FAVORATE CHARATER
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ed4evr — 18 years ago(April 28, 2007 01:39 AM)
I remember that exchange between Kate and Willie, ggillispie! I also remember a similar argument she had with Nancy. She had reprimanded her for something and Nancy also threatened to move. She asked if she could borrow the rentals section of the newspaper so that she could start looking for another apartment. Kate icily replied, "Take the whole paper, Darling. You can use it to pack your china." I still laugh when I think about it. Doug was a good father, but his kids (most notably Nancy) could wrap him around their fingers. Kate could spot BS from her kids from a mile away. And she never hesitated to call them on it.
I can only hope that, if I ever have a 25-year-old threatening to run away from home I can handle it half as well as Kate! -
mlone — 19 years ago(December 27, 2006 09:18 PM)
Buddy. I was/am about the same age as Kristy McNichol, so I could relate to that character, although I wish I had been a courageous/outspoken as Buddy. I really liked the relationship between Buddy and Willie.
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ethersmum — 18 years ago(April 28, 2007 12:41 PM)
I was, and still am, obsessed with Sada Thompson and her roll as "Kate". The show premiered on my fifth birthday and Kate Lawrence seemed like a godsend to me. I, too, wanted her to be my mother. I have read other threads about this show and there seems to be a theme amongst those who love the Kate character so much: many kids who fell in love with her appear to have been abused and neglected children. I know that's why I was, and am still, so drawn to her. I remember taping episodes in the late 80's on the VCR and watching them endlessly and pausing it on her and just sobbing because I had nothing like her in my life.
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spike71 — 18 years ago(April 29, 2007 08:05 AM)
I think alot of people agree with you. I admired Kate for many reason, she was a good mother, good wife and did her own thing - going back to school. Do you have seasons 1 and 2? If not, be sure to pick them up. Tons of great memories.
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isisdawonder — 18 years ago(July 22, 2007 10:50 PM)
Well Kate is my favoritebut not because I was neglected or abusedbut because she most reminds me of my own mommy mother was a single parent who was only 17 when she had me with an attitude like Katesoft when need be and stings when need beeven as an adult I can still see this attitude in my mom. Sometimes we don't get along like Kate and Nancy at timesbut I know my mo mis ALWAYS there for me.
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fentress — 16 years ago(January 04, 2010 02:36 PM)
Hard for me to pick one. I like them all, but some are more interesting than others.
It's probably easier to say who was NOT my favorite. While I like Mr. Lawrence (Doug) and Nancy, I didn't feel that the two of them were raw unique characters in quite the same way that Kate, Willie, and Buddy were. A lot of competent actors could have played Doug or Nancy and it wouldn't have made a lot of difference. But with Kate, Willie, and Buddy, I don't think the show would have been nearly as good if other actors had played those characters. With each of those three, it was really a case of the actor bringing something perfectly unique to the role.
The popular choice judging from this thread seems to be Kate. I think it was courageous that the show's creators had the nerve to make the character a little distant, a little snippy at times. Yet we the audience still know that she's a good person and really cares. And they cast a woman slightly chunky, who didn't fit the standard polished Hollywood beauty image.
I was close to Willie's age when the show first aired - and I'm a guy - so I identified with him at the time. Watching his evolution to maturity was one of the best parts of the show. He was a bit spoiled and could be a smart-mouth at times. But I could take that as part of his journey to manhood. Sometimes though I was a bit put off by how witty and good looking and generally "cool" he was, being a more nerdish guy myself.
I also felt the chemistry between Willie and Buddy was great. I could realistically believe it. They snapped at each other now and then, but still had a special bond. -
ethersmum — 16 years ago(January 05, 2010 05:35 PM)
Kate, Willie, BuddyI couldn't agree more, though I feel James Broderick was the perfect match for Sada Thompson's Kate and can't imagine another actor in his place, either. Nancy, however, could have been played by any actress. Baxter-Birney's beauty seems to fool people into thinking she was a better actress than Elayne Heilveil, and I just don't get it. I think most of the actresses who played Willie's girlfriends over the years could have played Nancy just as well. Nancy just wasn't an interesting character, in my opinion, and Baxter-Birney's introduction to the show is where I feel things started to get cheesy: Hey! I know! Let's replace the pretty-ish brunette with a knock-out blond with big you-know-whats and we'll boost our ratings! Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed to have worked.
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fentress — 16 years ago(January 07, 2010 02:50 PM)
Good points. I'm watching the episodes of the seasons 1 & 2 DVD as I'm writing these posts, so my opinions are evolving as I go. Yeah, while I don't really find Mr. Lawrence to be quite as interesting a character standing on his own, I agree that looking at him and Kate together he rounds out the couple very nicely. Their chemistry is good. This is not an idyllic Hollywood romance; it's earthy love that I can believe.
I see what you mean about occasional descent into hokeydom. I haven't seen an episode yet that struck me as a waste of my time, but some are stronger than others. Last night I watched the one about Willie's friend being gay. I remembered it vaguely from when it originally aired. I found it a little hard to buy that fairly "square" people like Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence would have so little trouble accepting homosexuality, especially in the 70's. I think the creative team was probably excited about presenting a ground-breaking progressive view (for TV of the era) and lost their perspective. But still good. I liked that they focused on Willie's perception that his trust was betrayed.
I liked the pilot episode. I'm a guy and I'm not terribly strident about either side of the abortion debate. But when Kate articulated how a woman sometimes wants "out" of a pregnancy, I sympathized with it in a way I had never felt before. Very well done. I also though the episode about Timmy's baptism really hit home, as well as the one about Buddy struggling with Willie possibly leaving home to go to the farm to write.
But the two-parter about Kate's jury duty really blew me away. That was wonderfully real how they presented Kate's struggle and her fears but she "stuck to her guns". I was quite pleasantly surprised to see a "family drama" type show deal with all aspects of jury duty as completely as this did.
The episodes dealing with Willie's and Nancy's issues with significant others didn't do quite as much for me, especially the one about Nancy having two men going at the same time. The character of Salina McGhee as written, though delightfully quirky, struck me as a bit of a loser. But the actress played her with real presence. I see what you mean; Season Hubley (cool name) would have been great in Nancy's role. -
MissMargoChanning — 12 years ago(January 29, 2014 04:53 PM)
Once again, a fan of Kate. Most of the reasons have been given. I will add that I loved her little pet name for Buddy.. TizzyLish?
I often wondered if that was something in the script or if it was an adlib from Sada Thompson. I'd like to think it was a name she gave to Kristy and was just something that stuck and was added to the characters.
"Fasten your seat belts!
It's going to be a bumpy night!" -
SkipEastport — 12 years ago(March 31, 2014 05:12 PM)
I tend to believe it was scripted, particularly since it was established so early in the series. BTW, Tizzy Lish was a character Bill Comstock played on the radio show Al Pearce and His Gang, which is where I'm sure this nickname originated.
And you can mark me down as another Kate fan. I'm amazed when people say they didn't like the character or actress. I thought Sada Thompson was perfection. I always loved that she looked a
real
person instead of a "TV mom". Back in the day Kate/Sada was very similar to the moms of most of my friends. I shudder to think who'd they get to play her today if Family were rebooted. Probably some Botoxed, big-chested, bleached blonde aging Playboy bunny.