Goodtime Girls
Encyclopedia
Goodtime Girls was a short-lived situation comedy
produced by Garry Marshall
and his associates, Thomas L. Miller, Edward K. Milkis, and Robert L. Boyett, which ran on ABC
from January 22, 1980 to August 29, 1980. It was a period piece comedy set during World War II
, which was the producers' 1940s answer to their top 1950s-themed hits Happy Days
and Laverne & Shirley
.
in 1942, Goodtime Girls told the story of four women who found themselves having to share a small attic apartment at the Coolidge Boarding House, due to a regional apartment shortage, which occurred as a result of women striking out on their own and supporting themselves during wartime. In the beginning, three of the girls - Edith Bedelmeyer (Annie Potts
), Sioux City native Betty Crandall (Lorna Patterson
), and Loretta Smoot (Georgia Engel) - had agreed to share space together in the attic at Coolidge. However, just when they thought things couldn't get more cramped, Camille Rittenhouse (Francine Tacker
), a snobbish reporter who was covering a newspaper story on the apartment shortage, wound up being their fourth roommate when she herself was in need of a new place. This didn't immediately sit well with the other women, not only because of the tight quarters barely accommodating four, but since Camille's holier-than-thou personality clashed with the others, especially with Edith, who became the unofficial leader of the group. The gang did learn to get along, as they grew closer in a time when a lot of emotional and moral support was needed for each other, with America
working on "getting Uncle Sam
out of a jam".
The ladies also had a lot of fun things to look forward to; despite the shortage of consumer goods, cars, and men, many soldiers and sailors on military leave passed through to romance them. Edith and Betty, who were younger and single, were most frequently sought after by these bachelors. Loretta was the middle-aged war bride, who was holding out hope for her husband's safe return. Then there were two resident single men in the building, macho hustler cabbie Frankie Millardo (Adrian Zmed), who lived downstairs with his buddy Benny Loman (Peter Scolari
), a street performer whose pantomime
, juggling and unicycle acts were part of the regular physical comedy and pratfalls seen in every episode. Frankie wants to prove himself by joining the military but is turned down because he has flat feet. Frankie and Benny often joined in the girls' escapades, escorting them around town and engaging in periodic jitterbug and big band
dance sessions. With play came work, with Edith being employed at the Office of Price Admissions, Betty, for the U.S. Secretary of War, and Loretta working at The Pentagon
for bureaucrat
General Culpepper (seen in guest appearances by Richard Stahl).
The boarding house was run by its namesakes, George and Irma Coolidge (Merwin Goldsmith and Marcia Lewis
), a married couple who controlled their units very strictly. Also seen around was Skeeter (Sparky Marcus
), a young boy who spent a lot of time with the Coolidges.
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...
produced by Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
and his associates, Thomas L. Miller, Edward K. Milkis, and Robert L. Boyett, which ran 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...
from January 22, 1980 to August 29, 1980. It was a period piece comedy set during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which was the producers' 1940s answer to their top 1950s-themed hits Happy Days
Happy 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....
and Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
.
Synopsis
Set in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1942, Goodtime Girls told the story of four women who found themselves having to share a small attic apartment at the Coolidge Boarding House, due to a regional apartment shortage, which occurred as a result of women striking out on their own and supporting themselves during wartime. In the beginning, three of the girls - Edith Bedelmeyer (Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
), Sioux City native Betty Crandall (Lorna Patterson
Lorna Patterson
Lorna Patterson is an American film, stage and television actress.Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester. She is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Guild and has appeared in many stage musicals...
), and Loretta Smoot (Georgia Engel) - had agreed to share space together in the attic at Coolidge. However, just when they thought things couldn't get more cramped, Camille Rittenhouse (Francine Tacker
Francine Tacker
Francine Tacker is an American actress known for her brief appearance in the television series Dallas as Jenna Wade. Tacker was the second actress to play the character, succeeding Morgan Fairchild and preceding Priscilla Presley...
), a snobbish reporter who was covering a newspaper story on the apartment shortage, wound up being their fourth roommate when she herself was in need of a new place. This didn't immediately sit well with the other women, not only because of the tight quarters barely accommodating four, but since Camille's holier-than-thou personality clashed with the others, especially with Edith, who became the unofficial leader of the group. The gang did learn to get along, as they grew closer in a time when a lot of emotional and moral support was needed for each other, with America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
working on "getting Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
out of a jam".
The ladies also had a lot of fun things to look forward to; despite the shortage of consumer goods, cars, and men, many soldiers and sailors on military leave passed through to romance them. Edith and Betty, who were younger and single, were most frequently sought after by these bachelors. Loretta was the middle-aged war bride, who was holding out hope for her husband's safe return. Then there were two resident single men in the building, macho hustler cabbie Frankie Millardo (Adrian Zmed), who lived downstairs with his buddy Benny Loman (Peter Scolari
Peter Scolari
Peter Scolari is an American television, film and stage actor best known for his roles in the television shows Newhart, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Bosom Buddies.-Career:...
), a street performer whose pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, juggling and unicycle acts were part of the regular physical comedy and pratfalls seen in every episode. Frankie wants to prove himself by joining the military but is turned down because he has flat feet. Frankie and Benny often joined in the girls' escapades, escorting them around town and engaging in periodic jitterbug and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
dance sessions. With play came work, with Edith being employed at the Office of Price Admissions, Betty, for the U.S. Secretary of War, and Loretta working at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
for bureaucrat
Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
General Culpepper (seen in guest appearances by Richard Stahl).
The boarding house was run by its namesakes, George and Irma Coolidge (Merwin Goldsmith and Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis was an American character actress and singer. She has been nominated twice for the Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and twice for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical .-Biography:Lewis was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in...
), a married couple who controlled their units very strictly. Also seen around was Skeeter (Sparky Marcus
Sparky Marcus
Sparky Marcus is an American actor born December 6, 1967 in Hollywood, California. He had a prolific career as a child actor.-Career:...
), a young boy who spent a lot of time with the Coolidges.
Scheduling
Goodtime Girls premiered in January 1980 on Tuesday nights, immediately following Happy Days, of which this series, unlike others produced by Garry Marshall and Miller/Milkis/Boyett, was not spun off from or in any ways connected to, storyline-wise. ABC kept the show on through the end of February sweeps, but then pulled it off the schedule for over a month until it returned in April, when it then aired for three consecutive weeks in a Saturday 8:30/7:30c slot. The show was then taken off again, and since it garnered small audiences during both these runs, the network officially cancelled the show during May 1980 upfronts. Five more original episodes turned up on Fridays at 8:30/7:30c that August, but ABC chose not to air the final completed episode of Goodtime Girls after the next-to-last aired on August 29, 1980.Episode list
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "George Gets Drafted" (pilot) | January 22, 1980 |
| 1-2 | "Too Many Fiances" | January 29, 1980 |
| 1-3 | "Night and Day" | unaired |
| 1-4 | "Frankie and Edith Were Lovers" | February 12, 1980 |
| 1-5 | "Growing Pains" | April 12, 1980 |
| 1-6 | "Loose Lips" | April 19, 1980 |
| 1-7 | "Edith Dates A War Hero" | April 26, 1980 |
| 1-8 | "Loretta's Dilemma" | August 1, 1980 |
| 1-9 | "Internal Injury" | August 8, 1980 |
| 1-10 | "The Show Must Go On" | August 15, 1980 |
| 1-11 | "Who's Benny?" | August 22, 1980 |
| 1-12 | "Sing 'Til It Hurts" | August 29, 1980 |