Remember Rags to Riches?
The prevalence of television shows featuring impromptu musical numbers isn't confined to the present era. For those who tuned in to the television landscape during the late 1980s, a charming slice of 1960s melodic enchantment might have graced your screens...
"Rags to Riches," a hybrid creation that seamlessly blended musical, comedy, and drama, enjoyed a two-season run on NBC commencing in 1987. Riding on the waves of nostalgia that swept the late 1980s, the show transported its viewers back to the swinging 1960s. The central narrative orbits around Nick Foley, a self-made millionaire who undertakes the role of adopting five orphaned girls into his fold.
Interestingly, it's a tale of six adoptions, although the sixth figure makes a fleeting appearance only in the pilot. Swiftly, she vanishes from the storyline as her birth parents come into the picture. The show's intriguing facet lies in its incorporation of hit songs from the 1960s into each episode. These tunes were aptly performed by the cast, with lyrics tweaked to harmonize with the plot's trajectory. Here's a snapshot from episode six that encapsulates this delightful musical integration.
Interested? Well, Rags to Riches: The Complete Series is available on DVD.
Pick it up and you get 20 magical episodes of late 1980s television that will make you yearn for more retro shows with singing and/or dancing. Before you know it you wont remember a thing about “the Glee” and instead will be on the internet signing petitions and trying to get Cop Rock the decent home video release it deserves.
