This week's YouTube treasure is a pop culture horror that bears repeat viewing, and not just to punish yourself for not caring if Hillary beats Obama. A version of the Dreamgirls song "We are a Family" by various NBC stars on a 1986 special to commemorate the network's 60th anniversary, it's a slow moving trainwreck of bad casting, fake feeling, and scary singing, but somehow utterly delightful. As the song drones on and the performers fuss with various household chores, take note of (1)Nell Carter's insistence on singing "fee-mily" (2) Charlotte Rae's off kilter delivery, culminating with a surprisingly bright finish (3) Bea Arthur's mannishly Maude-like lack of soul (though she has no lack of shoulderpads) (4) Alfonso Ribeiro's cringing when his equally soul-free solo flops (5) Marla Gibbs's Star-Trek-via-Labelle outfit and idle chatter with Nell to fill a dead patch and (6) Soleil Moon Frye's awkward mugging and sprecht-singing of her cameo role, unable to even TRY to make music out of three little words. Still, this Dreamgirls is a scream, girl, and I live for these B stars—they're truly my fee-mily.
Michael, I happened upon that video on YouTube a while ago. I remembered those NBC new-season-preview shows as a kid, actually liked them. Today, they look and sound kooky, a little spooky, but always totally hee-larious. The custom--ahem, LaBelle wouldn’t been caught dead in that tight multi-colored, multi-toned leather dust-up Marla Gibbs was wearing--the set and the song reeked of NBC’s producer-driven 80’s Regan-era rainbow-colored, conservative, family-oriented primetime sitcoms like Sydney, Facts of Life, Punky Brewster, Silver Spoons, Diff’ent Stroke. And remember that Gimme A Break’s spinoff show about Don Rickles raising a little black girl--wheeeew chile! Small wonder why NBC was tanking until Cosby, Cheers, and ER came along. Anyhoooo, watching this clip in its entirety, I would bet dollars to donuts Nell hated the whole blasted thing. Notice the satirical way she sang “Geeeee-nie” and looked down (to avoid rolling her eyes?) as the Bottled One sauntered off after giving her that totally fake hug. And Marla Gibb’s ad-lib to Nell, “girl I love the way you sing” was a little “black” joke I think, which Nell got, and said, in translation, the equivalent of “Chile please, you know I ain’t even tryin' to sing nuthin’ ‘bout no damn family!” Heeeee-larious
I spent most of 1986 in various rehab hospitals, so I missed this cultural gem! Thank you for letting me share the brilliance of the NBC "fee-mily" during the Reagan era. And thanks for the heads-up that the broad in the shoulderpads was Bea Arthur. I thought it was Harvey Fierstein!
