Poster: Stuck In The '70's
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Frannie's Turn aired from September until October 1992 on CBS.
Frannie Escober ( Miriam Margolyes),was spunky and engaging but tired of being taken for granted by the men in her life-her husband Joseph ( Tomas Milian), a chauvenistic Cuban-American, and Armando ( Taylor Negron), the insecure dress designer for whom she worked as a seamstress. The only person who seemed to understand her frustrations was her mother-in-law Rosa ( Alice Drummond), not much of an endorsement since Rosa was on the border between eccentric and crazy. Adding to Frannie's anxiety was the fact that her daughter, Olivia ( Phoebe Augustine), had fallen in love with a man who was as chauvenistic as her father. Eddie ( Stivi Paskoski), was Rosa's good-for-nothing High School son and Vivian ( LaTanya Richardson), a fellow seamstress and her best friend at work. Set on Staten Island, New York
Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner were the executive producers.
A Review From The New York Times
by John J. O'Connor
Published: September 25, 1992
Frannie (Miriam Margolyes) is a middle-aged seamstress who has suddenly realized that "if you're not young, beautiful and rich, you don't exist." Tired of being a servant to her macho Cuban husband, Joseph (Tomas Milian), she begins rebelling in a manner that the family attributes to either feminist anger or menopause. Frannie tries to stop her daughter from marrying a man just like her father. At work, she tells off her high-fashion boss, Armando, formerly Arthur of the garment center. At home, Joseph is informed he will have to go to the refigerator himself if he wants a beer.
Meanwhile, Joseph's mother, Rosa (Alice Drummond), is obviously a Sophia clone ( from The Golden Girls), and may be mostly confined to her bed, but she's usually good for a wisecrack or two to perk up the laugh track. But beneath the jokes in "Frannie's Turn," there is real pain and far too much bitterness to be crammed into a sitcom. The most perceptive character of the lot could be spaced-out Eddie (Stivi Paskoski), the teen-age son in a Megadeth T-shirt, who casually treats the rest of the family with the wry disdain they so readily invite.
Created and written by Chuck Lorre for Carsey-Werner Productions; directed by Sam Weisman; music by Michael Linn; production designer, Garvin Eddy; lighting, Daniel Flannery; costumes, Betsy Jones Zwick; editor, Joe Bella; choreography, Murphy Cross; executive producers, Chuck Lorre, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner and Caryn Mandabach.
Frannie Escobar . . . Miriam Margolyes Joseph Escobar . . . Tomas Milian Rosa . . . Alice Drummond Olivia . . . Phoebe Augustine Eddie . . . Stivi Paskoski Vivian . . . LaTanya Richardson Armando . . . Taylor Negron
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