Life with Louie

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Life with Louie
Life with Louie.jpg
Created by
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Producers
  • Louie Anderson
  • Ahmos Hassan
  • Matthew O'Callaghan
  • Martha Carrol
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Distributor20th Century Fox Television
Saban International
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseDecember 18, 1994 (1994-12-18) –
March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)

Life with Louie is an American animated television series. The show is based on the childhood of well-known stand-up comedian Louie Anderson, growing up with his family in the town of Cedar Knoll, Wisconsin during the early 1960s, although Anderson himself was actually from Saint Paul, Minnesota, also situated in midwestern US.[1][2]

The first two episodes aired in primetime on Fox in late 1994,[1][3][4] before moving to Saturday morning on Fox Kids from 1995 to 1998.[5] Although not that popular in the U.S., Life with Louie achieved cult status in some countries in Eastern Europe where Fox Kids was a popular TV channel during the 1990s and early 2000s, most notably Romania and in Turkey.

Characters[]

  • Louis "Louie" Anderson (voiced by Louie Anderson) Based on Anderson's younger self. Louie is an 8-year-old child, living in the fictional town of Cedar Knoll, Wisconsin. He is a very sensitive, impressionable, and intelligent young boy. He often uses his gifted sense of humor to deal with difficult situations. He always stands up for his own rights and principles, but also for those of others. His most notable catchphrase used in the series is, "All right!"
  • Jeannie Harper (voiced by Debi Derryberry) — Louie's best friend. She often defends Louie from local bullies. Louie has a crush on her.
  • Michael "Mike" Grunewald (voiced by Justin Shenkarow) — Louie's friend with a sarcastic sense of humor. He has a somewhat relaxed attitude and comes from a rather wealthy family, much to Louie's jealousy.
  • Toddler Tobolinski — Louie's other friend. He is somewhat shorter than the others, about the same height as Louie, and loves activities like recess.
  • Scott Jensen — One of Louie's friends. He appears quite often in the first and third seasons. But he is rarely seen in Season 2.
  • Andrew "Andy" Mortimer Anderson (voiced by Louie Anderson) — Louie's difficult, but caring father. He is a veteran of World War II and likes to tell his family stories about his experience at the front in Europe. Much of the humor regarding Andy, involved his comic superiority complex and equally comical unawareness of his own limitations. Though he often appeared out of touch with reality, Andy was secretly a very gifted chess player, a skill Louie briefly displayed possessing, but he hid his gift during the latter half of his life because of the way he was supposedly mistreated for it in his youth (he even went so far as to disguise himself at chess tournaments so he wouldn't be recognized). He is a proud owner of a Rambler sedan[6] (most probably a 1959 Rambler Six), that appears on the show in various episodes. His catchphrases: "For crying out loud!" and "I heard that." Despite his appearance, he is a very caring and loving person.
  • Ora Anderson (voiced by Edie McClurg) — Louie's kind, loving and sweet natured mother. She usually acts as the voice of reason for Louie and Andy.
  • Thomas "Tommy" Anderson (voiced by Miko Hughes) — Louie's youngest brother. Louie teases him a lot in the beginning.
  • Glen Glenn (voiced by Justin Shenkarow) — The local bully of Louie's school who teases Louie and the other Kids. His mother Jen Glenn has a huge temper and loud voice which the other citizens don't like.
  • Craig Eric, Paul George — Glen Glenn's friends.
  • The Melvins — A group of chess nerds. One of them is actually named Franklin, but is still called Melvin.
  • Henrietta Shermann (voiced by Mary Wickes) — Louie's grandmother, mother of Ora. She died in season 2 due to the death of Mary Wickes.
  • Pepper — Louie's obese pet goldfish.
  • Sid Anderson, John Anderson, Danny Anderson, Peter Anderson — Louie's older brothers.
  • Mr. Jensen, Earl Grunewald, Gus Williams, Mrs. Stillman — Louie's neighbors
  • Laura Anderson, Carol Anderson, Charlie Anderson, Julie Anderson — Louie's older sisters.

Episode list[]

Specials[]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten and Directed byStoryboard byOriginal air date
11"A Christmas Surprise for Mrs. Stillman"Matthew O' CallaghanMartin Fuller and Dan RootDecember 18, 1994 (1994-12-18)
Christmas special/pilot: It's Christmas time. Ora asks Andy to decorate Mrs. Stillman's house by the Christmas lights. Andy seeks Louie's help and both decorate the house with the help of Louie's friends who arrived at the house for singing.

Season 1 (1995–1996)[]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
22"Dad Gets Canned"Matthew O' CallaghanAndy Rose
Alex Taub		Bert Ring (director)
Carin-Anne Anderson, Dan Fausett
and Jim Fletcher		June 18, 1995 (1995-06-18)
Andy gets fired from his job for giving his friend the day off for the birth of his child. Louie gets upset because he wanted to spend his vacation relaxing and sitting around, but Andy forces him to work. Ora gets a job selling cosmetics to her neighbors. While Louie accompanies Ora, he learns the true reason behind Andy's job loss.
33"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Bed"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubBert Ring (director)
Carin-Anne Anderson, Jim Fletcher
and Michael Sosnowski		September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)
The Jensen family moves into the house next to the Andersons. While Andy fights with Mr. Jensen about their property lines, a rain storm appears and floods the town.
44"Lake Winnibigoshish"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubBert Ring (director)
Martin Fuller and Dan Root		September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)
The Anderson family goes to Lake Winnibigoshish for their vacation where Louie meets Kelly Busset, who has a crush on him. But Louie doesn't like her.
55"A Fish Called Pepper"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubBert Ring (director)
Carin-Anne Anderson, Dan Fausett
and Jim Fletcher		September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)
Jeannie moves because her father is given a new job. Afterwards, Louie's grandma comes to visit and, because of her, Louie sends a letter to Jeannie telling her he loves her. Meanwhile, the family gets a pet fish, because they can't afford a dog and cats lick the butter. In the end, Jeannie returns because her father's new job failed.
66"Behind Every Good Coach"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubBert Ring (director)
Martin Fuller and Dan Root		October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)
Louie joins the baseball team but during their first game, the coach gets hurt and Andy becomes the new coach. With the team unable to win, Ora gives the team a few pointers and they win their final game.
77"Alive! Miracle in Cedar Knoll, Wisconsin"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubDan Fausett and Keith TuckerNovember 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
While Andy and Ora leave to visit Grandma, Louie and Tommy are left alone at the house as a blizzard hits and causes a blackout in Cedar Knoll.
88"Pains, Grains, and Allergy Shots"Matthew O'CallaghanBernie AnchetaTom Riggin and Rafael RosadoNovember 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)
Louie suddenly develops a food allergy.
99"The Fourth Thursday in November"Matthew O' CallaghanAlex TaubCarin-Anne Anderson, Dan Fausett, Mark Mulgrew, Keith Tucker,
Jorge Burge, Steve Lumley, Robert Smit and Deke Wightman		November 18, 1995 (1995-11-18)
All of the Anderson family comes to Louie's house for Thanksgiving dinner, including Ora's brother, who Andy hates.
1010"Tracks of My Deers"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubJohn Burge, Mark Mulgrew, Rafael Rosado, Melissa Suber,
Steve Lumley, Lou Police, Robert Smit and George Sukara		November 25, 1995 (1995-11-25)
While on a deer hunt with Andy and his friends, Louie meets a lonely deer and decides to keep it until the hunt finishes.
1111"When Cedar Knoll Freezes Over"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex Taub
Bernie Ancheta		Jorge Burge, Steve Lumley, Dan Fausett,
Mark Mulgrew and Robert Smit		February 3, 1996 (1996-02-03)
The winter carnival begins in Cedar Knoll and The Anderson family loses every competition they enter. Meanwhile, Louie develops a crush on Jeannie's sister and tries to learn how to skate to get close to her.
1212"A Fair to Remember"Matthew O'CallaghanGreg Cope
Sean Dwyer		Tom Riggins and Rafael RosadoFebruary 10, 1996 (1996-02-10)
The Anderson family goes to a fair where Ora tries to win the best cooking contest, and Andy wins a pig. Meanwhile, Tommy gets upset because Louie always takes him to the childish fair rides.
1313"Born a Rambler Man"Matthew O'CallaghanAlex TaubJorge Burge, Steve Lumley,
Mark Mulgrew and Robert Smit		February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17)[6]
When Andy's Rambler gets damaged, Ora decides to buy him a new car for his birthday. After Andy complains and returns the car, Louie fixes the Rambler with the help of a repair man named Smitty.

Season 2 (1996–1997)[]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
141"Caddy on a Hot Tin Roof"Bert RingAlex TaubRafael Rosado and Mark ZoellerSeptember 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)
Louie needs some money and is hired as a caddy on a golf game.
152"Summer of My Discontent"Bert RingAlex Taub
Greg Cope
Sean Dwyer		Dan FausettSeptember 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)
Louie tries to escape from Glen Glenn, so he joins the trip to Chakami camp. The bad news: Glen Glenn and his gang also join. While on a trip, Louie and Glen Glenn get lost inside a forest.
163"Anderson Ski Weekend"Bert RingAlex Taub
Natasha Hayworth
Matthew Negrette		Steve LumleySeptember 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)
Earl Grunewald is promoted to be a main worker of the tractor factory. While the Grunewald family goes for a ski trip, Louie pretends to be a ski master, so the Anderson family also joins.
174"Roofless People"Bert RingMary Gray Rubin
David Silverman		Ken Mundie and Steve LumleyOctober 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)
A tornado attacks the Cedar Knoll which makes Louie afraid of the tornado, so he stays in his room and doesn't want to leave until the cow, which was trapped on a tree because of the tornado, confronts him.
185"How to Succeed in Washington Without Really Trying"Bert RingR.P. Halke
Alex Taub		Steve Lumley and Gary SelvaggioOctober 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)
Louie's class must give a speech and if someone wins, the class will go to Washington. Louie buys a speech from Glen Glenn and he wins. Andy accompanies the trip because he was in a war with the president. After Andy tells Louie he must always tell the truth, Louie tells the truth about the speech.
196"An Anderson Dozen"Bert RingMary Gray Rubin
David Silverman		Robert Gibbs and Steve LumleyNovember 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)
Ora gets a call from the doctor, telling her she's going to have a baby. Louie thinks if the baby is born, someone will leave the family and he thinks it might be him. It is revealed in the end that the doctor made a mistake and she's not pregnant.
207"Buzz Stop"Bert RingAlex Taub
Bernie Ancheta		Steve LumleyNovember 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)
Andy wants to have a bigger rv than the Jensens', so he buys bees to make more money and becomes obsessed.
218"The Masked Chess Boy"Bert RingBernie Ancheta
Alex Taub
Ed Driscoll		Ian Freedman and Steve LumleyNovember 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)
Louie learns he's so talented in playing chess that he writes to a chess competition. When Andy confronts him about people laughing at the chess players, Louie decides to disguise himself as the Masked Chess Boy.
229"For Pete's Sake"Matthew O'Callaghan
Bert Ring		Marcy Gray Rubin (teleplay)
David Silverman (teleplay)
Alex Taub (teleplay)		Dan Fausett and Eric FredricksonDecember 25, 1996 (1996-12-25)
While out shopping, Louie gets rescued from an accident by a homeless man named Pete and he decides to keep him in the garage of his house.
2310"The Good, the Bad, & the Glenns"Bert RingNatasha Hayworth
Matthew Negrete
Alex Taub		Robert Gibbs and Steve LumleyDecember 27, 1996 (1996-12-27)
Glen Glenn's mother, Jen Glenn, scares the entire town of Cedar Knoll with her loud voice. When she suddenly loses her voice and goes to the hospital, Cedar Knoll is happy and Glen Glenn becomes pals with Louie.
2411"Kazoo's Coming to Dinner"Bert Ring
Matthew O'Callaghan		Alex TaubDan Fausett and Eric FredricksonFebruary 1, 1997 (1997-02-01)
Louie meets a joker who is Ora's ex-boyfriend, Marty Kazoo. Ora, however, isn't too happy about the new friendship.
2512"Mr. Anderson's Opus"Bert Ring
Matthew O'Callaghan		Alex TaubKen Mundie and Steve LumleyFebruary 15, 1997 (1997-02-15)
Louie gets jealous because Jeannie has a crush at the new kid at school. Meanwhile, Andy and Ora are arguing about the date of their wedding anniversary.
2613"The Thank You Note"Matthew O'Callaghan
Bert Ring		Alex TaubDan FausettFebruary 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)[7]
For Louie's birthday, his grandma gives Louie a sweater which she made for him. While trying to write the thank you letter, Louie decides to instead play with his friends. When he finally writes the letter, he finds out his grandma has died.

