Open All Night is an American sitcom that aired on ABC[1] from November 28, 1981,[2] to March 5, 1982. The show centered on Gordon Feester (George Dzundza) and his oddball family working in an all-night chain grocery store named 364 Store[3] that is open every day except Christmas.[4] Store manager Feester lives in an apartment above the store with his wife, Gretchen, and his teenaged step-son, Terry.[5]
| Open All Night | |
|---|---|
| Genre | sitcom |
| Created by | Tom Patchett Jay Tarses |
| Starring | George Dzundza Susan Tyrrell Sam Whipple Jay Tarses |
| Composer | Tom Wells |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bernie Brillstein |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Freeway Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 28, 1981 – March 5, 1982 |
Description
editRobin is the tall (6 foot 7 inches (2.01 m) night manager, and officers Steve and Edie often stop by for coffee and doughnuts, but are never able to catch shoplifters or other criminals.[4]
Despite a similar title and a setting, it has no connection to the British series Open All Hours. Additionally, it has no connection with the 1981 comedy film All Night Long, which also has a similar title and setting.
Jay Tarses was co-creator, writer, co-star and occasional director of the show.[6]
Cassandra Peterson (better known for her Elvira persona) made a guest appearance on one episode. David Letterman also made a guest appearance, and made a sly reference to his daytime talk show, which was canceled a year before.
Cast
editMain
edit- George Dzundza as Gordon Feester[7]
- Susan Tyrrell as Gretchen Feester
- Sam Whipple as Terry Hoffmeister
- Bubba Smith as Robin, the night manager
- Jay Tarses as Officer Steve
- Bever-Leigh Banfield as Officer Edie
Recurring
edit- Clyde Phillip Taylor as Dr. Cavanaugh, an eccentric regular customer
- Joe Mantegna appeared occasionally as an unnamed regular customer who only ever seemed to ask for change
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Night Moves" | Tom Patchett | Unknown | November 28, 1981 |
| 2 | "Robin's Return" | Will Mackenzie | Unknown | December 5, 1981 |
| 3 | "Centerfold" | Will Mackenzie | Unknown | December 12, 1981 |
| 4 | "Buckaroo Buddies" | Tom Patchett | Unknown | December 26, 1981 |
| 5 | "First Love" | Tom Patchett | Unknown | January 2, 1982 |
| 6 | "Terry Runs Away" | Will Mackenzie | Unknown | January 9, 1982 |
| 7 | "Sitting Ducks" | Will Mackenzie | Unknown | February 5, 1982 |
| 8 | "Such Good Friends" | Tony Singletary | Unknown | February 12, 1982 |
| 9 | "Scam" | Thomas McConnell | Unknown | February 19, 1982 |
| 10 | "A Visit from the Folks" | Tony Singletary | Unknown | February 26, 1982 |
| 11 | "The Chicken Suit" | Will Mackenzie | Unknown | March 5, 1982 |
| 12 | "Death of a Bag Lady" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED |
| 13 | "Edie's Girl" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED |
References
edit- ^ "Television comedy for the 80's?". The Bryan Times. Bryan, OH. United Press International. December 11, 1981. p. 7. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ Flander, Judy (November 28, 1981). "'Open All Night'". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, NC. p. 5C. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ Lewis, Dan (January 22, 1982). "All-night grocery could close soon". The Leader-Post. Regina, SK. p. B14. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present (7th Edition), page 763, Ballantine Books, 1999
- ^ Handler, David (March 3, 1982). "'Open All Night' is weird -- but good". The Madison Courier. Madison, IN. p. B7. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ Holsopple, Barbara (November 29, 1981). "'Open All Night' Needs Its Shelves Restocked". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. p. B10. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ "New ABC Series Doomed?". The Albany Herald. Albany, GA. January 16, 1982. p. 10B. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
External links
edit- Open All Night at IMDb
- Open All Night TV Show (1981) playlist at YouTube