Hello Larry - Season 2 - intro

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

I wonder how hard Mclean Stevenson was kicking his own ass after he quit MASH and started doing crap like this?

[mishelly38]

Kim with sister Kyle are both regulars on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Btw the sisters are maternal aunts of Paris and Nicki Hilton.

[eartant]

Portland has become LA, that's why I spell it portLAnd.

[TomasTigre]

I was watching SNL Season 4 DVD box set, and Hello Larry was used over and over as the butt of jokes of how awful NBC's programming was at the time.

[MarkGauvreau]

Kim Richards drove me insane as a lad.

[mccarrpo]

Good thing OJ Simpson didn't kill those young girls on this show.  He waited until the 90s before he snapped. He should have stuck to playing basketball. His acting career is what screwed him up.

[colleen4ever]

@mccarrpo That was Meadowlark Lemon, not IJ Simpson. OJ Simpson was a football player, Meadowlark Lemon was one of the Harlem Globetrotters

[JakeMabe1]

@mccarrpo Uhh, O.J. played football. And this is Meadowlark Lemon.

[mccarrpo]

Is this Fraiser?

[robtay1963]

Actually you are wrong about Donna or kim being booted, Donna left to try to break into movies. Kim was on the show the entire run which I think was 2 and half seasons. Dana Plato was booted from Different strokes for being pregnant and having been warned about coming to the set High many times. This show was not a spin off of different strokes but they did tie them together to try and boost Hello Larry's ratings

[BettinaBalser]

@robtay1963 Not true. Donna was fired after being found driving while intoxicated with a pocket full of Qaaludes. I remember it very well when it happened.

[robtay1963]

@BettinaBalser Really I am sorry then, I did not know that, I thought she was so cute, and she did end up in a couple movies right after she left so I just assumed. Bad me for not checking my facts better. Sadly I think they should have written shows about her drug problem and gotten her help, and same for Dana, dam to fire someone about to become a mother, how sad, I think it might have helped to show the trials of being a young mom on Different strokes.

[ebf1957]

McLean Stevenson had bad luck after leaving M*A*S*H. In hindsight this wasn't one of NBC's brightest programming moments.

[ShermansAlley]

I was a 'Hello Larry' viewer in 1979 and 1980, and I've never understood why this show has a reputation -- in some circles -- as being one of the worst sitcoms ever. Watch it, and it's not THAT bad. Oh, it's not great. Some might say it's not even "good." Fair enough, but is it really one of the WORST sitcoms ever? To me, it's a completely average, mediocre, run-of-the-mill sitcom of its era -- which means it's a far cry from being bad. Worst show ever? Not even close.

[LordChristan1]

@ShermansAlley I think it might have been the whole mash thing...mash was a critics and ratings darling...he left cause he wasnt the star and anything less than a top ten smash and he was gonna get busted

[ShermansAlley]

If someone has already addressed this, forgive me. I don't think it was Kim Richards who was booted from the show for drug use. Donna Wilkes was let go. She was in season one, but not season two. Krista Errickson took her place, as this second version of the theme song indicates. Richards was always on the show, as I remember.

[FleshTorturer]

Well, goodbye Larry.

[ghostdancer2302]

Kim Richards was booted off this show because she was a druggie and was replaced by someone who's name I can't remember.

[ghostdancer2302]

Kim Richards was booted off this show because she was a druggie and was replaced by someone who's name I can't remember.

[ahrules]

@ksb100pr I always Remembered this show. I'm 43 and always loved theme song. Stevenson has passed on and Kim Richards is doing reality tv. Still as hot as ever.

[pineapple1969]

Wasn't Krista Erickson in the movie Little Darlings with Kristy McNichol and Tatum O'Neal.

[bob343536]

@pineapple1969 Yes, that was her.

[HUSKY57887]

How long after M*A*S*H* was Stevenson in this show?

[kfag101]

I never even knew this show existed and I am a big fan of 70's tv

[Tracymmo]

Wikiepdia says that Krista Errickson is a foreign policy expert with a specialty in Middle East matters, and she's been a journalist in Italy. Have no idea if it's true, but it's a long way from Hello Larry if that's the case.

[1968RYS]

The old Friday night lineup, Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life and Hello Larry. I think that I am missing a sitcom, anyone?

[shaithis50]

@1968RYS see TV Guide?

[snoops71]

@1968RYS No, I think you've got it right.

[darkmrfripperton]

I had such a crush on Kim Richards when I was a kid.

[Love4SK]

loved the episode where meadowlark beats larry to a pulp and steals his white woman, good times.

[rogerkhoward]

@Love4SK That is fucking hilarious ! ! Thanks-

[Debbie01yates]

Kim Richards in Paris Hilton's Aunt.

[nickatdusk]

I drank with Kim Richards at a bar in L.A. once. Yay random brushes with C-List celebrities! LOL

[cathode1990]

@nickatdusk I drank with Elvis the night of 8-15 1977--- Little did I know

[samrose66]

Wow Krista Ericson looks just like Olivia D'Abo! Although Olivia would probably be only about 10 years old when this was on.

[wolf25ph]

Wow I just saw this for the first time. When Hello Larry came out I was only a toddler. This actually looks like it was funny.

My first reaction when I realized I had seen Kim Fields before was, "thats so sad, Tia's gone from an alien with superpowers to a dumb teen."

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

What happened to the fat comedic relief guy?

[madskyltd]

the character changes going into the second season added nothing to the show. historically, shows that change characters from season to season do poorly. this is one example. "my two dads" was another one. but these 2 teens - one word - FUCKABLE!

[9114southcentral]

0:35 I want me sum

[plofus]

I had a massive crush on Kim Richards when I was like ten years old,I'm sure every straight ten year old boy did,she was so cute & still is,as it turns out she is Pars Hiltons aunt,so I hear.

[markxxx21]

That replacement girl had serious overbite. Huh, there's the kid from "Square Pegs."

[MattTheSaiyan]

Even if this show has aged terribly, it should be on DVD, if only for fans of some of the cast members.

[neeksworld]

Why would Meadowlark Lemon be living in Portland, Oregon?

[lakebay972]

@neeksworld my guess would be to work with the Trail Blazers?

[lakebay972]

@neeksworld short-term contract with the Trail Blazers?

[snake063]

Ted McGinley was the poster child for replacing a former star such as Ron Howard. McClean Stevenson is the poster child for quitting a show.

[TomasTigre]

Meadowlark Lemon as Meadowlark? What was it with 70's and 80's sitcoms casting former sports stars as regulars?

[uhnter1]

there should be in the american lexicon,"the mclean stevenson" curse no actor career died by a death of a thousand cuts than his.you know you are grasping at straws when you retool a shows whole cast and ad a washed up globetrotter.what a trainwreck and what exec greenlighted this disaster UGHH!!

[oldsitcom12]

That upbeat song would wake me up from a deep sleep when it came on. That theme song reminded me to record it,

[83survivor]

It's really sad that McLean Stevenson was only in his late 60s when had cardiac arrest following his heart surgery to recover. Poor Stevenson never had a good clean chance to break the mold. Neither did most of the Mash cast, except for Alan Alda. But I believe Stevenson suffered the most out of all the cast members there. He was trying so hard to break his mold that it ended up in complete failure. I think McLean was trying so hard to stay on top that it ended up killing him in the end.

[burbank]

Sounds like this was a crappy show trying to copy one of Normal Lear's CBS sitcom hits. Sorry did not work. Even after a while Different Strokes would go down the crapper.

[See918]

That wouldn'tve happened if it weren't for that stupid redheaded kid, Danny Cooksey.

[wolverineland]

Yeah, his career went down over the Sea of Japan with his character. M.A.S.H. was a curse to just about everyone who stayed or left early except Alan Alda. Most of the cast was pretty well forced into really bad TV movies or game shows.

[jaleach123]

Fred Stuthman looks like a pedophile.

[WhatsAYak]

I'll always remember him as Mr. Ferryman, the deadpan funeral home owner from the WKRP ep "A Commercial Break".

[bcstpete]

"hey you're young and swinging no time to think about tomorrow...."

[WhatsAYak]

That's the ep! :-)

[lakebay972]

@jaleach123 Fred Stuthman was the ballpark groundskeeper and the decoy coach in "The Bad News Bears: Breaking Training"

[83survivor]

McLean never recovered after his successful stint with MASH. All his shows after MASH were poison material after another for years on.

[WhatsAYak]

Yep...worst career move ever!

[youtuuberoxx]

McLean was a hardcore alcoholic back in the day... maybe thats the REAL reason he left MASH...he was probably booted off...why would you leave a successful critically acclaimed show like that

[WhatsAYak]

He told co-star Loretta Swit that even though he might crash and burn, he had to try and make it on his own...considering his very first post-MASH vehicle (The McLean Stevenson Show) was such a quick flop, it kinda set the tone for all his subsequent series...I think the only reason NBC kept HL on as long as they did was b/c their ratings were in the gutter, and since the crossover eps w/Diff'rent Strokes gave it a slight ratings boost briefly, must've figured they had nothing to lose.

[VaultMasterDBT]

I wonder how many extra "Hello, Larrys" they were willing to add on to the end of the theme, if more cast additions/recasts were in order?!

[KLOKFXR]

Johnny Carson always teased McLean about this short lived stinker, whenever he was a guest. Also McLean knew it was bad and played straight to Carsons jabs.!

[WhatsAYak]

They changed part of one line from the theme for the 2nd season, prolly b/c of the focus shift from Larry's work life to his home life...originally, it went "The calls are coming in/You'd better start to grin/Cause you never know just what they're gonna say".

[pjgraves1975]

Meadowlark Lemon as Meadowlark??? Hilarious.

What, was his name "Meadowlark Lime" on the show or something, so they couldn't say, Meadowlark Lemon as Himself?

And don't know if anyone else noticed, but McLean Stevenson looked sick and gaunt in several of the opening shots - guess leaving MASH for a career of crap will do that to ya.

[WhatsAYak]

LOL...all sources say he was playing himself, so I dunno why they needed the redundant "...as Meadowlark" line in the credits.

And yeah, Stevenson's most successful work post-M*A*S*H* was prolly his stint as regular bottom-center panelist on the syndicated version of Match Game for that show's last year-and-1/2 or so.

[TakeAShowerStinky]

Krista Erickson and Kim Richards look hot in the theme song. I'd like to rent a cabin with a giant bed for a month and bring the both of them.

Hello Viagra!

[Chaz71]

I saw a grown up Krista Erickson in a watchable, early '90's Canadian B movie called "Killer Image,' with Michael Ironside as, of course, the villain.

[fjccommish]

Well, Hello Larry

The show was doing poorly so we changed it

The ratings weren't good we rearranged it

Added characters even though they made no sense

Medowlark Lemon showed we're desperate.

[LisaWhelchelFan69]

Hadn't seen this show since I was in middle school...

[ShermansAlley]

I watched this show as a kid. It wasn't that bad. It was a typical, average sitcom of its time -- no better, no worse than most other sitcoms. It certainly doesn't deserve its reputation as one of the "worst sitcoms of all time."

[WhatsAYak]

Prolly had something to do w/it being on NBC when they'd hit rock bottom, indicative of the many flops from those late 70s/early 80s dark days.

[reh629]

wow this hsow makes "joey" look like st.elsewhere!!!

[999manman]

LOL! BURN-N-N-N!!!!

[jimyjam99]

What a classic example of a TV show desperately trying to stay on the air. Replace one actress, fire the fat guy and replace him with a loveable old coot, add a precocious little boy and, for the cherry on top, the stunt casting of Meadowlark Lemon. Pathetic.

[Mitsy1212]

I remember many shows of the 70's which always added a bratty kid to the mix when the ratings went down. When the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family each added a new little boy, I knew both shows were doomed. They were axed right after that.

[WhatsAYak]

Not to mention the whole Diff'rent Strokes crossover, a desperate attempt to try and graft a more popular show's audience onto a struggling one...luckily, the audience knew better.

[ShermansAlley]

The brunette is no slouch either.

[FCas3]

would someone explain who the hell Meadowlark Lemon is???

[jwbk23]

He was one of the Harlem Globetrotters at the time

[fuckpossible]

Wow. SET?! Sony Entertainment Television?! What on Earth did the Japanese do to deserve _such_ punishment????!!!! lol Glossy lipstick enough there, Kim?

[nowhereboy]

I love John Femia. I totally forgot he was in this before "Square Pegs."

[evad41]

True, it's not exactly a television classic. But, it's nice to see from a nostalgia standpoint. Kim Richards was (and is) a major babe. I always felt bad for McLean and his career. He was born to play his role on M*A*S*H and walked away way too soon. After that, it was this show, that show where he was a priest, Condo, and similar other dreck. I'd just rather remember his three seasons as Henry Blake.

[kbirdusa]

"Meadowlark Lemon as Meadowlark". Stupefyingly bad.

[Breeslave]

try "Kam Fong as Chin Ho" from Hawaii 50. that is cheesey goodness right there.

[DomenicDee]

Were there 38 episodes? I was wondering, think it ran like a season and a half. Good show and it did have a kickass theme song LOL

[BestManMe09]

Imdb reports on the McLean Stevenson board that Stevenson had a big fear of Conrad Bain (Bain had been on Dark Shadows the vampire soap).

[highway234]

best show ever.

well, except scrubs. and 30 rock. and dead like me.

[iLoveClassicTV]

I've never seen this show, But I bet $5 it's better than "Flavor of Love". Plus that theme song ROCKS!

[Flippind94]

i never seen this show before but the theme is really cool i like it

[prayer4you08]

38 epidsodes total. I wish I could see them lol.

[norscio]

It would have been 18 episodes had it not been for mixing it up with Diff'rent Strokes and then adding Meadowlark Lemmon. You can't say they didn't try. . .

[fuckpossible]

SET - Sony Entertainment Television???!!! (the bug in the upper-right of your screen) Aw, don't tell me sent this show to Japan for reruns??? God, wasn't enough we BOMBED them once years ago?! lmfao :-) Awesome!

[HelloLarry79]

This show, as short-lived as it was, will always be remembered by my family, as my Mom was watching it when she went into labor with me, hence my username.

[palmercomm]

I think they could've extended the show by adding Gary Burghoff to the cast. Maybe as a Radar-esque technician. He [Burghoff] left M*A*S*H in '79. It might've worked out for the 2nd season.

[needles1987]

I agree. McLean Stevenson and Gary Burghoff are so funny together.

[1370wlop]

Hey, you're young and swingin'

No time to think about tomorrow.

But there ain't no way to deny it,

Someday you're gonna buy it.

Don't hesitate and call Ferryman,

Tomorrow!Ferryman, Ferryman , The man with the plot the man with the plan

[opossumland5]

from wkrp in cincinnati  and hey dont pay the ferryman until you get to the other side

[hwbanger]

I didn't realize this show even had a second season.

[blueBlackpurple]

I love the theme song.

[Bonkoz]

That's because it's AWESOME! :-D Did Alan Thicke (the dad on Growing Pains) also write this theme song? He wrote the theme for Diff'rent Strokes, and this theme sounds similar in some ways.

[193and]

there are alot of similarities between hello larry and Dr. Phil.

[jryan1971]

'Frasier' owed a debt to this show . . . middle-aged man moves back to hometown in Pacific Northwest to be with his family and dispense advice on a radio show.

[madskyltd]

what on EARTH was meadowlark doing on this show? give me a break! talk about a token. absolute zero for the show. NBC must have been trying to appeal the black male audience. i though that is what kim richards was for?

[madskyltd]

Loved the show for two reasons - Kim Richards & Krista Errikson. OMG. wanna talk about willing to lay the wood to these two all night. high school fantasy days

[needles1987]

You said it, man.

[slowcurl]

And don't forget about Fred Stuthman. Man! Talk about layin' the wood! :)

[jjp009]

madsky: Geez man, both of your comments are saying what I was thinking, but wouldn't say! Right on.

[jksonny]

Where's that fat guy???

[pboiler07]

jksonny (1 week ago) Where's that fat guy??? He also did Martin Scorsese's film, but he did pass on in 1985

[jryan1971]

Of course he's dead. No one that obese can rightly expect to live long after 40.

[83survivor]

Actualy, he did lived to be 47 years old. But still is kind of sad...some people just can't help eating and they somehow kill themselves in the process. The Human Beatbox, for example. That's a huge sad loss in the old school community.

