Open All Night

This one just goes to prove that the TV moguls know nothing about what is good. They had a great cast here, and the writers consistently churned out good, laugh-filled scripts. I loved the one where the store was robbed and the Son was locked in the freezer. Dad asked what he did while the store was being robbed and he replied "Well, uh, I ate a roast of beef!"...well maybe you had to be there. This was one of the best, too bad no one watched it, but it ran opposite that great series "The Dukes of Hazzard" and who could pass up that kind of drama?

I remember watching it watching it from the start, I was not a Dukes fan and I didn't exactly care for what was on NBC at the time, either, and in 81 the PBS stations were usually world news programs running opposite it. I watched the first episode and thought, "What a fricken cool theme song!" it was very much like boogie woogie bugle boy, I wish I could download a copy of it off iTunes. It is sad that it was short run. I enjoyed it with my dad, in turn we later watched Open All Hours, and laughed our arses off at the Nurse Gladys Emanual innuendos and other running gags in it, also. That, too, was a good program. I am half hoping that the whole has not been destroyed as some failed programs are. I would like, very much, to own the series on DVD. A friend of mine likes to watch Married With Children, Keeping Up, Are You Being Served, Sanford and Son, I know he would like BOTH coasts' versions of this TV show. The odd part is, with it being on for 4 months in America they almost made more episodes than the original BBC which ran, off and on for 5 years, and they had made only 30 episodes. English broadcast was odd. I think they have adopted the American shooting schedule of one episode for each week, for up to and including 28 to 32 weeks, depending on writing, contracts, ideas with scripts, tempers of the divas, etc....

The writers of this show were 5 years ahead of the pack, the timing between Feester and his step son was great. The acting in general was great. I wish it would have gone on to bigger and better things but unfortunately it did not. It was pulled off the year after a season.It was the kind of show that made you realize that a comedic situation can occur anywhere. It all took place in Gordon Feester's 24 hour convenience store. For some reason I can recall that it was in Connecticut or somewhere "close" to New York City.(similar to a 7-11) slight tensions between step-father and step-son added to comedy as Gordon had to play the cards he was dealt, with a servant-like step-son. I can't remember the Mom that much, but I am sure she was good as well. I also remember the theme song being stuck in my head for a couple of years; it was memorable and incorporated the characters names in it.

The episode I just referenced was written by Merrill Markoe and featured a guest shot by her then-boyfriend David Letterman, a few months before he started on NBC.

Funny you mentioned that. I don't know what in the heck made me look it up tonight, but I did. My brother and I watched that show religiously. That episode when they were robbed, I thought you were gonna say (when the Dad rescued him from the freezer chest) the Dad says "What are you doing Lyin in the freezer" and the kid goes "I'm not lying (we really were robbed)" I mean, yeah, you had to see it (people are reading this going 'yeah, boring') But it was so cool. I was jacked to see it on this site. It was a great show! I mean right up there with John Caponera's sitcom and the 'Neuman from Seinfeld" spin off. The good shows never really seem to last.