Noam Pitlik Movies

Rival airline owner Roy (David Schramm) would love to be as popular and convivial as Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian (Steven Weber), but he is operating under a handicap -- nobody can stand Roy, and the feeling is mutual. All this may change when Roy decides to practice the edicts of "The Golden Rule" as laid down by helpful Joe. Then again, a "nice" Roy has every potential of being just as obnoxious as the nasty one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Once again, Jim (Christopher Lloyd) has been carried to extremes by his latest enthusiasm. In this instance, Jim is obsessed with notion that, in order to experience full happiness, one must be generous with those less fortunate than themselves. Thus, Jim hands each of his fellow cabbies 1000 dollars -- on the condition that they immediately give it away. Busy character actor Tracey Walter has a small role in this, the final Taxi episode filmed (though not the final one to be shown). ~ All Movie Guide

In this first episode of a two-part story, a severe strain is placed upon the marriage of Latka (Andy Kaufman) and Simka (Carol Kane). It seems that, during a heavy winter storm, Latka is trapped in a cab with attractive female driver Cindy (Allyce Beasley). And when wife Simka (Carol Kane) discovers how her husband and his companion (who assumed that they would not survive the night) managed to "keep warm," Latka finds himself out in the cold. How can this marriage be saved? Well, it seems that there's this curious custom from the "old country"... ~ All Movie Guide

Having made the big move from ABC to NBC, Taxi opens its fifth season with a "Shloogel." And what's a shloogel? Well, it's what newlyweds Latka (Andy Kaufman) and Simka (Carol Kane) call a "group blind date" back in their own country. And it's quite an experience for the folks at the Sunshine Cab Company, as Alex (Judd Hirsch) is paired up with a woman (Carlene Watkins) with whom he'd like to spend the rest of his life (or so he thinks); Tony is teamed with a "dream girl" who proves to be a nightmare (Anne de Salvo); Louie (Danny DeVito) finds out that his blind date (Murphy Cross) is genuinely blind; Elaine (Marilu Henner) is attracted to a gormless nerd (Wallace Shawn); and Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd) ends up with actress Marcia Wallace (as herself) -- and celebrates the occasion by singing his own special version of the Bob Newhart Show theme! Although the characters don't know it yet, this episode will prove to have a far-reaching influence on the rest of season five. ~ All Movie Guide

This episode reveals something only hinted at in previous seasons: Cabbie Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) is a compulsive gambler. Oh, he has managed to hide and suppress his "affliction" for years, but all this changes after an unusually lucky streak at an Atlantic City casino. Now convinced he is the highest of high rollers, and much against the advice of his fellow cabbies -- especially Jim (Christopher Lloyd), who has bankrolled him -- Alex hopes to fatten his wallet in a local dice game. ~ All Movie Guide

A decidedly pre-Cheers Ted Danson delivers a hilarious guest performance as Vincenzo, an extremely flamboyant -- and extraordinarily expensive -- New York hairdresser. Shelling out 200 hard-earned dollars for a treatment from Vincenzo, Elaine (Marilu Henner) is shocked by the hideous results, which make her look like an electrified mop. Even so, Elaine is too timid to demand her money back, so it falls to her fellow cabbies to come to her rescue. Alas, the imperious Vincenzo refuses to undo his damage -- resulting in a surprising and rather messy act of gallantry from Louie (Danny DeVito). ~ All Movie Guide

In this follow-up to the fourth season Taxi opener "Jim the Psychic", disheveled ex-hippie Jim (Christopher Lloyd) continues to amaze his fellow cabbies with his uncannily accurate predictions. Clearly, there is only one job for which Jim is uniquely qualified: that of program scheduler at a major TV network. Martin Short guest stars as Mitch Harris, the network executive who hopes that Jim's prognostications about future TV ratings will mean money in the bank for Harris' bosses. ~ All Movie Guide

