#69: "Vienna
Waits" October 15, 1981
Elaine's ex-husband Vince shows up unexpectedly and agrees to
look after Jason and Jennifer for four weeks. Elaine seizes
the opportunity to take a European vacation. She asks Alex to
accompany her and he agrees, creating an opportunity to take
their longtime friendship to the next level. Guest stars: Gary
Philips, Warwick Sis, Reuven Bar-Yotam, Cassandra Gava, Rob
Hughes, Paul ackenzie. Written by Ken Estin. Directed by
Howard Storm.
#70: "Mr.
Personalities" October 22, 1981
Latka's habit of changing personalities prompts Elaine to make
an appointment for him with her psychiatrist. In this episode,
Latka assumes a whole series of different personalities,
including an impersonation of Alex. Latka as Alex winds up
getting more bookings than Alex as Alex. Guest stars: Barry
Nelson, Bernadette Birkett, Wendy Goldman, T.J. Castronova.
Written by Ian Praiser and Howard Gewirtz. Directred by Howard
Storm.
#71: "Jim
Joins the Network" October 29, 1981
Reverend Jim picks up some important television executives in
his cab and overhears one tell the other that if he doesn't
come up with a hit series soon, he will be fired. Since Jim
often has psychic hunches about the future that prove to be
uncannily accurate, he gives the executive his hunches about
which shows will do well in the ratings. Guest stars: Martin
Short, Melendy Britt. Written by David Lloyd. Directed by Noam
Pitlik.
#72: "Louie's
Fling" November 5, 1981
Emily, a good friend of Zena's, has just been dumped by her
boyfriend. Louie impresses both Emily and Zena by acutely
analyzing the situation and advising Emily not to continue to
allow herself to be victimized. Zena asks Louie to take Emily
home and when they get to her apartment she seduces him.
Instead of feeling guilt about cheating on his girlfriend,
Louie exhibits pride. Guest star: Rhea Perlman. Note: A
different ending for this episode was originally filmed, but
it was rewritten and reshot a couple of weeks later after the
producers realized how appalled the audience was by Louie's
insidious behavior in the finale, where he deliberately tried
to show Emily's boyfriend that she was having an affair just
as the two of them were about to reconcile. Guest stars: Rhea
Perlman, Andrea Marcovicci. Written by Sam Simon. Directed by
James Burrows.
#73: "Like
Father, Like Son" November 12, 1981
Alex's father, Joe, calls the cab company and tells Alex that
he wants them to be friends. When they meet at Mario's for
dinner, they encounter a terrific woman named Karen.. Alex
asks her on a date and gets one. After Alex leaves, Joe can't
resist asking Karen out himself. Guest stars: Jack Gilford,
Barbara Babcock. Written by David Lloyd. Directed by James
Burrows.
#74: "Louie's
Mother Remarries" November 19, 1981
Louie's mother plans to marry a Japanese man whom she recently
met. Louie threatens his mother that he won't be her son
anymore if she marries him. He eventually does attend the
traditional Japanese-style wedding and gives his blessings.
Guest star: Julia DeVito (Danny DeVito's mother). Written by
Earl Pomerantz. Directed by James Burrows.
#75: "Of
Mice and Tony" December 10, 1981
Tony decides to become a manager of Terry Carver, a
heavyweight boxer from his gym. When Terry wins a bout with a
first-round knockout, a better management offer comes along
from the syndicate. It's an offer Terry can't refuse. Guest
stars: Ernie Hudson, John Christy Ewing, Andrew Winner, Howard
Gewirtz, Nat Bernstein, Ian Praiser, Jimmy Lennn(as himself),
Gene LeBell, T.J. Castronova. Written by Glen and Les Charles.
Directed by James Burrows.
#76: "Nina
Loves Alex" January 21, 1982
Nina, an attractive young black woman, joins the Sunshine Cab
Co. A very energetic and positive-thinking person, she
immediately becomes attracted to Alex and soon begins to make
suggestions about getting together with him. Guest stars:
Charlaine Woodard, John Mengatti. Written by David Lloyd.
Directed by Joan Darling.
#77: "Louie
Goes Too Far" December 17, 1981
Louie sinks to spying on Elaine and the other female cabbies
in the ladies' room. Elaine finds out and becomes enraged. She
brings a leader from the National Organization for Women to
the garage to threaten a lawsuit and they succeed in getting
Louie fired. Note: This episode contains a classic, revelatory
Louie monologue, marking a turning point for this character.
Guest stars: Noni White, Allen Williams. Written by Danny
Kallis. Directed by Michael Lessac.
#78: "I
Wanna Be Around" January 7, 1982
Louie is preparing for the end of the world. He has turned the
tool room at the garage into a survival shelter with supplies
of dehydrated food. To plan for the end of the world, he plans
to spend two days in the shelter with Tony and Jeff. Note: In
this episode, the normally quiet Jeff steps into the
spotlight. Written by Glen and Les Charles. Directed by James
Burrows.
#79:
"Bobby Doesn't Live Here Anymore" January
14, 1982
The cabbies decorate the Sunshine Garage with banners in
anticipation of Bobby's visit from Hollywood. Bobby has been
gone from New York for six months, and he is waiting to find
out if he has landed a part in a TV pilot. At first he hears
they are going ahead with the series, but then finds out that
they will recast for his part. Bobby decides to go back to
California in spite of this to continue to try his luck at
acting for television. Note: Jeff Conaway's and Glen and
Les Charles' last episodes in this series. Guest stars: Jeff
Conaway, Tony Gaetano, T.J. Castronova. Written by Glen and
Les Charles. Directed by James Burrows.
