Mr. T and Tina
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''Mr. T and Tina'' is an American
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
and a spin-off of ''
Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the seri ...
'' starring
Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...
and Susan Blanchard that aired for five episodes on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
from September 25 to October 30, 1976. It is one of the first television shows to feature a predominantly Asian-American cast. The series was a ratings flop and was cancelled after only five aired episodes.


Synopsis

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...
starred as Taro Takahashi, a widowed Japanese inventor who is sent with his family (an uncle and sister-in-law) from
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
to set up the
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
branch of his employer, Moyati Industries. He hires scatterbrained and free-spirited American Tina Kelly ( Susan Blanchard) as the live-in governess for his children, Sachi (
June Angela June Angela Profanato (born August 18, 1959) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her best-known role is that of Julie, the mainstay member of the Short Circus band that was featured in the PBS children's television series ''The Electric ...
) and Aki (Gene Profanato). Mr. T.'s inventions included underpants with a built-in transistor radio and the "flash in the can," a coin-operated sunlamp in a restroom.


Cast

*
Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...
as Taro Takahashi * Susan Blanchard as Tina Kelly *
June Angela June Angela Profanato (born August 18, 1959) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her best-known role is that of Julie, the mainstay member of the Short Circus band that was featured in the PBS children's television series ''The Electric ...
as Sachi * Miriam Byrd-Nethery as Miss Llewellyn ( The Landlady) * Jerry Fujikawa as Uncle Matsu *
Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series '' The Love Boat'' (1977-1986), and Junior in '' That's My Mama'' (1974- ...
as Harvard the Handyman * Gene Profanato as Aki *
Pat Suzuki Pat Suzuki (born Chiyoko Suzuki; September 22, 1930) is an American popular singer and actress, who is best known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical ''Flower Drum Song'', and her performance of the song " I Enjoy Bein ...
as Michi (Taro's sister-in-law)


Guest stars

* Lew Horn * Sydney Lassick *
Nobu McCarthy Nobu McCarthy ( ja, ノブ・マッカーシー, born Nobu Atsumi (渥美 延); November 13, 1934 – April 6, 2002) was a Canadian actress. She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in ...
* Bob Okazaki *
Kinji Shibuya Robert "Kinji" Shibuya (May 16, 1921 – May 3, 2010) was an American professional wrestler and actor. Professional wrestling career In 1952, promoter Al Karasick suggested Shibuya try professional wrestling. He was originally given a villainous ...
as Kazu * Muriel Weldon


Cameos

* John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino ("Tina Really Truly Gets Fired") *
Ron Palillo Ronald Gabriel Palillo (April 2, 1949 – August 14, 2012) was an American actor and teacher. He was best known for his role as the endearingly dim-witted character Arnold Horshack on the ABC sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979). Ear ...
as Arnold Horshack ("Tina Really Truly Gets Fired") *
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (born September 4, 1953) is an American actor and singer. Best known for playing Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington in ''Welcome Back Kotter'' (1975–79), he has also appeared in a number of films and television shows, in ...
as Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington ("Tina Really Truly Gets Fired") *
Robert Hegyes Robert Bruce Hegyes (pronounced ''Hedyesh''; May 7, 1951 – January 26, 2012) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of high school student Juan Epstein on the 1970s American sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' and as detective Mann ...
as Juan Epstein ("Tina Really Truly Gets Fired")


History


Development

According to series creator Komack, ''
Chico and the Man ''Chico and the Man'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 13, 1974, to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run-down garage in an East Los ...
'' was originally conceived with
Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...
and Chicano leads; because that pairing proved awkward, he saved the Japanese-American character for another show. ''Mr. T and Tina'' was billed as "based on Japanese-American culture" and first noted to be in production in April 1976. Shortly afterward, it was rumored that NBC would be counterprogramming a new show with the working title ''Mrs. T. and Sympathy'', about a widowed Caucasian businesswoman from America moving to Tokyo. The first pilot episode was filmed with
George Takei George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井 穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the televi ...
in the lead role, but when
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
decided to target a less sophisticated audience at an earlier timeslot, a new pilot was ordered with
Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...
in the lead. The comedy was based on the conflict between Mr. T's traditional Japanese culture and Tina's free-spirited ways; Morita stated "Our comedy is going to come largely from the human chaos that evolves from the cross-culture differences. I think that can be an immensely rich area which we can develop." An advertisement for the series premiere used the slogan "Comedy explodes when East meets West!" and called Mr. Takahashi "an immovable object" while Tina was "a dynamic irresistible force". According to Morita, the pilot was well-received following an early screening to Japanese Americans living in Los Angeles: "They fell down laughing. They could see themselves in the same situations. Then we had some friends from Japan look at it and they cracked up." During the publicity run-up to the premiere, Morita said that he sought advice from Mel Blanc to develop Mr. T's accent. Morita, a veteran of the stand-up comedy circuit, had already been cast when Blanchard was invited to read for the role of Tina; she recounted the role had been written for "a voluptuous hip girl" who was a kind of "blue-eyed, curlylocks londe and thought she would not be hired. At their first meeting, Blanchard was told that Morita spoke no English, but was instructed to tell him a joke that he could understand; two weeks later, she "was amazed at the amount of English Pat had learned". One news article compared the upcoming series to ''
The Courtship of Eddie's Father ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' is an American sitcom based on the 1963 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Mark Toby (edited by Dorothy Wilson). The series is about a widower, Tom Corbett (played by Bill Bixby), who is a ...
'' (1969–72), also created by Komack, with reversed ethnic roles. Tom Bosley said that if ''Mr. T and Tina'' proved to be a hit, Morita's character on ''
Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
'', Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, would "probably e killedoff by some crazy kamakazi pilot" but promised that Morita could return to ''Happy Days'' any time he wants. Morita was written off from ''Happy Days'' by having his character Arnold get married.


Production

The show was produced by Madelyn Davis and
Bob Carroll Jr. Robert Gordon Carroll Jr. (August 12, 1918 – January 27, 2007) was an American television writer notable for his creative role in the series '' I Love Lucy'', the first four seasons of which he wrote with his professional partner Madelyn Pugh, a ...
Episodes were taped before a live audience using four cameras. The director was not present on set, but provided direction through a public address system. Ted Lange and other actors who worked on the show criticized the writing after the show's cancellation.


Critical response and cancellation

Reportedly, the script for the pilot episode was revised eight times before it was taped. After the pilot was screened for national television critics in Los Angeles in June 1976, the group collectively voted it the "worst new show they had endured" and rued that Morita deserved a better vehicle for his talents. One critic recounted "It was so much worse than anything else we saw this summer that it looked as though it had possibly been made for some other purpose than entertainment, possibly for shipment to some enemy country where the CIA wanted to scramble the brains of the citizenry." The critics that had attended the Los Angeles session were invited to re-watch the premiere episode in late September, being told "it is far different than the show you saw last June". John Archibald gave the revised premiere a tepid reception, noting that Tina's role had been cut back and Harvard was featured more prominently. Lee Winfrey was more strongly negative: "I feel like suing ABC for damages. If I ever watch 'Mr. T and Tina' again it'll be when I'm bound and gagged." Programmed against ''Doc'' on CBS and the second half of ''
Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situa ...
'' on NBC, ''Mr. T and Tina'' drew poor ratings and terrible reviews, and was cancelled after just five episodes were aired. The series was officially canceled on October 30, 1976 and ''
What's Happening!! ''What's Happening!!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, until April 28, 1979, premiering as a summer series. Due to other shows being cancelled across the network, and good ratings and reviews from ...
'' ran instead in the Saturday night timeslot at 8:30 starting on November 13. According to
Mark Evanier Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American comic book and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series ''Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book ''Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and b ...
, a writer for ''Kotter'', ABC had already decided to cancel ''Mr. T and Tina'' prior to the series premiere.


Legacy

The show has since been cited as one of the first television shows to star an Asian-American lead and feature a predominantly Asian-American cast, following the short-lived drama ''
The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong ''The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong'' is an American television series which aired on the now defunct DuMont Television Network. It starred Chinese American silent film and talkie star Anna May Wong (birth name Wong Liu-tsong) who played a detectiv ...
'' (1951) and the animated ''
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''The Amazing Chan Clan'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, animated by Eric Porter Studios in Australia and broadcast on CBS from S ...
'' (1972), and predating the sitcoms ''Gung Ho'' (1986) and
Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...
's ''All-American Girl'' (1994–95). At the time it was aired, protests by the Asian-Americans for Fair Media and Japanese American Citizens League led to a promise by the producers to avoid stereotypical portrayals of Asian Americans.


Episode list

The first episode of season 2 of ''Welcome Back, Kotter'', entitled "Career Day", introduced Morita as Mr. Taro Takahashi (Mr. T), a speaker at the school's Career Day who offered Gabe Kotter a job with a better salary. The series premiere of ''Mr. T and Tina'' aired two days after "Career Day". Davis and Carroll, the show's producers, also wrote the first episode aired, "Tina Really Truly Gets Fired". The episodes were shown out of production order, after network executives received negative feedback about the pilot episode, which was screened for television critics in June, prior to the series premiere. Although nine episodes were taped, only five were broadcast. The unaired ninth episode featured rocker
Rick Derringer Rick Derringer (born Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947) is an American guitarist, vocalist, producer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the 1960s as founding member of his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy", was ...
as a guest star, playing a racist Vietnam War veteran who clashed with Mr. T. Fittingly, the last episode shown was entitled "I Thought He'd Never Leave".


Trivia

Because the character portrayed by Morita on ''Mr. T and Tina'' ("Taro Takahashi") shared a common surname with his character on ''Happy Days'' ("Arnold Takahashi"), some have mistaken the show as a spinoff of ''Happy Days''. Arnold Takahashi would later reappear in another short-lived television show, ''
Blansky's Beauties ''Blansky's Beauties'' is an American sitcom television series and ostensible spin-off of ''Happy Days'' that aired on ABC from February 12 to June 27, 1977. The main character of the series was introduced on an episode of ''Happy Days'', then ...
'' (1977), as an actual spinoff of ''Happy Days''. After both ''Mr. T and Tina'' and ''Blansky's Beauties'' were canceled, Morita returned to ''Happy Days'' in occasional appearances as Arnold, starting in 1982. June Angela and Gene Profanato, the actors portraying the children, were real-life siblings from an Italian father and Japanese mother. After the show was cancelled, they were hired for the successful 1977 Broadway revival of ''
The King & I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children ...
'' starring
Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...
and
Constance Towers Constance Mary Towers (born May 20, 1933) is an American film, stage, and television actress, and singer. She gained prominence for her appearances in several mainstream 1950s films before transitioning to theater, starring in numerous Broadway ...
. Angela played Tuptim and Profanato played the King's son, Prince Chulalongkorn. Morita went on to portray the father of a character played by June Angela again (with
Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...
as her mother) in the televised presentation of the play '' Blind Alleys'', which aired in 1985.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister T and Tina 1976 American television series debuts 1976 American television series endings 1970s American sitcoms Asian-American television American Broadcasting Company original programming American television spin-offs English-language television shows Television duos Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Chicago