Nine to Five (TV series)
Encyclopedia
9 to 5 is an American situation comedy
based on the 1980 film of the same name. The series aired on ABC
from 1982 to 1983, and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1988.
9 to 5 features Rachel Dennison, Dolly Parton
's younger sister, in Parton's role of Doralee Rhodes; Rita Moreno
portrayed the Lily Tomlin
role of Violet Newstead, and Valerie Curtin
took the Jane Fonda
role of Judy Bernly. In the second version of the show, Sally Struthers
replaced Moreno. A total of 82 episodes were filmed. The first season was on film in front of a studio audience but switched to videotape
for the next season.
Cast changes were constant early on, as the show tried to find the right ensemble combination. Jeffrey Tambor
was the original Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman
's character from the film) during the spring 1982 run, but that fall Peter Bonerz
replaced him in that role. He would remain throughout the rest of 9 to 5s ABC run. In another key element straight from the movie, resident flunky to Mr. Hart, office snoop Roz Keith, was played by (Jean Marsh
). Roz was responsible for digging up the personal dirt on the secretaries and to help Hart scheme his way to the very top.
Season 2 also saw the addition of Herb Edelman
as fatherly salesman Harry Nussbaum, who became an ally to Violet, Judy and Doralee in their schemes against Mr. Hart. Another co-worker, Clair (Ann Weldon), became a regular.
Ratings
1982-' 83: #15
stepped in to helm the show in their stead. His vision for the show included many changes, which tried to add a new angle without taking the premise away from the original movie and TV format.
The Fonda character of Judy Bernly, portrayed by Valerie Curtin, was written out for the purposes of replacing her with a younger, 20-something secretary, Linda Bowman (Leah Ayres
). She instantly became friends with Violet and Doralee, so much that she subsequently became a roommate of theirs in Violet's apartment. Also inhabiting this living arrangement was Violet's 12-year-old son Tommy (played by Tony La Torre, in between his stints on CBS
' oft-cancelled Cagney & Lacey
). Salesman Nussbaum was also replaced, by Michael Henderson (George Deloy), and Komack also dropped office snoop Roz. Additionally, the company setting changed from Consolidated Companies to American House.
The revamp failed to improve ratings, and the series was cancelled five episodes into the new season. As ABC decided to pull the plug on 9 to 5 just a month into the season, only five episodes were broadcast in the 1983-84 season, with two episodes remaining unaired.
Ratings
Fall 1983: #75
In the syndicated version, Franklin Hart was history; the girls' superiors were ladies' man Russ Merman (Peter Evans), Bud Coleman (Edward Winter), and Marsha's boss in the 1986-87 season, Charmin Cunningham (Dorian Lopinto). The following season, Vice President of Sales E. Nelson Felb (Fred Applegate
) became Marsha's boss. The series enjoyed a revival in popularity, and with its additional seasons in first-run syndication, 9 to 5 became eligible for rerun syndication.
", by Dolly Parton, was used as the theme song for the TV series. However, during the first season run in spring 1982, Phoebe Snow
performed the vocals. Starting with Season 2 and through the end of the show's syndication run in 1988, Parton sang the theme once again.
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...
based on the 1980 film of the same name. The series aired on 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...
from 1982 to 1983, and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1988.
9 to 5 features Rachel Dennison, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's younger sister, in Parton's role of Doralee Rhodes; Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
portrayed the Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
role of Violet Newstead, and Valerie Curtin
Valerie Curtin
-Biography:Curtin was born in New York City, the daughter of radio actor Joseph Curtin. She is a cousin of TV comedian/actress Jane Curtin...
took the Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
role of Judy Bernly. In the second version of the show, Sally Struthers
Sally Struthers
Sally Ann Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best-known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls.-Personal life:...
replaced Moreno. A total of 82 episodes were filmed. The first season was on film in front of a studio audience but switched to videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
for the next season.
Seasons 1–2
The first two seasons' opening credits featured clips from the 1980 movie trailer, of various office duties being performed.Cast changes were constant early on, as the show tried to find the right ensemble combination. Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
was the original Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
's character from the film) during the spring 1982 run, but that fall Peter Bonerz
Peter Bonerz
Peter Bonerz is an American actor and director who is best known as the character Dr. Jerry Robinson on The Bob Newhart Show....
replaced him in that role. He would remain throughout the rest of 9 to 5s ABC run. In another key element straight from the movie, resident flunky to Mr. Hart, office snoop Roz Keith, was played by (Jean Marsh
Jean Marsh
Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh is an English actress, occasional screenwriter, and co-creator of the television series Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliott....
). Roz was responsible for digging up the personal dirt on the secretaries and to help Hart scheme his way to the very top.
Season 2 also saw the addition of Herb Edelman
Herb Edelman
Herbert "Herb" Edelman was an American actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. One of his best remembered roles was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of Dorothy Zbornak on the long-running situation comedy, The Golden Girls...
as fatherly salesman Harry Nussbaum, who became an ally to Violet, Judy and Doralee in their schemes against Mr. Hart. Another co-worker, Clair (Ann Weldon), became a regular.
Ratings
1982-' 83: #15
Season 3
Jane Fonda, who also developed the film version, acted as executive producer during the show's first two seasons. However, she disassociated herself after a dispute over the direction of the show. Her co-producer Bruce Gilbert went with her. Prior to the start of Season 3, veteran TV actor and producer James KomackJames Komack
James Komack was an American actor, writer and film producer. Komack was in the original cast of the Broadway musical Damn Yankees and also in the film version; in both productions, he was one of the baseball players who perform the song " Heart"...
stepped in to helm the show in their stead. His vision for the show included many changes, which tried to add a new angle without taking the premise away from the original movie and TV format.