A Native American visitor drops a bomb on Mel's Diner in the form of a dire prediction. According to the psychic Indian, an earthquake will hit Phoenix at exactly 11:37 AM. This leaves the diner staff and customers in a state of panic--and when someone panics on THIS show, it's a panic for the ages! "Earthquake" is the final episode of Alice's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Falling for Renee Stern (Lark Geib), the daughter of Rabbi Ben Stern (Noam Pitlik), Danny (Danny Bonaduce) tries to win her over by telling her that he's Jewish. Danny's little white lie results in a lot of embarrassment for all concerned when the Sterns invite the Partridges to a family dinner. (Oy Vey!) Song: "I Heard You Singing Your Song". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season two of The Bob Newhart Show got under way with an episode focusing on Dr. Hartley's therapy group. Determined to publicly air their neuroses, Bob's patients want to hold their next session on a TV discussion show. Only Bob is against the idea, and of course, his instincts are right on target. Jack Riley stands out in the huge supporting cast as Mr. Carlin. Written by Charlotte Brown, "The Last TV Show" first aired on September 15, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) emerges from a minor traffic accident with nary a scratch. This isn't quite good enough for Fred's buddy Bubba (Don Bexley), who never met a scam he didn't like. With Bubba's encouragement, Fred decides to shout "whiplash" (it rhymes with "get cash") and sue the other driver in the accident. The fun begins when the truth about the other driver's car is revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With All in the Family reaping huge ratings and even huger controversy on CBS, producer Norman Lear was able to sell another "chancy" sitcom project to rival network NBC. Like Family, which was inspired by the British comedy series Till Death Us Do Part, Lear's Sanford and Son was based on a long-running Britcom, Steptoe and Son, the saga of two cockney junk dealers. Also like Family, Sanford debuted as a mid-season replacement, in this case supplanted the failed Jack Webb drama The D.A. Originally, Lear had planned to build his version of Sanford and Son around two Jewish characters, but the upsurge in (and demand for) more African-American faces on television emboldened the producer to change the leading roles from Jewish to black. Veteran nightclub comedian Redd Foxx was cast as the irascible Fred Sanford (Foxx's real name was in fact John Elroy Sanford), a 65-year-old junk dealer living and working in a racially mixed Los Angeles neighborhood. Fred's son and business partner, 25-year-old bachelor Lamont Sanford, was played by Demond Wilson, whom Lear had hired on the strength of a guest appearance on All in the Family. The basic Sanford and Son premise was established from the beginning, with the crotchety Fred comfortably settled in his just-getting-by junk business, commiserating with his buddies in his off hours, occasionally squiring his erstwhile fiancée, nurse Donna Harris (Lynn Hamilton), and spewing forth hilarious insults about everyone in general and other minority groups in particular. Although he loved and was devoted to his father, Lamont was forever seeking to better his life by looking beyond the junkyard, but whenever Lamont announced his intention of leaving the family business -- or, for that matter, whenever Lamont disagreed with his father on anything -- Fred would conveniently suffer a "heart attack," invoking the name of his late wife by clutching his chest, looking heavenward and shouting "I'm comin', Elizabeth!" As with any successful sitcom, Sanford and Son boasted a steady stream of supporting characters. In addition to the aforementioned Donna Harris, the series' first season yielded such peripheral personalities as police officers Smith (Hal Williams) and Swanhauser (Noam Pitlik), also known as Smitty and Swanny, and Fred's longtime buddy Melvin, played by Redd Foxx's onetime vaudeville partner Slappy White. Many of the first 14 Sanford and Son episodes were adapted from scripts originally written for its British prototype, Steptoe and Son. These scripts were not exactly word-for-word, given the fact that American television in A.D. 1972 was not quite ready for the frankness of its British counterpart, but the racy and sometimes ribald "flavor" was happily intact. Debuting Friday, January 14, 1972, Sanford and Son immediately "won" its Friday-night time slot, closing out its first season as America's sixth highest-rated program. The series would remain securely in the Top Ten list throughout its six-season run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide