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Taxi (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Taxi was an American
sitcom
that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC
and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC
. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City
taxi
drivers and their abusive dispatcher
. The series, produced by the John Charles Walters Company
, in association with Paramount Television
, was created by James L. Brooks
, Stan Daniels
, David Davis, and Ed. Weinberger
.
. Among the drivers, only Alex Rieger, who is disillusioned with life, considers cab-driving his profession. The others view it as a temporary job that they can leave behind after they succeed in their chosen careers.
Elaine Nardo is a receptionist at an art gallery. Tony Banta is a boxer with a losing record. Bobby Wheeler is a struggling actor. John Burns (written out of the show after the first season) was working his way through college. All take pity on "Reverend Jim" Ignatowski, an aging hippie minister, who is burnt out from drugs, so they help him become a cabbie.
A number of episodes involve a character having an opportunity to realize his or her dream to move up in the world, only to see it yanked away. Otherwise, the cabbies deal on a daily basis with their unsatisfying lives and with Louie DePalma, their amoral dispatcher. Louie's laid-back assistant, Jeff Bennett, is rarely heard from at first, but his role increases in later seasons.
Sunshine Cab goes through a change of owners. They work on the floor above the garage and are referred to but seldom seen: Ed McKenzie (who appears in one episode, played by Stephen Elliott
), and, later, Ben Ratlidge (who is also only seen in one episode, played by Allen Garfield
).
Despite the zany humor of the show, Taxi often tackled such dramatic issues as drug addiction, single parent
hood, blindness
, obesity
, animal abuse, bisexuality
, teenage runaways, failed marriage
, sexual harassment
, pre-menstrual mood disorders, gambling addiction, and the loss of a loved one.
, Eileen Brennan
, Marcia Wallace
, Penny Marshall
, Ted Danson
, Jeffrey Tambor
, Martin Mull
, Herve Villechaize
, Wallace Shawn
, Tom Selleck
, Talia Balsam
, Victor Buono
, Mandy Patinkin
, Julie Kavner
, Jimmy Lennon
, Wally "Famous" Amos
, Al Lewis, George Wendt
, Craig T. Nelson
, Tom Ewell
, Dick Butkus
, Dee Wallace, Lenny Baker
, Lassie
, Martin Short
, Paul Sand
, Ernie Hudson
, Vincent Schiavelli
, Dr. Joyce Brothers
, Tom Hanks
, Dick Sargent
, and Mark Blankfield
. Ruth Gordon won an Emmy for her her guest spot and Eileen Brennan was nominated for an Emmy for her guest spot on the show.
in the 30 minute category. It was also ranked 48th in TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
. In 1997, two of the show's episodes, "Latka the Playboy" and "Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey" were respectively ranked #19 and #63 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
Golden Globe Awards:
Golden Globe Awards:
, Laverne & Shirley
, and Three's Company
, but numbers plummeted when it was moved from that secure time-slot into more competitive positions. The show was cancelled in 1982 by ABC. For a time it seemed HBO would pick up the series, when it didn't The show was picked up for its fifth and final season by NBC, being paired at first on Thursday night with Cheers
.
The show's seasonal ratings were as follows:
article "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet" by Mark Jacobson
, which appeared in the September 22, 1975 issue of New York
magazine. This article helped suggest the idea for the show to James L. Brooks
and David Davis, though nothing from the article was used directly. The article was a profile of several drivers who worked the night shift for a New York cab company.
The series was produced on Stage 23, at Paramount Television, in Los Angeles, California, from July 5, 1978, to February 18, 1983.
. The footage originally was intended as a "bridge" between scenes and is only about fifteen seconds long; parts of it are subtly repeated a few times to fill the opening. Tony Danza drove the cab in the sequence; he was in New York to shoot a scene that would air in the first season finale.
The external establishing shot
of the Sunshine Cab Company was of an actual taxi garage and gas station located on Charles and Hudson streets in New York's West Village. The building has since been demolished, and an apartment building and a Rite Aid
pharmacy went up on the site.
wrote the opening theme, "Angela", which was originally intended for a sequence in episode #3 ("Blind Date"). The producers liked this slower, more melancholy tune better than the up-tempo opening theme they had initially chosen ("Touchdown"). Both songs are on James's 1978 album, Touchdown
.
