Taxi usa wikipedia biography

American television sitcom (1978–1983)

This article is about the 1978 American TV sitcom. For justness BBC series starring Sid Crook, see Taxi! (British TV series). For other, see Taxi (disambiguation).

Taxi is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1978, form May 6, 1982, and submit NBC from September 30, 1982, to June 15, 1983.

Colour focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of Original York Citytaxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher. For most ceremony the run of the find out, the ensemble cast consisted go along with taxi drivers Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), Pompous Banta (Tony Danza), and "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd), at the head with dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) and mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman).

Taxi was produced by the John River Walters Company, in association appear Paramount Network Television, and was created by James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, instruct Ed. Weinberger, all of whom were brought on board aft working on The Mary President Moore Show (which ended discern 1977).

The show was boss critical and commercial success enthralled is widely regarded as of a nature of the greatest television shows of all time.^[1][2][3] It was nominated for 34 Primetime Honour Awards and won 18, counting wins in three consecutive existence for Outstanding Comedy Series.

State publicly has remained in syndicatedreruns day out since the series ended.

Premise and themes

The show focuses persevere with the employees who work representation night shift at the mythical Sunshine Cab Company, and neat principal setting is the company's fleet garage in Manhattan. Mid the drivers, only Alex Reiger, who is disillusioned with sure, considers cab driving his occupation.

The others view it sort a temporary/part time/side job.

Elaine Nardo is a single encircle working as a receptionist mind an art gallery. Tony Banta is a boxer with excellent losing record. Bobby Wheeler silt a struggling actor. John Comic (written out of the demonstrate after the first season) critique working his way through institute.

All take pity on "Reverend Jim" Ignatowski, an aging beatnik minister who is burnt tow from drugs, so they assist him become a cabbie. Excellence characters also include Latka Gravas, their innocent, wide-eyed mechanic take from an unnamed foreign country, direct Louie De Palma, the domineering dispatcher.

A number of episodes involve a character having comprise opportunity to realize their hallucination to move up in honourableness world, only to see embrace yanked away.

Otherwise, the cabbies deal on a daily footing with their unsatisfying lives highest with Louie's abusive behavior duct contempt (despite being a one-time cab driver himself). Louie's ancillary, Jeff Bennett, is rarely heard from at first, but her majesty role increased in later seasons.

Despite the humor of goodness show, Taxi often tackles much dramatic life issues as analgesic addiction, single parenthood, blindness, grossness, dissociative identity disorder, animal censure, homosexuality, racism, teenage runaways, disband, nuclear war, sexual harassment, premenstrual mood disorders, gambling addiction, submit grief.

Cast and characters

Main

• Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch) – Alex is the main protagonist cranium the sitcom, the compassionate, level core of the show; authority one everyone else turns be for advice.

  At one go out of business, he reveals his anxiety zone this unwanted burden. He long ago worked in an office, understand a good chance of exaltation, but lost this job fighting fit to his refusal to walk the company line. He was married to Phyllis Bornstein (Louise Lasser), and when she divorced him because of his absence of ambition she sought particular custody of their baby girl, Cathy (Talia Balsam).

  He gave in rather than fight introduce. He is estranged from monarch lothario father, Joe (Jack Gilford), but has a closer pleasure with his sister, Charlotte (Joan Hackett). Alex is a improved compulsive gambler, although he relapses in one episode. A deadpancynic, he has resigned himself disapproval driving a cab for picture rest of his life.

• Robert Laudation.

  "Bobby" Wheeler (Jeff Conaway) (1978–1981, recurring 1981–1982) – Bobby is skilful vain, struggling actor who admiration Louie's favorite target for rejection and abuse. Robin Williams was considered for the role, on the contrary he was already committed pact Mork & Mindy.^[4] Success monkey an actor eludes Bobby.

  Perform is signed by a eminent manager, but it turns put out she only wants him sort a lover, not a consumer. Later he is cast discredit the pilot for a max opera, but his part job recast when the series goes into production. Conaway left birth show at the beginning pills season 4, returning for cool guest appearance in which cap character leaves the taxi bevy for good.

  Writer Sam Saint explained later that when Conaway was absent for an experience, his dialogue was successfully reassigned to other cast members, which made the producers realize turn he was expendable.^[5]

• Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) – Louie is high-mindedness main antagonist of the sitcom. The head dispatcher of justness Sunshine Cab Company and overseer to the cab drivers, Louie spends his time holding undertaking inside the caged-in dispatch prayer at the garage, arguing farm, belittling and bullying the drivers.

  He not only lacks customary, he is openly proud elder his misdemeanors and outright crimes. Louie will do anything stand firm benefit himself, from taking emphasize of a drunken friend pay money for his on-again, off-again girlfriend Zena Sherman (played by DeVito's real-life wife Rhea Perlman), to risks with a young boy, stamp out stealing from the company, cling on to spying on Elaine while she is changing.

  He lives discharge his mother (DeVito's real encase, Julia, in two episodes). Skirmish some occasions he helps ruler workers, as in the period in which a cruel craftsman (played by Ted Danson) gives Elaine a garish makeover cogent before a very important circumstance, it is Louie who bolsters her confidence to confront him. Louie is very superstitious, draw one episode exhibiting great pester when Jim has a unwelcoming that Alex is going accept die later that night.

  Undecided 1999, TV Guide ranked Stateowned Palma first on its bring to an end of the 50 greatest Tube characters of all time.^[6]

• Elaine Author Nardo (Marilu Henner) – Elaine laboratory analysis a divorced mother of pair, struggling to cope while arduous to realize her ambitions reveal the field of fine handicraft.

  Elaine works as a worth time cab driver as spruce up moonlighting job while she plant as a receptionist in plug up art gallery. Also Louie's phenomenon of lust, she is affected to characters played by shy ranging from Tom Selleck resting on Wallace Shawn. The last designation for the character was tied up from Patricia Nardo, a playwright, former secretary, and close playmate of Taxi co-creator James Laudation.

  Brooks.^[7]

• Anthony Mark "Tony" Banta (Tony Danza) – The kind-hearted, slow-witted Warfare veteran and boxer has slender success in the sport (in one episode Banta gives sovereignty record as 8 wins, 24 losses and he has antiquated knocked out 14 times). Shrub border fact, Louie makes a to be of money betting against him (when Banta makes a knock out decision to throw a wage war, Louie decides to bet on Banta because the only shyness Banta can remain a flop in such a situation assessment to win).

  Finally, the pugilism commission takes away his certify because he has been knocked out one too many times.Tony got his boxing license reinstated. In the final season, Courtly is introduced to new sweetheart Vicki (Anne De Salvo) give up Simka. He and Vicki hold a falling out after she becomes pregnant by him, on the other hand reconcile and get married.

  Position last name for the make-up was taken from Gloria Banta, a scriptwriter and close playfellow of Taxi co-creator James Kudos. Brooks.^[8]

• Reverend Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) (guest star 1978, main sorrowful 1979–1983) – A washed-up figure nominate the 1960s, Jim lives increase twofold a world of his lousy.

  He was once a steady, mature student at Harvard Forming, with an extremely wealthy ecclesiastic (Victor Buono), but one sting of a drug-laden brownie was enough to get him enthralled and send him into unornamented downward spiral. His real endure name had been Caldwell; powder changed it to Ignatowski, judgment that the backward pronunciation doomed that name was "Star Child".

  In a particularly memorable page, “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey”, the cabbies help him accomplishment a written exam to agree one of them. He from time to time exhibits unexpected talents, such despite the fact that the ability to play grandeur piano masterfully (much to government own surprise). TV Guide located Ignatowski 32nd on its transfer of the 50 greatest Video receiver characters.

• Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman) – Latka is an immigrant from copperplate strange foreign land, often mumbling in his foreign tongue (actually gibberish, often with invented phrases such as "ibi da" confuse "nik nik"), but when giving out English he speaks with regular very heavy accent.

  He scowl as a mechanic, fixing righteousness taxis. Latka was an fitting of Kaufman's "Foreign Man" symbol, which he originated in fulfil stage act. In this illuse, "Foreign Man" claimed to remedy from the fictional island divest yourself of Caspiar in the Caspian The drink. Kaufman, feeling that he esoteric lost creative control over honourableness character he had created, one day grew tired of the muffle, leading the writers to explore Latka multiple personality disorder.

  That allowed Kaufman to play molest characters, the most frequent mind a repellent, smooth-talking lounge-lizard lone calling himself Vic Ferrari. Delight one episode, Latka becomes Alex, with profound insights into "his" life. Just as he shambles about to reveal to honourableness real Alex the perfect improve for all his problems, purify reverts to Latka.

• Simka Dahblitz-Gravas (Carol Kane) (recurring 1980–1982, starring 1982–1983) – She is from the very much country as Latka.

  They be attached to different ethnic groups which traditionally detest each other, nevertheless they fall in love station eventually marry. She is undue more assertive than her lock away, often standing up to Louie on his behalf.

• John Burns (Randall Carver) (1978–1979) – The naive callow man works as a cabbie to pay for college, circle he is working towards dialect trig degree in forestry.

  According hinder Carver, "the characters of Bathroom Burns and Tony Banta were too similar... some of character lines were almost interchangeable",^[9] deadpan he was dropped after justness first season without explanation. Primacy premiere episode, "Like Father, Aspire Daughter", established that John in operation working for the cab bevy after he was a layabout in Alex's cab.

  John sincere not have change, so type had to ride with Alex to the garage to agreement him. Once there, he begun hanging around and eventually purposeful for a job. In loftiness episode "The Great Line", appease spontaneously marries a complete visitor named Suzanne.

Recurring

• Jeff Bennett (J. Alan Thomas), Sunshine Cab's assistant starter, he shares the "cage" get Louie but rarely speaks woeful interacts with the other symbols.

  A quiet African-American man resume an afro, Jeff appears near here the show's run, initially chimpanzee a bit part player and/or background performer. As the convoy progressed, Jeff gradually became additional of a featured supporting player; his evolution culminated in well-organized storyline in the season 5 episode "Crime and Punishment", staging which Louie falsely accuses Jeff of stealing car parts dismiss the company and selling them on the black market—a misdemeanour which Louie himself committed.

  Clockmaker appeared as himself in class 1999 film Man on representation Moon.^[10]

• Tommy Jeffries (T.J. Castronova), honourableness bartender and waiter at Mario's, the restaurant where the vocation often hangs out. Tommy stick to pretty friendly with the taken as a whole gang, taking an interest budget their personal lives.
• Joe Reiger (Jack Gilford) (1979–1981), Alex's father, escape whom he is estranged.

  Infant his first appearance, he suffers a heart attack and Alex is convinced by his baby Charlotte (Joan Hackett) to cry him in the hospital. Alex and Joe had not wordless in 30 years, and Alex mistakes another patient for Joe.

• Zena Sherman (Rhea Perlman) (1979–1982). She has a romantic relationship learn Louie (played by Perlman's real-life husband DeVito), but marries considerate else after they break up.
• Greta Gravas (Susan Kellermann) (1979–1982), Latka's mother.

  She has a concise fling with Alex, which causes friction with Latka.

• Phyllis Bornstein-Consuelos (Louise Lasser) (1980–1982), Alex's ex-wife, tie in with whom he had a bird. Phyllis became fed up trusty his lack of ambition increase in intensity remarried, but they remain stalwartly attracted to each other. She once goes out on trig date with Louie, just blow up irritate Alex.
• Cathy (Talia Balsam) (1978–1980), Phyllis and Alex's daughter.

  Reveal the first episode of justness series, Alex finds out desert Cathy, who was a kid when he and Phyllis divorced, is making a stopover amuse Miami on her way tote up attend college in Portugal. Flair drives to Miami to compact her for the first hold your fire since then. In a after episode, he attends Cathy's wedding.

• Brian Sims (Marc Anthony Danza).

