AMEN: DEACON FRYE VS. THE U.S. ARMY (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy television series about a dishonest church deacon and his relatives and friends.
Thelma has received orders from the army transferring her to Germany for the next year, upsetting her as it could ruin her chance to get back together with Reverend Gregory. She is to leave that night, but Reverend Gregory arrives and announces that he is ready to marry her. He insists that he will not botch the ceremony like last time, as he has been receiving psychiatric help to address his issues with abandonment. Thelma declines to tell Reverend Gregory about her assignment and agrees to schedule their wedding for the following month. Thelma begs her commanding officer not to send her to Germany, and when he declines she tries to quit. He responds that if she wishes to get married, Reverend Gregory will have to come to Germany with her.
Deacon Frye informs Reverend Gregory of Thelma’s assignment, and he is saddened by her departure. However, Thelma returns home, revealing that she decided to go AWOL and hijack her colonel’s jeep. The military police show up to arrest Thelma and everyone tries to stall them to protect her. Reverend Gregory convinces Thelma to emerge and turn herself in. Thelma is to be court-martialed, and could possibly end up in prison. Deacon Frye bursts into the office of her commanding officer, Colonel Adams, who will also be presiding over her case. He says he will serve as Thelma’s legal representation. In private, Colonel Adams and Captain Ryser, the prosecuting attorney, agree to allow Thelma to leave the army to get married, but must proceed with the trial anyway; Ryser will open with a motion to drop the charges against her. However, during the trial Deacon Frye interrupts with an objection before Ryser can finish the motion, and his protestations ensure that the trial proceeds in full. He calls Thelma to the stand and concocts an elaborate alibi excusing her from responsibility for stealing the jeep. However, Thelma speaks up and tells the truth before declaring that she should be jailed for her crimes. Despite these missteps, the jury declares Thelma not guilty. Everyone gathers at Deacon Frye’s home to celebrate Thelma’s departure from the army and her upcoming marriage to Reverend Gregory. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: June 30, 1993 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:22:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:62940
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1986-1991
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Arthur Julian … Executive Producer
- Ed. Weinberger … Executive Producer, Created by
- Eric Cohen … Co-Executive Producer
- Annette Sahakian … Coordinating Producer
- Shelley Jensen … Supervising Producer, Director
- Marty Nadler … Producer
- William Daley … Co-Producer
- Reuben Cannon … Co-Producer
- Ken Johnston … Co-Producer
- Jeff Kaufman … Associate Producer
- Marshall Karp … Writer
- Andrae Crouch … Music by, Theme Music by
- Vanessa Bell Armstrong … Theme Music by
- Sherman Hemsley … Cast, Deacon Ernest Frye
- Clifton Davis … Cast, Reverend Reuben Gregory
- Anna Maria Horsford … Cast, Thelma Frye
- Barbara Montgomery … Cast, Cassietta Hetebrink
- Roz Ryan … Cast, Amelia Hetebrink
- Tony T. Johnson … Cast, Chris
- Jester Hairston … Cast, Rolly Forbes
- George Coe … Cast, Colonel Adams
- Julian Christopher … Cast, Captain Ryser
- Tom Baumgartner … Cast, Officer
- Richard G. Camphuis … Cast, M.P.