# All's Fair (1976 TV series)

All's Fair is an American television sitcom from Norman Lear that aired one season on CBS from 1976 to 1977. The series co-starred Richard Crenna as a conservative political columnist and Bernadette Peters as a liberal photographer, and their romantic mismatch because of age and political opinions. The program also featured Michael Keaton in an early role as Lanny Wolf. Peters was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role.

## Plot

In Washington, D.C., an older (49) conservative columnist Richard C. Barrington (Richard Crenna) and a young (23) liberal photographer Charlotte (Charley) Drake (Bernadette Peters) become romantically involved. The complications of their politics and the age difference provide the story lines. They are "separated by politics, generation gap, manners and living styles".
Barrington is a gourmet cook who lives in a luxurious Washington townhouse, and Drake is a vegetarian. Barrington has a girl friend, a literary agent (Salome Jens), when he first meets Drake. The style of the show is "almost constant hysteria, the rapid pacing set to the sounds of argumentative shouting."

## Cast and crew
### Cast

Source: Nostalgia Central
* Richard C. Barrington – Richard Crenna
* Charlotte (Charley) Drake – Bernadette Peters
* Lucy Daniels, Al's girlfriend and a reporter – Lee Chamberlin
* Allen Brooks, Richard's assistant – J.A. Preston
* Ginger Livingston, Charley's roommate – Judith Kahan
* Senator Wayne Joplin, a liberal Senator and friend of Richard – Jack Dodson
* Lanny Wolf (1977), aide to President Carter – Michael Keaton

### Crew

* Norman Lear – Production Supervisor
* Michael Elias – Producer
* Rod Parker – Executive Producer
* Bob Claver – Director
* Hal Cooper – Director
* Bob Schiller – Writer and Producer
* Bob Weiskopf – Writer and Producer
* Ben Stein – Consultant and writer

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | Tape date |
| 1 | "Strange Bedfellows" | Hal Cooper | Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf and Rod Parker | September 20, 1976 (1976-09-20) | TBA | TBA |
| 2 | "Jealousy" | Bob Claver | Albert E. Lewin | September 27, 1976 (1976-09-27) | TBA | TBA |
| 3 | "A Perfect Evening" | Bob Claver | Gy Waldron | October 4, 1976 (1976-10-04) | TBA | TBA |
| 4 | "Living Together" | Bob Claver | Sybil Adelman | October 18, 1976 (1976-10-18) | TBA | TBA |
| 5 | "Discovery Day" | Bob Claver | Michael Loman, Bob Schiller, & Bob Weiskopf | October 25, 1976 (1976-10-25) | TBA | TBA |
| 6 | "Election Eve" | Bob Claver | Bud Wiser | November 1, 1976 (1976-11-01) | TBA | TBA |
| 7 | "The Gang Leader" | Bob Claver | Karen Bachar (s), Dixie Brown Grossman, Ron Friedman | November 8, 1976 (1976-11-08) | 112 | November 1, 1976 |
| 8 | "Happy Anniversary: Part 1" | Bob Claver | Michael Loman | November 15, 1976 (1976-11-15) | 109 | October 12, 1976 |
| 9 | "Happy Anniversary: Part 2" | Bob Claver | Unknown | November 22, 1976 (1976-11-22) | TBA | TBA |
| 10 | "The Weekend" | Unknown | Bob Van Scoyk | November 29, 1976 (1976-11-29) | TBA | TBA |
| 11 | "The Leak" | Bob Claver | Don Hinkley, Peter Gallay | December 13, 1976 (1976-12-13) | TBA | TBA |
| 12 | "True Confessions" | Bob Claver | Sylvie Adelman (s), Bob Van Scoyk (s/t), Bud Wiser (s/t) | December 20, 1976 (1976-12-20) | 114 | December 7, 1976 |
| 13 | "Love and Marriage: Part 1" | Bob Claver | Bob Van Scoyk | January 3, 1977 (1977-01-03) | TBA | TBA |
| 14 | "Love and Marriage: Part 2" | J.D. Lobue | Bud Wiser | January 17, 1977 (1977-01-17) | 113 | November 10, 1976 |
| 15 | "Lucy's Job Offer" | Bob Claver | Howard Ostroff | February 7, 1977 (1977-02-07) | 116 | December 21, 1976 |
| 16 | "President Requests: Part 1" | Bob Claver | Tom Whedon | February 14, 1977 (1977-02-14) | 115 | December 14, 1976 |
| 17 | "President Requests: Part 2" | Bob Claver | Rod Parker | February 21, 1977 (1977-02-21) | 116 | December 14, 1976 |
| 18 | "In Name Only" | Bob Claver | Michael Elias and Bob Van Scoyk | February 28, 1977 (1977-02-28) | TBA | TBA |
| 19 | "Save the Yak" | Bob Claver | Howard Ostroff | March 7, 1977 (1977-03-07) | TBA | TBA |
| 20 | "Remembrance" | Bob Claver | Tom Whedon | March 14, 1977 (1977-03-14) | TBA | TBA |
| 21 | "The Dick and Vanessa Show" | Bob Claver | Tom Whedon | March 28, 1977 (1977-03-28) | TBA | TBA |
| 22 | "The Jailbirds: Part 1" | Unknown | Unknown | April 23, 1977 (1977-04-23) | TBA | TBA |
| 23 | "The Jailbirds: Part 2" | Bob Claver | Rod Parker | April 30, 1977 (1977-04-30) | TBA | TBA |
| 24 | "Charley's Father" | Bob Claver | Ron Friedman | May 30, 1977 (1977-05-30) | TBA | TBA |

## Reception

The reviewer for Knight News Wire wrote that the show "looks like the best new comedy series of the year...The show looks sound in both writing and acting ... the characters spend a lot of time shouting. Lear seems to have decided ... that high-decibel dialogue is necessary to hold the attention of a large audience."
The critic for The New York Times wrote that "The casting is first-rate and the finger-snapping pace of the show leaves just about everything looking easy and undemanding.
The reviewer for Copley News Service wrote that he did not believe in the relationship (between Crenna and Peters). However, he wrote that "it works. It works because Crenna is an expert farceur and Peters is, well, cute and full of the old ginger. It works because the dialogue has crackle and wit. ... Peters has spunk and spirit and a bawdy and snappishly delightful wit ... a well-paced, intelligently conceived and altogether trenchant comedy and I don't see how it can miss."

## Awards and nominations

* Golden Globe, 1977, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical - Bernadette Peters (nominated)