Hot off the presses! As some of you might know, just last week, the members of SAG-AFTRA - the union which represents TV and film actors - went on strike for the first time in decades. And while we’re not really a current events podcast (see the “Retro Podcast” subtitle), these types of battles over contracts and pay have been going on between producers and actors for as long as studios have existed, and probably even longer. And in one particular battle in 1987, when a famous actress asked for contract changes, she wasn’t fired from any ol’ show - she was pushed out of a sitcom that was literally named after her.

Rob teaches Ray about Valerie Harper, her award-winning career, and why she was ignominiously fired from her eponymous sitcom; the clash of comedic sensibilities on “Valerie”; Jason Bateman’s literal role in all this; another rockin’ 80s theme song; and how the fallout from Valerie Harper’s firing and subsequent lawsuit made producers much more cautious about future TV fights with stars.

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TEAM

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

ARTICLESEPISODE CLIPS

Song on the Sand (La Da Da Da)

Valerie Harper Discusses “Rhoda”’s Wedding- EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

Me & the Chimp (1972)

Valerie (1986–1991) Opening Credits (The Hogan Family)

Jodie Sweetin in Valerie

Valerie Harper Discusses the Series “Valerie” - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews

Valerie Harper on Letterman, February 13, 1990

Hogan Family / Valerie Tv Show (Season 2 clips)

The Hogan Family (1991) Ho, Ho, Hogans

ADDITIONAL MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS

“Happy Bee”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro