"30 Rock" Black Tie (2007)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Don Scardino

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator)
Kay Cannon (written by) ...

TV Series:

"30 Rock" (2006)

Original Air Date:

1 February 2007 (Season 1, Episode 12)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jack asks Liz to accompany him to a very classy event, which leads to the assumption that this will be a date...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | Boss | Sketch | Writer | New York

Cast

Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard
Will Forte	...	Tomas
Paul Reubens	...	Gerhardt
Isabella Rossellini	...	Bianca Donaghy
April L. Hernandez	...	Vikki (as April Lee Hernandez)
Quisha Freeman	...	Supersize
Tisa Howard	...	Tisa
April Kimm	...	Hi Jack

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Broadway Video

Trivia:

Frank's trucker hat reads "High Score."

Quotes:

Bianca Donaghy: [Jack is passing Liz off has his girlfriend to his ex-wife] She's much sharper than the last girl you had. What was her name?
Jack Donaghy: Beyoncé.

Movie Connections:

References Footloose (1984)

Baldwin vs. Rossellini

Black Tie, the twelfth episode of 30 Rock's first year, is yet another showcase of how actors can use bit parts on television to revive their careers. Specifically, this episode features one hell of an appearance by Isabella Rossellini, whose post-Lynch filmography has been pretty negligible, at least cinema-wise (on the small screen, one ought to watch her cameo in Friends or her recurring guest role in Alias).

The Blue Velvet star plays Bianca, a socialite who happens to be at the same big event as Jack and Liz. Since Bianca used to be his wife, the NBC executive tries to make her jealous by saying Liz is his new girlfriend (the ex-missus's remark: at least she's smarter than Beyoncé). While the battle of the Donaghys takes shape, Jenna tries to seduce Pricne Gerhardt (Paul Reubens), the extremely sickly monarch (there was a lot of in-breeding in his family, apparently) whose birthday is being celebrated. Back at the NBC building, Tracy invites some strippers over, and suggests Pete should cheat on his wife, something Kenneth vows to stop at all price.

Script-wise, the show just keeps getting funnier, and after granting people like Katrina Bowden and Jack McBrayer more space, this time it's Scott Adsit (Pete) who gets to take advantage of the extra minutes with masterful deadpan. More than in other episodes, though, the real driving force for most of the running time is provided by the guests, Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) and Rossellini, both having a good time "lightening up" and combining their efforts in a most effective way. Exactly what happens is up to the audience to discover. Let's just say it has to be something special, considering the line "Somebody call Dr. Spaceman!" is involved.