Aloha Paradise is an American comedy series that aired on ABC on Wednesday night from February 25, 1981, to April 22, 1981.[1] The series stars Debbie Reynolds and was created by Tom Greene.
| Aloha Paradise | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Tom Greene |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | Charles Fox |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Production company | Aaron Spelling Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | February 25 – April 22, 1981 |
Aloha Paradise was executive produced by Douglas S. Cramer and Aaron Spelling, the same team that produced The Love Boat to which the series bore a resemblance.[1]
Plot
editThe series follows the lives of the staff and guests at The Paradise Village resort, located on the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Debbie Reynolds portrayed Sydney Chase, Paradise Village's manager.[2] Bill Daily portrayed the resort's assistant manager Curtis Shea. Other staff members included Fran (Pat Klous), the resort's social director, Mokihama as bartender Evelyn Pahinui, and Stephen Shortridge as lifeguard Richard Bean. Each episode tells three or four stories about people either in love, out of love, or looking for love.
Cast
edit- Debbie Reynolds as Sydney Chase
- Bill Daily as Curtis Shea
- Pat Klous as Fran Linhart
- Mokihama as Evelyn Pahinui
- Stephen Shortridge as Richard Bean
- Charles Fleischer as Everett
Guest stars
editAloha Paradise featured many weekly guest stars including:
- Ralph Bellamy
- Ken Berry
- Ray Bolger
- James Broderick
- Red Buttons
- Ruth Buzzi
- Nanette Fabray
- Joan Fontaine
- Grant Goodeve
- Lorne Greene
- Rosey Grier
- Lisa Hartman
- Van Johnson
- Dean Jones
- Louis Jourdan
- Audrey Landers
- Michael Lembeck
- Randolph Mantooth
- Jayne Meadows
- Pat Morita
- Don Most
- Jim Nabors
- Harriet Nelson
- Denise Nicholas
- Leslie Nielsen
- Louis Nye
- Joanna Pettet
- Gene Rayburn
- Dick Sargent
- Larry Storch
- Connie Stevens
- Jessica Walter
- Jonathan Winters
- Dana Wynter
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Alex and Annie / Honeymoon Blues / Everything Else" | Richard Kinon | Tom Greene | February 25, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Laurette Spang (Unknown), Grant Goodeve (Unknown), Dean Jones (Alex), Connie Stevens (Annie St Clair), Lorne Greene (Unknown), Jayne Meadows (Unknown), Louis Jourdan (Unknown), Dana Wynter (Unknown), Van Johnson (Mr. Chase), Louanne (Robin), Misty Rowe (unknown), Jim Nabors (Himself) | |||||
| 2 | "The Star / The Trouble with Chester / Fran's Worst Friend" | Herbert Kenwith | Unknown | March 4, 1981 | |
|
Guest stars: Randolph Mantooth (Unknown), Lisa Hartman (Katie), Nanette Fabray (Unknown), Nicki Armstrong (Miss Sedley), Bert Convy (Larry Sedley), James Gregory (unknown), Penny Fuller (unknown) | |||||
| 3 | "The Kid Who Would Be a Daddy / Make Me a Match / Treasure Hunt" | Bob Sweeney | Jonnie Johns, Tom Chehak, Rick Lenz | March 11, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Larry Storch (Dave Peal), Jonathan Winters (Stan), Samantha Eggar (Unknown), Larry Linville (Unknown), Rachel Jacobs (Margaret), Arlene Golonka (unknown), Ken Berry (Sid), Sparky Marcus (unknown) | |||||
| 4 | "Fantasie Impromptu / Engaged to Be Dumped / Fiona" | Bob Sweeney | Lew Gallo | March 25, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Joan Fontaine (Herself), Brad Savage (Scott), Joanna Pettet (Fiona), Ralph Bellamy (Horace), Pat Klous (Fran), Karen Montgomery (Miss Abel), Dick Sargent (Jim), Olivia Barash (Fredi) | |||||
| 5 | "The Best of Friends / Success / 9 Carats" | Bruce Bilson | Pablo Dickey, Rick Lenz | April 1, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Mark Shera (Matt Shaw), Harriet Hilliard (Unknown), Michael Lembeck (Unknown), Jessica Walter (Unknown), Christopher Norris (Darcy), Gene Rayburn (Jerry), Robyn Blythe (Liza), Ray Bolger (Roy), Phil Harris (Harry) | |||||
| 6 | "Sydney's Old Flame / Everett and the Wolf / Lurp's in Love" | Bruce Bilson | Unknown | April 8, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Audrey Landers (Heather Dawson), Leslie Nielsen (Grant Culbertson), Don Most (Lurp), Dori Brenner(Unknown), Bob Seagren (unknown), Pat Crowley (Sondra Culbertson), Leslie Easterbrook (unknown), Hermione Baddeley (unknown) | |||||
| 7 | "Letter from Broadway / Letter from Cyrano / Letter from a Secret Admirer" | Bruce Bilson | Jane Elizabeth Richmond | April 15, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Pat Morita (Dr. Nakamura), Louis Nye (Unknown), Ruth Buzzi (unknown), Jared Martin (Chris), Dick Shawn (Cyrus), Debbie Reynolds (Carlotta) | |||||
| 8 | "Catching Up / Wambling Out to Yon / Black Day at Bad Rock" | Howard Morris | Michael Norell, Barbara Allyn, Alan Foster Friedman | April 22, 1981 | |
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Guest stars: Rosey Grier (Unknown), Martha Nix (Sharon), Red Buttons (Nick), Denise Nicholas (Carrie), Gene Barry (Unknown), Pat Crowley (Unknown), Dori Brenner (Unknown), Chris Barnes (Danny) | |||||
Production notes
editAloha Paradise was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions. The series' two-hour pilot episode was shot on location on the Kona Coast in Hawaii. The remaining episodes were shot on a replica beach at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.[3][4]
Reception and cancellation
editAloha Paradise was largely panned by critics who compared it to the more successful and long-running comedy series The Love Boat.[3] Scheduled on Wednesdays opposite NBC's popular sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, ratings for the series were low. As a result, ABC decided to cancel the series after eight episodes.[5] Series star Debbie Reynolds later said Aloha Paradise had "...the worst scripts ever. That's why it failed. They didn't even advertise that I was in it. I totally disliked every script and they didn't like me interfering."[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. p. 40 Retrieved July 27, 2024..
- ^ "Debbie Reynolds Finds Paradise". The Calgary Herald. March 13, 1981. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ a b Buck, Jerry (March 7, 1981). "Aloha's Parallel to Love Boat May Be Source of Complaint". Schenectady Gazette. p. 14. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ "Debbie Reynolds says 'Aloha Paradise'". The Telegraph. March 21, 1981. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ Margulies, Lee (April 30, 1981). "ABC DROPS 'SOAP,' 'VEGA$,' ANNOUNCES FALL SHOWS". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Debbie Reynolds on 'Hotel' Does Rare TV Drama Role". Schenectady Gazette. April 29, 1986. p. 14. Retrieved January 31, 2013.