Dreams (TV series)

1984 American TV series or program

Dreams

Genre| Sitcom
Created by| Andy Borowitz
Directed by| Bill Bixby
Starring| Jami Gertz
John Stamos
Albert Macklin
Composer| Jonathan Wolff
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 12 (7 unaired)
Production
Executive producer| Jon Peters
Running time| 30 minutes
Production company| Centerpoint Productions
Original release
Network| CBS
Release| October 3 (1984-10-03) –
October 31, 1984 (1984-10-31)

Dreams is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from October 3 to October 31, 1984.[1] It follows the story of a fictional rock band in Philadelphia that tries to get a recording contract, starring John Stamos in the lead as Gino Manelli, a 22-year-old welder who plays guitar for rock band Dreams outside his regular job. Jami Gertz co-stars as lead singer Martha Spino.

Inspired by the growing popularity of music videos in the early 1980s, the show incorporated music video aesthetics in each episode, with executive producer Jon Peters previously having produced Flashdance. However, the show was negatively reviewed by critics and was canceled after five episodes. Stamos and Gertz would go on to success in later work, and one song performed in the show, "Alone", would become a number-one hit in 1987 for rock group Heart.

## Premise

[edit]

Gino Manelli, a 22-year-old welder in Philadelphia, performs as a guitarist with rock band Dreams when not at his regular job.[1][2] The show "combin[ed] situation comedy with the flourishing popularity of music videos."[1] Additionally, Dreams was the first U.S. network television show to broadcast in stereo sound.[3]

Executive producer Jon Peters previously produced Flashdance, a 1983 film that incorporated music video editing with the story.[4][5]

## Broadcast

[edit]

CBS scheduled Dreams on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. beginning October 3, 1984.[2] However, due to poor ratings, CBS removed Dreams after the October 31 episode.[6][1]

## Cast

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* John Stamos as Gino Minnelli (guitar)
* Jami Gertz as Martha Spino (vocals)
* Cain Devore as Phil Taylor (bass)
* Albert Macklin as Morris Weiner (drums)
* Valerie Stevenson as Lisa Copley (vocals/piano)
* Sandy Freeman as Louise Franconi
* Ron Karabatsos as Frank Franconi

## Episodes

[edit]

No.| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date

|
|
|
|

1| "Kiss Me Red"| Bill Bixby| Andy Borowitz| October 3, 1984 (1984-10-03)
2| "Friends"| Unknown| Janis Hirsch| October 10, 1984 (1984-10-10)
3| "Boys Are the Best"| Unknown| Nancy Steen & Neil Thompson| October 17, 1984 (1984-10-17)
4| "Working Life"| Chuck Braverman| Barbara Hall| October 24, 1984 (1984-10-24)
5| "Fortune and Fame"| Unknown| Andy Borowitz| October 31, 1984 (1984-10-31)
6| "Alone"| Tom Trbovich| David Chambers| unaired
7| "Head Over Heels"| TBD| Nancy Steen & Neil Thompson| unaired
8| "Rusted Dreams"| Will Mackenzie| Story by : Chris Lucky
Teleplay by : Andy Borowitz| unaired
9| "Stuttering"| TBD| David Chambers| unaired
10| "Suspicions"| Bill Bixby| Neil Thompson & Nancy Steen| unaired
11| "Tears in the Night"| TBD| Susan Borowitz & Richard Raskind| unaired
12| "The Birthday Party"| Will Mackenzie| Andy Borowitz| unaired

## Soundtrack

[edit]

No.| Title| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Kiss Me Red"| Valerie Stevenson| 3:29
2.| "Alone"| Valerie Stevenson, John Stamos| 4:12
3.| "Fortune and Fame"| Cain Devore| 3:46
4.| "Boys Are the Best"| Valerie Stevenson, Jami Gertz| 4:57
5.| "Stuttering"| Cain Devore, Albert Macklin| 4:31
6.| "Suspicious"| Valerie Stevenson| 5:02
7.| "Jailhouse Rock"| John Stamos| 2:59
8.| "I Won't Let You Take Away My Music"| John Stamos| 4:36
9.| "Tears in the Night"| Jami Gertz| 3:37

## Reception

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Dreams encountered negative critical reception. In the summer of 1984, ad agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample ranked the show among the least likely to succeed in the upcoming television season, believing the show to be childish ("exclusively kidvid").[7]

For The New York Times, John J. O'Connor found similarities between Dreams and Happy Days, regarding Stamos's character of Gino as a "straightforward resurrection" of Henry Winkler's Fonzie "in the Flashdance mode".[2] However, O'Connor was critical of Gino's character development: "...without a nice-guy Richie for a foil, Gino comes across less irresistible than obnoxious."[2] O'Connor also called the show "a kind of extended music-video punctuated with dopey dialogue."[2]

Tom Shales of The Washington Post called Dreams a "weak and creaky sitcom".[8]

However, David Bianculli of The Philadelphia Inquirer had a more mixed review: "The pilot works, barely, but later episodes will tell if this is a cult item or a commercial cop-out."[9] Later in the show's run, Bianculli pointed out the sanitized nature of Dreams on CBS in contrast to the group's music videos on MTV: "The paradox here is that rock music, by definition, is supposed to be uninhibited and loose, while network television has censors on its payroll. If Dreams were afforded a little more freedom, the show would be a lot more fun to watch."[10]

## Legacy

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In 2016, Bob Leszczak called Dreams "an expensive and ambitious flop".[1]

The two lead cast members would find success in other ventures after the short run of Dreams. Stamos played Jesse Katsopolis on sitcom Full House from 1988 to 1995. on ABC.[11] Full House was a popular show on ABC's TGIF lineup, reaching the top ten of Nielsen ratings in 1991–92.

From 2002 to 2006, Gertz portrayed Judy Miller on the CBS sitcom Still Standing.[12] In 2015, Gertz and husband Tony Ressler became majority owners of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team.[13]

In 1987, rock group Heart recorded a cover version of "Alone", previously performed by Stamos and Stevenson for Dreams. Heart's version became a number-one hit in 1987 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was ranked no. 2 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 1987.[14]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e Leszczak, Bob (2016). Single Season Sitcoms of the 1980s: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 30–31\. ISBN 9781476623849.
2. ^ a b c d e O'Connor, John J. (October 3, 1984). "CBS airs two sitcoms". The New York Times. p. C25. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
3. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 286\. ISBN 9780786486410.
4. ^ Sweeney, Louise (May 22, 1984). "Look quick, it's music video". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
5. ^ "Peters, Jon 1945(?)–". Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
6. ^ Smith, Sally Bedell (October 29, 1984). "NBC News planning visit to Vietnam". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
7. ^ "New fall TV shows' chances rated". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 31, 1984. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
8. ^ Shales, Tom (September 16, 1984). "Television '84: Nothing Ventured". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
9. ^ Bianculli, David (September 23, 1984). "Cop shows dominate TV season". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I01. Retrieved December 15, 2024 - via Newslibrary.
10. ^ Bianculli, David (October 21, 1984). "'Dreams' hopes for a dual audience". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 15, 2024 - via Newslibrary.
11. ^ "John Stamos". Rotten Tomateos. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
12. ^ "Jami Gertz". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
13. ^ Becker, Jill (January 4, 2019). "Jami Gertz". Simply Buckhead. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
14. ^ Graff, Gary (July 11, 2022). "How Heart finally made a hit out of 'Alone'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 14, 2024.

## External links

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* Dreams at IMDb

*[No.]: Number