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"Mr. Belvedere" (1985)

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
enjoyable family show, 19 July 1999

Author: mcfly-31 from anaheim, ca

One of the more enjoyable family shows of the 80s, this one had a twist. One snowy December night, Englishman Lynn Belvedere shows up at the Owens residence looking for work as a housekeeper. He's heard theyre in need of someone to help out and all take an instant liking to him, except macho head of the household, George (Uecker). The two have their friendly moments over the years, but mostly butt heads most of the run of the show. They had great chemistry over the years, considering we're talking a trained theatrical actor (Hewett) and an ex baseball player (Uecker) playing the parts. But the core of the show was the relationship between Belvedere and the youngest child, Wesley. Played terrificly by Brice Beckham, the two worked so well off each other, the older uptight codger and the rambunctious, wild pre-teen. Together both of them had a lot of great moments over the shows 6 year run, the strongest probably being the final episode of year 5. Belvedere, in a coma after a car crash set in motion by Wesley, lies motionless as Beckham delivers an emotional, expertly acted passage of dialogue of how sorry he is. One of many notable spots from the six seasons. Others featured were Ilene Graff as mother Marsha, Rob Stone as older brother Kevin, and the gorgeous (ok so I had a big crush on her) Tracy Wells as middle child Heather. The show had several tough spots over the years, being yanked a number of times and then brought back to fill the Friday night gaps on ABC. But they managed to crank out over a 100 episodes and have a respectable farewell, with Belvedere ultimately getting married and leaving the family. Some good ones to look for are Wesleys night alone when lies pile up the next day, Belvedere and George delivering a baby, and a great tornado episode set in the family basement. Though not a ratings monster, Mr. Belvedere will always be recognizable and was one of the more underrated shows of recent years.

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6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Family Show From The 1980's, 21 December 2005
Author: rcj5365 from Durham,North Carolina

This was one of the more enjoyable family-oriented shows of the 1980's,and for good reason. This was one of ABC-TV's successful line-up of family shows that gave the network an very successful track record on shows from the mid-1980's all the way to the early 1990's. And this were all family oriented shows. With such shows as "Full House","Head Of The Class","Growing Pains","Perfect Strangers",as well as "Who's The Boss","Family Matters",and "America's Funniest Home Videos",the cult comedy "Mister Belvedere",which ran on ABC-TV from the premiere episode on March 15,1985 until the final episode of the series on July 8,1990,is still revered by many as a cult classic in the utmost sense of the word.

It is still a huge favorite within the college circuit who to this day still has a loyal following to the show. The series stars Rob Stone,Brice Beckham,and Tracy Wells as the Owens' children whom Mr.Belvedere looks after while in charge of the house. Clifton Webb's memorably eccentric character from the 1940's films was revived for the 1980's with the late Christopher Hewitt as everybody's favorite British butler,who somehow finds himself in Pittsburgh who gets a job with his latest bosses,the Owens family. The show by the way worked because the chemistry between actors Bob Uecker and Christopher Hewitt was as something as a fish-out-of-water story;a frumpy sportswriter for a major newspaper and a uptight British butler and his three rambunctious kids,including the relationship with Belvedere and the rest of the family,including the friendship with the youngest one-Wesley,who comes to him for needed support and guidance and it shows throughout the entire part of the show's six-year run. The best episode from this series came during the final episode of the show's fifth season. Belvedere in a coma after a devastating car crash,set in motion by Wesley,lies motionless as one of the best performances from a child actor(Brice Beckham)delivers a brilliant passage of dialogue in this emotional episode.

Basically this was a show that relied on dry British humor with family sitcom situations. In each episode,Belvedere would solve the family crisis around the house,when the father figure couldn't do it himself. There was also the wife,Marsha Owens(Ilene Graff) of the house,who was a law student(who received her degree during the 1987-1988 season and begun her first job as a lawyer a major firm),and the youngest daughter Heather,played by Tracy Wells. Each episode dealt with growing up along the way and getting along with each other. Not only was Belvedere the butler but everything else while the father figure constantly whined all the time. The family dog was Spot. At the end of the each episode,Belvedere would begin writing the lessons in his diary for the day. One notable guest star was Robert Goulet,who turned up among other things as well. However,the series produced over a 100 episodes and have a respectable farewell,when the final episode of this series ended on July 8,1990. In the final episode of the show, Mister Belvedere finally gets married and says farewell to the Owens'. This was a show that was underrated for years and when will we see this show finally on DVD?

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6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A prime example of ABC's successful family comedies., 5 June 2002
Author: bluethunder35 (bluethunder35@hotmail.com) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

After a whirlwind period of two years where the American Broadcasting Company went from riding "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" in being the top network overall in the Nielsen's for 1999-2000 to having their worst season ever in 2001-02 where everything fell apart, ABC has decided that family-oriented T.V. will be their focus over the "mild raunch" (to us Canadians) of NBC and FOX and the reality-T.V. obsessed CBS. They've had a track record in the mid to late 80's and early 90's with Perfect Strangers, Head Of The Class, Full House, America's Funniest Home Videos, Growing Pains, and this cult comedy, still revered by many.

Mr. Belvedere is still a big favorite of the college crowd who have set up websites for it, and many people believed that Rob Stone, who played the oldest son, was the man who'd later become the infamous Marilyn Manson.

The late Christopher Hewitt is the title character, a very British butler who has served for many people over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II, who somehow finds himself lost in Pittsburgh. He gets a job with his latest bosses, the Owens family. The show worked because of its fish-out-of-water situation and the fact that the wacky Bob Uecker was in it. Although not a classic sit-com, it was decent enough, the acting was very good, and it relied on dry British comedy as well as family sit-com situations. Hey, any show where Uecker has to try to keep himself under control is enough reason to watch. I'd love to check this show out again someday, maybe when I go digital.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Return To The 80's With Mr Belvedere, 14 April 2006

Author: FloatingOpera7 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Mr. Belvedere (1985-1989): Starring Christopher Hewett, Bob Uecker, Ilene Graff, Brice Beckham, Rob Stone, Tracy Wells, Creator Alan Bergman DEAR GOD! Rumagging through old sitcoms through the internet, I was flooded with memories of this show. When I saw this, they were most likely the final seasons (1988-1989). British actor Christopher Hewett (now deceased) played Mr. Belvedere, a proper British émigré who on a snow December evening in Philadelphia or Boston or some East Coast America city, knocks on the door of the suburban middle class family the Owen's residence, seeking job as a housekeeper and nanny. A male nanny ? He was like a male version of Mary Poppins with a lot of attitude, a modern ideology, wit and great humor! Most of all, he was always there to loyally help the Owens and provide them with great advice. He was a good man and an example of fatherly masculinity mixed with a touch of a balanced cultured/artsy/sophisticated feminine side. He often clashed with the more macho, no-nonsense Mr. George Owens (Baseball star and later sports commentator Bob Uecker). I liked when these two matched wits and butted heads! Mrs. Owens was played by Ilene Graff, though quite frankly I don't recollect much of her part. She was a typical 80's housewife/mother which meant she probably had long hair, 80's sun dresses and "book club" clothes. She was, however, a very modern mother and quite liberal. I remember one particular episode in which her eldest son Kevin (Rob Stone) was in drag as he was going to attend a fun costume party. MARSHA OWENS: Where are you going ? KEVIN: To the costume party. I'm going as a hot babe. MARSHA: Not like that you aren't. And she tears off a piece of his skirt so that his thighs are showing!!! In another episode: PHONE RINGS. BELVEDERE PICKS UP. "Owens residence. Mary Poppins speaking." Their youngest son Wesley (Brice Beckham) was a troublemaker and prankster, a lot like a human version of Bart Simpson before Bart Simpson ever made it on TV. He was a hellraiser with a heart of gold and ultimately, he is a good kid whose life is changed by Mr. Belvedere. He always learned valuable lessons. Tracy Wells was the middle child Heather, who was stuck in her high school worries of being popular and attractive. This show had a lot of heart. At the end of every episode, Mr. Belvedere would write about his day in his diary. The credits would end with a mixture of a tinkling piano melody to depict Belvedere's character and then plunges into the jazzy, party spirit of the main theme. I will always remember this show.

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7 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable show., 30 January 2000
Author: soda_pop41 (soda_pop41@myplace.com) from Castro Valley, U.S.A

I saw the re-runs on TV and my whole family love it. I found out how talented Brice Beckham was. He plays Wesley, who always puts his family into trouble. My little sis fancys him. I mostly liked the looks on Mr. Belvedere's face- especially when he was caught by George while dancing in the opera music. I also liked the part that Wesley broke the TV and waving "Hallelujah!" to Mr.Belvedere to hide the smoke. The casts are great and "Mr.Belvedere" is one of the funniest shows in the 80's.

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