#meredith baxter

[dr-wurm]

He's not Alan Alda

[retropopcult]

Family Ties season 1 cast photo, 1982

[xxhorace]

Meredith Baxter

[sparklejamesysparkle]

🌈"𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮!"🌈 (Part Two) LGBTQ+ representation on the Aaron Spelling romantic-comedy-drama anthology series The Love Boat, which ran on ABC from its launch as a TV movie in 1976 and then as a weekly series from September 24th, 1977 until the Pacific Princess sailed off the airwaves on May 24th, 1986. Among the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender celebrities featured on the original series were actor, comedian and director Charles Nelson Reilly (mentioned in the previous post---I found his porthole!), veteran stage and television actress Holland Taylor, who is also the life-partner of actress Sarah Paulson, British stage, screen, and television actor Jeremy Brett, best remembered as Freddy Eynsford-Hill opposite Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964) and for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on British television from 1984 to 1994, television star and AIDS activist Dack Rambo (among his vast credits include roles on The Donna Reed Show, Wonder Woman, Dallas, Paper Dolls, and All My Children), British stage, screen and television actor Maurice Evans (Shakespearean trained, Evans made a splash as Hamlet on Broadway in the 1920s and went on to star in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, as Dr. Zaius in Planet of the Apes in 1968 and Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970, and as Samantha Stephens' warlock father Maurice on the 1964-1972 sitcom Bewitched), Canadian actor Raymond Burr known for his portrayals of the villain in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), as the title character on the long-running television series Perry Mason (1957 to 1966), and as Robert T. Ironside on the series Ironside (1967-1974), prolific film and television star Raymond St. Jacques (cast as "Simon Blake" on the Western series Rawhide in 1965, St. Jacques made history as the first African-American actor to have a regular starring role on a prime time western series), actor and singer Jim Nabors who starred as wholesome and goofy Gomer Pyle on both The Andy Griffith Show and the spin-off Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (Nabors was also one of Carol Burnett's best friends), Ron Palillo who played Horshack on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter from 1975 to 1979, Caitlyn Jenner, gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics who also acted in a few films and TV shows (Caitlyn appeared on The Love Boat in 1986 long before she transitioned, but her porthole credit now reflects her identity), Timothy Patrick Murphy who appeared on The Love Boat four times between 1979 and 1985, Will Geer, well-known for his iconic portrayal of Grandpa Walton on the long-running family drama The Waltons from 1972 until his passing in 1978, Meredith Baxter, the daughter of Hazel actress Whitney Blake who starred on the TV show Family in the 1970s (which also starred fellow openly gay Love Boat guest star Kristy McNichol, featured in part one of this post) and memorably played Michael J. Fox's mom Elyse Keaton on the popular 1980s sitcom Family Ties (Meredith came out as a lesbian in 2009 and married her partner Nancy Locke in 2013), and fashion designer Geoffrey Beene, renowned for dressing many American First Ladies as well as actresses Faye Dunaway and Glenn Close. Among these celebrities, it's worth noting that three of them tragically died from complications due to HIV/AIDS: Dack Rambo at age 52 in 1994, Raymond St. Jacques at age 60 in 1990, and Timothy Patrick Murphy, who had a promising career ahead of him, at the untimely age of 29 in 1988. Part one of this post can be viewed here.

[thestarlight3]

“I am proper Jo. You just look and see, for once I look like everybody else. I’m not shabby and dowdy and poor. Just this one night I want to be what I like to be, the prettiest butterfly in the garden.”-Meg March

Meredith Baxter as Meg March & Susan Dey as Jo March Little Women (1978) Miniseries Dir. David Lowell Rich Written by: Suzanne Clauser Based on the book “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott

[huzzahvega]

My 15 favorite episodes of Family Ties!!

This show is my life so here are my favorite episodes! This includes 2 episode pairs.

Number 15: Wrap Around the Clock

Almost ending season 7, this is a very nostalgic two-episode pair. Most seasons they have two episodes together where they look back at old memories, flashbacks included. For the last time, it started with the beginning of the pilot and ended with a recent memory. Elyse was playing her guitar and in that original episode that scene was from, there was a family montage. This time it displayed their family photos lined up. The show’s ending had me sobbing for hours every day and that’s not an exaggeration.

Number 14: Sherry Baby

Mallory tries to set up the sorority Pi Nu’s leader, Sherry, with Alex so she can get into the group. Even though Mallory went to the dance with Skippy as a deal, she didn’t get in. This was one of my favorites when I first started Family Ties.

