No Soap, Radio (1982 TV Series)
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''No Soap, Radio'' is an American
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
and
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
that aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
on Thursdays from April 15 until May 13, 1982. Five episodes were broadcast. The five episodes also appeared on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, where the deletion of commercial breaks gave the show an even more rapid-fire look. The title is taken from a 1950s prank where "no soap radio" is given as a non-sequitur punchline to a joke.TV Guide: No Soap, Radio episodes
Accessed 20 April 2013


Plot

Overall, the plots of ''No Soap, Radio'' were very loosely wound and often nonsensical, as with one episode's subplot involving a sentient, man-eating chair. Continuity and plausibility were usually cheerfully ignored, and what continuing story there was in any given episode often centered around the staff at
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
's Pelican Hotel, a former "showplace" that was now somewhat faded. Seen most frequently were Roger, the young, optimistic but sometimes overwhelmed owner/manager; Karen, his sunny, capable assistant (replacing Sharon, who only appeared in the pilot); and Tuttle, the villainous house detective who was desperate to have Roger sell the hotel. There were also several residents of the hotel who were featured, including the ebullient Mr. Plitzky, the determinedly perky Marion, and chronic complainer Mrs. Belmont. Somewhat inspired by ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal humour, surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, w ...
'', each episode of ''No Soap, Radio'' was filled with sight gags, blackouts, and non-sequiturs. The show would frequently cut away to "Special Reports" right in the middle of a scene, with a fictitious news anchor detailing an improbable story. At other times, characters would watch a television commercial that would suddenly become the focus of a scene. Still other times, doors within the hotel might be opened to reveal any sort of environment from a business to a national park, and entire scenes would play out in these "hotel rooms" with no seeming connection to the main plot.


Cast

*
Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for playing Carey Mahoney in the '' Police Academy'' films from 1984 to 1987. He also acted in '' Three Men and a Baby ...
as Roger * Hillary B. Smith as Karen *
Stuart Pankin Stuart Pankin (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor. He is known for his role as anchor Bob Charles in ''Not Necessarily the News'' and as the voice of Earl Sinclair in ''Dinosaurs (TV series), Dinosaurs''. Pankin is also known for his portray ...
as Tuttle *
Bill Dana William Szathmary (October 5, 1924 June 15, 2017), known as Bill Dana, was an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He often appeared on television shows such as The Steve Allen Show, frequently in the guise of a heavily accented Bolivian ...
as Mr. Plitzky *
Fran Ryan Frances Mary Ryan (November 29, 1916 January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Career Ryan began performing at the age of six at Oakland's Henry Duffy Thea ...
as Mrs. Belmont *
Edie McClurg Edie McClurg (born July 23, 1945) is an American retired actress and comedian. She has played supporting roles in the films ''Carrie'' (1976), ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), and ''Elvira: Mistress of the Dark'' (1988), and bit parts in ...
as Marion *
Jerry Maren Jerry Maren (born Gerard Marenghi; January 24, 1920 – May 24, 2018) was an American actor who played a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''The Wizard of Oz.'' He became the last surviving adult Munchkin ...
as Morris *
Bruce Glover Bruce Herbert Glover (May 2, 1932 – March 12, 2025) was an American character actor, who is best known for portraying the assassin Mr. Wint in the James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971). Other notable film appearances include roles ...
as Interviewer (Season 1, 1982)


Episodes


References


External links

* Television shows set in New Jersey 1982 American television series debuts 1982 American television series endings 1980s American sketch comedy television series 1980s American sitcoms American English-language television shows Television series created by Michael Jacobs (producer) Television series by Fremantle (company) American Broadcasting Company sitcoms {{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub