''Silver Spoons'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

television series that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by

Embassy Television ELP Communications (formerly known as T.A.T. Communications Company, Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Embassy Communications) was an American television production company founded in 1974 by Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio. ...

for the first four seasons, until Embassy Communications moved the series to syndication after being canceled by NBC. ''Silver Spoons'' was created by

Martin Cohan Martin Paul Cohan (July 4, 1932 – May 19, 2010), credited as Marty Cohan, was an American television producer and screenwriter. He co-created the sitcom ''Who's the Boss?'', which aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from 1984 to ...

Howard Leeds Howard Michael Leeds (June 27, 1919 – February 11, 2017) was a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and series creator. Among Leeds' most notable work, he served as a producer and writer for the ABC sitcom, ''The Brady Bunch'', and w ...

and

Ben Starr Ben Starr may refer to: * Ben Starr (television producer) (1921–2014), American television producer, creator, writer and playwright * Ben Starr (actor) Ben Starr is an English actor. After a string of minor roles, mainly on television, he h ...

. The show focuses on the wealthy playboy Edward Stratton III, and his relationship with his young son Ricky Stratton. Ricky was the product of a brief marriage between Edward and Ricky's mother. Edward was unaware that he had a son until Ricky comes to live with Edward at the outset of the series. The main cast stars

Joel Higgins Joel Franklin Higgins (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 50 years. Life and career A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraterni ...

as Edward,

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

as Ricky, Leonard Lightfoot as Edward's attorney,

Franklyn Seales Franklyn Vincent Ellison Seales (July 15, 1952 – May 14, 1990) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was known for his portrayals of business manager Dexter Stuffins in the 1980s sitcom ''Silver Spoons'', and real-life convicted ...

as Edward's business manager, and

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American actress who began her career as a model. She has also worked as a casting agent. Her roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' ...

as Edward's personal assistant and later love interest.

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama s ...

plays Ricky's best friend over the first two seasons of the show, replaced by

Alfonso Ribeiro Alfonso Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, singer, and television host. He is best known for his roles as Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Alfonso Spears on the sitcom ''Silver Spoo ...

over the remaining seasons.

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

plays Edward's dour and disapproving father.

Synopsis

In the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

, Ricky Stratton (

) arrives at the mansion of the father he has never met to introduce himself, move in, and get to know him better. Edward Stratton III (

) epitomizes the phrase "overgrown child"; he has never taken responsibility for anything in his life, including his toy business, Eddie's Toys. Ricky recognizes that his father needs to grow up; Edward thinks his son is too uptight and needs to have more fun while he is still young. Edward's father (Edward Stratton II) is played by

as the intelligent, well-to-do patriarch and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

whose demeanor starkly contrasts with Edward's and seems more similar to Ricky's (at first). Throughout the series, the comic tension arises between Grandfather Stratton's belief that people with money are obligated to make more money and Edward's belief that money should be used to make people happy. Ricky is often caught between the two, wishing only for peace and harmony within the family. Ricky's mother is Edward's ex-wife, Evelyn Stratton Whiting (

Christine Belford Christine Belford (born Christine Riley, ) is an American former television and film actress. She has sometimes been credited as Christina Belford. Early life Christine Riley was born in Amityville, Long Island, New York to Joseph J. Riley and ...

). Edward and Evelyn's romantic relationship led to a week-long marriage. Now Evelyn has remarried and placed Ricky in a military boarding school. When Ricky arrives at the Stratton residence, Edward is stunned to discover that his long-ago brief marriage produced a son (when he expresses incredulity because he "wasn't married that long," Ricky points out, "It doesn't ''take'' that long"). At first, he sends Ricky right back to the boarding school; later he dresses up as a

swamp monster A swamp monster (also variously called a swamp creature, swamp man, or muck monster) is a fictional or mythological creature imagined to lurk in a swamp. Some swamp monsters resemble aquatic creatures, others aquatic plants and moss. They are gene ...

to take Ricky out of the school and back to the mansion to live with him. The mansion is stocked with

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

s and a ridable scale-model freight train runs through it. Edward exhibits his childishness and playfulness in many ways, such as performing a little dance while the ''

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

'' game plays its theme song. Stratton's personal assistant, Kate Summers (

), is often the voice of reason. Kate's role adds tension to the show and provides incentive for Edward to act more maturely (at least sometimes). Edward and Kate's will-they-or-won't-they relationship gives way to a third-season wedding. During the series' early years, Ricky befriends "bad boy" Derek Taylor (

, seasons 1–2), smooth-talking "cowboy" J.T. Martin (

Bobby Fite Robert Nelson Fite (born October 22, 1968) is an American former film and television actor. Beginning his professional career as a child actor and model at the age of six, Fite is perhaps best known for his recurring role as J.T. Martin on the N ...

, seasons 1–2), and "nerdy" Freddy Lippincottleman (Corky Pigeon, seasons 1–4). They get into a lot of trouble and learn many childhood lessons along the way. Leslie Crambottom, played by Georgi Irene, has a major crush on Ricky. Edward's original attorney was Leonard Rollins ( Leonard Lightfoot), who departed after the first season, and was replaced by the aptly named business manager, Dexter Stuffins (

), who was somewhat stuffier and more erudite than Leonard had been. Dexter remained through the rest of the series and was joined in autumn 1984 by his hip,

breakdancing Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Nuyorican, Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consist ...

nephew Alfonso Spears (

, seasons 3–5), who became Ricky's new best friend. Once Ricky, Freddy, and Alfonso were in high school in season four, their circle was completed by Brad (

Billy Jacoby William Jayne (born April 10, 1969), known professionally as Billy Jayne and previously Billy Jacoby, is an American actor, known for his roles in the teen comedy film ''Just One of the Guys'' (1985) and in the teen sitcom ''Parker Lewis Can't L ...

