Aloha Paradise

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Aloha Paradise
GenreComedy
Created byTom Greene
Written byTom Greene
Michael Norell
Directed byHerbert Kenwith
Charlie Picerni
StarringDebbie Reynolds
Bill Daily
ComposerCharles Fox
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producersDouglas S. Cramer
Aaron Spelling
ProducersLew Gallo
Michael Norell
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time48 mins.
Production companyAaron Spelling Productions
Release
Original networkABC
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseFebruary 25 (1981-02-25) –
April 22, 1981 (1981-04-22)

Aloha Paradise is an American comedy series that aired on ABC on Wednesday night from February 25, 1981 to April 22, 1981. The series stars Debbie Reynolds and was created by Tom Greene.

Aloha Paradise was executive produced by Douglas S. Cramer and Aaron Spelling, the same team that produced The Love Boat to which the series bore a resemblance.[1]

Plot[edit]

The series follows the lives of the staff and guests at The Paradise Village resort, located on the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Debbie Reynolds portrayed Sydney Chase, Paradise Village's manager.[2] Bill Daily portrayed the resort's assistant manager Curtis Shea. Other staff members included Fran (Pat Klous), the resort's social director, Mokihama as bartender Evelyn Pahinui, and Stephen Shortridge as lifeguard Richard Bean. Each episode tells three or four stories about people either in love, out of love, or looking for love.

Cast[edit]

Guest stars[edit]

Aloha Paradise featured many weekly guest stars including:

Episodes[edit]

Season 1[edit]

Episode # Episode Title Original Airdate Written by Directed by Guest stars
1 "Alex and Annie / Honeymoon Blues / Everything Else" February 25, 1981 Tom Greene Richard Kinon Laurette Spang (Unknown), Grant Goodeve (Unknown), Dean Jones (Alex), Connie Stevens (Annie St Clair), Lorne Greene (Unknown), Jayne Meadows (Unknown), Louis Jourdan (Unknown), Dana Wynter (Unknown),Van Johnson (Mr. Chase), Louanne (Robin), Misty Rowe (unknown), Jim Nabors (Himself)
2 "The Star / The Trouble with Chester / Fran's Worst Friend" March 4, 1981 - Herbert Kenwith Randolph Mantooth (Unknown), Lisa Hartman (Katie), Nanette Fabray (Unknown), Nicki Armstrong (Miss Sedley), Bert Convy (Larry Sedley), James Gregory (unknown), Penny Fuller (unknown)
3 "The Kid Who Would Be a Daddy / Make Me a Match / Treasure Hunt" March 11, 1981 Jonnie Johns, Tom Chehak, Rick Lenz Bob Sweeney Larry Storch (Dave Peal), Jonathan Winters (Stan), Samantha Eggar (Unknown), Larry Linville (Unknown), Rachel S. Jacobs (Margaret), Arlene Golonka (unknown), Ken Berry (Sid), Sparky Marcus (unknown)
4 "Fantasie Impromptu / Engaged to Be Dumped/ Fiona" March 25, 1981 Lew Gallo Bob Sweeney Joan Fontaine (Herself), Brad Savage (Scott), Joanna Pettet (Fiona), Ralph Bellamy (Horace), Pat Klous (Fran), Karen Montgomery (Miss Abel), Dick Sargent (Jim), Olivia Barash (Fredi)
5 "The Best of Friends/ Success / 9 Carats" April 1, 1981 Pablo Dickey, Rick Lenz Bruce Bilson Mark Shera (Matt Shaw), Harriet Hilliard (Unknown), Michael Lembeck (Unknown), Jessica Walter (Unknown), Christopher Norris (Darcy), Gene Rayburn (Jerry), Robyn Blythe (Liza), Ray Bolger (Roy), Phil Harris (Harry)
6 "Sydney's Old Flame / Everett and The Wolf / Lurp's in Love" April 8, 1981 - Bruce Bilson Audrey Landers (Heather Dawson), Leslie Nielsen (Grant Culbertson), Don Most (Lurp), Dori Brenner(Unknown), Bob Seagren (unknown), Pat Crowley (Sondra Culbertson), Leslie Easterbrook (unknown), Hermione Baddeley (unknown)
7 "Letter from Broadway/ Letter from Cyrano/ Letter from a Secret Admirer" April 15, 1981 Jane Elizabeth Richmond Bruce Bilson Pat Morita (Dr. Nakamura), Louis Nye (Unknown), Ruth Buzzi (unknown), Jared Martin (Chris), Dick Shawn (Cyrus), Debbie Reynolds (Carlotta)
8 "Catching Up/ Wambling Out to Yon/ Black Day at Bad Rock" April 22, 1981 Michael Norell, Barbara Allyn, Alan Foster Friedman Howard Morris Rosey Grier (Unknown), Martha Nix (Sharon), Red Buttons (Nick), Denise Nicholas (Carrie), Gene Barry(Unknown), Pat Crowley (Unknown), Dori Brenner (Unknown), Chris Barnes (Danny)

Production notes[edit]

Aloha Paradise was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions. The series' two-hour pilot episode was shot on location on the Kona Coast in Hawaii. The remaining episodes were shot on a replica beach at Universal Studios in Los Angeles,[3][4]

Reception and cancellation[edit]

Aloha Paradise was largely panned by critics who compared it to the more successful and long-running comedy series The Love Boat.[3] Scheduled on Wednesdays opposite NBC's popular sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, ratings for the series were low. As a result, ABC decided to cancel the series after eight episodes.[5] Series star Debbie Reynolds later said Aloha Paradise had "...the worst scripts ever. That's why it failed. They didn't even advertise that I was in it. I totally disliked every script and they didn't like me interfering."[6]

References[edit]

  1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 38. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  2. "Debbie Reynolds Finds Paradise". The Calgary Herald. March 13, 1981. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Buck, Jerry (March 7, 1981). "Aloha's Parallel to Love Boat May Be Source of Complaint". Schenectady Gazette. p. 14. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  4. "Debbie Reynolds says 'Aloha Paradise'". The Telegraph. March 21, 1981. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  5. Margulies, Lee (April 30, 1981). "ABC DROPS 'SOAP,' 'VEGA$,' ANNOUNCES FALL SHOWS". The Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. "Debbie Reynolds on 'Hotel' Does Rare TV Drama Role". Schenectady Gazette. April 29, 1986. p. 14. Retrieved January 31, 2013.

External links[edit]