On Our Own

You can tell from the posts on this page that On Our Own was not a big hit. But, the audience for this show would be phenomenally large for any show today. I watched a few episodes but millions of others must have, too. I looked and acted a lot like Lynne Greene. Everywhere I went, parties, discos, total strangers told me I looked and acted like this actress (who was an inch taller and ten pounds thinner than me.) Even my family, living 1,500 miles away, called me long distance telling me to turn on the TV to watch my double. Not just because I look like her, I thought the character was a good one, really funny. In the second season, the characters were no longer roommates. One night, the Bess Armstrong character got sick. Being out of town and young, she did not have a doctor in NYC, so she called Maria, the New Yorker. Of course, Maria had the phone number of a cousin who was a doctor. When reading the number to Bess, she began, "Area code...." Back then, that meant long distance! What a trip.

I was 12 when this show aired. I remember my whole family really enjoyed watching it every week. I was disappointed it was canceled after only one season. I would love to see it again. Some shows stick in your memory and others don't despite the length of the run of the show. I have always followed what the cast did after the series ended. I'm really glad that Lynne Greene had a successful career behind the scenes. She was a great actress especially in her appearances on Golden Girls as a young "Dorothy". I was sad to hear that Gretchen Wyler died this year of cancer. She was a brilliant actress on TV and on Broadway. Bess Armstrong is still going strong. It is a credit to the casting of On Own that the cast went on to have long careers, although, not high profile. I doubt this show will ever show up on DVD but it would be nice to see it again.

The front of my house and even my current apartment were used in the opening credits. One of the characters opens a window and leans out holding a cup of coffee. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I'd love one episode of this to show my husband and child.

It was filmed very quickly in the mid 1970's. I don't think they were here more than two days, it may have only been one day. I just remember being really excited that our building was going to be on TV.

Because of the house I would faithfully watch it each week. Although as an eleven year old I don't think I was quite the target audience and I found it a bit boring.

This same apartment was in the running to be in Spike Lee's Malcolm X. The key selling point to the apartment at that time was that it has bay windows and you could see the living room from the kitchen--it was supposed to be the Boston girlfriend's apartment. We didn't make that one.

I was only 8 when this show was on the air, so I don't remember it too well. I was on the last two episodes of this show.. I played Danny Aiello's daughter. I have great memories of the cast and it was an experience that will stay with me forever. I was an extra of sorts. I was Danny Aiello's daughter, who was Lynne Greene's love interest. I had a brother who I can't remember his name, but always wondered what ever happened to him. I am now all grown up, and live in Connecticut with two children of my own. I always tell my children how it would be so cool to show them how their Mom was on television. Is there anyway I could acquire a copy of the last two episodes?

An attempt at creating another "Laverne and Shirley," "On Our Own" also featured the pairing of a cute perky Shirley-type (Julia) and a not-so-cute street-wise Laverne-type (Maria). The best thing about this series was the discovery of Bess Armstrong as Julia. She was very cute in this series which otherwise was a snooze-fest. Not a terrible show, just nothing to distinguish it from any other sitcom.