Star of the Family

Star of the Family is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 30 to December 9, 1982. The show featured Brian Dennehy as fire chief Leslie "Buddy" Krebs and Katherine Saltzberg, then Maisnik, as his singer daughter, Jennie Lee Krebs. The show was developed by Robin Williams, then an ABC star in Mork & Mindy.[1]

For the 1950–1952 CBS variety series, see Star of the Family (TV program).
Star of the Family
Main cast
GenreSitcom
Created byStu Silver
Rick Mitz
StarringBrian Dennehy
Katherine Saltzberg
Michael Dudikoff
Todd Susman
Evonne Kezios
Opening theme"Movin' Along" performed by Kathy Maisnik
ComposerSteve Nelson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producersCharles H. Joffe
Buddy Morra
Larry Brezner
ProducersStu Silver
Paul Waigner
Jack Siefert
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyParamount Television
Release
Original networkABC
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 30 (1982-09-30) –
December 9, 1982 (1982-12-09)

The series debuted on September 30, 1982 on Thursdays after Joanie Loves Chachi, and was canceled after ten episodes.

Synopsis

Fire Captain Buddy Krebs' (Dennehy) 16-year-old daughter Jennie Lee (Saltzberg) begins getting show-business offers because of her singing talents in the country/pop genre. This scares Buddy because he does not want his daughter to grow up too fast.[2] Adding to his troubles are: his wife runs off with a bellhop; his 17-year-old son (Michael Dudikoff) has more muscles than brains; and his crew at the firehouse are "strange" Leo Feldman (Todd Susman) tells his mother he is a doctor instead of a fireman, Frank Rosetti (George Deloy) has only sex on the brain and Max Hernandez (Danny Mora), a Hispanic, speaks fractured English. Finally, his daughter signs with a manager named Judy "Moose" Wells (Judy Pioli); the name fits the description of the woman. Another character on the series was named Tiffany (played by Amanda Wyss).

Casting

Kathy Maisnik was 19 years old when she was cast as Jennie Lee; Star of the Family was her first professional acting role. Executive producer Larry Brezner said, "The determination to cast her came from Brian Dennehy more than anyone else. We were down to three girls, and each of them had to come in and play the role with 20 network executives looking on. She was the only one who you believed could have stood up to Brian."[3]

Reception

Barbara Holsopple of The Pittsburgh Press said that the show is "great family fun and boasts two gems... Just watching their faces as they react to each other makes your mouth smile as something tugs at your heart."[4]

Bill Hayden of the Gannett News Service panned the show, saying, "Brian Dennehey and Kathy Maisnik deserve medals for valor. These very talented performers are forced to waste their skills as the leads of Star of the Family... The producers have taken what is a bright, engaging concept and encumbered it with so many stock characters and situations that it is a prematurely tired, routine comedy."[5]

Cast

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Pilot"Joel ZwickStu SilverSeptember 30, 1982 (1982-09-30)
2"The Critic"TBATBAOctober 14, 1982 (1982-10-14)
3"Save My Life, Please"TBATBAOctober 21, 1982 (1982-10-21)
4"Marking Time"TBATBAOctober 28, 1982 (1982-10-28)
5"Quiet Kind of Hero"TBATBANovember 4, 1982 (1982-11-04)
6"Spring Is in the Air"TBATBANovember 11, 1982 (1982-11-11)
7"I Got It Good and That Ain't Good"TBATBANovember 18, 1982 (1982-11-18)
8"The Boy Next Door"TBATBANovember 18, 1982 (1982-11-18)
9"Phil"TBATBADecember 2, 1982 (1982-12-02)
10"Arcade Wars"TBATBADecember 9, 1982 (1982-12-09)

US TV Ratings
Season Episodes Start Date End Date Nielsen Rank Nielsen Rating Tied With
1982-83 10 September 30, 1982 December 9, 1982 84[6] N/A N/A

References
  1. Hughes, Mike (September 29, 1982). "Teen savors life as overnight star". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. Alexander, Rodi (August 27, 1982). "Presenting Kathy Maisnik, a Sparkling New ABC Find". The North Jersey News. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  3. Bianculli, David (October 10, 1982). "Kathy Maisnik Wants To Be a 'Star'". Knight-Ridder. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. Holsapple, Barbara (September 30, 1982). "Two Sitcoms Nicely Mine Human Nature". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. Hayden, Bill (October 21, 1982). "'Star of the Family': Good idea gone awry". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". Retrieved 1 April 2018.


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