Love, Sidney
Encyclopedia
Love, Sidney was an American situation comedy
television series about a gay
man, Sidney Shorr, and his relationship with a single mother and her five year-old daughter whom he invites to live with him. The NBC
series stars Tony Randall
as Sidney, Swoosie Kurtz
as Laurie Morgan and Kaleena Kiff
as her daughter Patti.
Love, Sidney originated with a two-hour pilot episode
which aired as a television movie
on October 5, 1981, followed by its regular run as a weekly series from October 28, 1981 until June 6, 1983. The series was the first on American television to feature a gay character as the central lead, although for the series Sidney's homosexuality was almost entirely downplayed from its subtle yet unmistakable presence in the pilot.
er in his 50s, who befriends a single woman, Laurie Morgan (Lorna Patterson
) and the daughter she gives birth to. At the end of the movie, he is brokenhearted when the mother and daughter move to California
. Laurie's daughter Patti is played in the later stages of the movie (once time lapses to her being 5 years old) by Kaleena Kiff, who retains the role in Love, Sidney.
With the debut of the series, Laurie Morgan (now played by Swoosie Kurtz) and Patti returned to New York when Laurie's marriage in California didn't work out. Sidney, Laurie and Patti were now all living under the same roof again, still in Sidney's Manhattan
apartment. In the movie, viewers had seen Laurie work her way up in the ranks of show business; by the time frame of Love, Sidney, she had already become a known actress, primarily in television and commercials. She resumed her acting career in New York, appearing as vixen "Gloria Trenell" on the (fictional) daytime soap opera
As Thus We Are. Sidney continued to be a doting father figure to precocious Patti, whose innocence filled his life with sunshine and provided him with the child he never had. Laurie and Sidney's relationship, from the outset, could be interpreted as running the gamut from being overprotective parents to that of brother and sister, with only fleeting displays of affection that could have suggested a more-than-platonic connection to the novice viewer.
More attention was paid in the series to Sidney's career as a professional illustrator; his frequent business deals were made with young ad agency director Jason Stoller (Chip Zien
), who worked for Graham & Ludwig, Sidney's biggest account. Also showing up was Sidney's friend and neighbor in his building, local Judge Mort Harris (Alan North
), who was dropped after the first season. At the start of the second season, the role of prominent neighbor was given to busybody Mrs. Gaffney (Barbara Bryne
). She was the wife of the building's superintendent and was out on a neverending quest to gain Sidney's affections. Sidney also hired a personal secretary, Nancy (Lynne Thigpen
), during the second season.
. However, after the film was complete, NBC continued to put off its premiere, to the extent that it did not even make it on the air during the 1980-81 season. By that time, the network decided to go ahead and begin development on the series, with the intention of airing the movie as an introductory to the new sitcom that would be on the 1981 fall schedule.
By the time Love, Sidney series was being cast, Lorna Patterson was no longer available, as she had already begun starring on CBS
' Private Benjamin
; Swoosie Kurtz
took over the role of Laurie Morgan. Tony Randall
only agreed to do the series because it would provide him extra income that would go toward the financing of the community theatre he wanted to open and run in New York City. The salary he made over the show's two seasons eventually paid off when his National Actors Theatre
opened at NYC's Pace University
in 1991.
When the series was announced, NBC
received complaints from special-interest groups upset about a positive portrayal of homosexuality
, and so originally, nothing in the series referred to its lead character's sexuality except oblique, coded hints. Despite the rather ambiguous nature of Sidney's personal life aside from Laurie and Patti (some critics defined the character as a "confirmed bachelor" in the wake of the show's early downplay of homosexuality), Love, Sidney ended up being a notably big hit in New York City, since the show's premise mirrored real life in that area, especially among their gay population. Elsewhere however, the show's performance per market ran the gamut from at most moderately successful to poorly rated all through the run. As the network's concern over special interest groups waned, indications of Sidney Shorr's orientation remained hush until an overhaul in the show's creative team in 1982 changed all that.
George Eckstein
was the original executive producer from the time of Love, Sidneys premiere. While the series performed well enough for NBC to warrant it a second season, they pushed for changes in order to improve the show's chances for lasting success. At the start of the 1982-83 season, the network hired the veteran producing team of Rod Parker and Hal Cooper
to take over the show. Parker and Cooper, together with existing producers Ken Hecht and Sandy Veith, made many changes, including two new regular cast members, a remix of the theme music performed by Gladys
and Bubba Knight and a switch to more meaningful, moralized stories which bordered on the "very special episode
" format.
However, there was one new aspect the producing team veered toward a little more gradually, mostly since it was still a new, uncharted topic on television at the time: the exploration of Sidney's sexuality. It was clear that they wanted to go for it, first with the addition of Mrs. Gaffney, who had designs on Sidney. More hints made their way into the stories until May 1983. In a special hour-long episode aired on May 16th, Sidney agrees to go out on some dates with new co-worker Allison (Martha Smith
). Their courtship ends up fizzling out because of a lack of passion on Sidney's part. He insists that since his heart had been broken so greatly by his past long-time love, he could never love another again. After Allison breaks down into tears following their conversation, she is left alone by Sidney in his living room, and as she prepares to leave, cries, "If only she [Sidney's past love] knew what she was missing." The camera then pans over to Sidney's fireplace, showing a man's photo. It was this same photo that, in the pilot movie, was that of Sidney's former lover Martin when it was more openly revealed. (It is never made clear whether Martin died or left Sidney. Sidney says he went away, but Sidney tends to use euphemisms.) The following episode, the next to last in the series, had an acknowledged gay character as a guest star, a psychiatrist who befriends Sidney after the latter talks him out of suicide.
The full-out pursuance of gay themes, in relation to Sidney Shorr, never moved further for the TV series, as NBC did not pick up Love, Sidney for a third season.
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...
television series about a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man, Sidney Shorr, and his relationship with a single mother and her five year-old daughter whom he invites to live with him. The NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series stars Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
as Sidney, Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
as Laurie Morgan and Kaleena Kiff
Kaleena Kiff
Kaleena Kiff is an American actress, producer, and director. Kiff is best known for her roles in the sitcoms Love, Sidney and The New Leave It to Beaver.-Career:...
as her daughter Patti.
Love, Sidney originated with a two-hour pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
which aired as a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
on October 5, 1981, followed by its regular run as a weekly series from October 28, 1981 until June 6, 1983. The series was the first on American television to feature a gay character as the central lead, although for the series Sidney's homosexuality was almost entirely downplayed from its subtle yet unmistakable presence in the pilot.
Synopsis
Love, Sidney was a continuation of the television movie entitled Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend. Randall played the title character, a well-to-do gay New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
er in his 50s, who befriends a single woman, Laurie Morgan (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 the daughter she gives birth to. At the end of the movie, he is brokenhearted when the mother and daughter move to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Laurie's daughter Patti is played in the later stages of the movie (once time lapses to her being 5 years old) by Kaleena Kiff, who retains the role in Love, Sidney.
With the debut of the series, Laurie Morgan (now played by Swoosie Kurtz) and Patti returned to New York when Laurie's marriage in California didn't work out. Sidney, Laurie and Patti were now all living under the same roof again, still in Sidney's Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
apartment. In the movie, viewers had seen Laurie work her way up in the ranks of show business; by the time frame of Love, Sidney, she had already become a known actress, primarily in television and commercials. She resumed her acting career in New York, appearing as vixen "Gloria Trenell" on the (fictional) daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
As Thus We Are. Sidney continued to be a doting father figure to precocious Patti, whose innocence filled his life with sunshine and provided him with the child he never had. Laurie and Sidney's relationship, from the outset, could be interpreted as running the gamut from being overprotective parents to that of brother and sister, with only fleeting displays of affection that could have suggested a more-than-platonic connection to the novice viewer.
More attention was paid in the series to Sidney's career as a professional illustrator; his frequent business deals were made with young ad agency director Jason Stoller (Chip Zien
Chip Zien
Chip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...
), who worked for Graham & Ludwig, Sidney's biggest account. Also showing up was Sidney's friend and neighbor in his building, local Judge Mort Harris (Alan North
Alan North
Alan North was an American actor.North was born in the Bronx, New York and joined the United States Navy during the Second World War...
), who was dropped after the first season. At the start of the second season, the role of prominent neighbor was given to busybody Mrs. Gaffney (Barbara Bryne
Barbara Bryne
Barbara Bryne is a British-born American-based stage, film and television actress. Onstage she has appeared in comedy, dramatic and musical productions...
). She was the wife of the building's superintendent and was out on a neverending quest to gain Sidney's affections. Sidney also hired a personal secretary, Nancy (Lynne Thigpen
Lynne Thigpen
Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen Sandiego television series.-Early life:...
), during the second season.
Production
Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend went into production during 1980. Network executives planned to turn the film into a weekly series if the film was a success in the ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. However, after the film was complete, NBC continued to put off its premiere, to the extent that it did not even make it on the air during the 1980-81 season. By that time, the network decided to go ahead and begin development on the series, with the intention of airing the movie as an introductory to the new sitcom that would be on the 1981 fall schedule.
By the time Love, Sidney series was being cast, Lorna Patterson was no longer available, as she had already begun starring on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' Private Benjamin
Private Benjamin
Private Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film starring Goldie Hawn. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of 1980, and also spawned a short-lived television series. The film is ranked 82 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies" poll, and 59 on Bravo's "100 Funniest...
; Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
took over the role of Laurie Morgan. Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
only agreed to do the series because it would provide him extra income that would go toward the financing of the community theatre he wanted to open and run in New York City. The salary he made over the show's two seasons eventually paid off when his National Actors Theatre
National Actors Theatre
The National Actors Theatre was a theater company founded in 1991 by Tony Randall, whose dream it was to create such an organization. He was chairman until his death in 2004. At first the company was housed at the Belasco Theatre New York, then at the nearby Lyceum Theatre, and in 2002 was based...
opened at NYC's Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
in 1991.
When the series was announced, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
received complaints from special-interest groups upset about a positive portrayal of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, and so originally, nothing in the series referred to its lead character's sexuality except oblique, coded hints. Despite the rather ambiguous nature of Sidney's personal life aside from Laurie and Patti (some critics defined the character as a "confirmed bachelor" in the wake of the show's early downplay of homosexuality), Love, Sidney ended up being a notably big hit in New York City, since the show's premise mirrored real life in that area, especially among their gay population. Elsewhere however, the show's performance per market ran the gamut from at most moderately successful to poorly rated all through the run. As the network's concern over special interest groups waned, indications of Sidney Shorr's orientation remained hush until an overhaul in the show's creative team in 1982 changed all that.
George Eckstein
George Eckstein
George Eckstein was an American writer and television producer whose career spanned three decades, from the early 1960s through the late 1980s. Eckstein was a producer of many popular television programs such as The Invaders and The Name of the Game, in addition to penning the scripts of many...
was the original executive producer from the time of Love, Sidneys premiere. While the series performed well enough for NBC to warrant it a second season, they pushed for changes in order to improve the show's chances for lasting success. At the start of the 1982-83 season, the network hired the veteran producing team of Rod Parker and Hal Cooper
Hal Cooper
Harold Wallace Cooper was a Canadian ice hockey player who played eight games with the New York Rangers during the 1944-45 NHL season. He was 5'5" tall and weighed 155 lbs. He also played in the American Hockey League for the Providence Reds and the Hershey Bears and also in the United...
to take over the show. Parker and Cooper, together with existing producers Ken Hecht and Sandy Veith, made many changes, including two new regular cast members, a remix of the theme music performed by Gladys
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
and Bubba Knight and a switch to more meaningful, moralized stories which bordered on the "very special episode
Very special episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television commercials to refer to an episode of a sitcom or television drama that deals with a serious or controversial social issue...
" format.
