hodgespodges2003

I remember seeing this show for the first time about 4 years after it stopped premiering. I fell in love with Cathy Lane. I really didn't want to believe that she and Patty were in and of the same person. There was even a board game at my house on Patty and Cathy. The photographic scenes of the two cousins together were phenomenal for that era. In the last scene of the first season Patty and Cathy initially glare at each other and are actually seen pacing around each other in disbelief. The rear stand-ins were average. At times you could see the faces of the doubles.

The younger sibling, Ross, started out as a pranking brat of a brother. Eventually he segued into a closer relationship with Patty; although he never really had any bouts with his cousin Cathy. Patty's boyfriend Richard reminded me of a teen-aged Donald Hollanger (the boyfriend of Ann Marie--THAT GIRL). In spite of Patty's constant antics, he was often tolerant, understanding, and forgiving. Martin and Natalie Lane, Patty's ever forbearing parents, were ideal for a teenager like their daughter. Martin often gave Patty wise counsel while Natalie tended to be more understanding from a female point of view. Patty and Martin's most touching scene was in the 3rd season when Patty allegedly broke her curfew. Any explanation Patty could give fell on the deaf ears of her father, which caused a rift between the two. Her father finally realized Patty was telling the truth and the result was an emotional dialogue between father and daughter that made Patty Duke's acting stand head and shoulders above any actor her age at that time. Parenthetically her performance in that particular episode was probably a reflection of the difficult times she actually had growing up.

I thought the funniest episodes were when Cathy and Patty were in competition--whether it be for the affections of a boy or as class president. In the final season of TPDS we saw less of the character of Cathy...five episodes without her, to be exact. This was something I did not appreciate. But maybe Miss Duke was getting tired of the dual roles, which could have made it a challenge for her to find herself and discover her place in society.

After viewing a poster on student life overseas, Cathy is relishing the idea of studying in Buenos Aires, when one of her girlfriends suggests her to do so; stipulating that her adopted family wont really miss her. Cathy then sets about to disprove her friend's theory. But later she misinterprets her family's encouragement to study in South America as a ploy to get rid of her. Cathy really doesn't want to go. As a result she fakes her shot record, thinking that would disqualify her for foreign travel; not knowing that Natalie knows what inoculations Cathy has had. This makes the family suspicious. The result: Cathy learns that blood is thicker than the waters of the ocean.

Does anyone remember this particular show when Johnny Carson was not hosting but Roy Clark was the guest host? Ruth Buzzi was a guest that night. She was a good comedienne in her day--quite refreshing from some of the so-called comedy of today. But this particular show must have been embarrassing for her for Roy Clark got up to sing a spiritual song with another guest. Ms. Buzzi apparently thought it was a good time to perform (what normally might have been humorous) an imitation of a chicken rolling around on the stage. Roy and his guest were deep into the song so Ms. Buzzi was ignored as the camera stopped focusing on her and closed in on Roy and his other guests. I suppose Ms. Buzzi might have tried to "play it off" but I remember it every time I see her on any other TV show. I felt sorry for her having to try and "live that down" but I suppose all actors and actresses have regrets. It comes with the territory.

Unbeknown to him, Jeannie transfers her powers to Major Tony Nelson, who, every time he uttered an idiom something would happen. Tony thinks that the bizarre occurrences are a result of Jeannie's tricks. Dr. Bellows walks in on Tony every time something crazy happens. He soon begins to think he is losing his mind. Tony's neighbor had also been affected by his power, and this results in his neighbor's lawnmower running like a car. Later Tony wishes that he could "unload" all his problems on Dr. Bellows. The result--Dr. Bellows inadvertently receives Jeannie's powers. Meanwhile Jeannie confesses to Tony what happened but the two of them can't understand why Tony can't do a trick. Tony reflects on what he said to Dr. Bellows and realizes that the doctor has Jeannies powers. Tony conjures up a way to get back the powers and Dr. Bellows ends up being the "happiest man in the world".

Babs is running for class president. When her father Riley gets wind of it he gets overly involved in gaining support for his daughter's campaign. He secretly gets some of his cronies to help him in getting more votes for his daughter. During the election his friends pose as students registering to vote. Their actions arouse suspicion and they are soon exposed. Things inadvertently get out of hand, and as a result, Babs, humiliated by her father's actions, is very angry and wont speak to him. Sensitive Riley is overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and tries to compensate for his past mistake. Once again Riley goes overboard in trying to win back his daughter's affections. The result--chaos.

I enjoy watching this episode on DVD. Estelle Winwood is excellent in her believable portrayal of an eccentric and portentous old lady. Charles Bronson plays a boorish golddigger while his wife, played by Norma Crane, is a young, blonde whiner with little understanding of what is actually taking place. The only issue that concerns her is her hunger. The final scenes are somewhat ambiguous when one has to decide whether or not the Winwood character is deliberately trying to poison her houseguests. While making the muffins she is looking for rat poison as she "dialogues" with her cat as to those pesky rodents. Then she asks, "Now where did I put that rat poison?" However it does not seem obvious if she intentionally intended to inform her guests that the muffins were poisonous or not. In one scene Winwood "scolds" Bronson in a manner that many today could not relate to. "You have made me very angry. You are indeed a man without honor". I thought to myself, "That's tellin' 'em".

I also loved the show "Up and Coming" and do remember it quite well as being a realistic portrayal of African-American family life. It's a sad commentary that reality among black programming was not acceptable until the mid '80s when "The Cosby Show" was at its prime. But "Up and Coming" may very well have been the catalyst to open doors for popular prime time black sitcoms. I am not sure which was my favorite episode, but there is one I remember as having the best acting I had seen in a long time. It was when one young lady wanted to be adopted by the "Up and Coming" household, but her character was out of kilter with the family. She begged her way back in, amidst tears and repentance, and the family finally gave in to her request.

Excuse me but I searched and searched for Denzel Washington's name in the above list of cast members for the St. Elsewhere TV series. He was without question one of the outstanding actors on the set for the duration of the series. Why is his name not listed?

Obviously he played a significant role for he landed many other outstanding parts from that point on. Mr. Washington not only had an immense amount of talent but he was distinguished and, for all intents and purposes, quite handsome. As far as I could see he ranked up there with the "cream of the crop". All the actors performed quite well; which is one reason I enjoyed watching this program when it premiered. I feel that the crew of actors, with the exception of one or two, played their parts with such realism that I felt it was a "reel"-to-life program. But I fail to understand how someone like Denzel Washington could be overlooked. Am I blind or is his name listed "elsewhere"?