All That Glitters (partially found television sitcom; 1977)
The cast of the show in front of the fictional Globatron logo.
Status: Partially Found
All that Glitters is a television sitcom that parodies the soap opera format by reversing the traditional gender roles of the characters. The series is notable for having television's first transgender character, as well as spawning Neil Diamond's You Don't Bring Me Flowers which was rejected as the show's theme song in favor of Kenny Rankin's Genesis Revisited and hit the top spot of the Billboard Top 100 the following year.[1][2]
The show was panned by critics, and never won any significant awards. Some called the show blasphemous, as the intro song parodied the Bible by stating that God was a woman, and that she created Adam from Eve.[3][4] Others criticized the show's humor, stating that the only joke was the reversal of the gender roles, and that it brought out the worst traits in the characters rather than the best.[5] Due to its unpopularity and late-night schedule, the show was cancelled after 65 episodes, finalizing the series before the year's end.
Plot Sypnosis
The show revolves around the Globatron Corporation, an advertising conglomerate in which the main management positions are held primarily by women, and the secretary positions by men. This role reversal is seen all throughout society, with women being the heads of household and breadwinners, while men are the househusbands and caretakers. In Globatron, drama ensues between the management roles as the women begin to flirt and hit on the male secretaries, all while the chairwoman of the board (Barbara Baxley) gives everyone working for her trouble, and those working for the company are struggling for its survival.[6]
Availability
The series has very limited availability online, with only two portions of the show existing online, one of which being a commercial that aired for the show, and the other being a mute segment of the show in a 1977 interview with Chuck McCann. Episodes of the show are available both at the Paley Center and Library of Congress, which both hold the series beginning episodes, with the Library of Congress holding the later episodes as well.[7][8] However, due to copyright restrictions, they are limited to in-library screenings only.
Gallery
References
- ↑ An article documenting the first transgender character in television history. Retrieved 21 Aug '19
- ↑ A segment from a book detailing the origins of Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's hit song. Retrieved 21 Aug '19
- ↑ A page with the audio for Genesis Revisited, the theme song for the series. Retrieved 21 Aug '19
- ↑ A newspaper article criticizing the show's intro and character development. Retrieved 21 Aug '19
- ↑ A Marxist newspaper with an article panning the show's character development and portrayal of both sexes. Retrieved 21 Aug '19
- ↑ A New York Times article describing the plot of the series. Retrieved 22 Aug '19
- ↑ The Paley collection including earlier episodes of All That Glitters as well as the series finale. Retrieved 22 Aug '19
- ↑ A document showing the Library of Congress' collections for All That Glitters. Retrieved 22 Aug '19