Easy Street

I watched this show in reruns, and it was actually extremely funny. Dana Ivey and James Cromwell were a scream as the brother and sister-in-law. The writing was sharp and the cast of veteran actors did as much as they could with the material.

I think the show didn't have a chance, coming as it did right in the shadow of Loni Anderson's WKRP success. People were either waiting for Anderson to bomb, or wanting her to be Jennifer Marlowe again. The show was not given enough time to develop, nor was it allowed to stand on its own merits without the inevitable comparisons to WKRP.

I wish Lifetime or TVLand would show reruns of it again. Just long enough for me to see the episode where James Cromwell gets in a fist fight at a Lakers game again.

I'd love to see reruns of this show if nothing more than to hear "Illegal Smile", the theme song written and sang by the late great John Prine. Having my favorite character actor and my favorite song writer together somehow seems mighty fitting.

I thought this show was excellent - Loni Anderson was great as a showgirl who married a young rich husband - who unfortunately passed away - leaving her to defend herself against the remaining family members of her late husband, who want her to get none of the money, and to simply be out of the picture. While she wants to be fair, she intends to take care of herself also, and not be pushed out of what is rightfully hers.

The supporting cast was fantastic, though I wish I could remember the names - James Cromwell was the yuppie husband of his evil socialite wife, who is a great actress. Jack Elam was fantastic, and had he not passed away a couple of years back, would have been great to have seen in an update.

I thought this show was intelligent - it showed some of the world of the "snobs" - including some of the very real pressures on them, in a very comical setting. And of course, Loni Anderson looked great!

I'm really bored so I feel the need to write a review of the pilot episode I saw when it originally aired way back in 1986.

This series was obviously a rehash of 'The Beverly Hillbillies' with a fish out of water scenario.

The premise: Two elderly grizzle impoverished rednecks have nothing better to do than joke about killing themselves when Loni Anderson arrives as one of their long lost daughter or granddaughters.

Anderson has hit it big time as a showgirl gold digger and married a Beverly Hills billionaire. After a brief marriage she's become a mega rich widow and come to rescue her grizzel father or grandfather and his friend from a life of poverty.

The troubles in paradise come from the late husband's family headed by villain James Cromwell. ('Babe') The fact that I can still remember the plot after all these years means it was either really good or really bad. But I honestly cannot remember which.

This show experienced a short renaissance on Lifetime Television Network in the early 90s. The writing was, for the most part, good (and in some cases, downright smashing). Unfortunately, a lot of expectations were riding on Loni Anderson's ability to score a hit after leaving WKRP in Cincinnati (this was her first series after that show). And when the show failed to deliver the numbers that were expected (due in part, I think, to poor scheduling and inadequate promotion by the network), the show went into a rapid downward spiral. Which is a pity, because Anderson gathered perhaps one of the finest casts imaginable for this show. Broadway actress Dana Ivey and future-Oscar-nominee James Cromwell shone as the rich in-laws who are constantly trying to oust Anderson's character from their midst. Ivey and Cromwell wrung every bit of comic juice from the material, with Ivey stealing (characteristically) pretty much every scene she was in. Unfortunately, the show was canceled before it could hit its stride, and the actors went on to greener pastures. I think, if it had been given a chance, it could have been a hit.