''Silver Spoons'' is an American

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 ne ...

television series that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by

Embassy Television ELP Communications (formerly known as T.A.T. Communications Company, Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Embassy Communications) was an American television production company that originally began in 1974. History Beginning EL ...

for the first four seasons, until Embassy Communications moved the series to syndication after being cancelled by NBC. ''Silver Spoons'' was created by

Martin Cohan Martin Paul Cohan (July 4, 1932 – May 19, 2010), credited as Marty Cohan, was an American television producer and screenwriter. He co-created the sitcom '' Who's the Boss?'', which aired on ABC from 1984 until 1992, with business partner, Bla ...

Howard Leeds Howard Michael Leeds (June 27, 1919 – February 11, 2017) was a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and series creator. Among Leeds' most notable work, he served as a producer and writer for the ABC sitcom, ''The Brady Bunch'', and w ...

and

Ben Starr Benjamin Starr (October 18, 1921 – January 19, 2014) was an American television producer, creator, writer and playwright. Biography Born in Manhattan, New York, to Jewish Russian immigrants, Starr grew up in Brooklyn and worked in his par ...

. The show focuses on the wealthy playboy Edward Stratton III, and his relationship with his young son Ricky Stratton. Ricky was the product of a brief marriage between Edward and Ricky's mother. Edward was unaware that he had a son until Ricky comes to live with Edward at the outset of the series. The main cast stars

Joel Higgins Joel Franklin Higgins (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 40 years. Life and career A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternit ...

as Edward,

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

as Ricky,

Leonard Lightfoot Leonard Lightfoot (born December 2, 1947) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing the attorney Leonard Rollins in the first season of the television sitcom series ''Silver Spoons''. He also played Dep. Alvin Wiggins i ...

as Edward's attorney,

Franklyn Seales Franklyn Seales (July 15, 1952 – May 14, 1990) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was known for his portrayals of business manager Dexter Stuffins in the 1980s sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', and real-life convicted cop killer Jim ...

as Edward's business manager, and

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situat ...

as Edward's personal assistant and later love interest. Jason Bateman plays Ricky's best friend over the first two seasons of the show, replaced by

Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles as Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ...

over the remaining seasons. John Houseman plays Edward's dour and disapproving father.

Synopsis

In the pilot episode, Ricky Stratton (

) arrives at the mansion of the father he has never met to introduce himself, move in, and get to know him better. Edward Stratton III (

) epitomizes the phrase "overgrown child"; he has never taken responsibility for anything in his life, including his toy business, Eddie's Toys. Ricky recognizes that his father needs to grow up; Edward thinks his son is too uptight and needs to have more fun while he is still young. Edward's father (Edward Stratton II) is played by John Houseman as the intelligent, well-to-do patriarch and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

whose demeanor starkly contrasts with Edward's and seems more similar to Ricky's (at first). Throughout the series, the comic tension arises between Grandfather Stratton's belief that people with money are obligated to make more money and Edward's belief that money should be used to make people happy. Ricky is often caught between the two, wishing only for peace and harmony within the family. Ricky's mother is Evelyn Bluthorn (

Christine Belford Christine Belford (born Christine Riley) is an American television and film actress. She has sometimes been credited as Christina Belford. Early life Christine Riley was born in Amityville, Long Island, New York to Joseph J. Riley and Mary Be ...

). Edward and Evelyn's romantic relationship led to a week-long marriage. Now Evelyn has remarried and placed Ricky in a military boarding school. When Ricky arrives at the Stratton residence, Edward is stunned to discover that his long-ago brief marriage produced a son (when he expresses incredulousness because he "wasn't married that long," Ricky points out, "It doesn't ''take'' that long"). At first, he sends Ricky right back to the boarding school; later he dresses up as a swamp monster to take Ricky out of the school and back to the mansion to live with him. The mansion is stocked with

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

s and a scale-model freight train runs through it. Edward exhibits his childishness and playfulness in many ways, such as performing a little dance while the '' Pac-Man'' game plays its theme song. Stratton's personal assistant, Kate Summers (

), is often the voice of reason. Kate's role adds tension to the show and provides incentive for Edward to act more maturely (at least sometimes). Edward and Kate's will-they-or-won't-they relationship gives way to a third-season wedding. During the series' early years, Ricky befriends "bad boy" Derek Taylor ( Jason Bateman, seasons 1–2), smooth-talking "cowboy" J.T. Martin ( Bobby Fite, seasons 1–2), and "nerdy" Freddy Lippincottleman (Corky Pigeon, seasons 1–4). They get into a lot of trouble and learn many childhood lessons along the way. Leslie Crambottom, played by Georgi Irene, has a major crush on Ricky. Edward's original attorney was Leonard Rollins (

), who departed after the first season, and was replaced by the aptly named business manager, Dexter Stuffins (

), who was somewhat stuffier and more erudite than Leonard had been. Dexter remained through the rest of the series and was joined in fall 1984 by his hip,

breakdancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...

nephew Alfonso Spears (

, seasons 3–5), who became Ricky's new best friend. Once Ricky, Freddy, and Alfonso were in high school in season four, their circle was completed by Brad (

Billy Jacoby William Jayne Jacoby (born April 10, 1969), known professionally as Billy Jayne and previously Billy Jacoby is an American actor. His siblings, Robert Jayne, Susan Jayne, Laura Jacoby, as well as his half-brother Scott Jacoby are also actors. ...