#80: "Tony's
Lady" January 28, 1982
Tony announces to the other cabbies that he has taken a second
job as a chauffeur to a wealthy family. One of the members is
Christina, a refined young lady whom Tony considers to be more
stunning than any girl he's ever met. Eventually, Tony tries
to ask her for a date, but just before he's able to get out
the words another guy asks Christina to marry him and she says
yes. Guest star: Rebecca Holden, John Calvin, Joel Brooks.
Written by Ken Estin. Directed by Michael Zinberg.
#81: "Simka
Returns" February 4, 1982
Simka returns to New York and she rekindles her relationship
with Latka. The only difficulty is that Latka is still
suffering from his multiple-personality problem. Latka must
eventually fight his alter ego Vic Ferrari for his woman.
Guest star: Carol Kane (who got an Emmy award for this
episode). Written by Howard Gewirtz and Ian Praiser. Directed
by Michael Zinberg.
#82: "Jim
and the Kid" February 25, 1982
Tony picks up Terry, a ten-year-old runaway, in his cab and
drives him back to the garage. The boy takes a special liking
to Reverend Jim. Terry even goes to Jim's apartment and begs
to stay there. Guest stars: Tony La Tore, Rebecca Clemons,
Wendall W. Wright. Written by David Lloyd. Directed by Michael
Zinberg.
#83: "Take
My Ex-Wife, Please" February 18, 1982
Alex goes on a double date with Tony and a set of
great-looking twins, Randi and Candi. They are all at a French
restaurant when Alex spots his ex-wife Phyllis, who's recently
been divorced by her latest husband. She wants to get back
together with Alex but he says it can never happen. Later
Louie hears the story and gets a date with Phyllis. When Alex
learns this he goes to Phyllis' hotel room to warn her about
Louie. Guest star: Louise Lasser, Randi & Candi Brough,
Alex Rodine. Written by Ian Praiser and Howard Gewirtz.
Directed by Noam Pitlik.
#84: "The
Unkindest Cut" February 25, 1982
Elaine explains to the other cabbies that she's going to be
attending the opening of a Japanese costume show at the Met.
She wants to impress the guy she'll be sitting next to, so she
makes an appointment to get a haircut with the most famous
hair stylist in New York City. The result is positively
ghastly. Guest stars: Ted Danson, Gela Jacobson, Sari Price,
Karen Anders, Frances Welter, Torill, Marcia Wolf. Story by
Barbara Duncan and Holly Holmberg Brooks. Teleplay by Sam
Simon. Directed by Noam Pitlik.
#85: "Tony's
Comeback" March 4, 1982
Lucius Franklin, a pro football player who's been cut by one
NFL team and is waiting to try out for another, joins the
Sunshine Cab Co. Lucius works out to keep in shape and invites
Tony to join him at the gym. With his enthusiasm, Lucius is
able to instill a new sense of confidence in Tony. Note: Look
for producers Ed Weinberger and James L. Brooks in the crowd
scenes. Guest stars: Bubba Smith, Naomi Stevens, Jimmy Lennon
(as himself), Gene LeBell, John Steve. Written by Sam Simon.
Directed by Michael Lessac.
#86:
"Elegant Iggy" March 18, 1982
Elaine hesitantly agrees to attend a musical concert with
Reverend Jim after he is given two free tickets. She is
pleasantly surprised when he arrives at the concert in formal
attire. Elaine then introduces Jim to an art patron, Mrs.
Weber, who invites them both to a party. Elaine is concerned,
however, that Jim will embarrass her with his off-the-wall
behavior. Note: This episode got an Emmy award for outstanding
writing. Guest stars: Fran Ryan, Nina Van Pallandt. Written by
Ken Estin. Directed by Noam Pitlik.
#87: "The
Wedding of Latka and Simka" March 25, 1982
Latka startles the cabbies by bringing Dr. Joyce Brothers to
the Sunshine Garage; he informs them that she has cured him of
his recent multiple-personality problems. Now that his mental
health seems sound, he plans to asks for Simka's hand in
marriage. Guest stars: Vincent Sciavelli, Carol Kane (in
her last appearance before becoming a regular on this series),
Peter Elbling. Written by Howard Gewirtz and Ian Praiser.
Directed by James Burrows.
#88: "Cooking
for Two" April 8, 1982
Jim is eating breakfast one morning when a wrecking ball
crashes through the wall of his apartment. Louie grudgingly
lets Jim move in with him for a few days. Soon after moving
in, Jim accidentally sets fire to Louie's apartment; nearly
everything is destroyed. Jim offers a blank check from his
millionaire father to Louie who salivates over how much to
make it out for. Written by Ken Estin and Sam Simon. Directed
by James Burrows.
#89: "The
Road Not Taken (Part 1)" April 29, 1982
Elaine is offered a job as a manager of a small art gallery in
Seattle, and she considers whether she and her children should
move there. While Elaine thinks things over, the other cabbies
talk about moments in their lives when they had important
decisions to make. Guest stars: Tom Hanks, Eugene Roche, J.Pat
O'Mally, Wendy Phillips, Charles Cioffi, Gene LeBell, Jim
Echollas, Michael A Salcido, Tony Eldridge. Written by Ken
Estin and Sam Simon. Directed by James Burrows.
#90: "The
Road Not Taken (Part 2)" May 6, 1982
While Elaine continues to consider taking the job in Seattle,
the cabbies continue to reminisce about important decisions
they've made in their lives. Near the end of the episode, Mr.
Thompson, from the art gallery in Seattle, comes to the garage
and asks Elaine for an answer. He pressures her to make her
decision at once, causing Elaine to become so flustered that
she throws a punch at him. Guest stars: Melanie Gaffin, David
Mendenhall, Max Wright, Jill Jaress, Matthew Faison. Written
by Ken Estin and Sam Simon. Directed by James Burrows.
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