Friday, September 25, 2009

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Taxi (1978 to 1982) was a highly successful ensemble situation comedy that looked at the goings on with cab company.

It set a standard in situation comedies, winning 18 Emmy Awards, including Best Comedy, Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actor in Comedy Series at one one time or another.

And it launched a few careers, including that of Danny DeVito (who played the sleazy dispatcher Louie DePalma), Tony Danza (who played the not too bright boxer Tony), and Judd Hirsch (who played the unofficial leader of the group Alex).

The episode I am focusing on today, Elaine's Strange Triangle won Emmys in 1980-81 for Best Direction and Best Editing. (Hirsch and DeVito later won Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, respectively).

Elaine's Strange Triangle involved the female of the group, Elaine (Marilu Henner). When she and the dimwitted Tony are approached in a bar by a stranger, Kirk, she makes a play for him. She and Kirk goes out a few times but as turns out, he was interested in Tony and not her.

Through the twists and turns of the plot, Alex tries to defuse the situation, but turns out it is not necessary. But Alex's attempts puts him in an interesting situation involving a gay bar and a dance contest.

The following is the full episode. Go to 20:20 to see the dance contest.



Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda'

Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community



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2 comments:

Bill S said...

I came across this quote from the show's director, James Burrows, "I insisted we use only gay extras and bit players in the 'Taxi' episode in the gay bar. Why? Because look right and have the right behavior. I told my cast to be as real as possible...We didn't have any 'wild' gays in it at all."
The actor who played Kirk, John David Carson, had a long list of tv credits throughout the '70's and '80's, but I can't find anything after 1990.
The guy Alex dances with is Michael Pritchard, a standup comedian and youth counselor(1)-I found his stragely sexy-I don't know what it is about him. (I also have no idea what he looks like today.)

BlackTsunami said...

I found Michael Pritchard hot too. Cute tush. LOL