Private Benjamin (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Private Benjamin is an American sitcom
based on the movie of the same name
. The show aired on CBS
from April 6, 1981, to January 10, 1983. Eileen Brennan
, who reprised her role from the film, won an Emmy
and Golden Globe Award
for her work on the series.
Although some of the actors from the film play the same characters on the TV show, (notably Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams, in their roles of Captain Doreen Lewis and Sgt. L.C. Ross respectively) the title role is acted by Lorna Patterson
instead of Goldie Hawn
.
While the series was initially shot on film and featured many outdoor scenes, later episodes were more like a standard sitcom, shot on video on soundstages and complete with a laugh track
.
In the fall of 1982, Robert Mandan
joined the cast as Colonel Lawrence Fielding, the pompous head of the camp. In late 1982, Eileen Brennan was struck by a car and Polly Holliday was brought in as Captain Amanda Allen, intended as a temporary replacement for Brennan's Captain Lewis character, but the show was cancelled shortly thereafter.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
based on the movie of the same name
Private Benjamin
Private Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film starring Goldie Hawn. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of 1980, and also spawned a short-lived television series. The film is ranked 82 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies" poll, and 59 on Bravo's "100 Funniest...
. The show aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from April 6, 1981, to January 10, 1983. Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy...
, who reprised her role from the film, won an Emmy
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
and Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for her work on the series.
Synopsis
Like the movie, the series is about a spoiled young socialite named Judy Benjamin adjusting to life in the army. She's popular among her fellow enlisted personnel, but not with her superiors. Most of the humor in the series is derived from Benjamin and her friends' attempts to evade the watchful eye of their sergeant.Although some of the actors from the film play the same characters on the TV show, (notably Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams, in their roles of Captain Doreen Lewis and Sgt. L.C. Ross respectively) the title role is acted by Lorna Patterson
Lorna Patterson
Lorna Patterson is an American film, stage and television actress.Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester. She is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Guild and has appeared in many stage musicals...
instead of Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
.
While the series was initially shot on film and featured many outdoor scenes, later episodes were more like a standard sitcom, shot on video on soundstages and complete with a laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
.
In the fall of 1982, Robert Mandan
Robert Mandan
Robert Mandan is an American actor, most famous for his portrayals of playwright David Allen on the NBC serial From These Roots from 1958–1961, businessman Sam Reynolds on the serial Search for Tomorrow from 1965 to 1970, and his subsequent satire of the genre playing Chester Tate on the sitcom...
joined the cast as Colonel Lawrence Fielding, the pompous head of the camp. In late 1982, Eileen Brennan was struck by a car and Polly Holliday was brought in as Captain Amanda Allen, intended as a temporary replacement for Brennan's Captain Lewis character, but the show was cancelled shortly thereafter.
Cast and characters
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Lorna Patterson Lorna Patterson Lorna Patterson is an American film, stage and television actress.Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester. She is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Guild and has appeared in many stage musicals... |
Pvt. Judy Benjamin |
| Eileen Brennan Eileen Brennan Eileen Brennan is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy... |
Cpt. Doreen Lewis |
| Joyce Little | Pvt. Rayleen White |
| Robert Mandan Robert Mandan Robert Mandan is an American actor, most famous for his portrayals of playwright David Allen on the NBC serial From These Roots from 1958–1961, businessman Sam Reynolds on the serial Search for Tomorrow from 1965 to 1970, and his subsequent satire of the genre playing Chester Tate on the sitcom... |
Col. Lawrence Fielding |
| Ann Ryerson | Pvt. Carol Winter |
| Wendie Jo Sperber Wendie Jo Sperber Wendie Jo Sperber was an American actress, best known for her performances in the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand , Bachelor Party and Back to the Future as well as the television sitcom Bosom Buddies .-Life:Sperber was born in Hollywood and aimed for a performing-arts career from high school onward... |
Pvt. Stacy Kouchalakas |
| Lucy Webb Lucy Webb Lucy Webb is an American comedienne and actress, most famous for her work on the 1980s HBO series Not Necessarily the News.Webb has appeared in multiple films and television programs, including Corrina, Corrina, where she portrayed Shirl.... |
Pvt. Luanne Hubble |
| Hal Williams Hal Williams Harold "Hal" Williams is an American actor, best known for his recurring role as the black cop Officer Smith on Sanford and Son, and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs's character, on 227.... |
Sgt. Ted Ross |
| Lisa Raggio | Pvt. Gianelli |
Season 1 (1981)
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin to the Rescue | April 6, 1981 |
| 2 | Jungle Swamp Survival | April 13, 1981 |
| 3 | Party | April 20, 1981 |
| 4 | Captain's Helper | April 27, 1981 |
Season 2 (1981-1982)
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Judy's in the Driver's Seat | October 12, 1981 |
| 6 | Judy Got Her Gun | October 19, 1981 |
| 7 | So Long, Sergeant Ross | October 26, 1981 |
| 8 | Give Me Liberty (Part 1) | November 2, 1981 |
| 9 | Give Me Liberty (Part 2) | November 9, 1981 |
| 10 | For the Love of Judy | November 16, 1981 |
| 11 | Bye, Bye Benjamin | November 30, 1981 |
| 12 | Undercover Judy | December 7, 1981 |
| 13 | Gone With the Jeep | December 21, 1981 |
| 14 | A Bath for Benjamin | December 28, 1981 |
| 15 | Man on the Floor | January 4, 1982 |
| 16 | Not for Men Only | January 18, 1982 |
| 17 | Moments to Remember | January 25, 1982 |
| 18 | I Wonder Who's Blackballing Her Now? | February 1, 1982 |
| 19 | Are You Sure Mike Wallace Started Like This? | February 8, 1982 |
| 20 | Beauty and the Brass | February 15, 1982 |
| 21 | When It's Hot, It's Hot | March 1, 1982 |
| 22 | Reds and Blues | March 15, 1982 |
| 23 | Profiles in Courage | April 5, 1982 |
| 24 | S*M*A*S*H | April 12, 1982 |
| 25 | Me, Me, Me | April 19, 1982 |
| 26 | Real World | April 26, 1982 |
Season 3 (1982-1983)
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Astro-Chimp | September 27, 1982 |
| 28 | Judy's Army | October 4, 1982 |
| 29 | You Ought to be in Pictures | October 11, 1982 |
| 30 | Ross Versus the Robot | October 18, 1982 |
| 31 | Chariots of Ire | November 1, 1982 |
| 32 | The Triangle | November 8, 1982 |
| 33 | Fielding's Crisis | November 15, 1982 |
| 34 | Be All That You Can Be | November 22, 1982 |
| 35 | The Talent Show | November 29, 1982 |
| 36 | Tank's Soldier | December 13, 1982 |
| 37 | Sacred Land | December 27, 1982 |
| 38 | Take My Mother, Please | January 3, 1983 |
| 39 | Judy's Cousin | January 10, 1983 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Emmy Award | Won | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan |
| 1982 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1983 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1982 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Nominated | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | |
| Won | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Eileen Brennan | ||
| 1983 | Nominated | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1982 | People's Choice Awards People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... |
Won | Favorite New TV Comedy Program | |