Turnabout (partially lost NBC sitcom; 1979): Difference between revisions
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==Premise== | ==Premise== | ||
[[File:Turnaboutcast.jpg|thumb|300px|The cast, clockwise from top left: Geoffrey St. James, Sam Alston, Penny Alston, Al Brennan, Judy Overmeyer, and Jack Overmeyer.]] | [[File:Turnaboutcast.jpg|thumb|300px|The cast, clockwise from top left: Geoffrey St. James, Sam Alston, Penny Alston, Al Brennan, Judy Overmeyer, and Jack Overmeyer.]] | ||
Married couple Sam (John Schuck) and Penny (Sharon Gless) both envy the other’s life; he’s a sportswriter, she’s a cosmetics executive. After Penny purchases a Buddha-like statue with magical powers, that night she wishes that they could change places with each other. The next morning, they discover that that wish has come true: they’ve switched places, but Sam is now in Penny’s body, and Penny is in his. The two try to live each other’s lives without anyone else finding out - confusing both her boss, Geoffrey St. James, and his boss, Al Brennan - in the process. The couple’s neighbours, the | Married couple Sam (John Schuck) and Penny (Sharon Gless) both envy the other’s life; he’s a sportswriter, she’s a cosmetics executive. After Penny purchases a Buddha-like statue with magical powers, that night she wishes that they could change places with each other. The next morning, they discover that that wish has come true: they’ve switched places, but Sam is now in Penny’s body, and Penny is in his. The two try to live each other’s lives without anyone else finding out - confusing both her boss, Geoffrey St. James, and his boss, Al Brennan - in the process. The couple’s neighbours, the Overmeyers, are equally perplexed by the notable changes. Throughout all of this, the husband and wife try to discover how to reactivate the statue, so they can switch back to normal. | ||
==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
Revision as of 04:50, 16 February 2022
Series title featured in the introduction sequence.
Status: Partially Found
Turnabout was a short-lived American sitcom created by Steven Bochco and Michael Rhodes that aired on NBC from January 26th, 1979, to March 30th of the same year. It was based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Thorne Smith, also adapted into a film in 1940.
Premise
Married couple Sam (John Schuck) and Penny (Sharon Gless) both envy the other’s life; he’s a sportswriter, she’s a cosmetics executive. After Penny purchases a Buddha-like statue with magical powers, that night she wishes that they could change places with each other. The next morning, they discover that that wish has come true: they’ve switched places, but Sam is now in Penny’s body, and Penny is in his. The two try to live each other’s lives without anyone else finding out - confusing both her boss, Geoffrey St. James, and his boss, Al Brennan - in the process. The couple’s neighbours, the Overmeyers, are equally perplexed by the notable changes. Throughout all of this, the husband and wife try to discover how to reactivate the statue, so they can switch back to normal.
Reception
The series was one of 36 new shows released by the three major networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) during the infamous TV mid-season of 1979. It lasted 7 episodes, before being cancelled due to poor ratings.[1][2] This was in part due to airing after the poorly rated Hello, Larry, and competing with CBS hit Dallas.
Avaliability
Out of the 7 produced episodes, 5 are available online, albeit in poor quality. Copies of every episode are currently held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive,[3] but have not been released publicly.
Episodes
| # | Episode Title | Air Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turnabout (12) | Jan 26th, 1979 | Found |
| 2 | Penny’s Old Boyfriend | Feb 2nd, 1979 | Found |
| 3 | We’re a Little Late, Folks | Feb 9th, 1979 | Found |
| 4 | Cry Me a Touchdown | Feb 16th, 1979 | Partially Found |
| 5 | Til Dad Do Us Part | Mar 9th, 1979 | Found |
| 6 | Crass Reunion | Mar 23rd, 1979 | Lost |
| 7 | Statutory Theft | Mar 30th, 1979 | Lost |
TV Movie
“Turnabout”, “Penny’s Old Boyfriend”, “Till Dad Do Us Part”, and “Statutory Theft” were later re-cut and compiled in 1981 into a single TV Movie, titled The Magic Statue. Notable changes between the movie and TV series include an added voiceover for the statue, additional bridging segments, and the removal of the laugh track.
On September 30th, 2021, the full movie was discovered on a private tracker. 4 days later, the movie was uploaded to Youtube in its entirety by LMW user Toastghost.
Gallery
Videos
Promos
Ad for the series in TV Guide.
Promo photo.
Promo photo for the episode "Crass Reunion".
External Links
- Wikipedia page for Turnabout.
- IMDB page for the series.
- KXAS-TV/NBC news report with footage from the series premiere.
- Washington Post review for the show.
- The Youtube link to the full copy of The Magic Statue.
References
- ↑ A New York Times Article mentioning poor ratings for Turnabout. Retrieved 18 Aug '21
- ↑ A second New York Times Article suggesting Turnabout’s likely cancellation due to ratings. Retrieved 18 Aug '21
- ↑ UCLA Archive search showing results for Turnabout. Retrieved 18 Aug '21