[retrowoman1968]

I have a couple of episodes of this show and I still love watching Kim, she's a great actress, pity her part in"Black Snake Moan" was a small one, we miss you Kim!

[DBNHellspawn]

I didn't know she was in BSM. I started watching it but thought it was horrible and shut it off. Now I may have to go back and torture myself with the whole thing.

[DBNHellspawn]

I didn't know she was in BSM. I started watching it but thought it was horrible and shut it off. Now I may have to go back and torture myself with the whole thing.

[sf40]

You know a show is desperate when they hire Meadowlark Lemon as a regular...

[sf40]

Yes, Supertrain was ridiculously bad, but it made me laugh, sometimes, unlike Hello Larry.

[tristanunsworth]

God, I bet the cast and the poor corpse of M.S. had to wear a raincoat w/ poor Kim Richards' severe speech impediment! lol ;-p

[DBNHellspawn]

That's one of the most jerk off comments I've read on this site. Her speech was fine as was she.

[DBNHellspawn]

That's crazy talk. I loved this show. Kim Richards alone definitley made it worth watching. I agree with stuartdonna's observations about the Fraiser similarities. I hope this becomes available on DVD.

[sf40]

In college, a friend and I voted "Hello Larry" as the worst show ever...lol...

[iLoveClassicTV]

I'd actually like to see a full episode, Judging by the clips I've seen it looks like fun.

[hamtrak]

Poor Mclean,great actor,made the first three seasons of M*A*S*H worth watching and then walked away and never recovered careerwise.He originally auditioned for the role of "Hawkeye Pierce".

[MarkGauvreau]

I remember being a kid and being insanely in love with Kim Richards.

[RoscoeOglethorpe]

I remember being a kid and being insanely in love with Joanna Gleason.

[fromthesidelines]

This was NBC programmer Fred Silverman's idea of stretching the "DIFF'RENT STROKES" franchise, by establishing McLean's character as an "old friend" of Conrad Bain's character on "DS", and spinning him off in his own series. Executive producer George Tibbles used to write for Betty White in the '50s, and "MY THREE SONS" in the '60s, while producer Heywood "Woody" Kling wrote several episodes of "BATFINK" in 1966-'67, and was one of Carol Burnett's key writers in the early '70s....

[stuartdonna]

This show reminds me a little of an earlier version of Frasier. A recently divorced man moves to a new city and takes a job as a radio talk show host. His producer reminds me of the Ross character. Also his dad moves in for the 2nd season. Of course Frasier didn't have two daughters and there is no Niles or Daphne but still it is kind of similar. Also if you look up total 70's babe in the dictionary there would be a picture of Kim Richards next to the definition.

[needles1987]

I wish I live in the 70s.

[FilmsRreel]

I loved this show!!! Had a BIG TIME crush on Kim Richards!

[Lanny1966]

Same here! Her sister is/was very cute too!

[nekinono]

And Kim Richards, how about that's Paris Hilton's aunt (her mother's sister). And the kid from Escape to and from Witch Mountain.

[nekinono]

Who are you? I swear nobody knows what I'm talking about when I mention this show. Love the theme song. Thanks

[RobinMetrocolor]

One of the biggest TV flops of all time (Along with "Pink Lady and Jeff", "Super Train" & "The Waverly Wonders"). I wouldn't mind seeing it, If only to see if it's as bad as they say.

[AndyGriffin69]

Just a quick comment..."Hello Larry" really wasn't THAT bad of a show. It wasn't any better or worse than a lot of sitcoms at the time. A lot of people thought that MS had quit MASH to do this show, and that is probably why it catches so much heat. Sort of a "last straw" kind of thing. I have spoken.

[RobinMetrocolor]

Interesting. I wouldn't be shocked if it isn't that bad, Since I've seen other flops like "My Mother The Car" and found them to be no worse than average.

[Bonkoz]

Actually, this was McLean's second shot at another show. The first was "The McLean Stevenson" show in the mid-70's, and there are clips of it on this website.  His third shot was something in '83 called "Condo", and I don't know if that even lasted a full season. And after three strikes, you know what they say...!!!

[ccbudd]

Between the first McLean Stevenson Show and Hello, Larry was a Norman Lear sitcom where McLean played a priest, "In the Beginning".