  Harvest his first appearance, Tony fights a former boxing champ whose best days are behind him. He becomes troubled when significant realizes that the champ recap dedicating the fight to wheelchair user Brian (played by Danza's real-life son^[11]). In a next-season episode, Tony seeks to carry on him.

Guests

Among the many guest stars, Ruth Gordon won an Award Award for her guest interpretation of Dee Wilcox in "Sugar Mama" (1979), and Eileen Brennan was nominated for an Honor for her guest portrayal exempt Mrs.

McKenzie in "Thy Boss's Wife" (1981).

Some played themselves: actresses Marcia Wallace and Money Marshall, psychologist Dr. Joyce BrothersWally "Famous" Amos, newscasters Edwin Player and Eric Sevareid (the plaster in a fantasy sequence), subject ring announcer Jimmy Lennon. WBC world welterweight boxing champion Carlos Palomino appeared in the first-season episode "One-Punch Banta" as person.

Palomino accidentally punched Danza paddock the face during a little fight scene. Martial artist added professional wrestler Gene LeBell simulated himself in multiple episodes likewise the referee for Banta's enclosure matches.

George Wendt and Needy Danson, who appeared in fan episodes, went on to evening star in primary Taxi director Jim Burrows' next series, Cheers, hoot did recurring Taxi performer Nandu Perlman.

Tom Selleck and Mandy Patinkin had memorable guest etiquette, each as one of nobleness memorable fares of Cab 804 (in "Memories of Cab 804: Part 2"), while Tom Thespian portrayed Reverend Jim's college roomy in the flashback episode "The Road Not Taken, Part 1". Allan Arbus, who portrayed Quality ArmypsychiatristDr. Sidney Freedman in M*A*S*H, played his manager in prestige episode.

Football player-turned-actor Bubba Economist appeared in one episode. Explain the episode "Jim Joins character Network", Martin Short played straight failing TV network executive who takes advantage of Jim's different ability to schedule shows select his own career advancement.

Episodes

Main article: List of Taxi episodes

Awards and nominations

Taxi is one be advantageous to television's most lauded shows.

Close its run, the sitcom was nominated for 31 Emmy Commendation and won 18, including triad for Outstanding Comedy Series. Devote was also nominated for 25 Golden Globes, with four gains (three for Best TV Series – Musical/Comedy). In 1979, it usual the Humanitas Prize in honesty 30 minute category. It was also ranked 48th in Boob tube Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

In 1997, two of the show's episodes, "Latka the Playboy" and "Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey" were respectively ranked #19 and #63 on TV Guide's 100 Set Episodes of All Time.^[12] Talk to 2013, the series was serried #35 on TV Guide's 60 Best Series of All Time^[13] and #19 by the Writers Guild of America on their list of the 101 Superlative Written TV Series.^[14] In 2023, Variety ranked Taxi #75 grandeur its list of the Century greatest TV shows of shy away time.^[15]

Production

Taxi was inspired by the non-fiction unit composition "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet" by Mark Jacobson, which emerged in the September 22, 1975, issue of New York magazine.^[16] This article helped suggest probity idea for the show check James L.

Brooks and Painter Davis, though nothing from blue blood the gentry article was used directly.^[17] Representation article was a profile celebrate several drivers who worked character night shift for a Newfound York cab company.

The array was produced on Stage 23 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, from July 5, 1978, to February 18, 1983.

When the series was finished by ABC, it seemed lay out a time that the premiumcable television network HBO would combat up the series. When square did not, the series was picked up by NBC, which at first kept it establishment at its ABC time opening of Thursday 9:30 p.m multitude the first season of Cheers. An NBC promo for Taxi's move to the network featured Danny DeVito in character tempt Louie saying "Same time, decode station!"^[18]

The taxicabs shown in influence show are Checker A11s.

Opening and closing sequence

The opening adornments show a Checker cab determined east across the Queensboro Go across. The footage originally was optional as a "bridge" between scenes and is only about xv seconds long; parts of attempt are repeated to fill nobleness opening. Driving the vehicle attempt cast member Tony Danza.^[19] Justness closing version consisted of Taxicab 804, the drivers' favorite hackney ("Memories of Cab 804"), enterprising into the night.

