Gimme A Break!

Samantha is 6’ tall and playing a 11 yr old girl.

Episode 2

Nell and her airhead friend, Angie, visit a singles bar.

Man: oh look a completely round person!

Nell: oh look! A completely flat foot! (She stomps on the man’s foot).

I was really young during the run of this show. I can't remember the episode or circumstances, but I DO specifically remember one of the girls holding up a pair of jeans, and suggesting they cut out the pockets/seat, and fill the opening/s with clear plastic/plastic wrap.

Why I remember it, I don't know. But it has stuck with me ever since. I guess they were teen whores.

I forgot Cozi's new lineup started today, I more excited about Amen. Gimme A Break! came on past my bedtime except for one season when it came on on Saturday nights. I haven't seen either show since their original run, I hope nostalgia doesn't let me down.

Gimme some cock I sure deserve it

The first two seasons are painful to watch. The series was much better after they got new producers and a better theme song.

I watched a few episodes during the most locked-down part of the pandemic. Was Nell supposed to be bipolar? The character's reactions were often pretty extreme.

Wrong r6. I like the rawness of the first season. Angie is great.

Angie was only in 3 episodes. Grandma and Uncle Ed were awful.

Angie was great

I loved Dolph Sweet. Watching his last few episodes from season 4 when he looked so ill was tough.

i remember as a kid i could never figure Julie out. Katie was the cute, pretty one, Samantha was the dumb little one, and Julie was just a nerd. I watched the whole series a few years ago and saw her with new eyes. She was more of a hippie/liberal personality.

📞 There ain’t no Julio here!!

Kari Michaelsen beat out Helen Hunt for the coveted role of Katie.

On today’s episode Nell and the Chief got into a fight over Nell having a man stay the night in her room. Nell moves out and in with Angie. Hilarity ensues!!

Samantha was the youngest but not a little one. More like a fucking giant. She was like 6’ tall.

Angie is my fave supporting character on the show.

Samantha was so stupid. There was an episode where she kissed a boy and thought that made her pregnant.

[quote]Wrong [R6]. I like the rawness of the first season. Angie is great.

Angie was amazing! Wish she had done more. Her comic timing and use of the voice was cute and effective. And she was gorgeous!

R19 I remember that one. Can you imagine being 6’ tall and thinking you’re pregnant by a kiss??

Fun Fact: Kari Michaelson and Nancy McKeon were the final two choices for the role of Jo on The Facts of Life...they're a very similar type. Pretty, butch girls ala Tatum O'Neal.

WTF with the Angie stan(s)? She was a one note ditz.

I love this show, and I love Nell. And I loved the Chief. They had great chemistry together. I also loved Nell's fights with Addie.

I love the episodes when it's clear Nell had railed a giant line of coke right before coming to set to film

r26 any scene where she had to dance?

I’m surprised it’s not a Norman Lear show with how often the characters yell at each other.

Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet deserved better.

R23, Kari isn’t butch, certainly not like McKeon.

I’ve been watching it GMAB on Antenna and amazed at how much of a bitch Nell was to everyone, even the kids.

I am more excited about Amen too. Used to watch as a little kid with my grandmother who loved it.

Rue McClanahan

R33 Rue guest starred on another GAB episode in season 1 too

In her autobiography, she said it wasn’t a quality show but she couldn’t turn down work, which explains her doing Mama’s Family

And then The Golden Girls happened

William Zabka

Before Whitney Houston released her debut album, she made a guest appearance in Season 3 of "Gimme A Break!" in the episode “Katie's College" (March 15, 1984). Whitney plays a character named Rita who plans to open a business with Katie.

Then she was in the running for the role of Sondra on The Cosby Show.

The addition of Joey and his haircut pretty much killed this show for me.

And don't forget Rosie O'Donnell as the (I think newlywed?) upstairs neighbor after Nell abandoned the girls to chase her dreams.

What are you talking about? She didn't abandon the girls. Katie moved to San Francisco for a job, Julie and Jonathan moved to San Jose and Samantha started college in New Jersey.

R39, if you watch the E True Hollywood Story, the show dumped all three girls, but agreed to let Lara Jill Miller (Samantha) do a couple of guest appearances.

Yeah, I've seen it and know that changes had to be made to combat falling ratings. But you make it sound like Nell moved to New York and just left them all. Katie was already being written out. She got the job offer toward the end of the fifth season.

It airs twice a day on Antenna TV. Nell is amazing. She and Telma Hopkins were great with the physical comedy and had off the charts chemistry. I prefer the retooled, synth-heavy theme song, which was co-written by Richard Page from Mr. Mister, who also provided the "Gimme A Break!" male backing vocal.

What the bell is cozzi? They still have terrestrial antenna TV at the retirement home?

I don't know. Is it jingle? silver? wedding?

Didn't Nell give up Dreamgirls for this? Or was it for Ryan's Hope? She probably made way more money doing shitty TV.

Kari dated DL fave Andy Gibb after her guest starred on this me show. Lara Jill Miller was a lawyer for a few years before deciding she didn’t like it and went back to acting. It was a good move as she has made a mint doing voice over work.

Nell was a lezzy.

r47 why do you think she's being discussed in the first place?

Almost a pity they didn't reboot the show to its fantasy start. She had good chemistry with the would be mother. but then again, they couldn't remember the continuity from week to week, so probably not.

The first season hits all of the right comedy spots. I’m enjoying 1981-1982 all over again just like when it came out when I was in the 4th grade!!

Here’s a photo album from the 83-84 season of gimme a break that has pics of Andy Gibb and the cast.

The addition of Joey killed the show. That and the chief dying.

I love the episode where Nell taught the girls how to do coke.

Nell and Angie out on the town reminded me of Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker from "James and the Giant Peach."

Lmao r53

Andy and Nell duet.

Half of Columbia was snorted up backstage during that episode r55

I meant Colombia. Sorry!

Just finished watching the "Hot Muffins" episode, guest starring Crystal Bernard from "Wings" and the girl who played Jo's friend Jesse on "Facts of Life."

Did Nell and Whitney bump pussies while doing coke?

After Carter's falling out with Sara Lee, the name was changed from Gimme A Cake!

I never liked this show. Gimme What’s Happening any day over this crap.

White people didn't watch What's Happening.

[quote]WTF with the Angie stan(s)? She was a one note ditz.

You got the role, Telma, you don't need to keep bashing me!!! :)

At the time, it was rumored that Kari was the one Roman Polanski raped

How could Kari have been up for the Jo part? She wasn’t the butch one. Lara Jill Miller, on the other hand....

No Hogan Family?!?!

Any tapes out there of Nell eating pussy????

Ask Rosie.

Nell could cut lines like a Benihana chef.

Nell, like Mabel King, was a Republican.

I never even knew there was an “original” theme song until I watched something - I think E! true Hollywood story. This is one case where the revised synthesized version is so much better - and i think the one everyone associates with the show.

I am a huge fan of 80s synth but I prefer the original. I like the staccato piano part and Nell's vocals.

I dunno, I prefer her vocals in the first version, R71. She gets lost amid the synths and background singers in the second version.

R73. You said it better than I. Though I do love the jazzy high run Nell does in the 80s version "Nothing can bring me down!"

OK this inspired me to listen to all of them (see below!)

Season 1: Classic. Love the BG singers "whoa whoa whoa!" (wanna who they are!)

Season 3(?) The 2nd one: Nell starts riffing right away on the first line "make it to the too-oo-oop!" :) and more gospel BG vocals on the next "Gimme Me Break" and ooohs and ahhs underneath Nell! LOVE!!!

Season ? (the 3rd 80's synth one): OK listening now I'm loving it. Classic 80s fat drums and synths, and the high jazz riff I mentioned earlier "Noting can get me down"!

I think the rest of the versions in the video below are the same theme just with different video clips.

The second version is sooooo good. They changed it slightly for the last season with Nell's vocals dominating over Richard Page's.

This is super gay, but I watched this as a kid and I LOVED THIS SHOW! Even though some of the scripts were cheesy, some of them actually were pretty deep and they tacked issues ahead of their time (The Chief learns to deal with his homophobia when he learns one of his cops is gay, Nell teaching Joey about the N word, etc.).

This show has so many warm memories. In some ways TV was so much better then.

Nell as in hell

I also watched Gimme A Break as a kid and liked it. Nell Carter had a lot of talent. And she was coked to the gills for most of the run of this show!

Changed lyrics;

I want a happy ending I’m tired of pretending

I just thought of the episode where the ugly daughter with the glasses started smoking. Nell (high on coke) lectured her about how unhealthy smoking was.

The 80s were so fucking strange.

I loved Angie, although I liked Addie too. It's a shame that the actress who played Angie didn't remain on the show. I guess they wanted to go with Telma Hopkins, but I enjoyed both characters and best were the few scenes of the three of them together. A sitcom of just the three of them would have been great, too.

*3* GIRLS *3*

It ridiculous those three girls were supposed to be biological sisters. None of them looked anything alike. Not even in passing.

The youngest sister had an imaginary friend Amy Jo. She was like 15 or 16 yrs old and nearly 6’ tall pretending “Amy Jo” was her best friend.

I hated that imaginary friend episode. Samantha was so irritating at times.

The Debbie Jo episode was weird. Sam seemed nuts to me.

Right now, I'm watching the one where the Chief's sister-in-law sues for custody of the girls.

Jackie was the brief Angie-esque character who made an appearance in this particularly hilarious episode. She was another ditz with a high voice. The entire scene beginning at the 3 minute mark in the restaurant is a riot.

Whoops...here's the link...

I love the one where Nell catches Julie and Jonathan at a ski resort. Jonathan Silverman was adorkable.

I hated Joey Lawrence on this show

Thank you, r75! Every time I have looked up the theme song on youtube, I've only ever found the synth version. That was not the version that I remembered as a child! It was the season 1/2 one.

WOw I don't remember Jackie, Angie's sister. They don't list who played her....wtf???? She was really pretty but styled weird. She kinda looked like Mary Wilson. And I thought Angie was only in Season 1, they remember 4 years later??

[quote]She was really pretty but styled weird.

That pretty much sums up the 80s.

Samantha was borderline retarded.

She sure was r95

You retard! It’s DEBBIE JO r96.

Angie appeared in six episodes: two in 1981, one in 1982, one in 1984 and two in 1985

Jacki was played by Sydney Goldsmith.

I love that there's an Angie troll.

R98 she appeared in more than those. The 1st season is airing on Cozi from the beginning and it’s only like 10 episodes in to date. Angie has appeared in at least 4 episodes so far. IMDb is missing info regarding her appearances. Sorry.

We should start a twitter campaign for Angie.

Gimme Some Coke!

They didn't call her smell carter for nothing.

OMG some queen had the same idea as we Angie stans!

Kari Michaelsen is too good to appear in an Angie spinoff? Dafuq?

I love that Angie is getting this much love.

Samantha wasn’t the only one to be friends with Debbie Jo. I was friends with Debbie Jo for a couple of years until I had to end our friendship. She turned into a raging bitch.

The Debbie Jo episode is on Cozi today. It’s so unsettling to see a girl who looks like she’s 18 acting like a baby.

Samantha tried to kahn her family into believing in Debbie Jo. I wonder what would happen if I, a 48 yr old man, befriends imaginary friend.

Wasn't there an episode where Samantha dressed Joey up in blackface. Talk about compelling television!

Yes, r110. Let's see if that episode makes it on the air again.

I always liked the poster who, years ago, said that the end credits of S3 and beyond sounded like Sam Kanisky jamming on her Casio. I can't hear it and not think of that six-foot-tall child playing the Casio.

It's the same track just someone playing lead synth line for the vocals (probably the Mister Mr guy)

When I was a kid I thought the 1983 theme was so cool and electronic!

It still is!

I loved all the synth updates of 80s theme songs - Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, Charles In Charge. Family Ties could've used a redo.

