I loved tuning in at the age of 7 to see my namesake! Arnie was a fond memory as a child, and I've since gotten a hold of a few episodes on video CD. My favorite is 'Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow' in which Arnie supports his son's school when they require a haircut from the long-haired "hippy" type kid... And a day later Arnie's employer asks him to shave his mustache to maintain the company image!! Here was a show whose very being was based on dramatic conflict, where even the character's name (Nuvo) invoked the concept of Nouveau Riche. But the show never forgot the Prime Directive of comedy and entertainment. Norman Lear could only wish his staff wrote this well. When I cite this show to my friends, I'm proud to be named Arnie.
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ralph641 January 2008
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DKosty12322 July 2007I am not sure what happened to this show. Herschel Bernardi was great as Arnie, the main character. Sue Ann Langdon was excellent as his wife. Roger Bowen (Col Henry Blake of the movie MASH) was excellent as Arnies boss.
The premise was of a blue collar moving up to white collar job based upon his on the job experience & life knowledge. This is the way it used to be done before over priced college degrees, brown nosing & networking replaced this. It is a good premise.
For some reason, CBS pulled the plug on it the second season. I am not sure that they didn't cause it problems by moving the shows time slot too. For some reason, even though it's first season made a big splash, the show did not get what it needed for a long run.
This is too bad, but it might not have kept going long anyways. The real world by then had already gone to the brown nosing method. It is possible that the execs at CBS were afraid they'd bring back fairness to the workplace so they canned it.
The show came on in 1970 which was when CBS was taking extremely popular top 10 rated programs & canceling them to improve their "image". -
svtcobra33121 February 2020I made it a point as a kid to always watch this show. There was something about the chemistry between HB and SAL. My memories: 1. Back then "Polock" jokes were regrettably the rage. This show was the first to point out that these jokes were in poor taste. Although it was a meta-joke, it still made a point that landed with me. 2. When the hourly workers went on strike and some manager tried changing the 5 gallon water bottle, spilling water everywhere. To this day I still think of that image when I change water bottles at home. The takeaway: just because you're paid more doesn't mean the other guy doesn't know things.
This show was thoughtful, well acted, and had a strong moral compass. -
espanyol29 January 2003The history of TV sitcoms can be divided up into all sorts of categories. The "winners" and "losers" are easy to identify. Within those divisions, however, there is one grouping that remains most puzzling: the "near-miss" sitcom. Why didn't a certain show become a bona fide hit? What happened to derail the program before it hit the syndication jackpot?
"Arnie" was one such sitcom. Though the plot was simple (a blue collar dock worker promoted to a management job), it in truth offered all sorts of possibilities. "Arnie" (Arnold Nuvo) was played by the well-respected Herschel Bernardi, an established stage actor (notably Fiddler on the Roof) whose considerable talents were easily adaptable to comedy. On the show, Arnie remained blue-collar at heart despite the promotion, which provided a never-ending stream of conflict (and laughs) with his boss, the stuffy Hamilton Majors, Jr., played to the hilt by Roger Bowen. Established comedienne Sue Ane Langdon played Arnie's wife, Lillian. The show had other dimensions, too, including the Nuvo's two teenage kids, son Richard (played by Del Russel) & daughter Andrea (played by the blonde Stephanie Steele, who briefly challenged the Brady Bunch's Maureen McCormack and Partridge Family's Susan Dey as the teen girl sirens of the day), and Arnie's old dock-worker buddies, including the rotund Julius (played expertly by Tom Pedi), who contributed their own laughs.
The writing was smart and funny as the episodes bounced between work and family-related matters. The ingredients seemed to be in place for a longer run than just two seasons. What happened?
A confluence of factors apparently contributed to the show's demise. Not the least of which was CBS's decision to move "Arnie" away from its coveted Saturday night slot for the 1971-72 campaign, to the incredibly awkward time of 10:30 PM on Monday nights. 10:30 on Monday nights? In the spring of '72 the network finally wised up and moved the show back to its old Saturday slot, but the damage had apparently been done.
Let's also not forget the metamorphosis TV comedy went through at the same time, the introduction of the Norman Lear-style sitcoms like "All in the Family" (which made its debut shortly after "Arnie" in fall 1970) forever changing the TV comedy landscape.
"Arnie" also made some ill-advised structural alterations for the second season. Bowen and his "Hamilton Majors" character left the show, replaced by Charles Nelson Reilly ("Randy Robinson"). The delicious give-and-take between Bowen and Bernardi was thus absent for year two. And the Bernardi-Langdon coupling started to seem a little far-fetched, too, the very middle-aged, balding Bernardi hardly seeming appropriate company for the ravishing Sue Ane, who began to don more seductive attire (like mini-skirts and hot pants) to highlight her astonishing figure after being routinely "dressed down" in season one.
Maybe "Arnie" just lacked the legs to stand on its own, especially after Bowen departed after the first season. It might have been good enough to retain some of the crowd after MTM on Saturday nights, but lacked the pull to recruit viewers on its own. Still, we wish Nick at Nite or another network would bring back "Arnie," even if just for a summer run, especially the first season with Bowen.
In conclusion, had "Arnie" been introduced a few years earlier, before "All in the Family" and the new-style sitcoms, we get the feeling it might have had a longer run. Maybe the timing was just a little off. No matter, it serves as a reminder to sitcoms that there is fine line between making it big, and falling off the radar. -
RDenial22 April 2007I am convinced that this TV series has been completely lost or has been destroyed in a fire or something. I do not ever remember seeing this show in syndicated reruns since it first aired. It does not appear to be available in any format. This was a very funny and popular show and now is completely forgotten except by a few of us. I watched this show every single week when it aired. Admittedly part of the reason being I was totally infatuated with Sue Ann Langdon who played Arnies wife. If you look the word "perky" up in the dictionary chances are that Sue Ann's picture will be displayed. Where was I? Oh yes, Arnie. Anyways, it was a funny show with good characters. If the show has not been lost or destroyed then the good folks at TVland should start airing this immediately. This is a lost treasure that needs to be dug up.
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thomas196x200016 December 2019This was not a great old show. Arnie was a character that was always depressed, always had a problem. I never understood why his perky wife was with him. He could never be happy that he finally got a better job and pay.
How awful the show was could be summarized in one episode. Arnie was either given or was charged with taking care of a beautiful Rolls Royce. Through "hilarious" happenings and misunderstandings, the car is impounded, then sent to the crusher!. Arnie hears about this, then tries to get a ride to the impound yard. He can't get a ride, hilarious! So he asks his son to take him there in his junker, but you have to "turn the key and then pump the pedal 30 times to start!" Meanwhile, back at the junkyard, the Rolls is inline to get crushed and the big magnet is getting closer!
Finally the engine starts and Arnie and son get to the junkyard just in time...to have what is left of the Rolls dumped in front of them in a metal cube.
Wah wah wah.....isn't that funny!
That's Arnie, the show where everything is so crummy that you feel a little better if YOU have a crummy life, because at least it is not as bad as Arnie's! -
timmauk10 April 2001This was a great show about a simple man(Herschel Bernardi) who was once a blue collar worker, but now has moved up to a white collar job. His working dock friends are now wondering if he will now start to look down on them. This show also dealt with his family life as well.
This was more like a Norman Lear show but more polished. The scripts were smart and funny, but also dealt with real serious issues and family problems. This was also one of the first shows with a ethnic lead star/character. Herschel Bernardi, was terrific as Arnie Nuvo. The man who was trying his best to keep it all together. Sue Ann Langdon was great as his loving and supporting wife, who seemed to have all the answers.
I really enjoyed watching it every week and was very disappointed that it was cancelled after one season. Who knows, maybe TV Land will air it again, I hope..... -
nhoj19625 March 2006I've never met a contemporary in the States who even remembers this show. I find that amazing and sad. I lived in Brussels from '67-'72. While we also got a couple BBC shows, my family's options for American TV were limited to 2-3 shows a week.
Over the five years we lived in Brussels, I only recall "Wonderful World of Disney", "Doctari", "I Love Lucy", "Voyage to The Bottom of the Sea" and "Arnie".
Of them all, only "Arnie" became a family viewing event. Of course, due to the dearth of options, we would usually all watch each of the above shows, "Arnie" was the one that the whole family paid attention to, and laughed at together. Mr. Majors stole that show, in our opinion. -
mlevans9 March 2002I have to confess that I haven't see "Arnie" (I somehow remembered the title being "Here's Arnie!") in 32 years. I wish one of the networks would bring it back for a season. As I recall, it was a very solid show.
Herschel Bernardi was around for years, but I will always think of him as Arnie Nuvo, moved from the loading dock to the executive wing, much to the ire of stuffy old Oglivie. Various episodes still pop into my mind: the time they wanted Arnie to shave his mustache; the time they wanted to impress a youthful executive & wanted Arnie to wear a toupe (and Oglivie to die his gray hair); the time Arnie & his wife went on a second honeymoon; etc. (Please note: I was 8 when the show was on the air!)
I finally saw part of the movie MASH about 2001 and was probably the only person on the face of the earth, who saw Roger Bowen as Henry Blake & exclaimed "Oh my gosh! Hamilton Majors, Jr. is playing Henry Blake!" lol
If you get a chance, watch it; I know I will, if I ever do again! -
It's been well over 32 years since I saw this show. I do not remember this series being a really big hit though it made it through a few seasons. It involved a blue collar worker who got moved up to a white collar position. It was funny and it was one of the first sitcoms to successfully cast a minority member in a leading role, long before the Jeffersons "moved on up" to their own show. The one episode I remember is when Arnie's boss announced that he wanted Arnie to throw a surprise birthday party for him. He also specified that it had to be a surprise party, or else, since the boss simply loved surprise parties. How was he supposed to throw a surprise party for his boss when his boss already knew about it in advance, being that he was the one who ordered Arnie to throw the party for him in the first place? Such dilemmas were a part of Arnie's life. I sure would like to see this show again.
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awdmf12 August 2006Elaine Shore was the best surprise of the show. Her comic timing working with Arnie as Felicia, his secretary, made every office scene in that show shine. She put Arnie in his place and added some spunk each time she appeared on screen. The first episode provided a clue about how she would "handle" Arnie by attempting to empty his briefcase while Arnie was embarrassed to show that the contents were simply a brick. From that point on, the show shined in the office and tended to wane in the home scenes. Every time Elaine came on the screen, Tom Pedi, Roger Bowen, Herb Voland, and Herschel Bernardi had a special camaraderie that kept the momentum.
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smyers196311 September 2006I read the other comment and wanted to say that I remember watching the show, too.
The name "Herschel Bernardi" has been ingrained in my mind for all these years and I've tried off and on to remember this show that I enjoyed watching. I didn't remember it being a comedy but that's probably why I liked it. I was pretty young when it aired.
I had looked here before and missed it somehow. Today, I was talking about this with a co-worker and decided to try to look it up again.
"Arnie" has to be the show I remember. Bernardi came back to mind a few months ago when I saw a few episodes of "Peter Gunn." That made me start thinking about this show again. -
whirlawaytc26 May 2007Where are the old "Arnie" shows? Surely, Nick at Nite ought to be able to locate some episodes and use as occasional filler, or perhaps as part of a "forgotten" list of programs that are worth remembering.
I can remember a handful of such shows from my youth, including "Then Came Bronson" with Michael Parks, that were quality productions with unfortunately short life spans. "Arnie" was perhaps a better example, because it was a comedy that truly was funny. But it lasted only two seasons, which was a shame, because there really were elements in the cast and plot that suggested a much-longer run.
Like the old "summer replacement" shows, perhaps Nick can bring back some of these old classics like "Arnie" in the summertime.
Indeed, when "Arnie" debuted along with "Mary Tyler Moore" on the Saturday night CBS fall 1970 lineup, it was hard to tell for a while which was the better show. It seemed to be a dynamite 1-2 comedy punch on Saturday nights. I have never been able to figure out why the show lost its steam and then disappeared completely after the next season, never even surfacing in reruns!
Herschel Bernardi was a multi-talented actor, on both screen and stage, and the back-and-forth between his Arnie Nuvo character and Roger Bowen's Hamilton Majors III was absolute magic, belonging somewhere in the sitcom pantheon. Bowen's character was one of the handful of eccentrics that spiced up the series, all playing off Bernardi. Although he was more renowned for serious roles, Bernardi seemed very comfy in this comedic assignment, with a clever wit complementing his straight-man role much as Judd Hirsch would do in future shows such as Taxi and Dear John.
"Arnie" was awfully funny, but I would also like to see reruns to get another look at the early 70's version of Sue Ane Langdon. I was in my early teens during the "Arnie" years, and sometimes I think my recollections are a bit distorted, but her figure absolutely defied description. My memory might not even do her justice, as I recently saw an old "Love American Style" rerun with Sue Ane and Van Johnson that confirmed my long-ago observations. I was definitely not imagining things; Sue Ane Langdon really was beyond hot in those days. Heck, even the Charlie's Angels girls stood no chance in comparison to Sue Ane in a bikini.
So let's find those old "Arnie" shows. Not only for a good laugh, but for another chance to check out vintage Sue Ane Langdon in action... -
drmark728 September 2007I was 10 when this premiered and watched it regularly. The comment here about Arnie being moved or pre-empted because of political coverage jogged my mind a bit. Remember when that political stuff was on all the network channels and there was nothing else to watch? A nightmare for a kid in 1970. I remember Arnie being a good family show and probably had a crush on Sue Ann Langdon and didn't know it. (As I was 10!) But she was a doll. I remember Charles Nelson Reilly, too. I can't recall Arnie *ever* being shown in reruns. Come on SHOUT FACTORY! Give us a box set! The thing I was most enthused about was that my school teacher told us that Herschel Bernardi was the voice of CHARLIE THE TUNA! So we must have discussed it in class for some reason! I always watched Arnie with that in mind.