Adam and Yves
Encyclopedia
Adam and Yves was a proposed American television series that was going to be based on the 1978 film La Cage aux Folles
. Producer Danny Arnold
(Barney Miller
) was a fan of La Cage and in 1979 pitched a series featuring a male couple with a masculine/feminine dynamic similar to the one in the film. ABC Entertainment
president Anthony Thomopolous gave him the green-light. Arnold brought in Chris Hayward
to co-produce. The title was a play both on the Biblical Adam and Eve
and to a popular anti-gay slogan, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". Adam and Yves would have been the first television series with gay protagonists. Arnold worked on the idea for several months but quickly ran into problems. He was unable to come up with a sustainable premise that did not rely on stereotypes or repetition. He had difficulty locating suitable writers. He also knew from the controversy that had surrounded the development of the series Soap
with its gay character Jodie Dallas
that the subject matter would attract a lot of media attention and he did not have sufficient staff to handle such a controversy. Work on Adam and Yves stopped in 1980.
When plans for the proposed series became public, Donald Wildmon
of the National Federation for Decency
organized a letter-writing campaign against it. Wildmon targeted ABC president Elton Rule
and Federal Communications Commission
chairman Charles D. Ferris
with postcards urging them not to allow "perverted filth" on the air. ABC denied that Wildmon's campaign was a factor in the network's decision not to develop the series. Despite the project's being taken out of development, right-wing Christian groups continued to use it as a fundraising tool. ABC received over 100,000 pieces of mail, much of it years after the series idea had been dropped.
La Cage aux Folles (film)
La Cage aux Folles is a 1978 French-Italian film adaptation of the 1973 play La Cage aux Folle by Jean Poiret. It is co-written and directed by Édouard Molinaro and stars Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault.-Plot:...
. Producer Danny Arnold
Danny Arnold
Danny Arnold was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing Barney Miller, That Girl and Bewitched.-Life and career:...
(Barney Miller
Barney Miller
Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker...
) was a fan of La Cage and in 1979 pitched a series featuring a male couple with a masculine/feminine dynamic similar to the one in the film. ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment is a network production company owned by ABC that was created in 1982.The company was previously known as ABC Television Network Productions, ABC Circle Films, and ABC Productions...
president Anthony Thomopolous gave him the green-light. Arnold brought in Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the 1960s television show The Munsters and the creator of Dudley Do-Right....
to co-produce. The title was a play both on the Biblical Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
and to a popular anti-gay slogan, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". Adam and Yves would have been the first television series with gay protagonists. Arnold worked on the idea for several months but quickly ran into problems. He was unable to come up with a sustainable premise that did not rely on stereotypes or repetition. He had difficulty locating suitable writers. He also knew from the controversy that had surrounded the development of the series Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
with its gay character Jodie Dallas
Jodie Dallas
Jodie Dallas is a fictional character from the 1977 American situation comedy Soap. He was played by Billy Crystal. The son of central character Mary Campbell, Jodie works as a television commercial director. Jodie was among the first gay characters on American television...
that the subject matter would attract a lot of media attention and he did not have sufficient staff to handle such a controversy. Work on Adam and Yves stopped in 1980.
When plans for the proposed series became public, Donald Wildmon
Donald Wildmon
Donald E. Wildmon is an ordained United Methodist minister, author, former radio host, and founder and chairman emeritus of the American Family Association and American Family Radio.-Biography:...
of the National Federation for Decency
American Family Association
The American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
organized a letter-writing campaign against it. Wildmon targeted ABC president Elton Rule
Elton Rule
Elton H. Rule was an American television executive and former president of the American Broadcasting Company. Assuming the presidency at a time when ABC was a distant third in the Nielsen ratings, Rule is credited with greatly expanding network revenue, ratings, affiliates and profits...
and Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
chairman Charles D. Ferris
Charles D. Ferris
Charles D. Ferris served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from October 17, 1977 to February 4, 1981. While most scholars look the term of Reagan appointee Mark S. Fowler as the beginning of telecommunications deregulation, deregulation actually began with Ferris...
with postcards urging them not to allow "perverted filth" on the air. ABC denied that Wildmon's campaign was a factor in the network's decision not to develop the series. Despite the project's being taken out of development, right-wing Christian groups continued to use it as a fundraising tool. ABC received over 100,000 pieces of mail, much of it years after the series idea had been dropped.