A YEAR AT THE TOP (1977) – What a cast! PAUL SHAFFER, GREG EVIGAN, Gabriel Dell (from the Dead End Kids/ Bowery Boys/ East Side Kids/ Little Tough Guys), Priscilla Morrill (Lou Grant’s wife Edie), Antonio “Huggy Bear” Fargas, Julie Cobb (Lee J. Cobb’s daughter) and Nedra Volz in her usual “sassy old lady” role.
This Norman Lear series lasted just 5 half-hour episodes. Paul Shaffer actually left his gig as a musician on Saturday Night Live to take this role, but luckily it got canceled so quickly he was still able to go back to SNL.
Even worse, Greg Evigan turned down a role on Welcome Back, Kotter to star in this TV Turkey. But at least B.J. and the Bear lurked in his 1970s future. I’ll let you readers decide if that’s good or bad.
A Year at the Top sports a premise that sounds like it could work … as a made-for-tv movie, NOT a series. After three pilots – one as early as 1975 but still with Shaffer and Evigan – the producers went ahead with a tale centered around two would-be rock stars who sell their soul to the Devil’s son in exchange for the titular year at the top of the music industry.
PILOT ONE (November 27th, 1975) – Three elderly, forgotten singers make a pact with the Devil’s son in exchange for youth and a year at the top. Evigan, Shaffer and Judith Cohen were to play the magically younger versions of the trio.
PILOT TWO (1976) – Once again, Robert Alda played the older version of Cliff (Greg Evigan), Phil Leeds was the older version of Studly (Paul Shaffer) and Vivian Blaine played the older version of Lillian (Judith Cohen). It seems the premise was the same as Pilot One, but this second Pilot never even aired.
PILOT THREE (1977) – Per the cliche, the third time was the charm as the old-age aspect was dropped and viewers got the already young Greg and Paul as the two musicians looking for success. The woman was no longer part of the act but a separate character.
Mickey Rooney guest starred as Uncle Mickey, who promises Greg and Paul he has a connection at Paragon Records. Unfortunately, that connection has passed away and in his place sits Gabriel Dell as his successor Frederick J. Hanover.
Hanover is really the Devil’s son and even he thinks Greg and Paul are hopeless cases. However, when his infernal father calls him on the Hot Line (Are you laughing yet?) demanding two more souls immediately, he desperately makes the deal with our two stars.
We learn that the Devil’s son invented fine print in contracts and people who actually saw this thing claim there was a funny bit about a woman who already signed a deal with Hanover trying to warn Greg and Paul not to sign a contract with him. Hanover’s powers make her words come out as gibberish, like “Don’t sign a contract with a squirrel in your pants” and “Don’t sign a whoopie cushion with a fish.”
On a less funny note, junior addresses his father as Daddy, Daddums and Big D. And Paul gets jealous whenever Greg wows the ladies by running his hands through his own hair. (Paul sold his soul but didn’t make a lush new head of hair part of the Faustian bargain?)
THE SERIES:
A Year at the Top was rolling now. In fact, there was so much buzz about the project that Casablanca Records released a soundtrack LP titled Greg and Paul – A Year at the Top, with Evigan and Shaffer showing off their musical skills. And I used to think Greg singing in the B.J. and the Bear theme song was his only venture as a recording artist! (“I’m Bee Jay McKay and this is my best friend, Bear!”)
Sadly, Greg and Paul never got to be the new Ferrante and Teicher.
Precious little has survived about this forgotten program, so we can’t even sample an entire episode. Online you can find a few brief commercial spots for it, but that’s unfortunately it. I can’t even find out what the few episodes were about, but here are their broadcast dates.
THE BIG DEAL (August 5th, 1977)
THE HANDSHAKE (August 12th)
IDENTITY CRISIS (August 19th)
LOVE STORY (August 28th)
THE SUN ALSO RISES (September 4th)
FOR MORE FORGOTTEN TELEVISION CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/category/forgotten-television/
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Logged, thank you sir!
Sounds like a decent series. Like the premise of making a pact with the devil’s son for a year on top. Shame it only ran for a few episodes!
I know how you feel!
Interesting posts as always. I have never heard of this forgotten television series before but found it extremely engaging to read about.
Thank you!
I have chosen not to comment much because I am 20 in my heart, However, I declare this is an awesome post. Stop placing me in an era😁
Ha! Okay, I’ll try to stop being so decade-specific.