Skag (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Skag is a short-lived American
drama series
that aired on NBC
and starred Karl Malden
. Skag originated as a three-hour television movie
that aired on January 6, 1980 (as an installment of The Big Event
). Over a week later, it then premiered as a weekly series, Thursdays at 10/9c, which ran from January 17, 1980 until its cancellation on February 21, 1980.
Skag focused on the life of a foreman at a Pittsburgh
steel mill
. Malden described his character, Pete Skagska, as a simple man trying to keep his family together. The series was created by Abby Mann
, and executive produced by Mann and Lee Rich (Eight is Enough
).
-Orthodox ancestry, who dealt with a lot of fire in both his professional and personal lives. The dark lairs of welding, colossal machinery, and working-class ideals from the people he supervised was the only life Skag knew, until a series of events turned his world upside down. On the homefront, his devoted second wife Jo (Piper Laurie
), 12 years his junior and the only Jewish member of the Skagska family, was at times growing distant from Pete; his two eldest sons, David (Craig Wasson
) and John (Peter Gallagher
) were also growing apart from him, but were feuding with him over their radically different ideals and their respective decisions in life; and most profoundly, his elderly father, Petar Sr. (George Voskovec), who also lived in the household, was suffering from the aftermath of a debilitating stroke
. Skag's concern and mental anguish over these issues was about to reach its boiling point just as Skag suddenly suffered a stroke as well, finding himself incapacitated, emotionally scarred, and unemployed for an untold period of time.
Throughout the rest of the movie and the brief five-episode run of the series, Skag is forced to make some monumental decisions in his life, as he slowly regains his physical abilities and comes to terms with the fact that retirement may come early, due to possible less competence in his line of work. The larger obstacle in Skag's life was perhaps not so much his health or job, but of his disapproval and difficulty understanding the values of a changing world. All his life, Skag was a staunch traditionalist, and viewed modern society with scorn and derision. This ultimately caused the rift between him and his sons; Skag hoped that oldest David, who worked at the steel mill with him, would carry on the Skagska name and take over the local industry someday. David, unfortunately, felt uncomfortable about his job, due to its high safety risk and his concern about being labeled in the meantime as just a blue-collar on the bottom rung of society. Second oldest John was in medical school, and was more concerned about making money as a successful doctor than in his family, which also caused many showdowns between him and Skag. More issues arose from Skag's two teenage daughters, 18-year-old Barbara (Leslie Ackerman
), who was painfully shy and insecure; and 15-year-old Patricia (Kathryn Holcomb), whose obesity clashed with her growing pains and teenage hormones to the point that she became sexually promiscuous with boys, in a desperate attempt to be popular.
During his rehabilitation period, Skag decided to promote another younger "star worker" at the steel mill, Whalen (Powers Boothe
), to take over as foreman; it was evident from the start that Whalen wished to covet the job on a full time basis, which both relieved and upset Skag. Since Whalen was hired only as a second choice after son David, Skag, in his old-fashioned ways, believed that a younger person outside the family who ran the fort would deplete the work ethic that Skag and many others had worked hard to maintain for many generations. Skag was able to vent his frustrations to Jo, who at this time, found herself mending bridges with her husband, even if not all was perfect; and with father Petar, who would sit with his equally debilitated son and relate to his sentiments on the changing world and how it made them break down inside.
Paczka (Frank Campanella
) was a tenured worker at the steel mill, and Dottie Jessup (Shirley Stoler
) a neighbor and friend of the Skagska family.
One leftover episode of Skag remained after the cancellation that did not air on NBC.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
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...
and starred Karl Malden
Karl Malden
Karl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
. Skag originated as a three-hour television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that aired on January 6, 1980 (as an installment of The Big Event
The Big Event
The Big Event was a major World Wrestling Federation show which took place on August 28, 1986 at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show drew a legitimate crowd of 61,470 fans which was an outdoor attendance record at the time. The event set an attendance record for a...
). Over a week later, it then premiered as a weekly series, Thursdays at 10/9c, which ran from January 17, 1980 until its cancellation on February 21, 1980.
Skag focused on the life of a foreman at a Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
. Malden described his character, Pete Skagska, as a simple man trying to keep his family together. The series was created by Abby Mann
Abby Mann
Abby Mann was an American film writer and producer.-Life and career:Born as Abraham Goodman in Philadelphia, he grew up in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was best known for his work on controversial subjects and social drama...
, and executive produced by Mann and Lee Rich (Eight is Enough
Eight Is Enough
Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...
).
Synopsis
The opening three-hour movie pilot introduces viewers to 56-year-old Pete "Skag" Skagska (Malden), a hard-working steel mill foreman of SerbianSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
-Orthodox ancestry, who dealt with a lot of fire in both his professional and personal lives. The dark lairs of welding, colossal machinery, and working-class ideals from the people he supervised was the only life Skag knew, until a series of events turned his world upside down. On the homefront, his devoted second wife Jo (Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...
), 12 years his junior and the only Jewish member of the Skagska family, was at times growing distant from Pete; his two eldest sons, David (Craig Wasson
Craig Wasson
-Career:Wasson's first feature film was the 1977 suspense thriller Rollercoaster. In 1978, he appeared in two films about the Vietnam war: first as a private in The Boys in Company C and then as a corporal in Go Tell the Spartans. In 1982, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
) and John (Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
) were also growing apart from him, but were feuding with him over their radically different ideals and their respective decisions in life; and most profoundly, his elderly father, Petar Sr. (George Voskovec), who also lived in the household, was suffering from the aftermath of a debilitating stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Skag's concern and mental anguish over these issues was about to reach its boiling point just as Skag suddenly suffered a stroke as well, finding himself incapacitated, emotionally scarred, and unemployed for an untold period of time.
