BROOKLYN BRIDGE: WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this dramatic series about a middle-class Jewish family living in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s.
The program begins in Brooklyn in 1956 as Sophie Berger, Esther Shapiro, and their friends play mahjong. Then, nine-year-old Nathaniel Silver and fourteen-year-old brother Alan come in to speak with their grandmother about a pressing issue -- Alan scaring Nathaniel with talk of death. The next morning, Alan and his mother Phyllis -- who live in the same apartment building as Sophie and her Russian emigrant husband Jules -- discuss a paper he wrote for school. Then, Alan questions his mother on why they still don't have a telephone.
Alan tells his mother that he has met a girl, Katie Monahan, who may call him sometime. Phyllis is more concerned about Alan playing football with Irish and Italian boys at Dyker Park. Meanwhile, Sophie is concerned with what meals to make for the day. Sophie is still upset at Alan for telling Nathaniel about death. Nathaniel is excited to hear that Dodgers great Gil Hodges is making an appearance that day at a local bank. Nathaniel discusses Jewish players and baseball with his grandfather. Jules claims he once played ball with Gil in Russia. Then, Katie calls Alan on his grandmother's phone, upsetting Sophie, who doesn't think her phone should be tied up for personal calls.
Later, Alan's friends Benny Belinsky and Warren Butcher are impressed that Katie called Alan. Alan discusses the dance that night to which Katie invited him, concerned that this will be his first time to be with a non-Jewish girl. Then, Alan and his friends come upon Katie and her friends. Benny and Warren are smitten but have nothing interesting to say. Benny embarrasses them with his talk about the Dodgers. In class, slickster Nicholas Scamperelli impresses teacher Miss McCullough with his math prowess. After class, Miss McCullough questions Nathaniel on all his reports being about baseball players, encouraging him to read another book, "The Yearling."
Later, in the bathroom, Alan and his friends nearly get picked on by some Italian hoods, until they recognize Alan from Dyker Park, impressed by his football skills. Afterward, Warren privately criticizes Benny to Alan. Later in class, Alan impresses social studies teacher Mr. Greer with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Suez Canal crisis. Mr. Greer encourages Alan and his classmates to start reading the New York Times. Back home, Alan accidentally reveals to Nathaniel that the deer dies at the end of "The Yearling," upsetting the boy. Later, Warren tracks down Alan, reiterating the fact that they should ditch the goofy Benny from their club, the Royals. Alan is against the idea, but eventually decides he is the only one that can tell Benny in a "kind" manner. Regardless, Benny doesn't take the news well. Upset, Alan goes to Benny's house to apologize but Mrs. Belinsky doesn't let him in to see her son.
Meanwhile, Sophie takes Nathaniel and Nicholas to the bank to meet Gil. Later, the "mensch" Gil goes along with Jules's lie about having played baseball with him in Russia in order to impress Nathaniel. That evening, Phyllis helps Alan with his dancing skills. Nevertheless, at the dance, Alan and Katie struggle with their dancing. There, Father MacCauley greets them, with Alan unsure how to talk to a priest. Then, Alan runs into Mr. Greer, discussing with him how Benny is no longer in the Royals. Walking Katie home, Alan discusses having Mr. Greer as a teacher. The two head to the diner where Alan keeps thinking he sees Benny following them. Before parting, Katies says that they can go out again. She also says tells Alan that he can bring along his "cute" friend Benny. Back home, Alan catches up with his grandmother while Jules snoozes. Sophie discusses the Benny issue with her grandson, detailing her disappointment with Alan. Afterward, Alan goes to make amends with Benny and offers to quit the Royals. Finally, George Silver returns from a long day at work at the post office, speaking with his sons about the day's goings-on. Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Hearst Corporation,1998.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: September 20, 1991 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:23884
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Families; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Jewish families
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1991-1993
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Gary David Goldberg … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Seth Freeman … Supervising Producer
- Sam Weisman … Supervising Producer, Director
- Alice West … Producer
- Craig Zisk … Associate Producer
- David McHugh … Music by
- Marvin Hamlisch … Theme Music by
- Alan Bergman … Theme Music by
- Marilyn Bergman … Theme Music by
- Marion Ross … Cast, Sophie Berger
- Danny Gerard … Cast, Alan Silver
- Louis Zorich … Cast, Jules Berger
- Amy Aquino … Cast, Phyllis Berger Silver
- Peter Friedman … Cast, George Silver
- Matthew Louis Siegel … Cast, Nathaniel Silver
- Jenny Lewis … Cast, Katie Monahan
- Aeryk Egan … Cast, Warren Butcher
- Jake Jundef … Cast, Benny Belinsky
- David Wohl … Cast, Sid Elgart
- Brent Jennings … Cast, Mr. Greer
- Adam LaVorgna … Cast, Nicholas Scamperelli
- Jeffrey Nordling … Cast, Gil Hodges
- Heidi Swedberg … Cast, Miss McCullough
- Richard Panebianco … Cast, Silvio
- Nancy Fish … Cast, Mrs. Belinsky
- Estelle Harris … Cast, Esther Shapiro
- Marilyn Keith … Cast, Molly Kapiloff
- Alexana Lambros … Cast, Mindy Schneider
- James Gleason … Cast, Father MacCauley
- Lauren Woodland … Cast, Mary Beth
- Marguerite Moreau … Cast, Mary Margaret
- Deborah Slaboda … Cast, Mary Jane
- Jordan Myers … Cast, Bank Guard