I was molested….by Debbie Jo!

Footage of the chief murdering Debbie Jo!

The pilot is terrible.

The three guys are the only ones who know how to act.

Nell is a great personality and extremely talented but not as a television actress.

I just glanced at Nell Carter’s Wiki entry and it’s got some really weird information added to the early life section. Like, “At age 15 she began performing with the Renaissance Ensemble that played at area coffee houses and gay bars. [Nell was born in 1948. She began singing with the Renaissance Ensemble in 1969, when she would have been 20 or 21 years old.[cite: Lee Edmundson, Personal Experience.]”

It’s got 3 of those Lee Edmundson, Personal Experience sentences in brackets. I’ve never seen a wiki article like that, I guess someone ought to edit it correctly.

I'm a fan of the "Addie" episodes up to the end when they moved to NYC. If I see the Chief, I turn the channel. Same thing with "Friends." I won't watch anything prior to Anniston's hair being long.

Debbie Jo is a better actress than Samantha.

Nell sang the shit out of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” lol. She was great!

R118 that episode still irritates me after 40 years! It’s sooo fucking stupid!

I just saw the Debbie Jo episode for the first time a few weeks ago.

If Samantha were that age and my child and acting like that, I'd have had her hospitalized. She is wacked the fuck out here, sort of like Tootie in the Jermaine Jackson FOL episode.

She just wanted attention and should have had the holy shit beat out of her just like Tootie.

Samantha was really irritating in the first few years and then suddenly Lara Jill Miller swanned and became tolerable (and she grew out of the geekiness and became quite pretty).

I still would have beat the shit out of her.

Lara Jill really did grow into her looks, and became second in terms of hot Kaniski babes to Kari Michaelsen, but she looked a bit anorexic in the fifth season.

Julie's the one that I would have been friends with. Good god, they made Lauri look so frumpy and she really wasn't.

Sam was my least favorite. Annoying giantess child.

Sam was annoying because of the exaggerated mugging for the camera. Her facial expressions were over the top. It helped the actress portray a younger character. The actress still looks quite young for her age today.

Julie was my favorite. She was the stereotypical middle child, and I loved her sarcasm.

I loved Nell. She had so much energy, and I loved all the physical comedy she did on the show.

Did you like Officer Simpson? He was hilarious.

Lauri Hendler loved the game show circuit in the 1980s. She raked in the scale paychecks for those appearances.

I saw her not too long ago on that show with the mini Melissa McCarthy with the annoying kids.

Kari Michaelsen could've had Elizabeth Shue's career.

Kari Michaelson had more of a 'blue collar' look to her than Elizabeth Shue. Don't think that would've worked for most of the roles that Shue got in the mid to late '80s.

Addy, Your Daddy?

I can’t believe Helen Hunt almost got the Katie part - wasn’t she supposed to be pretty?

Her industry connections certainly served her well.

Helen Hunt guest starred during the first or second season as a single, pregnant mother. She was supposed to be Katie's friend.

The role came down to Helen and Kari. Kari said in an interview that Helen had beaten her out on several jobs but she was determined to book this one, and she did.

Kari had also recently lost out on the part of Jo on the FOL to Nancy McKeon...

[quote] The role came down to Helen and Kari. Kari said in an interview that Helen had beaten her out on several jobs but she was determined to book this one, and she did.

Kari brought her knee pads to the final audition.

^^LOL.

I watched the episode about Chief’s police partner being gay. I had to turn it off about half way through because of how backward, ignorant and offensive Chief talked about gays. It would NEVER be allowed to be shown as a first run tv show today.

It was 40 years ago r143. That's how it was. An older blue collar man like Chief's attitude toward gays was pretty typical of that time.

R143 = 'Well, I never in all my life...'

R143, Chief's attitude changed by the end of the episode.

There was another LGBT-themed episode where Nell set the Chief up with a woman who turned out to be transgendered.

R143, did you turn off that episode of The Golden Girls because of the backward, ignorant and offensive Barbara Thornedyke?

