Rocky Road (TV series)

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Rocky Road
Rocky Road TV series logo.jpg
Created byArthur Annecharico
Directed byRuss Petranto
Lee Lochhead
Norman Abbott
Dick Harwood
Franklin Melton
Mel Ferber
Bonnie Franklin
StarringMaylo McCaslin
Desiree Boschetti
Georg Olden
Lilly Moon
Marcianne Warman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes71 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerArthur Annecharico
ProducersPatricia Fass Palmer
Gene Abravaya
Production locationsHollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesThe Arthur Company
TBS Productions
Release
Original networkSuperstation WTBS
Picture formatColor
Original releaseSeptember 3, 1984 (1984-09-03) –
March 13, 1987 (1987-03-13)

Rocky Road is an American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the Superstation WTBS cable network from September 3, 1984 to March 13, 1987. Produced by Arthur Annecharico, the series follows three young siblings who run a beach-front ice cream parlor, and aired Monday nights as part of WTBS' line-up of original "family programming", which also included Down to Earth and Safe at Home. During its three-season run, the series underwent several cast changes and starred Maylo McCaslin, Desiree Boschetti, Georg Olden, Lily Moon, and Marcianne Warman.[1][2][3][4][5]

Premise[]

Main cast for season 3 of Rocky Road

The series centers on the three young Stuart siblings who live and work in a Pismo Beach boardwalk ice cream parlor that they inherit from their recently deceased parents. The Stuart kids – Jessica, the 22-year-old eldest and legal guardian of her two younger siblings; Robbie, the 17-year-old middle sibling and self-appointed "idea man"; and Cindi, the 12-year-old youngest sibling – somehow find a way keep the struggling ice cream parlor afloat with the help (and interference) of their neighbors on the beach.[2][3][5]

Jessica struggles to keep the family together while balancing a life of her own. Robbie is a typical teenager whose "bright ideas" have a tendency to backfire. And Cindi consistently finds adventures amidst a world of eccentric adults. Suzie Quartermain, the boardwalk's young lifeguard, is a fun-loving "party girl" whose antics always keep things interesting. Sandy Bradshaw, the boardwalk's police officer, is a bumbling young rookie who often finds himself in some mix-up. Lucas Buchanan, who owns the boardwalk's bait shop, watches over the Stuart kids and reminisces about the escapades of his younger days, before eventually selling the bait shop to retired Marine officer, Frank Wilson, Sr. and his teenage son, Frank, Jr.[2][3][5]

Characters[]

  • Jessica Stuart (Maylo McCaslin, season 1; Desiree Boschetti, seasons 2–3)
  • Robbie Stuart (Georg Olden)
  • Cindi Stuart (Lilly Moon, season 1; Marcianne Warman, seasons 2–3)
  • Suzie Quartermain (Kelly Ann Conn)
  • Sandy Bradshaw (Jim Menza, seasons 1–2)
  • Lucas Buchanan (Lewis Arquette, seasons 1–2)
  • Frank Wilson, Sr. (Fred Morsell, season 3)
  • Frank Wilson, Jr. (Joey Green, season 3)[2][4][5]

Production[]

Rocky Road was created by Arthur Annecharico and was produced by his production company The Arthur Company for TBS. An attempt at producing sitcoms on a budget, each episode of Rocky Road was estimated to cost $100,000 to produce, approximately ¼ the cost of network sitcoms of the time. The series was filmed at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles, California and premiered in its 7:05 pm time-slot on September 3, 1984 as part of TBS's Monday night line-up of its original shows Down to Earth (airing at 6:05 pm) and Safe at Home (airing at 6:35 pm) which, at the time, were both also produced by The Arthur Company.[1][2][3]

The theme song was penned and performed by melodic rocker Guthrie Govan. [6]

Episodes[]

Season 1 (1984)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Miss Boardwalk"TBATBASeptember 3, 1984 (1984-09-03)001
22"Handcuffed"TBATBASeptember 10, 1984 (1984-09-10)002
33"The Great American Kiss Off"TBATBASeptember 17, 1984 (1984-09-17)003
44"Buried Treasure"TBATBASeptember 24, 1984 (1984-09-24)004
55"The Formula"TBATBAOctober 1, 1984 (1984-10-01)005
66"Knives Near the Water"TBATBAOctober 8, 1984 (1984-10-08)006
77"Sister Was a Centerfold"TBATBAOctober 15, 1984 (1984-10-15)007
88"Spellbound"TBATBAOctober 22, 1984 (1984-10-22)008
99"Curse"TBATBAOctober 29, 1984 (1984-10-29)009
1010"The Critic"TBATBANovember 5, 1984 (1984-11-05)010
1111"Trading Spaces"TBATBANovember 12, 1984 (1984-11-12)011
1212"You Make Me Feel So Young"TBATBANovember 19, 1984 (1984-11-19)012
1313"Boardwalk Melody"TBATBANovember 26, 1984 (1984-11-26)013

Season 2 (1985–86)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
141"My Guy"TBATBASeptember 2, 1985 (1985-09-02)014
152"The Creature That Ate the Boardwalk"TBATBASeptember 9, 1985 (1985-09-09)015
163"Sandy, She Wrote"TBATBASeptember 16, 1985 (1985-09-16)016
174"Suzie Claus Is Coming to Town"TBATBASeptember 23, 1985 (1985-09-23)022
185"B. My Love"TBATBASeptember 30, 1985 (1985-09-30)019
196"The Exterminators"TBATBAOctober 7, 1985 (1985-10-07)017
207"The Buck Stops Here"TBATBAOctober 14, 1985 (1985-10-14)023
218"Bully for You"TBATBAOctober 21, 1985 (1985-10-21)018
229"Big Sister Blues"TBATBAOctober 28, 1985 (1985-10-28)020
2310"Mr. October"TBATBANovember 4, 1985 (1985-11-04)021
2411"Partners"TBATBANovember 11, 1985 (1985-11-11)024
2512"The Big Two-three"TBATBANovember 18, 1985 (1985-11-18)025
2613"Buchanan and Son"TBATBANovember 25, 1985 (1985-11-25)026
2714"Tonsils"TBATBADecember 2, 1985 (1985-12-02)027
2815"A Robbie Production"TBATBADecember 9, 1985 (1985-12-09)028
2916"Hurricane"TBATBADecember 16, 1985 (1985-12-16)029
3017"Two Tickets for Bruce"TBATBADecember 23, 1985 (1985-12-23)030
3118"The Oddest Couple"Russ PetrantoRob UlinDecember 30, 1985 (1985-12-30)036
3219"The Wrong Mr. Right"TBATBAJanuary 6, 1986 (1986-01-06)037
3320"Real Men Eat Quiche"TBATBAJanuary 13, 1986 (1986-01-13)032
3421"Jessica's Old Flame"Russ PetrantoTed BergmanJanuary 20, 1986 (1986-01-20)034
3522"Bicycle Thief"TBATBAJanuary 27, 1986 (1986-01-27)038
3623"Dueling Dads"Norman AbbottDanny Morris & Robert GosnellFebruary 3, 1986 (1986-02-03)031
3724"Lucas' Nephew"TBATBAFebruary 10, 1986 (1986-02-10)035
3825"Big Brother Is Watching"TBATBAFebruary 17, 1986 (1986-02-17)039
3926"Jessica's Vacation"TBATBAFebruary 24, 1986 (1986-02-24)041
4027"Robbie's Inheritance"TBATBAMarch 3, 1986 (1986-03-03)033
4128"Misfortune Cookie"TBATBAMarch 10, 1986 (1986-03-10)042
4229"Jess, You Is My Mother Now"TBATBAMarch 17, 1986 (1986-03-17)040

Season 3 (1986–87)[]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
431"Junior High School Confidential"TBATBASeptember 5, 1986 (1986-09-05)048
442"Fair Weather Friends"TBATBASeptember 12, 1986 (1986-09-12)050
453"Suzie Moves In"TBATBASeptember 19, 1986 (1986-09-19)058
464"Rockin' Robbie"TBATBASeptember 26, 1986 (1986-09-26)055
475"Bringing Up Baby"TBATBAOctober 3, 1986 (1986-10-03)044
486"A Horse Is a Horse"TBATBAOctober 10, 1986 (1986-10-10)049
497"Fear of Flying"TBATBAOctober 17, 1986 (1986-10-17)051
508"Davey Jones' Locket"TBATBAOctober 31, 1986 (1986-10-31)054
519"Jessica's College Roommate"TBATBANovember 6, 1986 (1986-11-06)043
5210"Junk Food Junkie"TBATBANovember 11, 1986 (1986-11-11)046
5311"Brain Bowl"TBATBANovember 12, 1986 (1986-11-12)047
5412"The New Lucas"TBATBANovember 19, 1986 (1986-11-19)052
5513"Love for Sale"TBATBANovember 20, 1986 (1986-11-20)053
5614"Cindi's Identity Crisis"TBATBANovember 24, 1986 (1986-11-24)056
5715"Boardwalk Blues"TBATBANovember 26, 1986 (1986-11-26)057
5816"Credit Crunch"TBATBADecember 5, 1986 (1986-12-05)059
5917"Frank Wilson & Son"TBATBADecember 19, 1986 (1986-12-19)060
6018"Why Frank Senior Can't Read"TBATBADecember 26, 1986 (1986-12-26)061
6119"Green Eyed Monster"TBATBAJanuary 2, 1987 (1987-01-02)062
6220"To Go or Not to Go"TBATBAJanuary 9, 1987 (1987-01-09)063
6321"The Return of Jerry"TBATBAJanuary 16, 1987 (1987-01-16)064
6422"Moscow on the Boardwalk"TBATBAJanuary 23, 1987 (1987-01-23)065
6523"Stuart's Folly"TBATBAJanuary 30, 1987 (1987-01-30)066
6624"Terms of Agreement"TBATBAFebruary 6, 1987 (1987-02-06)067
6725"Witness for the Persecution"TBATBAFebruary 13, 1987 (1987-02-13)069
6826"Drinking Buddies"TBATBAFebruary 20, 1987 (1987-02-20)070
6927"Food for Thought"TBATBAFebruary 27, 1987 (1987-02-27)071
7028"Bye, Bye, Jerry"TBATBAMarch 6, 1987 (1987-03-06)072
7129"True Colors"TBATBAMarch 13, 1987 (1987-03-13)075

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Nominee Category Result Ref.
1986 Young Artist Award Georg Olden Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special Nominated [7]
1987 Young Artist Award Rocky Road Best Cable Series Nominated [8]
Young Artist Award Georg Olden Best Young Actor in a Cable Series or Special Nominated
Young Artist Award Devon Odessa Best Young Actress in a Cable Series or Special Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Author Co. makes cable comedies". The Madison Courier. Associated Press. June 4, 1985.
  2. ^ a b c d e John Carman (September 2, 1985). "Latest comedy has 'Rocky Road' to hoe on WTBS". The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
  3. ^ a b c d Charles Witbeck (August 29, 1986). "High quality TV seeks out low costs". The Times-News.
  4. ^ a b George Fergus. "'Rocky Road' – a titles and airdates guide". EpGuides.com. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Life's a thrill for 'Gorgeous Georg' Olden". Teen Idols Mania!. July 1986. p. 56. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ^ https://guitar.com/features/interviews/guthrie-govan-the-aristocrats/
  7. ^ "8th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  8. ^ "9th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2012.

External links[]

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