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Gimme A Break
''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. Cast Main characters *Nell Carter as Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper *Dolph Sweet as Carl Kanisky (seasons 1-4) * Kari Michaelsen as Kathleen "Katie" Kanisky (seasons 1-5) *Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell (seasons 1-5) *Lara Jill Miller as Samantha "Sam" Kanisky (seasons 1-5, recurring season 6) *John Hoyt as Stanley Kanisky (seasons 2-6, previously recurring) * Joey Lawrence as Joey Donovan (seasons 3-6) * Howard Morton as Ralph Waldo Simpson (seasons 3-5, previously recurring) *Telma Hopkins as Dr. Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (seasons 4-6, previously recurring) *Jonathan Silverman as Jonathan Maxwell (season 5, previously recurring) * Rosetta LeNoire as Maybelle Harper (season 6, previously recurring) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch, and stand-up comedy, where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an audience. Sitcoms originated in radio, but today are found mostly on television as one of its dominant narrative forms. A situation comedy television program may be recorded in front of a studio audience, depending on the program's production format. The effect of a live studio audience can be imitated or enhanced by the use of a laugh track. Critics disagree over the utility of the term "sitcom" in classifying shows that have come into existence since the turn of the century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use the single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, thus often resembling the dramedy shows of the 1980s and 1990s rathe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hoyt
John Hoyt (born John McArthur Hoysradt; October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991) was an American actor. He began his acting career on Broadway, later appearing in numerous films and television series. He is perhaps best known for his film and TV roles in '' The Lawless'' (1950), '' When Worlds Collide'' (1951), ''Julius Caesar'' (1953), ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Spartacus'' (1960), ''Cleopatra'' (1963), ''Flesh Gordon'' (1974), and '' Gimme a Break!'' Early life Hoyt was born John McArthur Hoysradt in Bronxville, New York, the son of Warren J. Hoysradt, an investment banker, and his wife, Ethel Hoysradt, née Wolf. He attended the Hotchkiss School and Yale University, where he served on the editorial board of campus humor magazine ''The Yale Record''. He received a bachelor's and a master's degree from Yale. He worked as a history instructor at the Groton School for two years. Stage Hoyt made his Broadway debut in 1931 in William Bolitho's play ''Overture''. Some of his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, in the United States. Its predecessors include NBC Enterprises, Universal Television Distribution, Multimedia Entertainment (including Avco Program Sales), PolyGram Television (formerly ITC Entertainment), and Sky Vision. At some point in its history, it was also known as "NBCUniversal Television & New Media Distribution" and "NBC Universal Television and New Media Distribution.” This unit is possibly the parent for the similarly named "NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution" unit. The company distributes television series produced by NBC (after 1973), Universal Television, Multimedia Entertainment, Studios USA, Revue Studios, PolyGram Television (except the ITC library), Universal Media Studios ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predecessor of the company previously assumed such functions, and a substantial portion of the company's shows air on the network. It was formerly known by various names, including Revue Studios, Universal Pictures Television Department, Universal-International Television, Studios USA Television LLC, Universal Network Television, Universal Domestic Television, NBC Universal Television Studio, and Universal Media Studios. Re-established in 2004, both NBC Studios and the original Universal Television are predecessors of the current Universal Television, formerly known as NBC Universal Television Studio and Universal Media Studios. Universal Television Alternative Studio Universal Television Alternative Studio ("Universal Television Alternative" a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Landsburg Productions
Alan Landsburg Productions (ALP) was an independent television production company founded by Alan Landsburg in 1971. The company had produced '' In Search of...'' and ''That's Incredible!'', two early examples of reality television decades before it became a confirmed genre. The company also found success in television movies (the Emmy-winning Mickey Rooney film ''Bill''), and scripted shows (the sitcoms ''Gimme a Break!'' and ''Kate and Allie''). They made a few theatrical movies as well, most notably ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983). The company was acquired in 1978 by Reeves Communications Corp. In 1984, Landsburg left the company and formed The Landsburg Company, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, and ALP was renamed the Reeves Entertainment Group. David Auberbach, a friend of Lansburg served as vice president, received a new deal at the studio. Barris Industries originally owned a 5.27% stake in Reeves, with backing from Burt Sugarman. In 1987, the company had signed a partnership with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Graydon
