girls across the hall I lost interest. It wasn't even that I thought the characters were gay, it just changed the dynamic of the show.
| by Anonymous | reply 31 | September 15, 2018 3:13 AM |
It's not the only worthwhile Miller/Boyett show, people forget that Miller/Boyett were also the producers, Ali g with the legendary Garry Marshall, of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, they even received Emmy nominations fir Happy Days and Mork & Mindy
Also the Valerie Harper years of Valerie/ The Higan Family were also pretty good mostly because Valerie fought for quality in the writing and had gotten James Burrows to direct some episodes and had a few writers from the Mary Tyler Moore Show/Rhoda working on Valerie
They're other shows are SHIT though
Although Bosom Buddies has a camp quality to it
| by Anonymous | reply 32 | December 14, 2018 10:49 PM |
Just when you think there’s no one around whose carin’. Just when you think there ain’t no one else around watchin. Just when you think you’re alone and can play with yourself, you can’t.
| by Anonymous | reply 33 | December 14, 2018 10:52 PM |
Actress Marcy Walker (All My Children) was once engaged to Bronson
She broke up with him by sticking a note on his car wind shield wiper
| by Anonymous | reply 34 | December 14, 2018 10:55 PM |
[quote] Just when you think you’re alone and can play with yourself
I play with myself when I'm alone at least once a day.
| by Anonymous | reply 35 | December 14, 2018 10:55 PM |
Is there someone watchin’?
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | December 14, 2018 10:56 PM |
Miller/Boyett produced Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, all three with Garry Marshall, then did Angie starring DL favorite Donna Pescow, Bosom Buddies, Valerie/The Hogan Family, Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Fuller House etc
They've received multiple Emmy nominations for producing Happy Days and Mork & Mindy and got another Emmy nod earlier this year for Fuller House, which was nominated in the Outstanding Children's Program category
| by Anonymous | reply 37 | December 14, 2018 11:02 PM |
I worked on the show, though won't say in what capacity.
Bronson was absolutely FULL of himself at the time, quite the diva. He would regularly have shouting matches with the director, Joel Zwick,. and storm off the set.
Mark L-B was a pompous faux-intellectual who never let anyone forget that he was a Yale graduate, but he was at least professional.
| by Anonymous | reply 39 | December 14, 2018 11:26 PM |
R39 what about Rebecca Arthur?
| by Anonymous | reply 40 | December 14, 2018 11:32 PM |
Reunited...and they look so old.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 41 | December 14, 2018 11:32 PM |
It was pitched as the male Laverne & Shirley with all the slapstick comedy and Miller/Boyett being involved in both also episode director Joel Zwick came from Laverne & Shirley as well
| by Anonymous | reply 43 | December 14, 2018 11:59 PM |
R40, all I remember about her is that she brought her dog to the set every day.
| by Anonymous | reply 44 | December 15, 2018 12:01 AM |
Pincho hasn't aged too bad, if he lost ~30 lbs and got his neck back he'd probably be kinda hot, I too need to loose ~30 lbs so I'm in the same boat and would probably fuck him now, my hand is getting a bit tired these days.
| by Anonymous | reply 48 | December 15, 2018 12:39 AM |
Love the recreations of opening.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 50 | December 15, 2018 12:47 AM |
Bronson Pinchot was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for this show in 1987 believe it or not
Doris Roberts' guest appearance on this also earned her an Emmy nomination.
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | December 15, 2018 12:49 AM |
They were desperate for actors to nominate that year.
| by Anonymous | reply 53 | December 15, 2018 12:51 AM |
Soap actress Marcy Walker on breaking up with Bronson Pinchot, leaving a note on his car window
On the subject of your many romances, Bronson Pinchot recently told Movieline magazine that you broke up with him by leaving his engagement ring on his windshield wiper. Sounded kinda cold, Miss Marcy! Will you respond to this on the record?
Well... yeah. When I broke it off, he left this box of clothes on my doorstep with every sock and every pair of underwear that I'd ever bought him, every scrapbook thing, every napkin, anything that [reminded him of our relationship] was placed in a big box with this note. He asked me to give back his ring. But he didn't want to see me again. I didn't know where he was staying but I saw his car, so I left the ring with a note on his car.
How do you feel about him sharing it with the press?
Well, he never did share it with the press. This happened in 1983, '84. He never said anything about it before. I can't believe he'd say it all these years later. He must be pretty comfortable with his success to come pickin' on me. Because, the fact is, I love Bronson. I think he's an incredibly talented man. Very, very funny. And I'm very sorry if I broke his heart. [At that point] even I had gotten to the age where I knew that some things were fantasies and some things weren't. [Our relationship] was never to be real. And he knows that. He was living with me in L.A. when he auditioned for Beverly Hills Cop. I'm the one who told him to use the accent of the makeup artist we had when we made the movie Hot Resort -- Lily was her name. I just can't believe all these years later that he came back to pick on me. I guess I'm sort of an easy target.
| by Anonymous | reply 54 | December 15, 2018 12:51 AM |
R54, home again on Friday night!
| by Anonymous | reply 55 | December 15, 2018 1:03 AM |