In 1983, James released The Genie, an LP containing much of the incidental music he had written for Taxi during its run.
soon after Taxi was canceled after the fourth season. During the opening monologue, DeVito read a letter supposedly from his mother asking God to forgive ABC for cancelling the show, adding that "but I'll understand if you don't." A filmed bit had him driving around New York looking morose until inspiration strikes, and he blows up the ABC building. In addition, the Taxi cast members were given an opportunity for closure
, which up to that point had been denied them due to the abrupt cancellation. The actors took their "final" bows during DeVito's opening monologue, only to have NBC pick up the show. HBO was also interested in renewing the series for a fifth season after ABC's cancellation.
Decades later, most of the cast returned to play their younger selves and briefly re-enact scenes for the Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Jeff Conaway, Carol Kane, Randall Carver, J. Alan Thomas and Christopher Lloyd all reprised their roles. The only two living members of the Taxi cast who didn't reprise their roles were Danny DeVito, who produced and co-starred in the film as Kaufman's manager George Shapiro, and Tony Danza, who declined to participate because he and Kaufman never got along with each other.
In January 2009, Danny DeVito made mention of wanting to make a Taxi reunion movie. There has yet to be any news of this project moving forward.
. The first three seasons of Taxi were released on DVD in Region 1 between 2004-2005. It took almost four years until Paramount released The Fourth Season on September 22, 2009, and The (Fifth &) Final Season on December 22, 2009 (the last two seasons were released in conjunction with CBS Home Entertainment). Only seasons 1 & 2 have been released in Region 2.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom
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 originally aired from 1978 to 1982 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...
and from 1982 to 1983 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...
. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
drivers and their abusive dispatcher
Dispatcher
Dispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
. The series, produced by the John Charles Walters Company
John Charles Walters Company
The John Charles Walters Company was a production company formed in 1978 by four former employees of MTM Enterprises: James L. Brooks, David Davis, Stan Daniels and Ed Weinberger...
, in association with Paramount Television
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
, was created by James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
, Stan Daniels
Stan Daniels
Stanley Edwin Daniels was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.-Early life:...
, David Davis, and Ed. Weinberger
Ed. Weinberger
Edwin B. “Ed.” Weinberger is an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and television producer.Ed. Weinberger began his career writing for such stand-up comedians as Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby. His first job in television was writing on “The Tonight Show” for Johnny Carson...
.
Premise and themes
The show focuses on the employees of the fictional Sunshine Cab Company, and its principal setting is the company's fleet garage in Lower ManhattanLower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. Among the drivers, only Alex Rieger, who is disillusioned with life, considers cab-driving his profession. The others view it as a temporary job that they can leave behind after they succeed in their chosen careers.
Elaine Nardo is a receptionist at an art gallery. Tony Banta is a boxer with a losing record. Bobby Wheeler is a struggling actor. John Burns (written out of the show after the first season) was working his way through college. All take pity on "Reverend Jim" Ignatowski, an aging hippie minister, who is burnt out from drugs, so they help him become a cabbie.
A number of episodes involve a character having an opportunity to realize his or her dream to move up in the world, only to see it yanked away. Otherwise, the cabbies deal on a daily basis with their unsatisfying lives and with Louie DePalma, their amoral dispatcher. Louie's laid-back assistant, Jeff Bennett, is rarely heard from at first, but his role increases in later seasons.
Sunshine Cab goes through a change of owners. They work on the floor above the garage and are referred to but seldom seen: Ed McKenzie (who appears in one episode, played by Stephen Elliott
Stephen Elliott (actor)
Stephen Elliott was an American actor. His best known role was that of crime boss, Burt Johnson, in the hit 1981 film Arthur.-Theatre:Elliott's first acting engagement was at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse in 1946...
