Tanner '88

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Tanner '88
Tanner 88 dvd.jpg
Cover of the Tanner '88 DVD
Genre Comedy-drama
Camera setup Multiple camera
Running time approx. 30 minutes (per episode)
Creator(s) Garry Trudeau
Executive producer(s) Robert Altman
Garry Trudeau
Starring Michael Murphy
Pamela Reed
Cynthia Nixon
Kevin J. O'Connor
Daniel Jenkins
Jim Fyfe
Matt Malloy
Ilana Levine
Veronica Cartwright
Country of origin USA
Original channel HBO
Original run February 15, 1988–August 22, 1988
No. of episodes 12
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Tanner '88 was a groundbreaking HBO television series. Written by Garry Trudeau and directed by Robert Altman, it went behind the scenes of the fictional campaign of former Michigan Congressman Jack Tanner in his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic party's nomination for the United States presidential election, 1988.

Congressman Tanner (played by Michael Murphy) is an obscure liberal Democratic politician who struggles to find a voice in the early Democratic primaries until his campaign manager T.J. Cavenaugh (Pamela Reed) masterminds an advertising push highlighting Tanner's authenticity and integrity. Using the slogan 'For real,' Congressman Tanner manages to emerge from a wide field of contenders to battle for the nomination against two high profile and better funded candidates, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and eventual nominee Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis.

Along for the ride are Tanner's college student daughter Alex (Cynthia Nixon) and mistress Joanna Buckley (Wendy Crewson, the real-life wife of Michael Murphy), a high level member of the rival Dukakis presidential campaign.

The series lasted for 12 episodes, following Congressman Tanner from the New Hampshire primary to his unsuccessful challenge for the nomination at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. In 2004 the Sundance Channel revived the series with a four-episode sequel, Tanner on Tanner. The series was also released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection in 2004.

The series is notable for cameo appearances from real life political figures of the 1988 primary season, including Jesse Jackson, Bob Dole, Gary Hart, Kitty Dukakis, Bruce Babbitt, and Pat Robertson.

Robert Altman has always contended that this was his most creative work, along with Short Cuts. Altman won the Emmy Award for best Directing, Drama for the Tanner '88 episode The Boiler Room.


Contents

[edit] Cabinet

Jack Tanner's proposed cabinet (quotes from their appearances on the show):

[edit] Song

The show's theme song, drawn from Altman's 1979 film Health, became a continuing part of the series, appearing in multiple incarnations throughout Congressman Tanner's bid for the presidency.

[edit] Episodes

The following is a chronological episode list for the television series Tanner '88 which ran for twelve episodes on HBO in 1988.

Currently, the entire series is available on DVD.

[edit] Season One (1988)

# Airdate Prod. Code Title
1 - 101 February 15, 1988 1A The Dark Horse (Part One)
2 - 102 February 15, 1988 1B The Dark Horse (Part Two}
3 - 103 March 14, 1988 2A For Real
4 - 104 April 12, 1988 2B The Night of the Twinkies
5 - 105 May 2, 1988 3A Moonwalker and Bookbag
6 - 106 May 16, 1988 3B Bagels with Bruce
7 - 107 June 6, 1988 4A Child's Play
8 - 108 June 20, 1988 4B The Great Escape
9 - 109 July 11, 1988 5A The Girlfriend Factor
10 - 110 July 17, 1988 5B Something Borrowed, Something New
11 - 111 August 11, 1988 6A The Boiler Room
12 - 112 August 22, 1988 6B The Reality Check

[edit] Trivia

Writer Jesse Armstrong acknowledges Tanner 88's influence on the BBC political comedy The Thick of It.

[edit] External link

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/a/n/Tanner_%2788.html"