From: ronnie@media.mit.edu (Ron Schnell)
Subject: Re: old cable special
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 19:44:34 GMT

In article <1992Nov5.001458.25289@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> hansene@butternut.cps.msu.edu (Edward James Hansen) writes:
>C. E. had a one-time cable special, it was on either
>Showtime or Cinemax, I don't remember. Anyway it was
>called "Action Family" and it was BUTT funny.
>Whenever the scene was inside the house, the format was
>like a cheesy, wacky, family sit-com. But whenever the
>scene was outside the house, the format was like a
>cheesy, hi-drama, detective/cop show.
>Does anyone remember the plot or anything else about it,
>like when/where it was on?


My favorite 40 minutes of television ever.  It was originally aired
back in 1987 on Cinemax, as a "Cinemax Comedy Experiment".  I actually
saw it available for sale once at a video store, but haven't seen it
since.  I have it on tape, and break it out every now and then, but I've
watched it so much that the quality is really poor.

Chris plays a private detective investigating a serial killer
of street musicians.  As you said, when he is indoors, the show
is in sitcom format, complete with laugh track.  When he is outdoors,
it is in detective show format, complete with cheezy music.  The sitcom
part is made to look much like the Partridge Family, and at the end
they all sing "Somebody wants to love you" in a nightclub wearing
tuxedos.

A memorable scene (as I remember it):

CHRIS WALKS UP TO A STREET HOT DOG VENDOR [played by Bob Elliott]

                    CHRIS (condescending)
                    I'll have a hot dog, with ketchup.


                              VENDOR
                    Coming right up

VENDOR DROPS HOT DOG, HAS TO START OVER

                              VENDOR
                    I don't know what's gone wrong here.  I've
                    never had so much trouble with a hot dog before.

                    CHRIS (DISGUSTED)
                    I don't know, maybe it's the humidity (slaps
                    himself on the neck).

                              VENDOR
                    Could be that.  (completes hot dog).  Here
                    you go, sir.

                              CHRIS
                    Well, that certainly is a nice hot dog.  Well-
                    cooked, neatly placed in a fresh buttermilk bun,
                    with just the right amount of mustard spread
                    evenly from end-to-end.

                              VENDOR
                    You sure do know your dogs, sir.

                              CHRIS
                    Yes I do...but there's just one problem.
                    I think I asked for ketchup...NOT YOUR
                    STINKING MUSTARD!

CHRIS PUNCHES THE VENDOR IN THE FACE

                              VENDOR
                    Well maybe I can fix it up for you.

VENDOR PUNCHES CHRIS IN THE FACE.

                              CHRIS
                    How about this?

CHRIS PUNCHES VENDOR AGAIN, AND THEY START FIGHTING BACK AND FORTH.  AT
ONE POINT CHRIS THROWS THE VENDOR AGAINST A CAR AND THEY BOTH LOOK INTO
THE CAMERA, AND YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT HE IS A BALD STUNTMAN WHO LOOKS
NOTHING LIKE BOB ELLIOTT.  THE STOP FIGHTING.

                              VENDOR
                    Hey sir, I've got no problem with you
                    it was an honest mistake!

                              CHRIS
                    You aren't supposed to make mistakes old man.
                    Say, you don't have a cig---

VENDOR HITS CHRIS OVER THE HEAD WITH A CHAIR AND RUNS AWAY.  CHRIS PULLS OUT
HIS GUN AND BEGINS SHOOTING AT HIM LIKE A DETECTIVE WOULD SHOOT AT A SPEEDING
CAR, AND CANNOT HIT HIM.

Another memorable scene is when Chris goes to talk to people around the
mall to see if anyone has seen a suspect.  He starts out by asking the
young girl working at the bakery, and then he buys a roll.  He then questions
some prostitutes (or mall rats, it's hard to tell), and when they shake
their head "no", he kisses one of them on the lips.  Next scene you see him
carrying around lots of shopping bags and trying on shoes at the shoe store.
So the detective trip turned into a shopping trip.

Newsgroups: alt.fan.chris-elliott