Throughout the rest of the movie and the brief five-episode run of the series, Skag is forced to make some monumental decisions in his life, as he slowly regains his physical abilities and comes to terms with the fact that retirement may come early, due to possible less competence in his line of work. The larger obstacle in Skag's life was perhaps not so much his health or job, but of his disapproval and difficulty understanding the values of a changing world. All his life, Skag was a staunch traditionalist, and viewed modern society with scorn and derision. This ultimately caused the rift between him and his sons; Skag hoped that oldest David, who worked at the steel mill with him, would carry on the Skagska name and take over the local industry someday. David, unfortunately, felt uncomfortable about his job, due to its high safety risk and his concern about being labeled in the meantime as just a blue-collar on the bottom rung of society. Second oldest John was in medical school, and was more concerned about making money as a successful doctor than in his family, which also caused many showdowns between him and Skag. More issues arose from Skag's two teenage daughters, 18-year-old Barbara (Leslie Ackerman
Leslie Ackerman
Leslie Ackerman is an American actress from New Jersey.She is well known to Star Trek fans for her role as the attractive waitress in the popular Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1996 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"....
), who was painfully shy and insecure; and 15-year-old Patricia (Kathryn Holcomb), whose obesity clashed with her growing pains and teenage hormones to the point that she became sexually promiscuous with boys, in a desperate attempt to be popular.
During his rehabilitation period, Skag decided to promote another younger "star worker" at the steel mill, Whalen (Powers Boothe
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
), to take over as foreman; it was evident from the start that Whalen wished to covet the job on a full time basis, which both relieved and upset Skag. Since Whalen was hired only as a second choice after son David, Skag, in his old-fashioned ways, believed that a younger person outside the family who ran the fort would deplete the work ethic that Skag and many others had worked hard to maintain for many generations. Skag was able to vent his frustrations to Jo, who at this time, found herself mending bridges with her husband, even if not all was perfect; and with father Petar, who would sit with his equally debilitated son and relate to his sentiments on the changing world and how it made them break down inside.
Paczka (Frank Campanella
Frank Campanella
Frank Campanella was an American character actor.Campanella was born in New York City, the son of Sicilian immigrants Mary O. and Philip Campanella, a musician. He was the brother of actor Joseph Campanella and spoke mostly Italian growing up; this proved useful during World War II, when he worked...
) was a tenured worker at the steel mill, and Dottie Jessup (Shirley Stoler
Shirley Stoler
Shirley Stoler was an American actress best known for her roles in The Honeymoon Killers and Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties.-Career:...
) a neighbor and friend of the Skagska family.
Cast
- Karl MaldenKarl MaldenKarl Malden was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, he performed in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, On the Waterfront and One-Eyed Jacks...
as Pete "Skag" Skagska - Piper LauriePiper LauriePiper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...
as Jo Skagska - Craig WassonCraig Wasson-Career:Wasson's first feature film was the 1977 suspense thriller Rollercoaster. In 1978, he appeared in two films about the Vietnam war: first as a private in The Boys in Company C and then as a corporal in Go Tell the Spartans. In 1982, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
as David Skagska - Peter GallagherPeter GallagherPeter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
as John Skagska - Leslie AckermanLeslie AckermanLeslie Ackerman is an American actress from New Jersey.She is well known to Star Trek fans for her role as the attractive waitress in the popular Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1996 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"....
as Barbara Skagska - Kathryn Holcomb as Patricia Skagska
- George Voskovec as Petar Skagska, Sr.
- Powers BoothePowers BoothePowers Allen Boothe is an American television and film actor. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning 1980 portrayal of Jim Jones and his turn as Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, as well as Vice-President Noah Daniels on 24....
as Whalen - Frank CampanellaFrank CampanellaFrank Campanella was an American character actor.Campanella was born in New York City, the son of Sicilian immigrants Mary O. and Philip Campanella, a musician. He was the brother of actor Joseph Campanella and spoke mostly Italian growing up; this proved useful during World War II, when he worked...
as Paczka - Shirley StolerShirley StolerShirley Stoler was an American actress best known for her roles in The Honeymoon Killers and Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties.-Career:...
as Dottie Jessup
Reception and ratings
The series pilot episode earned critical praise and high ratings, but ratings quickly dropped off and NBC canceled the series after five episodes. Skag creator Abby Mann, who worked on the series' first two episodes, blamed uneven directing and artistic interference from series star Karl Malden for the series' failure.One leftover episode of Skag remained after the cancellation that did not air on NBC.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "In Trouble At 15" | January 17, 1980 |
| 1-2 | "The Wildcatters" | January 24, 1980 |
| 1-3 | "The Working Girl (Part 1)" | January 31, 1980 |
| 1-4 | "The Working Girl (Part 2)" | February 7, 1980 |
| 1-5 | "What Passes for Love in East Pittsburgh" | February 21, 1980 |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Emmy Award Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming... |
Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for a Series | Larry Strong (For episode "The Working Girl (Part 1)" |
Sources
- Alex McNeil, Total TelevisionTotal TelevisionTotal Television was an American animation studio responsible for many well known American Saturday Morning cartoon television animated series.-History:...
. New York City: Penguin Books, 1984 ed. - Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV ShowsThe Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV ShowsThe Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present is a trade paperback reference work by the American television researchers Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, first published by Ballantine Books in 1979. The ninth edition came out in 2007...