[CaliforniaGuy888]

Didnt he also have a role on the TV Series Dirty Dancing? I think so...And McLean Stevenson was also on the Doris Day show for 2 years..right before M*A*S*H*

[WhatsAYak]

He did indeed do the TV version of DD, which was his last series role.

[JTPolo101]

I do remember "Condo", It actually was funny show

[KLOKFXR]

I think they acually have a "Hello Larry" fan club. A FAN CLUB? OMG please get a life you people....

[Novaheart1998]

I had a crush on Kim and Krista back in the late 70's, and with Kim on and on into the present :!.... (cause of the Witch Mountain Movies)

[maddywaddy]

I, for one, love the theme song... I don't care what anyone else says... ha ha ha

M-

[needles1987]

Kim Richards is hot. Krista Errickson is pretty nice to look at too.

[needles1987]

I was told that the show was actually good.

[Tracydominguez]

You were told wrong.

[kirkenbunken]

I guess ratings not as good as hoped in first year. So we'll...

1.recast older daughter

2.add a neighbor

3.add a kid

4.add Meadowlark Lemon

5.get rid of the fat guy

6.watch show get canceled after 8 weeks

[needles1987]

I thought the old guy was Larry's dad.

[kirkenbunken]

Maybe he was. I actually had stopped watching it by then, along with most of America.

[kirkenbunken]

By the way thanks Dday for posting this.The show was never syndicated so it's been since 1979 that I'd heard the song but I remembered most of it.

[misteeq64]

Did you know that kim Richards is Paris Hilton aunt.Who would have taught.

[JWLJN]

This is the epitome of what would happen if a Simpsons-esque sitcom parody came to life...complete with "Meadowlark Lemon as Meadowlark."

Krista Errickson made a small guest spot on Mama's Family years later.

[clipfantp]

LOL! Very well put, JWLJN. Can you imagine at the end of season one of this show some NBC exec said, "For season two, let's punch it up by having Meadowlark Lemon move in next door!" Of course, this was the era in which NBC was also pushing "Supertrain", "Pink Lady and Jeff" and that sitcom about the chimp who gets elected to Congress.

A side note: Krista Errickson was also the bitchy one in "Little Darlings".

[JORDAN3005]

it think this was mcclean stevensons longest running sitcom 2 years....how many cancelled shows did he have....

[needles1987]

Actually, McLean Stevenson was in M*A*S*H for the first three seasons.

[Mysterycat74]

Wow...I used to watch reruns ofthis show in the early 80's and I loved the themesong...after listening to it now I'm wondering what the heck I was thinking! It was downright moronic! Love the fact that John Femia (AKA Marshall Blechman from Square Pegs) Was on it though!

[johnclavis]

Kim Richards is hot (although a little young in this). But... "Meadowlark Lemon as MEADOWLARK"!?!? Holy crapiola. What a f'in mess.

[maryfan5]

Kim Richards is great! I love her husy voice. She has four children now...

[johnjanos]

awful show! tried to push it as a diffrent strokes spinoff. Stevenson and conrad bain were supposed to be buddies. Donna wilkies disappeared and came back as "ANGEL" in those 1980's angel hooker movies. But she only did the first two. What happened to her? God this is the worst sitcom theme EVER. How many minutes did they take to write that shit? I remember it beacause it was such a bad theme though.

[icbr]

The best part of a lousy show. This theme and Kim were the only reasons I watched.

[TP2001]

This was the only TV show ever to be based in Portland. Great views of the Rose City circa 1979 during that catchy intro.

[nnaw]

Krista Errickson was cute too, too bad Donna Wilkes had to leave the show. John Femia later played Marshall Blechtman on the 1982-83 cult classic sitcom Square Pegs, and yes, Meadowlark Lemon played himself.

[nneptune]

Kim Richards was the love of my life!

[pcj1234]

Kim Richards was so cute! I had a big crush on her.

[highway234]

that's a toe-tapper, that one...

[kebler823]

I live in Portland and the seen driving East on 26 out of the vista tunnel does not look like that anymore! no Koin tower at that time to block the view of Mt, Hood.

[reverendmalibu]

Wow, how sitcomy is this theme?