Brothers and Sisters (1979 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Brothers and Sisters is an American sitcom
that aired on NBC
from January to April 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the 1978 motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House
. It was the second of three frat-house comedy series to air in early 1979
(the others were ABC
's Delta House and CBS
' Co-Ed Fever).
starring as Dean Larry Crandall. Chris Lemmon
(Milos "Checko" Sabolcik), Jon Cutler
(Larry Zipper), and Randy Brooks (Ronald Holmes III) play three students who live in the basement of Pi Nu fraternity, nicknamed "Le Dump". Rather than attend class, the three cellar-dwellers create havoc with the more straight-laced members of the fraternity, and interact with the Gamma Iota sorority sisters that live nearby.
On January 21, NBC debuted Brothers and Sisters as a follow-up to their telecast of Super Bowl XIII
, three days after ABC aired the first episode of its Animal House-inspired series (which was, in fact, the official series in everything but name). Two weeks later (February 4), Co-Ed Fever made its debut on CBS after a broadcast of the motion picture Rocky
, but all three "frat-house
" series were off the air by the end of April (with Co-Ed Fever having only one episode broadcast). Brothers and Sisters made its last appearance on April 6, 1979; Delta House followed suit on April 21, 1979.
The show's lack of success became apparent when series regular Mary Crosby
turned up as a celebrity on NBC's Hollywood Squares
for a week in March 1979; host Peter Marshall
mentioned Brothers and Sisters as airing "on another network", only to be informed by Crosby that they were, in fact, on the same network.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from January to April 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the 1978 motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis. The film was a direct spin-off of National Lampoon magazine...
. It was the second of three frat-house comedy series to air in early 1979
1979 in television
The year 1979 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1979.For the American TV schedule, see: 1979-80 American network television schedule.-Events:...
(the others were ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Delta House and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' Co-Ed Fever).
Synopsis
Brothers and Sisters takes place on the campus of Crandall College, with William WindomWilliam Windom (actor)
William Windom is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his work on television, including several episodes of The Twilight Zone; playing the character of Glen Morley, a congressman from Minnesota like his own great-grandfather and namesake in The Farmer's Daughter; the character of John...
starring as Dean Larry Crandall. Chris Lemmon
Chris Lemmon
-History:Lemmon was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Cynthia Stone and actor Jack Lemmon. With a natural talent for music, he was encouraged by his father to study piano. Lemmon considered playing piano professionally after having graduated from the California Institute of the...
(Milos "Checko" Sabolcik), Jon Cutler
Jon Cutler
Jon Cutler is an American house DJ from Brooklyn.Cutler has lived in New York City all his life. He began DJing at the age of 15, and studied photography at the School of Visual Arts before returning to house music full-time...
(Larry Zipper), and Randy Brooks (Ronald Holmes III) play three students who live in the basement of Pi Nu fraternity, nicknamed "Le Dump". Rather than attend class, the three cellar-dwellers create havoc with the more straight-laced members of the fraternity, and interact with the Gamma Iota sorority sisters that live nearby.
On January 21, NBC debuted Brothers and Sisters as a follow-up to their telecast of Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
, three days after ABC aired the first episode of its Animal House-inspired series (which was, in fact, the official series in everything but name). Two weeks later (February 4), Co-Ed Fever made its debut on CBS after a broadcast of the motion picture Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, but all three "frat-house
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
" series were off the air by the end of April (with Co-Ed Fever having only one episode broadcast). Brothers and Sisters made its last appearance on April 6, 1979; Delta House followed suit on April 21, 1979.
The show's lack of success became apparent when series regular Mary Crosby
Mary Crosby
Mary Frances Crosby is an American actress. She is most often credited as simply Mary Crosby for her performances.-Early life:...
turned up as a celebrity on NBC's Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
for a week in March 1979; host Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall (game show host)
Peter Marshall is an American television and radio personality, singer, and actor.He was the original host of The Hollywood Squares, from 1966 to 1981. He has almost fifty television, movie, and Broadway credits...
mentioned Brothers and Sisters as airing "on another network", only to be informed by Crosby that they were, in fact, on the same network.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Chris Lemmon Chris Lemmon -History:Lemmon was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Cynthia Stone and actor Jack Lemmon. With a natural talent for music, he was encouraged by his father to study piano. Lemmon considered playing piano professionally after having graduated from the California Institute of the... |
Milos "Checko" Sabolcik |
| William Windom | Larry Crandall |
| Mary Crosby Mary Crosby Mary Frances Crosby is an American actress. She is most often credited as simply Mary Crosby for her performances.-Early life:... |
Suzy Cooper |
| Randy Brooks | Ronald Holmes III |
| Larry Anderson | Harlan Ramsey |
| Jon Cutler | Stanley Zipper |
| Roy Teicher | Seymour |
| Amy Johnston | Mary Lee |
Episodes
| № | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 1979 January 21 |
| 2 | "High Times" | 1979 January 26 |
| 3 | "Man in Chains" | 1979 February 2 |
| 4 | "Mirror Image" | 1979 February 9 |
| 5 | "Made in Japan" | 1979 February 16 |
| 6 | "A Wrenching Problem" | 1979 February 23 |
| 7 | "Lucky Me" | 1979 March 9 |
| 8 | "Love and Marriage" | 1979 March 16 |
| 9 | "Spring Vacation" | 1979 March 23 |
| 10 | "Save the Monkey" | 1979 March 28 |
| 11 | "Main Event" | 1979 March 30 |
| 12 | "Truth or Consequences" | 1979 April 6 |