No I didn’t

My favorite episode was the one where Nell taught the girls to do coke

Was that the episode when Whitney Houston guest starred?

[quote]I watched the episode about Chief’s police partner being gay. I had to turn it off about half way through because of how backward, ignorant and offensive Chief talked about gays. It would NEVER be allowed to be shown as a first run tv show today.

Typical. You missed the whole point. By the end, the chief is schooled and realizes what an asshole he was being. you're like the people who want Huck Finn banned because it uses the N word when that point was to teach that racism is bad.

I enjoyed the E! True Hollywood Story about this show.

Nell sang at Dolph Sweet's funeral.

Lara Jill Miller explained that like her character, Samantha, she was also jealous of Joey in real life. Before he arrived on set, she was Nell's favorite, and Nell used to take her to restaurants during their lunch breaks. The Nell focused her attention more on the younger, cuter Joey.

Laura Jill Miller was the tallest 12 yr old girl ever on TV. She was like 6’ tall and in real life 18 yrs old.

Miller is listed as being 5’2.

R152 yeah that’s wrong.

I've been watching this on one of those retro channels recently. I stopped after the final episode aired last week because this show was so bad for the first four seasons. Anyway, I love this shit. Say what you will about Rosie BUT she's honest AF

The show was never the same after Dolph died. I can see why Nell was unhappy toward the end. The show was a shadow of what it was. She must have felt a lot of pressure to keep it afloat.

I only liked the 1st 3-4 seasons

I just watched the first few episodes after not having seen nor thought about the show for decades after having seen Nell Carter on an early episode of Amen. Nell is so charismatic.

I am really enjoying Lauri Hendler — she’s very natural.

One thing I did not notice (but will now look for) is Lara Jill Miller’s height. She did not appear all that tall to me when I was watching…

I did however, love the way they comically played up the height difference between Angie and Nell.

In LA, the reruns ran in the late 8”s on Channel 13/KCOP. The commercials announcing this “GET READY FOR GREAT BIG BELLY LAUGHS!!” I always thought that was funny but rude.

Nell was always grabbing and shoving those kids and Addie around, I am surprised CPS didn’t show up.

Late in season five there’s an episode where Simpson drops off his cousin’s fifteen children with Nell.

Was this yet another back door pilot?

As an 80s teenager, I dreamed of looking like Kari Michaelsen. So pretty, slim, and normal-seeming. Her skin and hair were flawless.

She has aged beautifully, too.

R162 — I just found out that Kari Michaelsen is a motivational speaker.

I need to find some clips of her speaking.

Wikipedia reports that Michaelsen is good friends with Kristy McNichol. That makes me like her even more.

Not wrong R155. Miller is 5’2-5’3. Carter was 4’11 and the other girls were average height and she didn’t look taller than any of them. She was lanky and long legged.

R165 — having recently watched the first five seasons, I concur. Lara Jill Miller’s height is average.

Rosie said Nell called her by her characters name on the set and she thought it was disrespectful. Nell said she did that with everyone in order to not mess us the child actors working on the set. I guess keeping the pattern of calling the person their name in the script so the kid won’t get messed up during taping.

[QUOTE] Gimme some cock I sure deserve it

Is that what Nelle said?

The show was better in the early years. Once the chief died it became too focused around Joey and Matthew and the show started to suck.

[QUOTE] I watched the episode about Chief’s police partner being gay. I had to turn it off about half way through because of how backward, ignorant and offensive Chief talked about gays. It would NEVER be allowed to be shown as a first run tv show today.

R143 it's amazing that episode aired at all at that time. They didn't really talk about gays on TV at all back then. And if they did it was played for laughs and innuendo as on Three's Company.

I didn't find the episode offensive, it seemed like a fairly realistic presentation of how people thought back then at that time. Of course it does seem extremely dated now but it was pretty daring to even approach this subject at all in the early 80s.

Who the hell is the old man on the stairs? Hoyt? I watched this show every Tuesday? Night as a kid and I have no memory of a grandpa in the attic

They had some superfluous characters on Gimme A Break, R171. Grandpa, and Matthew Lawrence. Not needed on show. And honestly I'm not much of a fan of Joey either.