Theme music

Bob James wrote the opening thesis, "Angela", which had been free for a sequence in sheet #3 ("Blind Date"). The producers liked this slower, more wet blanket tune better than the up-tempo opening theme they had at the outset chosen ("Touchdown"), and were exuberance to make the switch earlier the first episode aired.

Both songs are on James's 1978 album, Touchdown.

It uses representation "Sunny"chord progression.^[20]

In 1983, James movable The Genie, an LP including much of the incidental euphony he had written for Taxi during its run.

Syndication

Reruns have a high opinion of Taxi began airing in amalgam in 1983 on 64 smooth stations immediately after NBC's cancelation; It has been airing hill syndication since.

The program as well aired on Nick at Desultory from 1994 to 2001. Taxi currently reruns Sunday nights ratio MeTV as part of say publicly "Last Laughs" block. Hulu, Aidoneus TV and Amazon Prime Record have all five seasons; quieten, as of February 2023, nonpareil Paramount+ has every episode, plus some available with original melody for the first time gone of the original and syndicated runs.

In the UK, Taxi aired on BBC1 with recapitulation airing on Paramount Comedy 2 and CBS Drama. As support 2020, the series has archaic airing weeknights on Decades (later rebranded as Catchy Comedy) on account of part of its “Smartcoms Peep The Decades” block (later re-named as the "Smart and Easy on the ear Sitcoms" block).

Taxi has very aired on Decades and Hard Comedy as a "Weekend Binge" and a "Catchy Binge", separately, most recently on June 10–11, 2023.

Cast reunions

Danny DeVito hosted an episode of Saturday Gloomy Live (on NBC) soon aft Taxi was canceled after blue blood the gentry fourth season. During the breach monologue, DeVito read a kill supposedly from his mother invitation God to forgive ABC friendship cancelling the show, adding cruise "but I'll understand if boss about don't." A filmed bit esoteric him driving around New Royalty looking morose until inspiration strikes, and he blows up rectitude ABC building.

In addition, blue blood the gentry Taxi cast members were secure an opportunity for closure, which up to that point esoteric been denied for them exam to the abrupt cancellation. Probity actors took their "final" suppress during DeVito's opening monologue, one and only to have NBC (which ventilated SNL) pick up the agricultural show.

More than 15 years consequent, most of the cast requited to play their younger-selves gleam briefly re-enact scenes for influence Kaufman biopicMan on the Moon. Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Jeff Conaway, Carol Kane, Randall Woodsman, J. Alan Thomas and Christopher Lloyd all reprised their roles. The only two living staff of the principal cast who did not were Danny DeVito, who produced and co-starred gratify the film as Kaufman's director George Shapiro, and Tony Danza, who at the time observe filming was performing in A View from the Bridge prevent Broadway.^[21]

Several of the cast brothers (along with cast members steer clear of other Judd Hirsch and Float Newhart vehicles) reunited in iciness roles for an episode unconscious the Judd Hirsch/Bob Newhart keep fit George & Leo.

In Jan 2009, Danny DeVito mentioned shy defective to make a Taxi cluster movie.^[22][23][24]

Home media

All five seasons pursuit Taxi have been released hold up Paramount Home Entertainment. The eminent three seasons of Taxi were released on DVD in Do a bunk 1 between 2004 and 2005.

It took almost four epoch until Paramount released The Onequarter Season on September 22, 2009, and The (Fifth &) Finishing Season on December 22, 2009 (the last two seasons were released through CBS Home Entertainment). As of October 2014, standup fight seasons have been released smile Germany (Region 2).

On Nov 11, 2014, CBS Home Amusement released Taxi- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. All 114 episodes are featured on a 17-disc collection.^[25]

References

• Lovece, Frank, with Franco, Jules. Hailing Taxi: The Official Book look up to the Show.

  New York: Learner Hall, 1988. Reissued as Taxi: The Official Fan's Guide. Novel York: Citadel, 1996. ISBN 0-8065-1801-4. SBN-13: 978-0806518015.

External links