), and, later, Ben Ratlidge (who is also only seen in one episode, played by Allen Garfield
Allen Garfield
Allen Garfield, born and sometimes credited as Allen Goorwitz , is an American film and television actor.-Biography:...
).
Despite the zany humor of the show, Taxi often tackled such dramatic issues as drug addiction, single parent
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
hood, blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
, obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, animal abuse, bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, teenage runaways, failed marriage
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, pre-menstrual mood disorders, gambling addiction, and the loss of a loved one.
Cast
This table does not count the two-part "Taxi Celebration/Retrospective"| Actor | Role | Years | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judd Hirsch Judd Hirsch Judd Hirsch is an American actor most known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John, and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs.-Early life and education:... |
Alex Rieger | 1978–1983 | 1-5 | 112 |
| Danny DeVito Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,... |
Louie De Palma | |||
| Marilu Henner Marilu Henner Mary Lucy Denise "Marilu" Henner is an American actress, producer and author. She is best known for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo on the sitcom Taxi from 1978 to 1983.-Early life:... |
Elaine O'Connor-Nardo | |||
| Tony Danza Tony Danza Tony Danza is an American actor best known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards... |
Tony Banta | |||
| J. Alan Thomas | Jeff Bennett | 1-5 (Supporting) | 105^ ^^ | |
| Christopher Lloyd Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more... |
Reverend Jim 'Iggy' Ignatowski Jim Ignatowski The Reverend Jim "Iggy" Ignatowski, played by Christopher Lloyd, was a fictional character in the 1970s television series Taxi. A gentle soul, Jim was, in his own words, "the living embodiment of the sixties". His most noticeable character trait was his extreme "spaced-out" behavior as a result of... |
1 (Guest), 2 (Guest then Star), 3-5 (Star) | 82 | |
| Jeff Conaway Jeff Conaway Jeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway was an American actor best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series Taxi and Babylon 5. Conaway was featured on the first season of reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew... |
Bobby Wheeler | 1978-1982 | 1-3 (Star), 4 (3 Episodes) | 69 |
| Andy Kaufman Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one... |
Latka Gravas Latka Gravas Latka Gravas is a fictional character on the television sitcom Taxi portrayed by Andy Kaufman. Latka was based on a character Kaufman created known as Foreign Man.-Foreign Man:... |
1978-1983 | 1-5 (Starring Credit When Present) | 68^^ |
| T.J Castronova | Tommy Jeffries (Bartender At Mario's) | 1979-1983 | 1-5 (Supporting) | 23^^ ^^^ |
| Randall Carver | John Burns | 1978-1979 | 1 | 22 |
| Carol Kane Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work... |
Simka Gravas Latka Gravas Latka Gravas is a fictional character on the television sitcom Taxi portrayed by Andy Kaufman. Latka was based on a character Kaufman created known as Foreign Man.-Foreign Man:... |
1980-1983 | 2 (1 Episode), 4 (2 Episodes), 5 (Starring Credit When Present) | 16 |
| Rhea Perlman | Zena Sherman/Louie's Girlfriend^^^^ | 1978-1983 | 1-5 (Guest Star) | 6 |
- ^Both credited and uncredited.
- ^^This is the right amount of episodes that credits this character.
- ^^^This may not be completely accurate as there were some Tommy-look-alike's in some episodes set in Mario's earlier on.
- ^^^^Rhea Perlman played John's girlfriend's voice in the pilot episode, but the part was cut.
Main cast
- Alex Rieger (Judd HirschJudd HirschJudd Hirsch is an American actor most known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John, and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs.-Early life and education:...
) - Alex is the sensible, pragmatic, compassionate core of the show, the one everyone else turns to for advice. At one point, he reveals his frustration with this unwanted burden. He once worked in an office, with a good chance of advancement, but lost his job owing to his refusal to follow the company line. He was married to Phyllis Bornstein (Louise LasserLouise LasserLouise Lasser is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his films.-Personal life:...
), and when she divorced him because of his lack of ambition she sought sole custody of their baby daughter, Cathy. He gave in rather than fight. He is also estranged from his philandering father, Joe (Jack GilfordJack GilfordJack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television.-Early life:Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn...
