Roomies: Corey Haim and Burt Young - Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries

Roomies aired from March until May 1987 on NBC.

Two unlikely college freshman shared a dorm room in this " odd couple" comedy. Nick ( Burt Young) was a burly, balding 42 year old former drill sergeant , who had retired after 20 years in the marine corps and entered Saginaw University a little late. Matthew ( Corey Haim) was a 14 year old genius who go got there a little early. His main passion was rare fish. Both had adjustments to make-Nick to the unaccustomed chaos of dorm life, Matthew to the fact that almost everyone was older than he was, and brains alone to do not a " cool guy" make. Among the dorm inhabitants were a nutty trio of " singing freshman" ( Michael Lesco, Robert Rheames, Larry Wray) who harmonized through the hallways.

A Review from USA TODAY

TV PREVIEW/BY MONICA COLLINS

'Roomies' is unfunny buddy-buddy

Icky ichthyology. So what does studying fish have to do with the Marines? Well, yes, water. Fish swim in it. Marines walk on it.

So what else does studying fish have to do with the Marines? Not much, as is apparent from Roomies.

Then why does the connection even come up? You probably won't believe this ( except that were talking TV here, so maybe you will), but this is a comedy about a 14 -year-old fish lover who's attending college. His roommate is a gruff, middle-aged former Marine ( Burt Young).

They live in a dorm room filled with fish tanks. The kid sleeps on the top bunk, the Marine on the bottom. They share a bathroom with the rest of the boys on the floor, a washroom where odd things happen-people sit in the stalls and burst into song or parade through with towels on their heads singing Walk Like an Egyptian.

The kid Matthew ( Corey Haim) somehow got to college . Can't tell why at first blush. He acts very dumb. Like when his Marine roommate takes him on a long bus journey so the kid can proclaim his love to a girl he met for a few seconds at the college bookstore.

They go to the girl's house and just before they knock on the door , Matthew protests: " We shouldn't be doing this. We shouldn't be doing this. " Out of the mouth of this babe come no truer words.

In this first episode -in addition to the ill-fated bus trip-you're zinged around from dorm rooms to classrooms.

Then there's this odd pairing. Haim and Young have no particular chemistry. There's nothing about them as a duo that makes you want to see more of them.

Although the point is made that the boy's father neglects to show up for his birthday, we see no paternal aura around Young, although his character does step into the birthday breach. The older man also confesses he has no family.

That's sweet. But this comedy is fishy.

For a 1987 article on Corey go to http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1195/Haim1.html

To find out whatever happened to Corey Haim go to http://www.celebritynooz.com/watn/corey_haim.html

For more on Corey Haim go to http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/movie_stars/93742

For a Website dedicated to Corey Haim go to http://www.coreyhaim.net/