It's A Living Season 5

 

It's A Living Seasons 5 is a Mixed Bag

by Kristin Battestella

By 1987, It's A Living and its Above the Top high rise waitresses are in full syndication swing for Year Five – the series' longest season at twenty-six episodes. Ironically, the second episode “Her Back to the Future” should have been the Season Five premiere, showing how outlandish It's A Living can get with hostess Nancy Beebe (Marion Mercer) dreaming what everything would be like in ten years. Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show) guests amid Chippendales, an impeached president Ed Asner, and a few maracas as the waitresses bring down the house. I almost wish It's A Living was always this zany with one plot giving everyone a moment to shine. Even the distorted, dreamy focus, spotlights, jump editing, and music changes provide an extra comedy panache.

Certainly “Sweet Charity” recalls The Golden Girls' “Henny Penny – Straight, No Chaser” as wannabe actress Dot Higgins' (Gail Edwards) children's theater gets sick so our waitresses act out Little Red Riding Hood. Both episodes were written by producer Tom Whedon and half the time is wasted in setting the scene, however this is a rare episode away from the hotel restaurant. Nancy is said to be in her dressing room baying at the moon to prepare playing the big bad wolf, and the costumes, nerves, cardboard stage design, and silly song and dance are so stupid, it's fun when it all goes humorously wrong. By contrast, there's a touch of antagonism and conflicts that would actually happen between coworkers in “Search and Strike” thanks to vengeful miscommunications and invasion of privacy protests when the staff's lockers are searched. When nothing but a cheap tawdry novel is found on naive Amy's (Crystal Bernard) shelf, the waitresses decide to forge a diary from chef Howard (Richard Stahl) for infatuated Nancy to find. Here It's A Living gets right to the point in not making it easy for our ladies. Likewise, “The One About The Tattooed Lady” provides cranky retirees, a funeral party bringing the urn to Above the Top, and Nancy wanting to impress a well to do cousin who it turns out ran away to join the circus. The ladies can't remember the late regular who has left them $5,000, and a lot of nothing is actually happening, but the one night at the restaurant hi-jinks provides lessons, mistaken farce, and twists with It's A Living firing on all cylinders. Dot still thinks being a waitress is temporary after nine years and gets another wannabe actress a job as a dishwasher in “Dot's Hope.” She thinks L.A. will eat up the green newbie, Nancy laughs at Dot's opinions, and Howard thinks a dishwasher is a man's job and overcompensates by being super nice even when Hope makes mistakes. Dot doesn't get the part on a big sitcom but Hope does, and It's A Living posits on the conflict, jealousy, and if being a waitress is the career and it's the dreams that become the hobby on the side.

Unfortunately, It's A Living relies on far too many marriage themed episodes as if there were no other sitcom subjects. Even piano player Sonny Mann (Paul Kreppel) is at the altar in the “Till Death Do Us Part” premiere. No one expects the nuptials to actually happen, and the more mature secondary plot of Howard wearing a toupee to impress his high school girlfriend takes a backseat, setting Year Five off on the wrong tone. Dot realizes her baby clock is ticking in “The Date Show,” but her looking at baby books and making a list of potential fathers is resolved in two scenes. The seriousness of her actually having a pregnancy scare could have been poignant, but once again It's A Living crowds an entry with too many plots that deserved more attention. It's A Living often plays solely for the punchline, and it can be frustrating to watch when so many great events, ideas, and situations are merely said for something to say rather than actually shown. Is It's A Living merely meant to be about that ensemble dialogue producing canned laughter or is it just poor writing that never delves into deeper characterizations? I like the ladies and want to see their ups and downs in and out of the restaurant, but It's A Living gets tiring when the episodes do nothing but talk about things that don't happen. Do I expect too much of the show now compared to the casual catch an episode charm of it then? The performances carry the series, but viewing critically shows how little the ensemble is actually given to do, and Season Five lags mid-season with nonstarter stories, and entwined A and B plots over-reliant on too many visiting relatives come too many episodes in a row late in the season. Sonny shooting a music video overtakes Ginger's visiting Nana in “Ginger's Grandmother Show,” so we don't see the three's a crowd scenarios with Ginger telling her she can't drive and roommate Amy bonding with Nana. The music video itself is also embarrassing and not what I had in mind when I asked for It's A Living to embrace it's song and dance opportunities. Why couldn't a real guest musician rent Above the Top for a shoot? Campaign volunteer Ginger is caught by the newspaper on the lap of a politician but Sonny ditching a one night stand is the priority of “Ginger and the Senator.” Although the resulting conflict between all four ladies is great, everything is resolved because time is up, and a few episodes focusing mostly on one plot without shoehorned in Sonny moments are a marked difference. Dot singing on an adopt-a-pet telethon also waits while Sonny uses saving a choking patron to score in “Healings, Nothing More Than Healings,” but her rehearsal beside the piano shames Sonny and even impresses Nancy. It's A Living seems okay with never letting characters progress, preferring to be syndication ready with no need to see anything before to tune in, and the penultimate filler clip show “The Waiting Game” provides uneven musical highlights for some and mere quips for others. The framing device of a journalist interviewing the waitress about the pros and cons of the job could have been very interesting, for none of the ladies think of waitressing as their primary career. It's A Living has no clips to show when the interviewer asks the women if living together and working together is a conflict or reinforces their relationships, and the staff losing their hotel parking privileges in the season finale is played for stereotypes rather than labor commentary. They protest the problems women face with street parking in the wee hours, but managements puts a television in the lounge as compensation – because the point of the episode is the ladies becoming obsessed with the latest juicy miniseries, not anybody standing up for themselves.

Top billed Barrie Youngfellow's Jan Hoffmeyer Gray has spent five years in law school but quotes legalese she said she heard on Simon & Simon and now knits in the lounge instead of studying. We never see her home life, but Jan supposedly tells her husband Richie about what happens at work and they laugh about it when not arguing over the double standard between her daughter not being allowed to see Madonna while his son is free to go to The Beastie Boys concert. Jan takes piano lessons with her step son, wanting to bond with him and teach him some culture and disciple, yet It's A Living doesn't think that is an important enough plot to show. Her daughter Ellen is now fourteen and dating an older boy in “No, My Darling Daughter,” but again it's all more told rather than seen and mostly about everyone except Jan. She talks about writing up a will with Richie, and Richard Kline actually appears in “Take Back Your Mink,” coming into a big project and splurging on the titular frock for Jan. The girls fawn over it in great ensemble moments properly interwoven not crowding each other, for It's A Living is best when focusing on its down on their luck waitresses and their economic dilemmas. Richie's project falls through amid a hotel blood drive gone awry, and Jan must figure out where they can cut costs – including returning the coat. It's A Living doesn't forget Jan's dad dated Dot's mom when he visits again in “Daddy's Little Girl,” but Jan invites her mom Georgann Johnson (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) to dine with dad, who has actually married again to a younger woman. The awkward, passive aggressive zingers and family surprises earn most of the episode's focus, and even Jan faints. Dot suggests Jan wear a wig to spice up her marriage in “Tune In, Tune Out,” but Jan's upset, even jealous of herself when Richie prefers the wig. The delicious relationship dilemma is crammed into an episode also featuring a labor dispute when both deserved their own slots, not to mention it's all odd because Richie calls Jan 'Red' and this episode is strangely placed as the finale after It's A Living's requisite clip show. Nancy Beebe confides in Jan and almost considers her a friend but refuses to hug her. Marian Mercer's severe hostess kisses up to a hotel stockholder's daughter for her wedding, and the waitresses are suspicious when Nancy is nice. She freely lends Richard Stahl's chef Howard the $900 he owes the loan shark, but of course, the money is said to be under her pillow. Howard has three talents – cooking, magic, and bowling – but he doesn't want Nancy to change him and admits he feels smothered by her advances. Nancy tells Howard he can knock on her door, and their relationship finally matures from sexual harassment to a mutual goodnight kiss. The next day regrets and workplace awkwardness could have continued for multiple episodes as they agree to continue dating, however out of order production and erroneous episode airings play up, reset, or erase their romance. He's not ready to commit and dates others, but guest singer Jack Jones commands the restaurant crowd, puts Sonny to shame, and whisks Nancy to Vegas in “The Vegas Show” two-parter. This probably didn't need to be an hour, yet multiple storylines are fulfilled regarding maneater double standards and mid-life fears, making the case that ongoing arc stories would have better served It's A Living, but that was never going to happen in 1987. Howard flies to Vegas to defend Nancy's honor and asks her to marry him in an excellent moment that ends up rushed alongside other plots before a five minute wedding with an Elvis impersonator. A few scenes per episode in the kitchen provide hear tell of a $465 checkbook mistake because Howard is still renting his old apartment, but their marriage is said to be a balancing act with Nancy going to his Chuck Norris marathon and Howard telling her to behave while at Above the Top.

Crystal Bernard's virginal Amy Tompkins wants five kids and a dog with the white picket fence, but she's shocked when researching her family tree reveals her grandmother was a madam. It's more an aside than a major plot, and It's A Living keeps the character naive with pink bows and denim ruffles like one of the orphans on Jem. Customers roll their eyes at her Snyder, Texas a la St. Olaf stories, and Amy gets obsessed with a food processor until Ginger destroys it but sadly, we don't get to see any of their roommate struggles. The girls have nice heart to hearts about fears and rehabilitation when Amy's prison pen pal visits in “A Pen Pal for Your Thoughts,” however he's not handsome as written, just an old man who uses Amy to rob a liquor store off screen. Too many plots are unnecessarily squashed together while Bernard goes underutilized amid the preposterous pairing of Amy and Sonny's sleazy friend Louie in “The Amy and Louie Show.” Not only do we not get to see Howard buying a boxer (just like on The Golden Girls) and Nancy getting into the gym scene, Amy's awkward bowling date is ultimately about Sonny making Louie choose between them. Most of Gail Edwards' Dot Higgins' acting shenanigans are likewise off screen or a phone call rejection from her latest audition. She wants to be a star but can't afford a new $30,000 car unless she sleeps in it. Dot says she enjoys suppressing her personality to create another character and tries wearing a blonde wig – afterthoughts in the restaurant lounge when we should have seen an episode revolving around her dieting to the extreme for an anorexic role. Dot begins to feel grotesque at serving all the food she can't eat, but it's all a subplot resolved in a few scenes. When Dot lands a soap opera role in “The Killing of Sister Dot,” the episode is largely about Amy and Ginger arguing over planning a party and Howard's nomination for a chef award. Coming after several one plot episodes, this entry proves how the ABC plotting does not work for It's A Living. Dot's playing a nun killed in a tabernacle explosion before also playing her evil twin, but it's all talk rather than us laughing at the show within a shown. It's delightful when the girls play dress up and rehearse in the lounge, and this ludicrous soap could have been a great ongoing in joke. Likewise, “Strictly Personal” is about everything but Dot's posting in the personals column. She chooses against a millionaire with a yacht and instead ends up with the boy who runs Pecos Pete's Chow Wagon on The Golden Girls. Dot does get a decent newspaper boyfriend in “Everyone's a Critic,” but he has to review her new play when we, of course, don't get to see how enthusiastically bad her performance was.

Confident Sheryl Lee Ralph as Ginger St. James intends to run her own fashion business with style and efficiency and enjoys getting back at Nancy. Her steady Jason names his boat after her but she's too stylish to get wet and we don't get to see their sailing mishaps anyway. I'd like to have seen her waiting tables go awry when she gets some crazy sculpted nails and can't open her locker with them, but alas, most of Ginger's excitement is again off camera. She dresses up Amy and is unusually fearful when meeting Jason's parents – until they are glad to see her after roommate Amy is the one to answer the door. It's disappointing It's A Living doesn't maximize Ralph or the character; we don't even find out her name is actually Virginia until late in Year Five. Of course, Ginger rejects Jason's pushy proposal in “The No Guys Show,” but It's A Living forgot that her not being ready to get married also happened near the end of Season Four. Amy gossips to the other girls about Ginger and Jason's ups and downs, cheaply creating backhanded developments we never saw when Phil Morris' (Seinfeld) Jason should have been a recurring character. Instead, we see Ginger dumping him on the phone in the lounge before she calls to take him up again, and it's all a stagnant, unfair nothing burger despite most of the episode focusing on this story – an engagement that's also strung along through most of Season Six. Unfortunately, Paul Kreppel's piano gags as Sonny Mann also waste precious time It's A Living did not have. He butchers the national anthem, scabs when his union goes on strike, and is angry when a fat girl he expects to be easy isn't. Sonny takes an art class for the nude models and wants the girls to sign up so he can finger paint, and he's surprised when his sex book gets rejected by the publisher for his suggestion that a man should start a date with beer and knock out drops. WTF. Sonny thinks sleeping with Amy would make him feel better because his mother berates him in “The Sonny's Mother Show.” She's right that when he acts like a man, he will be treated like one, but rather than any lessons learned, we instead get a Sonny as a kid flashback featuring Dustin Diamond (Saved by the Bell). When a women's feminist group comes to Above the Top in “Twelve Angry Women,” Sonny deserves every insult they give him for his touch feely and inappropriate songs. They point out how the girls are overworked and underpaid and harassed in their uniforms, but this episode is about Sonny instead. It was enough to stall my re-watch mid-season, and just once I wish there was an episode without Sonny. I don't remember if he was so popular back then, but his antics are insufferable now and I can't fathom why so many plots revolve around him while the waitresses remain largely unexplored.

The swinging theme tune and ritzy opening credits once again set the It's A Living mood even if some episodes are too short at under twenty-one minutes with credits. The black and burgundy uniforms are classy now, but the teased hair in big banana clips rise to the height of eighties deliciousness amid colorful ruffles and high-waisted acid wash jeans. The wedding gowns, however, are hideous, and poor Nancy wears terrible draped gowns with baggy shirts, dropped waists, and giant belts. Late in the season she wears a green ensemble that looks more 1890s than 1980s, but the exaggerate sleeves and ruffled train are actually the best she's worn. The menswear bow tie frocks unfortunately look like cast offs from Dorothy Zbornak's closet. It's A Living borrows incidental music from The Golden Girls as well – they go to the same reused chapel set, and there are so many guests from The Golden Girls making appearances on It's A Living it's almost comical. Honestly, if you are a massive fan of The Golden Girls, it becomes almost impossible to separate re-watching the lesser seen It's A Living from it's beloved sister production. Currently, It's A Living finally has multiple seasons available on several FAST platforms. However, some of the episodes seem mislabeled or out of order, and either by oversight or a deliberate pull, the Season Five episode “Skin Deep” is not available. I started reviewing this series with a full length, episodic focus because I wanted to bring attention to a forgotten show I enjoyed. However, Year Five felt like a chore with few stand out episodes because the production's goal seems to be going through motions for syndication ease while yes of course The Golden Girls received all the attention. It's A Living had the potential to be as great – if their own writers would have paid attention to the ensemble storytelling.