). Alex is a recovered compulsive gambler, although he relapses in one episode. A dry-humored pessimist, he has resigned himself to driving a cab for the rest of his life.
- Robert "Bobby" Wheeler (Jeff ConawayJeff ConawayJeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway was an American actor best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series Taxi and Babylon 5. Conaway was featured on the first season of reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew...
) (1978–1981, recurring 1981-1982) - Bobby is a shallow, conceited actor whose pretensions are Louie's favorite target. Success eludes Bobby as a struggling actor. Once, he is signed up by a famous manager, but it turns out she does not want to represent him; she only wants him as a lover. Another time, he is cast in a pilot for a soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
called Boise. The show goes into production, but his part is recast. Conaway left the show after Season 3, but made a guest appearances in Season 4. On The Howard Stern Show, Taxi writer Sam SimonSam SimonSamuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
said that when Conaway was absent during the production of one episode, his dialogue was reassigned to the other cast members who delivered the jokes as well or better, which made the producers realize that Conaway was expendable.
- Louie De Palma (Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
) - The head dispatcher for the Sunshine Cab Company, Louie spends the bulk of his time holding court inside the caged-in dispatch office at the garage and trading insults with the drivers. He not only has no morals to speak of, he positively revels in his misdeeds. Nothing is beneath him, from taking advantage of a drunken friend of his sometime-girlfriend Zena Sherman (played by DeVito's real-life wife Rhea Perlman) to gambling with a young boy to stealing from the company. He lives with his mother (DeVito's real mother, Julia, in two episodes). He has (on very rare occasions) helped his workers, as in the episode in which an arrogant hairstylist (played by Ted DansonTed DansonEdward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
) gives Elaine a garish makeover just before a very important event and further humiliates her by stating he "didn't know how to do taxi drivers". It is Louie who bolsters her confidence to confront him. TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked De Palma first on its list of the 50 greatest TV characters of all time.
- Elaine O'Connor Nardo (Marilu HennerMarilu HennerMary Lucy Denise "Marilu" Henner is an American actress, producer and author. She is best known for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo on the sitcom Taxi from 1978 to 1983.-Early life:...
) - Elaine is a divorced mother of two, struggling to cope while trying to realize her ambitions in the field of fine art. The object of lust of Louie, she is attracted to characters played by actors ranging from Tom SelleckTom SelleckThomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
to Wallace ShawnWallace ShawnWallace Michael Shawn , sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre , Vizzini in The Princess Bride , and debate teacher Mr...
.
- Anthony Mark "Tony" Banta (Tony DanzaTony DanzaTony Danza is an American actor best known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards...
) - The sweet-natured, if somewhat dimwitted, boxer has little success in the sport. In fact, Louie makes a lot of money betting against him. Finally, the boxing commission takes away his license because he has been knocked out one too many times. Though not by any means the smartest of the cast, he has no trouble comprehending the meaning of Latka's speech, even though he cannot actually understand him. Danza actually was a professional boxer. In the final season, Tony is introduced to new girlfriend Vicki (Anne De Salvo) by Simka. He and Vicki have a falling out after she becomes pregnant by him, but reconcile and get married.
- Reverend Jim IgnatowskiJim IgnatowskiThe Reverend Jim "Iggy" Ignatowski, played by Christopher Lloyd, was a fictional character in the 1970s television series Taxi. A gentle soul, Jim was, in his own words, "the living embodiment of the sixties". His most noticeable character trait was his extreme "spaced-out" behavior as a result of...
(Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
) (guest star 1978, main cast 1979-1983) - A burned-out relic of the '60s, Jim lives in a world of his own. He was once a hard-working, serious student at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, with an extremely wealthy father (Victor BuonoVictor BuonoCharles Victor Buono was an American actor and comic.-Early life and career:Buono was born in San Diego, California, the son of Myrtle Belle and Victor Francis Buono . His maternal grandmother, Myrtle Glied , was a Vaudeville performer on the Orpheum Circuit...