, seasons 4–5), a reintroduction of the type of "bad-boy" character similar to that of Derek during the show's early years. That year, as Kate and Edward adjusted to married life, Kate's doddering uncle, Harry Summers (

Ray Walston Herman Ray Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor. He started his career on Broadway theatre, Broadway earning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Mr. Applegate in ''Damn Yankees'' (1956 ...

), moved into the Stratton mansion.

Cast

Main cast

as Richard Bluthorn "Rick" or "Ricky" Stratton *

as Edward Stratton III *

as Katherine "Kate" Summers-Stratton * Leonard Lightfoot as Leonard Rollins (Season 1) *

as Dexter Roosevelt Stuffins (Guest season 1; Main seasons 2–5) *

as Alfonso Spears (Seasons 3–5)

Recurring cast

as Derek Taylor (Seasons 1–2) *

as J.T. Martin (Seasons 1–2) * Corky Pigeon as Fredrick March "Freddy" Lippincottleman (Seasons 1–4) *

as Brad Langford (Seasons 4–5) *

as Grandfather Edward Stratton II (Seasons 1–5) *

as Evelyn Stratton Whiting (Seasons 1–5) *

as Uncle Harry Summers (Season 4)

Episodes

''Silver Spoons'' ran for five seasons with a total of 116 episodes, from September 25, 1982, to May 30, 1987.

Production

Music

The show's theme song titled "Together", was written by Rik Howard and Bob Wirth. The original version was accompanied mostly by guitar with vocals by

Ron Dante Carmine John Granito (born August 22, 1945), known professionally as Ron Dante, is an American singing, singer, songwriter, Session musician, session vocalist, and record producer. Dante is best known as the real life lead singer of the fiction ...

. Two other versions of the theme were used during the show's run. A synthesized version was used in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

with a different vocalist. The third version of the theme, a rock version, was introduced in January

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and began in use during the second half of season 4 with vocals again by Ron Dante and composed by

Ray Colcord Ray Colcord III (December 24, 1949 – February 5, 2016) was an American film and television composer known for TV series such as '' 227'', ''Silver Spoons'', ''My Two Dads'', ''Dinosaurs'', '' Big Brother'', and ''Boy Meets World''. He is a form ...

Locations

Although the location of the show took place was fictional Mockingbird Lane, Shallow Springs, Long Island New York, the brick

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

mansion shown in the opening credits (representing the Stratton mansion) is actually a private residence located in

Warwickshire, England Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcest ...

. The elaborate home, named

Compton Wynyates Compton Wynyates is a Tudor architecture, Tudor English country house, country house in Warwickshire, England, a Grade I listed building. The Tudor period house is constructed of red brick and built around a central courtyard. It is castellate ...

, was built in 1481. Before ''Silver Spoons'', it was used in the 1977

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film ''

Candleshoe ''Candleshoe'' is a 1977 American children's adventure comedy film, directed by Norman Tokar in a screenplay by David Swift and Rosemary Anne Sisson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista. Based on the Michael ...

'', starring

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

and

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...

Broadcast history

Initial run

Reruns and syndication

Reruns of ''Silver Spoons'' aired as a part of NBC's daytime schedule in the summer of 1985. The show was also rerun on WWOR's superstation feed from December 28, 1992, to September 3, 1993. Select episodes were also aired on

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite since 2009) is an American nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon. List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite, The block's programming broadcasts from prime time to Late-night television, late night, with ...

in 2001 and 2005. FamilyNet (now

The Cowboy Channel The Cowboy Channel is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes, which carries Western programming and rodeo sports. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, later took the name ...

) aired reruns of the series nightly, until June 30, 2017, when the network underwent a programming format change the following day.

Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operatio ...

began airing reruns of the series starting in January 2018, as well as

GAC Family Great American Family is an American cable television network owned by Great American Media. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming such as television series and made-for-TV movies—some of which containing f ...

on October 4, 2021. The series is currently available for streaming online on

The Roku Channel The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the UK. The service was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. It is the most popular free ad-supported streaming televisio ...

and

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

in the United States and CTV's streaming service, CTV Throwback in Canada.

International airing

In France, the series aired as '' Ricky ou la Belle Vie'' (''Ricky or the Good Life'') as part of a block called '' Destination Noël'' (''Destination Christmas'') from December 21, 1984 until January 2, 1985. Then on '' Vitamine'' (''Vitamin'') under the name '' Ricky la Belle Vie'' (''Ricky the Good Life'') as part of a block '' Croque-vacances'' (''Holiday Bites'') on

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

. In Italy, the series aired on Canale 5 & Italia 1 as '' il mio amico Ricky'' (''My Friend Ricky'') in 1984.

Home media

On June 19, 2007,

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...

released the first season of ''Silver Spoons'' on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

in Region 1. As of 2015, this release has been discontinued and is out-of-print.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0083479, title=Silver Spoons
''Silver Spoons'' at Retro Junk
1980s American multi-camera sitcoms 1982 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings American television series revived after cancellation American English-language television shows First-run syndicated sitcoms Television series about children Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in New York (state) NBC sitcoms