However, there was one new aspect the producing team veered toward a little more gradually, mostly since it was still a new, uncharted topic on television at the time: the exploration of Sidney's sexuality. It was clear that they wanted to go for it, first with the addition of Mrs. Gaffney, who had designs on Sidney. More hints made their way into the stories until May 1983. In a special hour-long episode aired on May 16th, Sidney agrees to go out on some dates with new co-worker Allison (Martha Smith
Martha Smith
Martha Smith is an American model and actress. She is sometimes credited as Martha L. Smith....
). Their courtship ends up fizzling out because of a lack of passion on Sidney's part. He insists that since his heart had been broken so greatly by his past long-time love, he could never love another again. After Allison breaks down into tears following their conversation, she is left alone by Sidney in his living room, and as she prepares to leave, cries, "If only she [Sidney's past love] knew what she was missing." The camera then pans over to Sidney's fireplace, showing a man's photo. It was this same photo that, in the pilot movie, was that of Sidney's former lover Martin when it was more openly revealed. (It is never made clear whether Martin died or left Sidney. Sidney says he went away, but Sidney tends to use euphemisms.) The following episode, the next to last in the series, had an acknowledged gay character as a guest star, a psychiatrist who befriends Sidney after the latter talks him out of suicide.
The full-out pursuance of gay themes, in relation to Sidney Shorr, never moved further for the TV series, as NBC did not pick up Love, Sidney for a third season.
Episodes
| Number | Title | U.S. air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome Home" | October 28, 1981 |
| 2 | "A Piece of the Rock" | November 4, 1981 |
| 3 | "The Party" | November 11, 1981 |
| 4 | "The Cat Burglar" | November 18, 1981 |
| 5 | "Just Folks" | December 2, 1981 |
| 6 | "Run With It" | December 9, 1981 |
| 7 | "Fiddler Under the Roof" | December 16, 1981 |
| 8 | "Hello, Yetta" | December 30, 1981 |
| 9 | "Grade Expectations" | January 6, 1982 |
| 10 | "Charlotte's Web" | January 13, 1982 |
| 11 | "The Price of Security" | January 20, 1982 |
| 12 | "Sail Away" | February 3, 1982 |
| 13 | "Laurie's First Date, A.D." | February 10, 1982 |
| 14 | "Is There Life After Show Business?" | February 17, 1982 |
| 15 | "Puppy Love" | February 24, 1982 |
| 16 | "Laurie's Commercial" | March 3, 1982 |
| 17 | "The Torch" | March 17, 1982 |
| 18 | "Patti's Roots" | March 31, 1982 |
| 19 | "Visitors From Smoot" | April 7, 1982 |
| 20 | "Sidney and the Actress" | June 6, 1982 |
| 21 | "The Activist" | September 8, 1982 |
| 22 | "Father's Day" | September 15, 1982 |
| 23 | "Pros and Cons" | October 2, 1982 |
| 24 | "The Accident" | October 9, 1982 |
| 25 | "Sidney's Spree" | October 10, 1982 |
| 26 | "Sidney's Cousin" | October 23, 1982 |
| 27 | "The Anniversary" | October 30, 1982 |
| 28 | "Rhonda Rabbit" | November 6, 1982 |
| 29 | "Sitcom" | November 13, 1982 |
| 30 | "Jan" (Part 1) | November 27, 1982 |
| 31 | "Jan" (Part 2) | December 4, 1982 |
| 32 | "Sidney's Hero" | December 18, 1982 |
| 33 | "Ballet" | December 18, 1982 |
| 34 | "One is Enough" | March 28, 1983 |
| 35 | "Show Biz Mamas" | April 4, 1983 |
| 36 | "Blinded" | April 11, 1983 |
| 37 | "Sidney's Bar Mitzvah" | April 18, 1983 |
| 38 | "The Movie" | April 25, 1983 |
| 39 | "Sidney's Art Show" | May 2, 1983 |
| 40 | "The Revolutionary" | May 9, 1983 |
| 41 | "Alison" (Part 1) | May 16, 1983 |
| 42 | "Alison" (Part 2) | May 16, 1983 |
| 43 | "The Shrink" | May 30, 1983 |
| 44 | "Surprise Party" | June 6, 1983 |