Bosom Buddies Complete Series Restoration

[stevearino]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone could help me on a Project I've been working on and off for quite a few years: a loving Complete Series Restoration of the acclaimed yet unjustly short-lived '80s sitcom "Bosom Buddies," all 37 half-hour episodes of this 2-year wonder 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the ABC Television Network from November 27, 1980 - March 25, 1982 for 2 full seasons.

Created by Chris Thompson, "Bosom Buddies" originally aired on ABC from November 27, 1980 - March 25, 1982 for 2 full seasons; the show starred Tom Hanks (the future Multiplex Sensation) and Peter Scolari (futurely of the '80s "Newhart") as Thomas Amos "Kip" Wilson and Henry Desmond, respectively, 2 young-adult men who've been best friends since their youth in Ohio--and who were now living in New York City, New York (where the series was set).

At the start of the Pilot Episode (the only episode shot on Film while the other 36 episodes were shot on Videotape), Kip and Henry discovered that their NYC Apartment Building was being Demolished, leaving them temporarily homeless--that is, until a colleague of theirs, Amy Cassidy (Wendie Jo Sperber), suggested that they move into HER apartment building: the Susan B. Anthony Hotel, "A Residence for Women Only." What to do? Kip and Henry accept Amy's suggestion and start living at the Apartment as Buffy and Hilde.

Despite the deception, Kip and Henry kept showing up at the apartment as themselves in the lobby, passing themselves off as Buffy and Hilde's brothers.

During its first season, "Bosom Buddies" aired on ABC on Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET after the hit '70s sitcom "Mork & Mindy"; however, at the start of the 2nd season, the show moved to Friday nights at 8 P.M. ET after the hit '70s sitcom "Benson." By the time the show moved back to Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET, however, ABC had already cancelled "Bosom Buddies" due to low ratings, with the series finale (ironically titled "Not the Last Picture Show") telecast on March 25, 1982 at 8 P.M. ET after the short-lived "Police Squad."

Other characters in the show included Sonny Lument (Donna Dixon, the future Mrs. Dan Aykroyd), an aspiring dancer working as a Nurse at the local Hospital; Isabelle Hammond (Telma Hopkins, futurely of the '80s sitcom "Family Matters"), an aspiring actress and singer who lived at the Apartment; Lilly Sinclair (Lucille Benson, who died in 1984 of Liver Cancer at age 69), the Susan B. Anthony Hotel Manager; and Ruth Dunbar (Holland Taylor, futurely of the hit 2000s sitcom "Two and a Half Men"), Kip, Henry and Amy's employer at the local Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin Ad Agency, working for Mr. Rabinowitz.

At the start of the 2nd season, Kip & Henry decided to reveal their true identities to the ladies at the Apartment Building; simultaneously, Kip, Henry and Amy quit the agency and started their own business, 60 Seconds Street, with Ruth (still working at Livingston, Gentry & Mishkin) as an unsilent partner.

After the initial shock wore off, Isabelle (by this time succeeding Lilly as Susan B. Anthony Manager) forgave Kip and Henry and allowed them to live Openly as Men--as long as nobody else knew about the deception; Sonny, likewise, forgave Kip for the deception, eventually becoming his Steady.

After ABC's cancellation, and shortly after Tom Hanks made a "Splash" at the Box Office (which he still does today in various films e.g. "Charlie Wilson's War," "Forrest Gump" and most recently the live-action "Pinocchio" remake for Disney Plus), NBC aired 1984 Summer Reruns of "Bosom Buddies."

In the years since, reruns of "Bosom Buddies" (despite being a 2-season wonder) continue to flourish in Syndication--as well as various cable networks e.g. USA Network, Nickelodeon (as part of its Paramount Comedy Channel UK Programming Block from November 1, 1995 - February 4, 2001 until Paramount became a separate 24/7 UK Channel), TV Land, TBS, and most recently Digital OTA networks Me-TV, The Decades Channel and most recently Me-TV Plus.

After a long battle with Breast Cancer, Wendie Jo Sperber died at age 47 on November 29, 2005; likewise, Peter Scolari, after a private 2-year battle with Leukemia Cancer, died of Cancer at age 67 on October 22, 2021 in New York City, New York, having been born in New Rochelle, New York on September 12, 1954 according to https://www.encyclopedia.com/educati...ari-peter-1954

"Bosom Buddies" was A Miller-Milkis-Boyett Production for Paramount Television and is Distributed by CBS Media Ventures: A Paramount Company.

Among the things I'd love to see included as part of the Bosom Buddies Complete Series Restoration include the following: the Restoration of the original theme song used to open each episode, "My Life" (Written by Billy Joel and Performed for the show by Atlanta Studio Musician Gary Bennett), songs from various episodes omitted from the DVDs e.g. "Happy Days Are Here Again" from "My Brother, My Sister, Myself," "Yakkity Yak" from "One For You, One For Me" and "Chances Are" from "All You Need Is Love," as well as the original Paramount Television logo as seen at the end of each episode.

I'd also love to see (for episodes that have them) the original ABC Television Network Bumpers shown before the tag scenes for those that have them.

Thanks in advance for this long discussion.

Steve Arino