Number 13: Speed Trap

This is a serious episode. Alex takes pills to help him in school, but he ends up addicted. When he sleeps too late from the exhaustion after being so energetic, he misses his big test. This is an important episode. It’s very scary and real.

Number 12: Don’t Go Changing

This is probably the episode that has made me laugh the hardest. Alex feels like he has nothing in common with Ellen, so he tries to fit into her world. He puts on this insane performance at Ellen’s dance audition for a dance scholarship. He auditions to make her happy, but he just makes a fool out of himself.

“Did I get it?”

“They’ll definitely remember you.”

Number 11: Birth of a Keaton

This is where Elyse gives birth to Andrew. She is about to sing a song at Steven’s station while he’s at the house, but she goes into labor on TV. Steven tries to get there, but there’s a heavy snow storm. Elyse gives birth in a room at that building once Steven finally gets there. The whole family is happy, especially Alex who finds out it’s a boy. This episode is nerve-wracking, heart-warming, and funny at the same time.

Number 10: Mrs Wrong

Mallory is tired of doing chores around the house and wants to move out. She asks Nick to marry her and he agrees. Everyone disapproves of the marriage as Mallory is only 18 and can’t provide for herself. They decide to elope. Once they are about to get married, they realize they’re going too fast. Alex runs in and yells to stop the wedding at the wrong couple. I’m so glad Mallory and Nick stayed together the whole show.

“You’re the first to stop two weddings with one objection!”

Number 9: Baby Boy Doe

I love Skippy episodes, and this one was very funny. Skippy finds out he’s adopted and tries to find his real mom. He realizes at the end that his real family was the one that raised him.

Number 8: A, My Name is Alex

This episode is very deep. Alex’s friend Greg dies from a car crash and he suffers with survivor’s guilt as he was supposed to be in the car too. He goes to a therapy session. He goes through old memories with lit up areas featuring the people he loves. This episode won awards. I admit I cried.

Number 7: Last of the Red Hot Psychologists

We meet Lauren. I don’t know why people don’t like Lauren, she’s really nice and somehow loved Alex. She started off giving Alex a test for being an overachiever, and then of course he kisses her. When does he not kiss every woman he meets. They fall in love but he cheats later on. Not cool. Shoutout to Lauren’s monkey because he stole the show.

Number 6: The Real Thing

We meet Ellen! THEY’RE STILL TOGETHER THEY’RE STILL TOGETHER SHUT UP THEIR ACTORS ARE MARRIED IN REAL LIFE SO THEY’RE STILL TOGETHER SHUT UP SHUT UP AHHHHHHHHHHHH This episode is so sweet. Alex was really in love with her.

Number 5: 4 RMS OCN VU

While the kids’ parents are out, Mallory crashes the car. She’s not allowed to use it so they have to find a way to make money and quick. They turn their house into a hotel which ends with a kangaroo in the living room as Steven walks in. “I guess you could say I’m a… moneyholic.” Let’s hope the kangaroo got paid.

“I guess you could say I’m a… moneyholic.”

Number 4: It Happened One Night

Wow! A fun camping episode! Everyone gets lost! Steven, Elyse, and Andrew go camping after Alex, Mallory, and Jennifer refuse to go with them. They feel bad and (with Nick) try to go with them. Their car breaks down until the parents and Andrew find them with their car. It’s always so funny and it ends beautifully with In My Life by the Beatles and a family montage.

Number 3: A Keaton Christmas Carol

This episode is a parody of A Christmas Carol (As you can see in the name.) Alex is Scrooge in this case while Jennifer is the ghost of Christmas past and Mallory is the ghost of Christmas future. Alex realizes he used to love Christmas and in the future he will be a balding, mean, rich guy. He was pretty happy about that last trait, but realized he needed to change his unappreciative ways. He was pretty focused on the balding part though. Super funny the whole time and I could watch this episode a million times.

Number 2: Ladies Man

This is just classic Alex. His very conservative self pretended to be a feminist and support equal rights to impress a girl.

“I am a woman!”

Number 1: Mr Wrong

The episode where we meet Mallory’s new boyfriend Nick is my favorite episode of all time. Mallory’s already dumb, but somehow she found someone even dumber. I told my friend this and he said “Tweedledee and tweedledumbass” This episode always makes me laugh.

“Hey👊”

-huzzahjamie

[camyfilms]

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 1976

I never asked about Watergate. I simply asked what were Hunt's duties at the White House. They volunteered he was innocent when nobody asked if he was guilty.

[milkymovies]

Kate's Secret (1986) dir. Arthur Allan Seidelman