The Bad News Bears (TV series)

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The Bad News Bears
The Bad News Bears TV.jpg
GenreSitcom
Based onCharacters created by
Bill Lancaster
Developed byBob Brunner
Arthur Silver
Written byPaul Diamond
Stephen Fischer
Directed byNorman Abbott
William Asher
Bruce Bilson
Jeffrey Ganz
Lowell Ganz
Jeffrey Hayden
Alan Myerson
Gene Nelson
StarringJack Warden
Catherine Hicks
Sparky Marcus
Meeno Peluce
Billy Jayne
Corey Feldman
Shane Butterworth
Kristoff St. John
Tricia Cast
Theme music composerDavid Michael Frank
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (3 Unaired)
Production
Executive producersBob Brunner[1]
Arthur Silver
ProducersJohn Boni
Jeffrey Ganz
Ron Leavitt
Brian Levant
Norman Stiles
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companiesHuk, Inc. & Frog Productions
Paramount Television
DistributorCBS Television Distribution
Release
Original networkCBS
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseMarch 24, 1979 (1979-03-24) –
July 26, 1980 (1980-07-26)
Chronology
Preceded byThe Bad News Bears

The Bad News Bears is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from March 24, 1979, until July 26, 1980, consisting of 26 episodes (three unaired by CBS). It was based on the 1976 film of the same name, that was followed by two sequels in 1977 and 1978.

Synopsis[]

In the television series, Jack Warden portrayed former minor-leaguer Morris Buttermaker, the coach of the Hoover Junior High Bears, a team of young adolescents with poor skills and little ability to play baseball. Catherine Hicks played the role of Hoover Junior High principal Dr. Emily Rappant, Phillip Richard Allen played Roy Turner, the coach of the rival team the Lions. Corey Feldman, Billy Jayne (then credited as Billy Jacoby) and Meeno Peluce were cast amongst the team's players, and Tricia Cast played Amanda Wurlitzer, the Bears' talented pitcher.

The series was originally scheduled on Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. In September 1979, it was moved to 8:30 p.m. Three episodes into the series' second season, CBS canceled The Bad News Bears due to low ratings. When the CBS broadcast unaired episodes in June 1980 it was moved back to 8:00 p.m. In July 1980, the series was again moved to the 8:30 timeslot, but by then audiences were confused by the frequent time changes and stopped tuning in.[2]

Cast[]

  • Jack Warden ... Morris Buttermaker
  • Catherine Hicks ... Dr. Emily Rappant
  • Phillip Richard Allen ... Roy Turner
  • Sparky Marcus ... Leslie Ogilvie
  • Meeno Peluce ... Tanner Boyle
  • Billy Jayne ... Rudi Stein
  • Corey Feldman ... Regi Tower
  • Shane Butterworth ... Timmy Lupus
  • Kristoff St. John ... Ahmad Abdul Rahim
  • J. Brennan Smith ... Mike Engelberg
  • Charles Nunez ... Miguel Agilar
  • Danny Nunez ... Jose Agilar
  • Tricia Cast ... Amanda Wurlitzer
  • Bill Lazarus ... Frosty
  • Gregg Forrest ... Kelly Leak
  • Rad Daly ... Josh Matthews
  • Persephanie Silverthorn ... Student
  • Sherrie Wills ... Marsha

Episodes[]

Season 1: 1979[]

Nº Ep Title Directed by: Written by: Air date
11"Here Comes the Coach"Bruce BilsonBob Brunner,
Arthur Silver		March 24, 1979 (1979-03-24)
22"Amanda Joins the Bears"William AsherJohn Boni (s),
Hap Schlein (t),
Betty Steck (t),
Norman Stiles (s)		March 31, 1979 (1979-03-31)
33"Nakedness Is Next to Godliness"Norman AbbottSam GreenbaumApril 7, 1979 (1979-04-07)
44"The Kelly Story"Norman AbbottTom Moore,
Jeremy Stevens		April 21, 1979 (1979-04-21)
55"Tanner's Bird"Jeremy StevensTom Moore,
Jeremy Stevens		April 28, 1979 (1979-04-28)
66"Emily Loves Morris"William AsherJeff FranklinMay 5, 1979 (1979-05-05)
77"The Food Caper"Gene NelsonJim BrecherMay 12, 1979 (1979-05-12)
88"Men Will Be Boys"William AsherRichard RosenstockMay 19, 1979 (1979-05-19)
99"Three's a Crowd"Alan MyersonRichard RosenstockMay 26, 1979 (1979-05-26)
1010"Save the Bears"William AsherJeff Franklin (t),
Elliot Werber (s)		June 2, 1979 (1979-06-02)
1111"Dance Fever"Lowell GanzRoy TeicherJune 9, 1979 (1979-06-09)
1212"Fielder's Choice"William AsherJeff FranklinJune 23, 1979 (1979-06-23)

Season 2: 1979–80[]

Nº Ep Title Directed by: Written by: Air date
131"Run Down"Jeffrey GanzJeffrey Ganz,
Brian Levant		September 15, 1979 (1979-09-15)
142"Buttermaker Rides Again"Brian LevantRon LeavittSeptember 22, 1979 (1979-09-22)
153"First Base"Ron LeavittRon Leavitt,
Brian Levant		September 29, 1979 (1979-09-29)
164"Wedding Bells: Part 1"William AsherPaul DiamondOctober 6, 1979 (1979-10-06)
175"The Birds, the Bees and the Bears"Jeffrey GanzRichard RosenstockJune 7, 1980 (1980-06-07)
186"Lights Out"Jeffrey HaydenAl Aidekman (t)June 14, 1980 (1980-06-14)
197"Wedding Bells: Part 2"TBATBAJune 21, 1980 (1980-06-21)
208"Matched Set"Jeffrey GanzCindy Begel,
David Lerner		June 28, 1980 (1980-06-28)
219"Old Timers' Day"William AsherAllen Goldstein,
Levi Taylor		July 12, 1980 (1980-07-12)
2210"Scrambled Eggs"John TracyRichard Gurman,
Lesa Kite		July 19, 1980 (1980-07-19)
2311"Double Play"William AsherFred Fox Jr.July 26, 1980 (1980-07-26)
2412"The Good Life"William AsherJudy OlsteinN/A
2513"The Pride of the Bears"William AsherRichard RosenstockN/A
2614"The Headless Ghost of MacKintosh Manor"William AsherPaul DiamondN/A

Syndication[]

In the late 1980s, the show was occasionally rerun on Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. In the early 1990s, it was rerun on Comedy Central.

Home media[]

On October 31, 2018, Visual Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "Bob Brunner, 'Happy Days' writer, dies". Variety. 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  2. ^ Brant, Marley (2006). Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms, 1974-1984. Billboard Books. p. 196. ISBN 0-8230-8933-9.
  3. ^ "The Bad News Bears". Retrieved 2018-10-12.

External links[]

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