), but one bite of a drug-laden brownie was enough to get him hooked and send him into a downward spiral. (His last name was originally Caldwell; he changed it to Ignatowski, thinking that the backward pronunciation of that name was "Star Child".) The cabbies help him pass a written exam to become one of them, in a particularly memorable episode. He occasionally exhibits unexpected talents, such as the ability to play the piano masterfully. TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
placed Ignatowski 32nd on its list of the 50 greatest TV characters.
- Latka GravasLatka GravasLatka Gravas is a fictional character on the television sitcom Taxi portrayed by Andy Kaufman. Latka was based on a character Kaufman created known as Foreign Man.-Foreign Man:...
(Andy KaufmanAndy KaufmanAndrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
) - Latka is an immigrant from a very strange (presumably Eastern European) land, often speaking in his invented foreign tongue ("ibi da", "nik nik"). He works as a mechanic, fixing the taxis. Latka was an adaptation of the "Foreign Man" character Kaufman originated in his stand-up comedyStand-up comedyStand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
act. He eventually grew tired of the gag, so the writers gave Latka multiple personality disorder, allowing Kaufman to play other characters, the most frequent one being a repellent, smooth-talking lounge-lizard persona calling itself Vic Ferrari. In one episode however, he becomes Alex, with profound insights into "his" life. Just when he is about to reveal to the real Alex the perfect solution for all his problems, he reverts to Latka.
- Simka Dahblitz-Gravas (Carol KaneCarol KaneCarolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
) (recurring 1980-1982, starring 1982-1983) - She is from the same country as Latka. They belong to different ethnic groups which traditionally detest each other, but they fall in love and eventually get married. She is much more assertive than her husband, often standing up to Louie for him.
- John Burns (Randall Carver) (1978–1979) - The naive young man who works as a cabbie to pay for college, where he is working towards a degree in forestryForestryForestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. According to Carver, "...the characters of John Burns and Tony Banta were too similar...Some of the lines were almost interchangeable...," so he was dropped after the first season, without explanation. The pilot episode, "Like Father, Like Daughter," established that John started working for the cab company after he was a passenger in Alex's cab. John didn't have change, so he has to ride with Alex to the garage to pay him. Once there, he starts hanging around and eventually applies for a job. In the episode "The Great Line," he spontaneously marries a woman named Suzanne, and their marriage stays together throughout the rest of his run on the series.
Recurring guest cast
- Jeff Bennett (J. Alan Thomas) - Sunshine Cab's assistant dispatcher, he shares the "cage" with Louie but rarely speaks or interacts with the other characters. A quiet African-American man with an afro, Jeff appears throughout the show's run, initially as a background performer, but as the series progresses he gradually becomes more of a featured supporting player. In the Season 5 episode "Crime and Punishment", Louie falsely accuses Jeff of stealing car parts from the company and selling them on the black market—a crime which Louie himself committed.
- Tommy Jeffries (T.J. Castronova) - The bartender and waiter at Mario's, the restaurant where the group often hangs out. Tommy is pretty friendly with the group, taking an interest in their personal lives.
- Zena Sherman (Rhea Perlman) (1979–1982) - The woman who fills the vending machine. She begins a romantic relationship with Louie (played by Perlman's real-life husband DeVito), but Zena gets married after they break up.
- Greta Gravas (Susan Kellerman) (1979–1982) - Latka's mother who shares his strange cultural practices. The cabbies find her to be surprisingly attractive and she has a short fling with Alex.
- Phyllis Bornstein-Consuelos (Louise LasserLouise LasserLouise Lasser is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his films.-Personal life:...
) (1980–1982) - Alex's ex-wife with whom he has a daughter. She has since remarried.
Guest stars
Guest stars on the show included Ruth GordonRuth Gordon
Ruth Gordon Jones , better known as Ruth Gordon, was an American actress and writer. She was perhaps best known for her film roles such as Minnie Castevet, Rosemary's overly solicitous neighbor in Rosemary's Baby, as the eccentric Maude in Harold and Maude and as the mother of Orville Boggs in the...
, Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
, Marcia Wallace
Marcia Wallace
Marcia Karen Wallace is an American character actress, comedienne and game show panelist, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies...
, Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
, Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
, 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:...
, Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
, Herve Villechaize
Hervé Villechaize
Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize was a French actor who achieved worldwide recognition for his role as Mr. Roarke's assistant, Tattoo, in the television series Fantasy Island...
, Wallace Shawn
Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn , sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre , Vizzini in The Princess Bride , and debate teacher Mr...
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Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
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Talia Balsam
Talia Balsam is an American actress.-Early life:Balsam was born in New York City to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten.-Career:...
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Victor Buono
Charles Victor Buono was an American actor and comic.-Early life and career:Buono was born in San Diego, California, the son of Myrtle Belle and Victor Francis Buono . His maternal grandmother, Myrtle Glied , was a Vaudeville performer on the Orpheum Circuit...
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Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
, Julie Kavner
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. Noted for her role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, she also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier.Born in Los...
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Jimmy Lennon
Jimmy Lennon Sr. was one of the top announcers of the boxing and wrestling world.-Announcing career:Known as "The Voice of the Olympic" Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, as well as "The Irishman With the Spanish Accent." For over 40 years, Lennon's unique professional ring eloquence and...
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Wally Amos
Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. is an American actor and writer from Tallahassee, Florida. He is the founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand. He later co-founded Uncle Wally's muffins...
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George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
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Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
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Tom Ewell
Tom Ewell was an American actor.-Early life and career:Born Samuel Yewell Tompkins in Owensboro, Kentucky, where his family expected him to follow in their footsteps as lawyers or whiskey and tobacco dealers....
, Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus
Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was drafted in 1965 and he is also widely regarded as one of the best and most durable linebackers of all time. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He...
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Lenny Baker
Leonard Joel “Lenny” Baker was an American actor of stage and film and screen best known for his Tony Award-winning performance in I Love My Wife in 1977.-Early life:...
, Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
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Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
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Paul Sand
Paul Sand is an American comedic actor.-Background:Sand was born Paul Sanchez in Santa Monica, California, the son of Sonia Borodiansky, a writer, and Ernest Rivera Sanchez, an aerospace tool designer. His father was Mexican and his mother of Russian descent.-Career:At the age of 11, he started at...
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Ernie Hudson
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:...
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Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television often described as "the man with the sad eyes." He was notable for his numerous and often critically acclaimed cameo appearances.-Early life:Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a...
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Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers is an American psychologist, television personality and advice columnist, publishing a daily syndicated newspaper column since 1960.-Personal life:...
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Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
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Dick Sargent
Richard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched...
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Mark Blankfield
Mark Blankfield — born May 8, 1950, in Pasadena, California — is a comedic actor who has starred or appeared in many movies and television shows. His work includes :* The starring role in Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again....
. Ruth Gordon won an Emmy for her her guest spot and Eileen Brennan was nominated for an Emmy for her guest spot on the show.
Awards and nominations
Taxi is one of television's most lauded shows. During its run, the sitcom was nominated for 31 Emmy Awards and won 18, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. It was also nominated for 25 Golden Globes, with four wins (three for Best TV Series - Musical/Comedy). In 1979, it received the Humanitas PrizeHumanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
in the 30 minute category. It was also ranked 48th in TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time
TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is TV Guides list of the 50 most entertaining and influential television series in American pop culture...
. In 1997, two of the show's episodes, "Latka the Playboy" and "Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey" were respectively ranked #19 and #63 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
Awards
Emmy Awards:- Comedy Series (1979–1981)
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Judd Hirsch (1981, 1983)
- Guest Actress in a Comedy Series - Ruth GordonRuth GordonRuth Gordon Jones , better known as Ruth Gordon, was an American actress and writer. She was perhaps best known for her film roles such as Minnie Castevet, Rosemary's overly solicitous neighbor in Rosemary's Baby, as the eccentric Maude in Harold and Maude and as the mother of Orville Boggs in the...
(1979) - Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Carol Kane (1982)
- Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Carol Kane (1983)
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Danny DeVito (1981)
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Christopher Lloyd (1982, 1983)
- Directing in a Comedy Series - James Burrows (1980, 1981)
- Writing in a Comedy Series - Michael J. LeesonMichael J. LeesonMichael J. Leeson is an American screenwriter.-Filmography:*Love, American Style *All in the Family *The Partridge Family *The Odd Couple *Happy Days...
(1981) - Writing in a Comedy Series - Ken Estin (1982)
- Film Editing for a Series - M. Pam Blumenthal (1979–81), Jack Michon (1981)
Golden Globe Awards:
- Best Television Series-Comedy (1979–1981), tied in 1980 with AliceAlice (TV series)Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job...
- Best TV Supporting Actor - Danny DeVito (1980), tied with Vic TaybackVic TaybackVictor "Vic" Tayback was an American actor.-Life and career:Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Helen and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. Tayback moved with his family to Burbank, California, during his teenage years and attended...
in Alice
Additional nominations
Emmy Awards:- Comedy Series (1982, 1983)
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Judd Hirsch (1979, 1980, 1982)
- Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Eileen BrennanEileen BrennanEileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
(1981) - Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Danny DeVito (1979, 1982, 1983)
- Directing in a Comedy Series - James Burrows (1982)
- Writing in a Comedy Series - Michael J. LeesonMichael J. LeesonMichael J. Leeson is an American screenwriter.-Filmography:*Love, American Style *All in the Family *The Partridge Family *The Odd Couple *Happy Days...
(1979) - Writing in a Comedy Series - Glen Charles and Les Charles (1980, 1981)
- Writing in a Comedy Series - David Lloyd (1981)
- Writing in a Comedy Series - Barry Kemp and Holly Holmberg Brooks (1982)
- Writing in a Comedy Series - Ken Estin (1983)
Golden Globe Awards:
- Television Series-Comedy (1982–1984)
- Actor in a TV Series-Comedy - Judd Hirsch (1979–1983)
- TV Supporting Actress - Marilu Henner (1979–1983)
- TV Supporting Actress - Carol Kane (1983)
- TV Supporting Actor - Tony Danza (1980)
- TV Supporting Actor - Danny DeVito (1979, 1981, 1982)
- TV Supporting Actor - Jeff Conaway (1979, 1980)
- TV Supporting Actor - Andy Kaufman (1979, 1981)
Ratings
The show was acclaimed by critics and was a ratings success during its first two seasons, placing in the Top Ten in its first season behind the ABC powerhouse line-up of Happy DaysHappy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, and Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, but numbers plummeted when it was moved from that secure time-slot into more competitive positions. The show was cancelled in 1982 by ABC. For a time it seemed HBO would pick up the series, when it didn't The show was picked up for its fifth and final season by NBC, being paired at first on Thursday night with Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
.
The show's seasonal ratings were as follows:
- 1978-1979: #10 (24.9)
- 1979-1980: #13 (22.4)
- 1980-1981: N/A
- 1981-1982: N/A
- 1982-1983: N/A
Production
Taxi was inspired by the non-fictionNon-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
article "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet" by Mark Jacobson
Mark Jacobson
Mark Jacobson is an American author and writer.-Early life:Jacobson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and achieved recognition in New York City whilst writing for the Village Voice in the 1970s, most particularly for a lurid account of life in the Chinatown Ghost Shadows...
, which appeared in the September 22, 1975 issue of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine. This article helped suggest the idea for the show to James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
and David Davis, though nothing from the article was used directly. The article was a profile of several drivers who worked the night shift for a New York cab company.
The series was produced on Stage 23, at Paramount Television, in Los Angeles, California, from July 5, 1978, to February 18, 1983.
Opening sequence
The opening titles show a cab driving east across the Queensboro BridgeQueensboro Bridge
The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
. The footage originally was intended as a "bridge" between scenes and is only about fifteen seconds long; parts of it are subtly repeated a few times to fill the opening. Tony Danza drove the cab in the sequence; he was in New York to shoot a scene that would air in the first season finale.