Season 3 (1997–1998)[]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
271"Louie's Gate"Bert RingAlex TaubArt Mawhinney and Roy MuerinSeptember 6, 1997 (1997-09-06)
A new movie theater opens and Louie goes all the time, so Andy and Ora become worried. They decide to give him a movie camera, which causes Louie to decide to shoot a movie.
282"The Making of a President"Bert RingMarcy Gray Rubin
David Silverman		Steve Lumley, Marc O'Hare
and Chris York		September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)
Louie and Mike Grunewald try to win a school election by making lies about the other people.
293"Military Reunion"Matthew O'CallaghanRobert RabinowitzSteve Lumley, Mark O'Hare
and Gary Scott		September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)
Louie doesn't want to listen anymore to Andy's war stories. While at the Military Reunion, Andy admits to Louie he was called Corporal Keister and he was a cook, though his friends from the military insist that he did save them.
304"Go Packers!"Matthew O'CallaghanMarcy Gray Rubin (teleplay)
David Silverman (teleplay)		Steve Lumley and Art MawhinneySeptember 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)
Andy takes Louie to the Packers game.
315"The Undergraduate"Bert RingBruce Clark
Marc Peterson		John Dubiel, Steve Lumley, Gary Scott,
Mark Sonntag and Doug McCarthy		October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)
When Louie's teacher gets ill, Louie gets a crush on the replacement teacher. Louie begins reading Shakespeare, much to Andy's chagrin. Andy tries to order the principal to fire Mrs. Robertson, the replacement teacher. Mrs. Robertson explains she's from the military family and Andy gets her a job at the military academy.
326"Louie's Harrowing Halloween"Bert RingAlex TaubEric FredricksonOctober 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)
While shopping, Louie ends up stealing candy, so he tries to get rid of it during Halloween.
337"Mr. Louie's Wild Ride"Bert RingShawn RyanEric Fredrickson, Mark O'Hare
and Keith Tucker		November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)
The Anderson family goes to Snifferland for their vacation. After arrival, they learn Snifferland moved to Orlando, Florida.
348"Close Encounters of the Louie Kind"Bert RingAlex ZammCraig Berman, Eric Fredrickson
and Art Mawhinney		November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
Louie and Mike create a spaceship which causes Andy to be declared ambassador of the Earth.
359"The Kiss Is the Thing"Matthew O'CallaghanMike Gandolfi (teleplay)
Matthew O'Callaghan (teleplay)		Steve LumleyNovember 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
Louie must play the prince for the school performance about Sleeping Beauty. Meanwhile, Andy replaces his boss.
3610"Family Portrait"Matthew O'CallaghanShawn Ryan (teleplay)John Dubiel, Eric Fredrickson,
Martin Lee Fuller and Jim Kammerud		December 20, 1997 (1997-12-20)
Louie learns one of his friends is an orphan and invites him to his house for Christmas.
3711"Blinded by Love"Matthew O'CallaghanDavid Silverman
Marcy Gray Rubin		Eric Fredrickson, Steve Lumley,
Art Mawhinney and Mark Sonntag		February 16, 1998 (1998-02-16)
Louie wants to have a dog much to Andy's chagrin. Louie takes a dog that has been trained to be a guide for the blind.
3812"Do It or Donut"Bert RingMike Gandolfi (teleplay)
Matthew O'Callaghan (teleplay)		Eric Fredrickson, Steve Lumley
and Art Mawhinney		February 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
Louie feels he's good at basketball and Andy tries to support him. Ora decides to eat healthy food.
3913"Project: Mother's Day"Bert RingShawn RyanJohn Dubiel, Martin Lee Fuller,
Jim Kammerud and Tom Riggin		March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)
In the series finale, Andy's mother comes to visit for Mother's Day. Meanwhile, Ora gets sick and Louie does all of her jobs, so he doesn't have time to buy her gift for Mother's Day.

Intro and theme song[]

The show's intro involved the main character running toward a TV set, turning one of the set's dials, and showing a live-action video of Louie Anderson as an adult saying, "Let me tell you about my family." Then after that showing clips of the show from Andy Anderson being pulled by sled dogs, Louie sticking chopsticks in his nose, to Louie jumping off a diving board at a swimming pool nearly wasting all the water and getting most of the other participants wet due to the fact of him being overweight, then the show's logo (in Pink) appears on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, while the main character (wearing sunglasses) eats a dot while sitting on a raft while watching TV on a tire. The intro was used from season 2 to the last season. Season 1 episodes used a live-action intro by Louie Anderson talking to the audience about his childhood, then dissolving into the show.

Home videos and merchandise[]

Based on the popularity of the show, various merchandise was released including apparel, videos of various episodes, a "Lake Winnibigoshish" CD-ROM comic book,[8] and a book series for children. The book series was based on the various episodes of the show and contained six books in total. Kids' meal toys were also produced for several fast-food restaurant chains including Taco Bell (1996), Hardee's (1997), Jack in the Box (1997), and Dairy Queen (1999).

For a time, Life with Louie-branded Spaghetti-O's, in character shapes, were available.[9]

In early January 2006, TVShowsOnDVD.com[10] posted a news story that Life with Louie was going to be released on DVD in the US. The information came from Louie Anderson himself who mentioned this news on a radio program he was a guest on, KQRS-FM. There has been no other news since then and it is now unknown if this series will ever be released on DVD in the United States. However, three 2-episode sets were released in the United Kingdom in summer 2007 as Life with Louie: Volume 1, 2, and 3. The sets were released through Boulevard Entertainment as part of the Jetix programming brand.

Awards[]

The series won two Emmy Awards. It also won the Humanitas Prize three times, which is more than for any other animated series.

  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class - Rick Hinson, Rick Hammel, Les Wolf Thomas Syslo and Timothy Borquez - 1996 (nominated)
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class - Timothy Borquez and Dan Hiland - 1996 (nominated)
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Louie Anderson - 1997
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Louie Anderson - 1998
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing - Special Class - Timothy Borquez, Timothy J. Garrity and Brad Brock - 1998 (nominated)
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class - Timothy Borquez, Rick Hinson and Eric Freeman - 1998 (nominated)
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program - Louie Anderson - 1999 (nominated)
  • Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program - 1999 (nominated)
  • Genesis Award for ethical treatment of animals - 1997[11]
  • Humanitas Prize for Children's Animation - 1996[12]
  • Humanitas Prize for Children's Animation - 1997[12]
  • Humanitas Prize for Children's Animation - 1998[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Mangan, Jennifer (14 December 1994). "Anderson Translates His Sad Childhood Into Humorous "Life With Louie' Special". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. ^ Thomas, Rebecca (30 August 1996). "Comedy Has A Serious Side For Likeable Louie Anderson". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. ^ "TV Listings for - December 18, 1994 - TV Tango". TV Tango. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. ^ "TV Listings for - June 18, 1995 - TV Tango". TV Tango. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  5. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 494–495. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  6. ^ a b "Life with Louie, Season 1, Episode 12, "Born a Rambler Man"". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. ^ Pennington, Gail (February 22, 1997). "Experiment Gone Wrong". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2 November 2015. The Fox Children's Network's animated series "Life With Louie" (10 am Saturdays on Channel 2) is always a charmer, but today's episode is something special. [...] Mom nags him to write a thank-you note, but he keeps putting it off.
  8. ^ "Life with Louie ~ Lake Winnibigoshish". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Life with Louie (S01E04) - Behind Every Good Coach Part 1". YouTube. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  10. ^ Lacey, Gord (1 January 2006). "Life with Louie - Louie says Louie is coming". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Louie Anderson". Richard De La Font Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "The Humanitas Prize - Children's Animation Category". HumanitasPrize.org. 2009. Archived from the original on 16 December 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

External links[]

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