MELBA: MANHUNT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this comedy series about a divorced single mother working in the Manhattan Visitor’s Center.
Melba Patterson finds herself being hit on at a bar by an obnoxious patron. She tries to get him to leave, claiming that she is waiting for her sister, but he is only further encouraged when he learns that she is divorced and single. Susan, her adoptive sister, arrives, and Melba complains about her choice of meeting-places. Susan explains to Rick, the obnoxious patron, that Melba’s mother, the housekeeper of her estate, raised them as sisters since her real mother died when she was very young. When he attempts to proposition them both they manage to immobilize him and extricate themselves from the bar. Susan encourages Melba to start dating again since she has been single for six months, but Melba disagrees, believing that she has a “full life.” Her daughter Tracy and mother Rose, who lives with her, returns. Susan notes that she is becoming desperate to find a man in her life, as she wants to have children. Melba recommends that she try “networking” in order to find someone. Susan likes this idea and decides to throw a party at her place, inviting a large number of unknown single men in the hopes that one of them will take a liking to either herself or Melba. Melba is unhappy with this plan but Susan feels that it is necessary due to Melba’s shyness.
Melba goes to her job at the Manhattan Visitor’s Center, where she attempts to resolve an argument between a cab driver and two visitors who feel that he ripped them off. Melba believes that they are correct and gets the driver to waive the fee. She receives a letter from the mayor inviting her and a guest to the Gracie Mansion for a dinner honoring the National Tourism Association. However, she tries to weasel out of going since she has no one to go with. Gil and Jack, her co-workers, attempt to convince her otherwise. She struggles to find a single man to accompany her to the dinner, realizing that she doesn’t need someone to form a relationship with. Tracy suggests that Melba take her ex-husband to the dinner, and Melba tries to diplomatically explain why this idea is unfeasible. Her mother encourages her to attend Susan’s party in the hopes of finding someone. Melba changes her mind and decides to attend the party.
At the party, Melba feels uneasy about mingling with the crowd, especially when she and Susan find Rick is in attendance. Susan tries to take matters into her own hands and introduce Melba to another divorced man at the party, and despite an awkward introduction they seem to get along well. However, she angrily rejects him when he crudely propositions her for sex. The rest of the night fares no better for Melba, who only wants to leave while Susan experiences more success. She is about to leave when she encounters someone who actually knows her, a lawyer named Frank Carlson working as a public defender. She finds out that like her, he is recently divorced. They discuss the difficulty of getting back into the dating scene after a divorce. They hit it off, and Melba asks Frank to be her date for the mayor’s dinner. However, Frank has to attend to his work defending a serial killer, making him unable to attend. Ultimately Melba simply decides to attend the dinner alone, no longer caring what others think about her. The dinner ends up going rather well. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 123024
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1986
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Saul Ilson … Executive Producer
- Kim Weiskopf … Co-Executive Producer
- Michael S. Baser … Co-Executive Producer
- Jay Moriarty … Supervising Producer
- Mike Milligan … Supervising Producer
- Larry Balmagia … Producer, Writer
- Bob Peete … Producer
- Andrew J. Selig … Line Producer
- Mel Ferber … Director
- Barry Harman … Created by
- Marshall Karp … Created by
- Pam Sweeney … Writer
- Joe Curiale … Music by, Theme Music by
- Barbara Rothstein … Theme Music by
- Melba Moore … Theme Music by
- Melba Moore … Cast, Melba Patterson
- Gracie Harrison … Cast, Susan Slater
- Barbara Meek … Cast, Mama Rose
- Jamila Perry … Cast, Tracy Patterson
- Evan Mirand … Cast, Gil
- Lou Jacobi … Cast, Jack
- Virginia Bingham … Cast
- Ray Girardin … Cast
- Brodie Greer … Cast
- Richard Jamison … Cast
- Justin Lord … Cast
- John Pappas … Cast
- Meshach Taylor … Cast
- Steven Williams … Cast