THREE'S COMPANY: FRIENDS AND LOVERS {SERIES FINALE} (TV)
Summary
The finale of this comedy series about two young women who share their apartment with a man.
Jack is trying to endear himself to Vicky’s father, as their initial meeting went poorly. Janet is highly upset because Phillip doesn’t want to have a church wedding, and so she contemplates calling the whole thing off. Jack and Terri convince Janet that she should still marry Phillip, as she loves him very much, and suggest that they get married in the apartment instead of at city hall. Vicky arrives that night to meet Jack and her father arrives soon thereafter; Jack clumsily attempts to keep him occupied while Vicky changes out of her work uniform. Her father’s humorless attitude proves to be challenging for Jack, and at one point he mentions that Vicky was offered a promotion for a position in Houston but turned it down, implying that she did so because of Jack. She emerges and Jack asks her about the promotion, and she has her mind made up not to take it. However, Jack asks her to give it more serious thought, even though it would mean that they would hardly see each other anymore. She seems affected by Jack and asks her father to take her home immediately. Janet runs in to excitedly say that Phillip has taken up her offer to get married in the apartment.
Jack and Terri decorate the apartment for Janet’s wedding, assisted by Larry and Mr. Furley. Mr. Furley takes it upon himself to try to give Janet relationship advice for her marriage, but finds that she knows far more than he does. Jack constantly thinks about Vicky and is distracted, and Terri convinces him to call her. Later Phillips and the wedding guests arrive, and the ceremony is about to begin. Jack sees Janet and Terri in private and she tells them about how happy she is that they are there for her on her wedding day. Finally the ceremony begins and Janet emerges, but it is interrupted by Vicky’s arrival. She and Jack go aside and she speaks to Jack, convinced that he’s trying to get rid of her. He relates to her what her father said to him about the promotion, and she reveals that the job is of no importance to her. They reconcile as the wedding party attempts to eavesdrop on them. Janet, frustrated, runs in to try to help them and the matter is quickly resolved. The wedding ceremony begins again, and this time it progresses uninterrupted as Jack gives Janet away. The ceremony is completed successfully and Phillip and Janet are wed.
Everyone except Jack and Vicky leave for the reception at Mr. Furley’s place, and while alone Jack asks Vicky to marry him, but she says no. Vicky explains that while she wants to be in a relationship with Jack, she doesn’t want to be married, as she is frightened by the prospect of marriage. She elaborates that she witnessed the dissolution of her parents’ disastrous marriage when she was a child, and feels as though being married would result in a similarly tumultuous relationship. Jack insists that things would be different for them, but she is unsure. She would prefer to live together with Jack without being married, but Jack tries to tell her that it would be a bad idea; she remarks that he has an “old-fashioned” way of thinking about the scenario. They realize their goals are incompatible and part ways without resolving the issue. Vicky’s father arrives in a panic, believing that Vicky ran off and eloped with Jack, although she swiftly corrects him. She tells him about what happened and her father reluctantly offers to give Jack another chance, as he is concerned about her happiness above all else. However, she tells him that there is nothing he can do.
Jack tells Terri about what happened, and she gives him the same advice he gave Janet when she wanted to break up with Phillip. Invigorated, he runs back to Vicky and agrees to her request to live together. However, this earns the ire of her father, who is distraught when he learns that it was Vicky’s idea. He refuses to endorse the idea and leaves, disgusted with them. Soon Jack, Janet, and Terri all pack up to move out of the apartment. Terri reveals that she quit her job at the hospital and will be taking up a nursing job in Hawaii. Jack and Vicky will be living in an apartment above the restaurant where he works. Terri and Janet reminisce about their time with Jack, and Larry talks about how much he’s going to miss everyone. He tells Jack that he’s been his only friend, and that he’s going to feel alone without him, although Jack points out that he’s not moving very far away. Jack, Janet, and Terri say goodbye to Mr. Furley, and Jack pretends that Mr. Furley’s influence has made him straight. Finally, the three of them bid each other farewell and leave, taking the last of their things from the apartment.
Vicky and Jack arrive at their new apartment and Jack seems uncomfortable when Vicky tries to get in bed with him. He notes that he has not told his parents the truth about his new life yet. He locks himself in the bathroom when she starts changing, and eventually emerges only to hesitate when she invites him in bed alongside her. He stalls but eventually gets in with her, still clearly nervous and jumpy. However, he is relieved to hear that Vicky is just as nervous as he is. They both realize that there is nothing to be nervous about and become more intimate, but are interrupted when her father bursts in to the room. He reveals that he possesses a key to their apartment, as he has just purchased the building and the restaurant, making him Jack’s new landlord. Includes commercials.
Also includes an “ABC News Business Brief” with Stone Phillips.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:03735
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1977-1984
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Actifed cold medicine
- TV – Commercials – Arrid deodorant
- TV – Commercials – Betty Crocker baking mix
- TV – Commercials – Centrum multivitamin supplement
- TV – Commercials – Clearasil face cream
- TV – Commercials – Commodore computers
- TV – Commercials – Crispix breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Day & Night appliances
- TV – Commercials – L.A. County Fair fair
- TV – Commercials – Nature Valley granola bars
- TV – Commercials – Pearl Drops tooth polish
- TV – Commercials – Ralphs supermarkets
- TV – Commercials – Shake n’ Bake seasoning
- TV – Commercials – Showtime cable television channel
- TV – Commercials – Sprite soft drink
- TV – Commercials – Toyota automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Zenith television sets
- TV – Commercials – “All of Me” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “20/20”
- TV – Promos – “Eyewitness News”
- TV – Promos – “Glitter”
- TV – Promos – “Good Morning America”
- TV – Promos – “Jessie”
- TV – Promos – “Paper Dolls”
- TV – Promos – “People Do the Craziest Things”
- TV – Promos – “The Fall Guy”
- TV – Promos – “Who’s the Boss?”
CREDITS
- Michael Ross … Executive Producer, Writer
- Bernie West … Executive Producer, Writer
- George Burditt … Executive Producer, Writer
- Martin Rips … Producer, Writer
- Joseph Staretski … Producer, Writer
- George Sunga … Producer
- Wendy Blair … Associate Producer
- Dave Powers … Director
- Nicholl Ross West … Developed by
- Johnny Mortimer … Based on the British series "Man About the House" created by
- Brian Cooke … Based on the British series "Man About the House" created by
- Joe Raposo … Theme Music by
- Don Nicholl … Theme Music by
- Ray Charles … Theme Music by
- Julia Rinker … Theme Music by
- John Ritter … Cast, Jack Tripper
- Joyce DeWitt … Cast, Janet Wood
- Priscilla Barnes … Cast, Terri Alden
- Richard Kline … Cast, Larry Dallas
- Don Knotts … Cast, Ralph Furley
- Mary Cadorette … Cast, Vicky Bradford
- David Ruprecht … Cast, Phililp Dawson
- Henry Sutton … Cast, Minister
- Robert Clotworthy … Cast, Tony Williams
- K.C. Winkler … Cast, Nancy
- Robert Mandan … Cast, James Bradford
- For "ABC News Business Brief"
- Stone Phillips … Anchor