Dreams (TV series)
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| 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 – October 31, 1984 |
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 Minnelli, 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.
Gino Minnelli, 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
Cast
- 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
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kiss Me Red" | Bill Bixby | Andy Borowitz | October 3, 1984 |
| 2 | "Friends" | Unknown | Janis Hirsch | October 10, 1984 |
| 3 | "Boys Are the Best" | Unknown | Nancy Steen & Neil Thompson | October 17, 1984 |
| 4 | "Working Life" | Chuck Braverman | Barbara Hall | October 24, 1984 |
| 5 | "Fortune and Fame" | Unknown | Andy Borowitz | October 31, 1984 |
| 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
| 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
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]