The episode's main plotline was about Nell's stolen purse, but went into the relationship of Mr. Pappalardo, his son, Nicky, his son's friend, and the establishment that Mr. Pappalardo owned and made the boys operate. Nell became an uptight, overdramatic control freak after season two. It was explained in the fifth season premiere that the Chief had died and the show continued with Nell taking over as the head of the household. For US airdates of a foreign show, click The Futon Critic. Nell Carter, the robustly sassy singer and actress who exploded onto the New York musical stage in the Fats Waller revue Aint Misbehavin and went on to become a popular television star in the series Gimme a Break!, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 54. A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence) was added in Season 3. Jane Dulo who portrayed Mildred Kanisky, mother of Carl Kanisky (played by Dolph Sweet) was born October 13, 1917 (some sources give 1912 and 1918 as her birth year); and with Sweet being born July 18, 1920, he and Dulo are too close in age to be playing mother and son credibly. Watch Gimme a Break! During the downtimes from Gimme a Break, Joey Lawrence would tour with Nell Carter and Sammy Davis Junior, and would perform with them frequently. She went into rehab several times during production and was blowing her money on cocaine every week . The show was about a woman named Nell Harper (Nell Carter), who agrees to be a housekeeper for the Kanisky household as a special favor to her late friend, Margaret Huffman Kanisky (played in flashback by Sharon Spelman) who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Nell intervenes (by standing in the way) and stops him, and he eventually cools off and backs away. 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. This re-write was due in part of the backlash the show receiving at the time for the depiction of Nell's character as the "black maid" to a white family. [12], Nell Carter received two Emmy nominations as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. Addy got a job in New York City, so Nell, Grandpa and Joey came to New York to join her. GIMME A BREAK!!! Gimme a Break! Tracey Gold was originally tapped to play Samantha, but at the last moment was replaced by Lara Jill Miller. As ABC was developing Growing Pains, and putting the final touches on it before it went to series; they decided to replace the young actress who played Carol in the pilot, Elizabeth Ward, because she was not testing well with audiences, so Tracey Gold was tapped to take over for the role. Kari Michaelson and Nell Carter both had eating disorders during production. All is resolved when Andy brings up his deceased wife Maybelle, and how he's still not over her, but agrees to go to Lilly's place if she invites him again. From 2006 until 2010, both networks are Ion Television and MeTV reruns this show, during daytime and nighttime. In the end, he forgives her, and tells her he was never as rich as he is now that he owns his own deli. Your email address will not be published. Status: cancelled/ended Network(s): NBC Run time: 30 min Episodes: 137 eps Genre(s): Comedy, Crime/Mystery . I used to watch this show when I was a little girl. New Release. Alvernette Jiminez who portrayed Nell's friend Angie during the early years said Nell was rude to her and didn't treat her well. In the show, the chief of police's wife has just died, and he asks Nell (Nell Carter) to come in and work for him, helping him raise his three daughters in the process. Nell Carter as an overweight housekeeper, a devout guardian to 3 teenage white girls and a force not to be reckoned with whenever she dealt with the Chief of Police - Carl Kanisky, pretty well sums up what this 1980s sitcom is about. outdated and vaguely stereotypical. . Sweet had missed four episodes in the 1983-84 season because of Nell Carter's debut on television was not this show but Cindy; a TV movie which was a 1978 black musical satire of Cinderella. Nell, first for the girls' mother, and then later after the death of their father. It was warm, funny, and presented many contemporary topics that modern families struggle with, such as teen sex, drugs, alcoholism, dating, etc. I have, in fact, written a review of this episode and it has been posted. Gimme a Break! BREAKIN' GROUND LANDSCAPING, INC. The boss, Mr. Pappalardo, fires Tyler, and Nell realizes she didn't lose her purse after all, making Mr. Papallardo re-hire him. The Kanisky daughters need all the help they can . Veterans of Cancelled TV Shows That We Lost in March 2009, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart. He said Blossom, because Gimme a Break "was done so long ago, it's not really relevant at this point". She had been in rehearsals for ''Raisin,'' a musical adaptation of the play ''A Raisin in the Sun . To each their own though. Nell was at Dolph's bedside during his death, and read his eulogy at his funeral. From 1981 to 1987, viewers tuned into Gimme a Break! Writing for the Washington Post, Tom Shales wrote an especially scathing review of the pilot episode. After the original pilot was filmed NBC told the show producers they wanted to go to series with the show; but they had to redo the pilot. Carters publicist Roger Lane said Carter, Nell Carter, the robustly sassy singer and actress who exploded onto the New York musical stage in the Fats Waller revue Aint Misbehavin and went on to become a popular television star in the series Gimme a Break!, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was, At some point during the mid-1990s, Carter had begun a relationship with a woman named Ann Kaser, but this was not known to the public until after her death. GIMME A BREAK (Entity Number: 1260888) was incorporated on 10/12/2001 in Ohio. Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet (who played The Chief) both played off one another well. It was sad when the actor who played the chief died. cast members, and just focuses on the two boys and Mr. Pappalard. Thelma Hopkins said if the script didn't call for it they wouldn't speak to each other and weren't close outside of the show, but in time managed a decent working relationship. The show "Gimme A Break" was based on a cop who moved his family from New York to California after his wife Margaret passed away and also became the chief of police in a small fictional California town who in turn had this housekeeper named Nell who was no only in charge of the household,but also was in charge of his three daughters too in which Nell was not only the mother to them,but she had some tough love around that too. For the primary 4 seasons, Dolph Sweet performed police Chief Carl Kanisky, elevating his three daughters after his spouse's demise. It's that easy! Lara Jill Miller, in particular, was quite close to her. Visual Entertainment (under license from FremantleMedia) released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break! Gimme A Break! Visual Entertainment released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break!' The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters. [citation needed] The uneasy interaction heightened as the show's success grew heavily in the early seasons, so much that Mitchell and Neigher were dismissed from the show at the behest of Carter just prior to the start of the 198384 season. Officer Simpson also disappeared after Season 5, but it can be assumed that, without the Chief, there was just no excuse for him to be around. McClanahan would not become a regular cast member on Gimme a Break; but she would return to NBC in 1985 for the sitcom Golden Girls. Carter would binge eat. How do they think of this stuff? Nov 05, 2007 #8. One of Nell and Addy's New York neighbors was a young lady named Maggie O'Brien, played by Rosie O'Donnell. premiered on NBC from October 29, 1981, and aired its final episode on May 12, 1987. ", http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gimme-Break-The-Complete-Series/13768. Another episode that aired earlier in the 198485 season, "Baby of the Family", ranked No. A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! Marty (Paul Sand) was their landlord who also owned a Mexican restaurant under the name "Esteban." after the phone rings. I still have not received not even an email from them and I still continue to check on all the following channels just to see if they have brought back this show. On May 8, 1985, actor Dolph Sweet (who portrayed the character of Carl "The Chief" Kanisky) passed away from cancer at the age of 64 and his final appearance on the show aired three days later on the day of his funeral. By this point the girls were all grown up and Dolph Sweet had passed away so there was no father figure in the house. (See the Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, What's Happening, The Partridge Family, etc.). Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. Gimme a Break starred the late great Nell Carter who plays a housekeeper that promises her friend to take care of her husband and three daughters when she dies. One of the episodes is called "Knock Three Times". To the show's credit, they initially did handwave her mother's change in personality as a reaction to her husband's death, but they also changed her name (from Emma to Maybelle) and the actress. Their business is recorded as REGISTERED TRADE NAME. Laurie Hendler who plays "Julie" is shown for only a few seconds at the start of episode 3 season 6 (Below Sea Level) taking a seat behind Nell & Joey on an airplane even though she was fired at the end of season 5. Nell and the Kanisky family lived at 2938 Wells Drive. Sweet continued dropping weight, due to cancer. The series also had to address the real-life death of costar Dolph Sweet. Carter performed the shows catchy theme song, and her performance in the series earned her two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. Mort Lachman, the show's co-creator, was retained as co-producer (he would serve in this role for all six seasons). Dolph Sweet was absent in the first six episodes of the fourth season due to stomach surgery. The fish died in the first episode, and kept coming back in subsequent episodes. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Alpha House. In fact it, along with Fame, Hill Street Blues, Cheers and Taxi became the original Thursday night anchors of "Must See TV" programming on NBC. For the final season, the show underwent a Retool, with most of the cast (minus the older Kanisky daughters) moving to New York City. Carter performed the lyrics in both versions of the theme song. Final episode date. John Hoyt's final acting role was Gimme A Break. was a hit TV present that ran for six seasons from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. 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. Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service (September 30, 1991 to December 31, 1993), TBS Superstation (September 22, 1986 to December 27, 2004) and the USA Network (September 22, 1997 to September 11, 1998). Your email address will not be published. There were two reasons why it didn't happen. FremantleMedia owns the international rights, as they own Thames Television, which acquired Reeves Entertainment Group in 1990. Alter Ego. Gimme a Break! The 1981 TV Guide Fall Preview used this pilot, as the basis for their description of the show. Nell Carter would admit later in interviews that she had a serious cocaine problem when she starred on this show, which spiralled out of control. Privacy Policy. I was 9 years old in 1981 when this show debuted. Two episodes were particularly noteworthy. Spring break was eliminated as a way of reducing travel and thus the spread of COVID-19 amongst The University of Alabama campus community. Two new characters were added to the cast: Addy Wilson, Nell's longtime friend, and Joey Donovan, an abandoned seven-year-old orphan. Parker sat down with Lawrence and had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and thought was a real pro. Date of death. As the show grew in popularity, the cast also grew and they added in Carl's father played by Stanley Kanisky (who is almost like the original dad from Fraiser), Adelaide Wilson, who was Nell's best friend, played by Thelma Hopkins, Howard Morton who played Officer Ralph Simpson, and as all 80's shows of that time didthey added in an adorable kid, this one played by Joey Lawrence (pre Blossom) as adopted son" Joey"clever. Houston played Rita, a friend of Katie Kanisky (Kari Michaelsen). In the episode, Nell decides to have lunch there just to try a new hip place in town, and finds her purse has been stolen. so it is a very stressful job on top of raising his daughters without their mother, But the chemistry Nell and Dolph had was terrific.