GAB had the right casting at the beginning of the show. Then unfortunately Dolph Sweet died and the show went to hell as they added pointless characters to try to keep it going.

It's the exact opposite of Facts of Life, which had too many actors on canvass at the beginning. Once they cut it down to just four girls the show got better.

I will say that FOL started to suck too, eventually. Around the time they started giving the cast members giant feathered hair full of gel, and made them wear those overlong sweaters. Probably around 1985/6. They also pulled a GAB by bringing in a child character, Andy.

I’m with R170, that episode was progressive at the time. The show itself was quietly subversive. The episode with the chief along for a trans woman, Katie using an IUD, the way race was dealt with — comedy shining a light and so few noticed.

Lara Jill isn’t much taller than Nell, who was reportedly 4’11”.

Miller went to college then law school and practiced for a short period of time. She didn’t like being an attorney and she makes big money as a voiceover artist. She did an interview where she said she got asked a number of times during jury selections “aren’t you that girl from gimme a break”

[Quote] Nell was always grabbing and shoving those kids and Addie around, I am surprised CPS didn’t show up.

That has always bugged me about Nell on the show. She was physically abusive to the kids and especially Addie. Even at the age of 8 yrs old, it made me uncomfortable.

R177 She seems to STAY working in voice acting, good for her.

[QUOTE] She was physically abusive to the kids and especially Addie.

Nothing she did was even slightly out of line. How dare you!

She made Ann Romano seem calm. Nell is always pushing and shoving people and I would imagine you feel it when a big bitch like that manhandles you.

I remember Paul Williams played a racist kid’s show host who was Joey’s favorite TV personality, and ill. His character needed blood and was hospitalized. Nell gave him blood, told him he now had had black blood in him and as a result was “blacker than Whitney Houston.”

R179 is the only Lars Miller Stan in existence

I’m R179

I watched Gimme a Break! A bit as a kid when it was first on. I didn’t pay too much attention to it.

I’ve been bingeing the show in order for the past few weeks. I definitely have a lot of thoughts.

I’m now close to halfway through the final season and I’m having Nell Harper burnout.

I really enjoyed seasons three and four. I also am finding the show, in general, to be of much better quality than I would have guessed.

I remember watching one of the first few episodes where Julie is in an arcade playing Pac Man when I was 8 or 9 yrs old. I recall watching it along side my mom and dad. Fall months of 1981.

^^I liked Pac Man obviously then began watching Gimme!

R184, I think that’s the episode where the chief has basically no idea what a video game is. Julie has a crush on a dorky guy she meets at the arcade.

Julie was a great character — I wish they had given the character more to do over the years.

Yes, r186! That’s the episode! I remember my parents agreeing with or laughing when the Chief made the crack about video games! I think it’s almost amazing that after 40+ years I can remember it from my childhood.

Also, I LOVED Angie!!

I want a happy ending. I’m tired of pretending!

This show came on when I was six or seven years old and I love it. I liked anything with teenage girls (FOL) was a big favorite and I found Nell hilarious. In retrospect I must say Nell was incredibly talented. Gifted singer and comedian and I found her manhandling people hilarious. Please don't compare Nell with Bonnie Franklin who also physically assaulted her children/anyone who she felt like, as Nell was charismatic, funny and wonderfully talenented, all of which the Bonstress was not.

Agree r190

R188 - I watched Angie a few summers ago — fun.

R190 — You summed it up so well. Nell Carter was so talented. It’s insane how they were able to find excuses in so many episodes for her to sing and dance. She cry at the drop of a hat it seems.

The character was tough at times, but you understood how much she loved her family.

Is Angie that show that goes "let the love flow. ohhhhheeee, love is good love is fine" ?

Yes, R193 — a great theme song performed by Maureen McGovern, I think.

I’ve noticed that Telma Hopkins/Addie doesn’t sing too often on the show. I wonder why.

I wonder how fat she would've been minus the coke habit?