Harper Valley PTA (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harper Valley (PTA) | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Starring | Barbara Eden Fannie Flagg Jenn Thompson Anne Francine Bridget Hanley Rod McCary Mills Watson George Gobel Allison Harvey |
| Opening theme | "Harper Valley PTA", originally performed by Jeannie C. Riley |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 0:30 (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | January 16, 1981 – May 1, 1982 |
Harper Valley PTA was an early 1980s U.S. television sitcom based on the 1978 film Harper Valley PTA, which was itself based on the 1968 hit song recorded by country singer Jeannie C. Riley, written by Tom T. Hall.
The series went on to flesh out the story in the song, as it told of the adventures of Stella Johnson (Barbara Eden), a single mother living in the fictional town of Harper Valley, Ohio, which was still dominated by the namesakes of the founder, the Harper family, most prominently represented by the mayor, Otis Harper, Jr. (George Gobel). Mrs. Johnson's flouting of the small town's conventions, and exposure of the hypocrisy of many of its other residents, provided the series' humor.
If there was a catch-phrase to the show, it would be the line that Flora Simpson Reilly (Anne Francine) uttered every time she was defeated by Stella (which was almost always), "Someday I will get you, Stella Johnson!" Other actors and actresses in the show included Fannie Flagg, Mari Gorman, Bridget Hanley, Rod McCary, Allison Harvey and Edie McClurg.
In the show's early episodes, Mrs. Johnson had been recently elected to the board of directors of the PTA and this was the source of most of the show's plots; later it was decided that this idea had been carried about as far as was practical and the PTA aspect was dropped from the show, which was then retitled Harper Valley. During this phase, Stella's relationship with Dee was more prominent and actor Mills Watson joined the cast as Stella's eccentric uncle, Winslow Homer Smith. Nicknamed Buster, he was an inventor, whose inventions never worked the way they were supposed to. Stella still did battle with the Reillys on occasion. The show ran from January 1981 to August 1982 on NBC; as too few episodes were made for it to be practical to syndicate the program, it has been little-seen since then.
[edit] External links
|
|||||
