Reply #26: "On the Air", a sitcom from 1992 created by David Lynch and Mark Frost [View All]

[IntravenousDemilo]

Yes, that's right, a situation comedy by David Lynch -- with music by Angelo Badalamenti, of course (great, funny, "noirish" theme music).

Starring: Ian Buchanan (Lester Guy), Nancye Ferguson (Ruth Trueworth), Miguel Ferrer (Buddy Budwaller), Gary Grossman (Bert Schein), Mel Johnson Jr. (Mickey), Marvin Kaplan (Dwight McConigle), David L. Lander (Gochktech), Kim McGuire (Nicole Thorne), Marla Rubinoff (Betty Hudson), Tracey Walter (Blinky Watts).

It's 1957 and a new TV show is about to premiere. It's "The Lester Guy Show" starring Lester Guy, a washed up film star who couldn't get a job anywhere until he's hired by the president of the Zoblotnick Broadcasting Network (ZBC) to star in his own show. Unfortunately, the show is hindered by Lester's ego; an incompetent director (Lander) who got the job only because his uncle owns the network even though no one can understand him; a producer (Kaplan) who's constantly nervous; the spacy blond costar named Betty Hudson (Marla Rubinoff) who has no experience in TV; and an equally dysfunctional crew. Things seem to go well in the rehearsal, but of course the actual show is a disaster. Props break, sound effects get mixed up, and cues are missed. Betty ends up saving the show by singing a song her mother taught her, stealing the show. The phones light up, and of course, the show ends up being a hit.

The above summary is at http://www.lynchnet.com/ontheair/ep.html.

Everybody is freaking hilarious. Miguel Ferrer is great as the vitriolic, abusive network rep. David L Lander is priceless and almost impossible to understand as the director, who speaks into the wrong end of his megaphone. And Marla Jeanette Rubinoff is so sweet and unbelievably stupid as starlet Betty Hudson. Then there are the Hurry-Up Twins who do nothing but occasionally drift through scenes saying "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up". Oh, and I have a special fondness for Blinky the sound-man. "Blinky is not blind. He has Bozeman's Simplex and can actually see 57 times better than you. If you were Blinky, this is what you'd see..." And then we see some weird, freaky, utterly sidesplitting shit composed of absolutely everything in the episode all at once, as if it's being seen by the Man with X-Ray Eyes. This is a recurring bit.

Only three of the seven episodes made it "on the air". It was a summer replacement for something or other and proved to be just too whacked-out and absurd for most folks. I managed to rent the entire season on one VHS tape, but for some reason it's not available on DVD. Oh, I wish I wish I wish I wish I wish...