The external establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
of the Sunshine Cab Company was of an actual taxi garage and gas station located on Charles and Hudson streets in New York's West Village. The building has since been demolished, and an apartment building and a Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
pharmacy went up on the site.
Theme music
Bob JamesBob James (musician)
Robert McElhiney James is a jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in establishing the smooth jazz genre. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date...
wrote the opening theme, "Angela", which was originally intended for a sequence in episode #3 ("Blind Date"). The producers liked this slower, more melancholy tune better than the up-tempo opening theme they had initially chosen ("Touchdown"). Both songs are on James's 1978 album, Touchdown
Touchdown (Bob James album)
-Reception:It was a commercial breakout album for him that contained the song "Angela", the popular theme song to the 1970s television sitcom, Taxi...
.
In 1983, James released The Genie, an LP containing much of the incidental music he had written for Taxi during its run.
Broadcast History
| Season | Time Slot | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1978-1979) | Tuesday at 9:30 pm (September 12 - 26, 1978; October 10, 1978 - February 13, 1979; February 27 - May 15, 1979) Thursday at 9:30 pm (October 5, 1978) Thursday at 10:00 pm (February 15, 1979) |
ABC |
| 2 (1979-1980) | Tuesday at 9:30 pm | |
| 3 (1980-1981) | Wednesday at 9:00 pm (November 19, 1980 - January 21, 1981) Thursday at 9:30 pm (February 5 - May 21, 1981) |
|
| 4 (1981-1982) | Thursday at 9:30 pm (October 8, 1981; October 22, 1981 - May 6, 1982) Sunday at 9:30 pm (October 18, 1981) |
|
| 5 (1982-1983) | Thursday at 9:30 pm (September 30 - December 16, 1982) Saturday at 9:30 pm (January 22 - February 5, 1983) Wednesday at 9:00 pm (March 23, 1983) Wednesday at 9:30 pm (March 30 - May 25, 1983) Wednesday at 10:30 pm (June 15, 1983) |
NBC |
Cast reunions
Danny DeVito hosted an episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
soon after Taxi was canceled after the fourth season. During the opening monologue, DeVito read a letter supposedly from his mother asking God to forgive ABC for cancelling the show, adding that "but I'll understand if you don't." A filmed bit had him driving around New York looking morose until inspiration strikes, and he blows up the ABC building. In addition, the Taxi cast members were given an opportunity for closure
Closure (psychology)
Closure or need for closure is a popular psychology term used to describe an individual's desire for a definite cognitive closure as opposed to enduring ambiguity...
, which up to that point had been denied them due to the abrupt cancellation. The actors took their "final" bows during DeVito's opening monologue, only to have NBC pick up the show. HBO was also interested in renewing the series for a fifth season after ABC's cancellation.
Decades later, most of the cast returned to play their younger selves and briefly re-enact scenes for the Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Jeff Conaway, Carol Kane, Randall Carver, J. Alan Thomas and Christopher Lloyd all reprised their roles. The only two living members of the Taxi cast who didn't reprise their roles were Danny DeVito, who produced and co-starred in the film as Kaufman's manager George Shapiro, and Tony Danza, who declined to participate because he and Kaufman never got along with each other.
In January 2009, Danny DeVito made mention of wanting to make a Taxi reunion movie. There has yet to be any news of this project moving forward.
DVD releases
All five seasons of Taxi have been released from Paramount Home EntertainmentParamount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
. The first three seasons of Taxi were released on DVD in Region 1 between 2004-2005. It took almost four years until Paramount released The Fourth Season on September 22, 2009, and The (Fifth &) Final Season on December 22, 2009 (the last two seasons were released in conjunction with CBS Home Entertainment). Only seasons 1 & 2 have been released in Region 2.
| DVD Name | |Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | ||
| The Complete First Season | 22 | October 12, 2004 | April 28, 2008 |
| The Complete Second Season | 24 | February 1, 2005 | February 9, 2009 |
| The Complete Third Season | 20 | September 13, 2005 | TBA |
| The Fourth Season | 24 | September 22, 2009 | TBA |
| The (Fifth &) Final Season | 24 | December 22, 2009 | TBA |