Jay Joseph Graydon (born October 8, 1949, Burbank, California) is an American songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards (in the R&B category) with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". He has mastered many different music styles and genres, and his recordings have been featured on record, film, television and the stage. History Graydon made his singing debut on his second birthday on the "Joe Graydon Show," the first music/talk television show in Los Angeles, hosted by his father, Joe Graydon. During and for a brief time after his college days, Graydon played in the Don Ellis Band, whose style can be described as experimental post-bop jazz. He can be heard on the live double album '' Don Ellis at Fillmore'' and the studio albums ''The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground'', '' Connection'' and '' Soaring''. L. A. s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Maher
Joseph Sylvester Maher (29 December 1933 – 17 July 1998) was an Irish actor, playwright, and occasionally theatre director. He was best known for his roles in the comedies of Joe Orton. He received three Tony Award nominations for his roles in the plays ''Spokesong'', '' Night and Day'', and ''Loot'', with the last winning him a Drama Desk Award. His other accolades included an Obie Award and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Early life Maher was born in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland, on 29 December 1933. He was one of ten children born to Delia A. (née O'Malley) and Joseph Maher Sr., a schoolteacher. Maher immigrated to Canada in 1956 and in his youth worked for an oil company. He started acting with the Canadian Players and performed across Canada for three years before moving to New York. Career Maher's Broadway theatre credits include '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', ''King Henry V'', ''The Royal Family'', '' Night and Day'', and ''Loot''. Maher's film credits i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television and film roles that introduced her to a larger national audience, O'Donnell hosted her own syndicated daytime talk show, '' The Rosie O'Donnell Show'', between 1996 and 2002, which won several Daytime Emmy Awards. During this period, she developed the nickname "Queen of Nice", as well as a reputation for philanthropic efforts. From 2006 to 2007, O'Donnell endured a controversial run as the moderator on the daytime talk show '' The View'', which included a public feud with Donald Trump and on-air disputes regarding the Bush administration's policies with the Iraq War. She hosted ''Rosie Radio'' on Sirius XM Radio between 2009 and 2011, and from 2011 to 2012 hosted a second, short-lived talk show o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Sand
Paul Sand (born March 5, 1932) is an American actor and comedian. Background Sand was born Pablo Sanchez in Santa Monica, California, in 1932, the son of Ernest Rivera Sanchez, an aerospace tool designer, and Sonia Borodiansky (aka Sonia Stone), a writer. He is of Russian Jewish and Mexican American ancestry. Career At the age of 11, he started at Viola Spolin's Children's Theatre Company. From here, he attended Los Angeles State College before moving to Paris when he was 18. In Paris, Sand met Marcel Marceau, who was so impressed by his talents that he asked Sand to join his touring mime troupe. In 1960, along with Alan Arkin and others, Sand was a cast member of The Second City improvisational comedy troupe in Chicago. In 1966, he co-starred with Linda Lavin and Jo Anne Worley in the off-Broadway production '' The Mad Show'', inspired by ''Mad Magazine''. In 1971, Sand received a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his work on Broadway in ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matthew Lawrence
Matthew William Lawrence (born February 11, 1980) is an American actor and singer, known for his roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Boy Meets World''. Lawrence also starred in the series '' Brotherly Love'' with his real-life brothers Joey and Andrew. Early life Lawrence was born in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, the son of Donna Lynn (''née'' Shaw), a personnel manager, and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Sr., an insurance broker. His family's surname was changed to Lawrence from Mignogna before he was born. He is of half Italian, English, and Scottish descent. He is the middle-born of three boys; with two brothers, Joey Lawrence and Andy, both of whom are also actors. Lawrence attended classes at Abington Friends School. Career Lawrence began acting in the mid-1980s, his first role being that of Danny Carrington in ''Dynasty''. He studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. He continued as a child actor through the early 1990s, appearing in many television and feature film roles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosetta LeNoire
Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August 8, 1911 – March 17, 2002) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to contemporary audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on such series as '' Gimme a Break!'' and ''Amen'', and is likely best-known for her role as Estelle "Mother" Winslow on ''Family Matters''. In 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Early life and career Lenoire was born in Harlem, New York City, as the eldest of 5 children to Harold Burton, who was from Dominica, and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, of Jamaica in the West Indies. As a young girl, LeNoire suffered from rickets, which her godfather Bill "Bojangles" Robinson helped her overcome by teaching her to dance. Stage theater was her first love, and LeNoire performed in the Federal Theater Project's ''Bassa Moona'' and was cast as a witch in Orson Welles' 1936 production of ''Macbeth''. She appeared in a 1939 production of '' The Hot Mikado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