, seasons 4–5), a reintroduction of the type of "bad-boy" character similar to that of Derek during the show's early years. That year, as Kate and Edward adjusted to married life, Kate's doddering uncle, Harry Summers (

Ray Walston Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian, well known as the title character on ''My Favorite Martian''. His other major film, television, and stage roles included Luther Billis (''South Paci ...

), moved into the Stratton mansion.

Cast

Main cast

as Richard Bluthorn "Rick" or "Ricky" Stratton *

as Edward Stratton III *

as Katherine "Kate" Summers-Stratton *

as Leonard Rollins (Season 1) *

as Dexter Roosevelt Stuffins (Guest season 1; Main seasons 2–5) *

as Alfonso Spears (Seasons 3–5)

Recurring cast

* Jason Bateman as Derek Taylor (Seasons 1–2) * Bobby Fite as J.T. Martin (Seasons 1–2) * Corky Pigeon as Fredrick March "Freddy" Lippincottleman (Seasons 1–4) *

as Brad Langford (Seasons 4–5) * John Houseman as Grandfather Edward Stratton II (Seasons 1–5) *

as Evelyn Bluthorn Stratton (Seasons 1–5) *

as Uncle Harry Summers (Season 4)

Episodes

''Silver Spoons'' ran for five seasons with a total of 116 episodes, from September 25, 1982, to May 30, 1987.

Production

Music

The show's theme song titled "Together", was written by Rik Howard and Bob Wirth. The original version was accompanied mostly by guitar with vocals by

Ron Dante Ron Dante (born Carmine John Granito, August 22, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer. Dante is best known as the real life lead singer of the fictional cartoon band the Archies; he was also the voice o ...

. Two other versions of the theme were used during the show's run. A synthesized version was used in 1985 with a different vocalist. The third version of the theme, a rock version, was introduced in January 1986 and began in use during the second half of season 4 with vocals again by Ron Dante and composed by

Ray Colcord Ray Colcord III (December 24, 1949 – February 5, 2016) was an American film and television composer known for TV series such as ''227'', ''Silver Spoons'', ''My Two Dads'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Big Brother'', and ''Boy Meets World''. He is a form ...

Locations

The brick

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began wit ...

mansion shown in the opening credits (representing the Stratton mansion) is actually a private residence located in Warwickshire, England. The elaborate home, named

Compton Wynyates Compton Wynyates is a Tudor country house in Warwickshire, England, a Grade I listed building. The Tudor period house is constructed of red brick and built around a central courtyard. It is castellated and turreted in parts. Following actio ...

, was built in 1481. Before ''Silver Spoons'', it was used in the 1977

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

Candleshoe ''Candleshoe'' is a 1977 American-British family adventure–comedy film, directed by Norman Tokar in a screenplay by David Swift and Rosemary Anne Sisson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista. Based on the Mich ...

'', starring Helen Hayes,

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...

and

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

Broadcast history

Initial run

Reruns and syndication

Reruns of ''Silver Spoons'' aired as a part of NBC's daytime schedule in the summer of 1985. The show was also rerun on WWOR's superstation feed from December 28, 1992, to September 3, 1993. Select episodes were also aired on Nick at Nite in 2001 and 2005. FamilyNet (now

The Cowboy Channel The Cowboy Channel (formerly FamilyNet) is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes, which carries Western and rodeo sports. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took th ...

) aired reruns of the series nightly, until June 30, 2017, when the network underwent a programming format change the following day.

Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operati ...

began airing reruns of the series starting in January 2018, as well as

GAC Family Great American Family is an American cable television network. Owned by Great American Media, it broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. It was originally established in ...

on October 4, 2021. The series is currently available for streaming online on

The Roku Channel The Roku Channel is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by Roku, Inc., which launched in September 2017. History In September 2017, Roku, Inc. launched a free, ad-supported streaming channel for its digital med ...

and

Tubi Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...

in the United States and CTV's streaming service, CTV Throwback in Canada.

International airing

In France, the series aired as '' Ricky ou la Belle Vie'' (''Ricky or the Good Life'') as part of a block called '' Destination Noël'' (''Destination Christmas'') from December 21, 1984 until January 2, 1985. Then on '' Vitamine'' (''Vitamin'') under the name '' Ricky la Belle Vie'' (''Ricky the Good Life'') as part of a block '' Croque-vacanes'' (''Holiday Bites'') on TF1. In Italy, the series aired on Canale 5 & Italia 1 as '' il mio amico Ricky'' (''My Friend Ricky'') in 1984.

Home media

On June 19, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first season of ''Silver Spoons'' on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in Region 1. As of 2015, this release has been discontinued and is out of print. It is unknown if the remaining 4 seasons will be released.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0083479, title=Silver Spoons
''Silver Spoons'' at Retro Junk
1980s American sitcoms 1982 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings American television series revived after cancellation English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States NBC original programming Television series about children Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in New York (state)