That Girl

I wonder how many preteen boys had a crush on Marlo Thomas like I did during the run of this program. She was soooo beautiful, and Ted Bessell seemed like an awfully lucky guy to me, except that he had to live in constant fear of Ann Marie's father, which was realistic enough as Mr. Marie was rather menacing, which by the time the series ended I realized was because he considered the Donald Hollister character a threat to his daughter's virginity. (Wonder how much different, if any, Danny Thomas was about that issue in real life?) In retrospect, this show requires suspension of disbelief even more than most sitcoms, as Ann, a supposedly struggling actress, had a better apartment and nicer clothes than many steadily-employed New Yorkers could have possibly have afforded, then or now. It's a shame that the show only went as far as Donald's bachelor party; it would seem to have been better if they had actually shown the wedding with the implication that "they all lived happily ever after" and that this show, after all really was a modern fairy tale. A fun aspect of the show was seeing how they were going to work the words "that girl" into the opening sequence.

I've been looking for a certain episode, #8, Little Auction Annie for ages. I'm probably the world's biggest That Girl fan and would love to see it on TV Land, instead of some of the so-so shows they've got on now! Any other That Girl fans out there: we should start a campaign to get TV Land to put on That Girl!

I have seen some of the DVD's out with select That Girl shows on....I'd love to see a season-by-season release of all of the shows, however. Anyone know if that is out yet? Or does anyone have episode #8 on VHS or DVD? I love trivia about the show and would play That Girl trivia with anyone interested!

"That Girl" is one of those shows that I enjoyed during it's first run on ABC and in it's reruns over the years, but it's been many years since i saw this as it has not been on TV in a while. The re-discovery of this on DVD reveals that it is even better than I remember it. The cast in all instances is first-rate, and the scripts are crisp, funny, full of heart and do not date one bit. Marlo Thomas supposedly had a hand in most of the aspects of this classic series, and I say a great job well done. Like John Forsythe in "Bachelor Father", this show was her baby and no show could have had a better mother. ME-TV has just begun re-running this as of this writing, and my partner and I were laughing out loud at many of the antics on the marathon which launched the series on New Year's Day. The film quality of the show has been so beautifully preserved that it looks brand-new. The 1960s background makes the series a kind of time capsule back to those fashions and some of the early episodes especially feature some great location footage shot in N.Y.C. which add to the "theatrical" look of this series. Each episode has the look of a mini-movie, being shot with one camera. The laugh-track is present but not overdone or intrusive. The format of the single girl trying to make it on her own would be echoed a few years later in the super-classic "Mary Tyler Moore" show. "That Girl" had great writing throughout it's five seasons, and Ms. Thomas wisely opted out of the show before it became stale as so many other long-running shows of the period did. She also avoided knuckling under to the network by not having Ann and Donald marry. This was her personal decision and in retrospect, a wise one. Marlo Thomas herself, being the daughter of the great Danny Thomas, had to prove herself with this series and boy, did she ever. Having "Make Room For Daddy", one of the great shows of it's own era, and "That Girl", one of the greats of the 60s, one hopes that there will be another generation of the Thomas family to give us yet another great series to enjoy. If this review sounds like a love letter to Marlo Thomas, so be it. It is.

Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas, Danny Thomas' daughter in case you've never heard) is a single lady living in Manhattan. Her ambition is to make it as an actress on Broadway but between small gigs on children's television, commercials and experimental theater, she must work other jobs. These include news stand salesclerk (where she meets someone special), waitress, door-to-door shoe hawker, and more. On one of her first days in NYC, she meets Don Hollinger (Ted Bessell) and its an auspicious beginning. They both want to buy the same rolltop desk for sale in the same building and Don interrupts a commercial Ann is shooting after hours. But, in short order, they go to dinner. Pretty soon, they are stepping out steadily and, after a disastrous picnic, meet Ann's folks. While Ann's mother (Rosemary DeCamp) is loving and kind, Ann's father, Lew (Lew Parker, hilarious) is a prickly restaurateur. He, Ann, and Don often clash on many topics. Also, Ann is on very friendly terms with the couple across the hall, Judy and Leon, and Don's co-workers include Bernie (Bernie Kopell) before he went to the Love Boat. By the fifth season, will Ann and Don finally tie the knot? This will always be one of my favorite shows from childhood. First, it was and is very funny, with Thomas exhibiting very comedic talents as zany Ann. Bessell is a perfect foil and Parker is a delight, too. Secondly, Ann was a single lady decorating her own apartment, pursuing her own dreams, choosing her own friends and more. Yes, most gals like me wanted to get married AT SOME POINT but, first, we wanted to live the good life by our own merits! Naturally, Ann's costumes are terrific, her hairstyle was one we tried to copy, and her tastes became our tastes. Dear Marlo Thomas, as Ann's alter ego, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A HEROINE TO ME. After all, you were one of the first to show women everywhere that women's goals and ambitions MATTERED!

To many of us born in the fifties and becoming teen-age girls by the mid-late 60's, THAT GIRL was THE show to tune in to and see the hair and fashions and enjoy the comedy. My very favorite episode is when Donald tries to teach Ann to drive his manual (stick) shift car!!! The chemistry between the two actors is just great. Marlo Thomas is adorable in this series. The show was well casted and polished. My best friend in the 60's and I never missed an episode on Tuesday nights and now they are available on wonderful DVDs to enjoy again and again. Hollywood did not spoil Marlo, as she went on to author several wonderful books and of course, carry on her father's work for St.Jude Hospital for the children. She is to be admired.