The Fonda character of Judy Bernly, portrayed by Valerie Curtin, was written out for the purposes of replacing her with a younger, 20-something secretary, Linda Bowman (Leah Ayres
Leah Ayres
Leah Ayres is an American actress who played Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial, The Edge of Night, in the early 1980s. Ayres is well known for her role in Bloodsport, alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme...
). She instantly became friends with Violet and Doralee, so much that she subsequently became a roommate of theirs in Violet's apartment. Also inhabiting this living arrangement was Violet's 12-year-old son Tommy (played by Tony La Torre, in between his stints on 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...
' oft-cancelled Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...
). Salesman Nussbaum was also replaced, by Michael Henderson (George Deloy), and Komack also dropped office snoop Roz. Additionally, the company setting changed from Consolidated Companies to American House.
The revamp failed to improve ratings, and the series was cancelled five episodes into the new season. As ABC decided to pull the plug on 9 to 5 just a month into the season, only five episodes were broadcast in the 1983-84 season, with two episodes remaining unaired.
Ratings
Fall 1983: #75
First-run syndication
New episodes of 9 to 5 resurfaced in first-run syndication in Fall 1986. Valerie Curtin was back as Judy Bernly as was Rachel Dennison. Assuming the starring role, in place of the unavailable Rita Moreno, was Sally Struthers as slightly naive single mother Marsha McMurray Shrimpton, who added fresh perspective to the group. For the second time in the TV series, the company that the lead characters worked for changed again, this time to Barkley Foods International.In the syndicated version, Franklin Hart was history; the girls' superiors were ladies' man Russ Merman (Peter Evans), Bud Coleman (Edward Winter), and Marsha's boss in the 1986-87 season, Charmin Cunningham (Dorian Lopinto). The following season, Vice President of Sales E. Nelson Felb (Fred Applegate
Fred Applegate (actor)
Frederick Applegate is an American actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for originating the roles of Inspector Kemp and The Blind Hermit in The New MEL BROOKS Musical Young Frankenstein. Other Broadway credits include M. Dindon/M...
) became Marsha's boss. The series enjoyed a revival in popularity, and with its additional seasons in first-run syndication, 9 to 5 became eligible for rerun syndication.
1982–1983 version
- Rita MorenoRita MorenoRita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
... Violet Newstead - Rachel Dennison ... Doralee Rhodes Brooks
- Valerie CurtinValerie Curtin-Biography:Curtin was born in New York City, the daughter of radio actor Joseph Curtin. She is a cousin of TV comedian/actress Jane Curtin...
... Judy Bernly (March 1982–May 1983) - Peter BonerzPeter BonerzPeter Bonerz is an American actor and director who is best known as the character Dr. Jerry Robinson on The Bob Newhart Show....
... Franklin Hart (September 1982–October 1983) - Herb EdelmanHerb EdelmanHerbert "Herb" Edelman was an American actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. One of his best remembered roles was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of Dorothy Zbornak on the long-running situation comedy, The Golden Girls...
... Harry Nussbaum (September 1982–May 1983) - Jean MarshJean MarshJean Lyndsey Torren Marsh is an English actress, occasional screenwriter, and co-creator of the television series Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliott....
... Roz Keith (March 1982–May 1983) - Ann Weldon ... Clair (September 1982–October 1983)
- Jeffrey TamborJeffrey TamborJeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
... Franklin Hart (March–April 1982) - Leah AyresLeah AyresLeah Ayres is an American actress who played Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial, The Edge of Night, in the early 1980s. Ayres is well known for her role in Bloodsport, alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme...
... Linda Bowman (September–October 1983) - George Deloy ... Michael Henderson (September–October 1983)
- Tony La Torre ... Tommy (September–October 1983)
1986–1988 version
- Sally StruthersSally StruthersSally Ann Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best-known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls.-Personal life:...
... Marsha McMurray Shrimpton - Rachel Dennison ... Doralee Rhodes Brooks
- Valerie Curtin ... Judy Bernly
- Edward Winter ... William 'Bud' Coleman
- Dorian Lopinto ... Charmin Cunningham (1986–1987)
- Fred ApplegateFred Applegate (actor)Frederick Applegate is an American actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for originating the roles of Inspector Kemp and The Blind Hermit in The New MEL BROOKS Musical Young Frankenstein. Other Broadway credits include M. Dindon/M...
... E. Nelson Felb (1987–1988) - Art EvansArt EvansArthur James "Art" Evans is an American actor who has made multiple film and television program appearances over the span of three decades....
... Morgan - Peter Evans ... Russ Merman
- James Martinez ... James
Theme music
The hit title song from the movie "9 to 59 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)
"9 to 5" is a song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
", by Dolly Parton, was used as the theme song for the TV series. However, during the first season run in spring 1982, Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Snow was a fictional character created by Earnest Elmo Calkins to promote the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The advertising campaign, based on a live model, using impressionistic techniques and a fictional character, was one of the first of its kind.-The advertising...
performed the vocals. Starting with Season 2 and through the end of the show's syndication run in 1988, Parton sang the theme once again.
Differences between the film and TV series
In addition to the numerous casting, character, setting and theme changes mentioned above:- In the television series, Violet is a widow with four children, the most visible of whom is Tommy, while in the movie she had four children, but we only meet her son Josh.
- In the television series, Violet's maiden name is Fernandez, (due to Rita Moreno's playing Violet as a fiery Latina woman) while in the movie, Violet's maiden name is not disclosed.
- In the TV series, Hart's hard edge was softened considerably, and was portrayed more as a bumbling and incompetent idiot than the despotic tyrant he was in the movie.