That was an excellent one.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Fantastic!

A Disappointing Continuation

Unfortunately, they started playing reruns of this show on Antenna TV today. I had forgotten about it until now. Like "Alice" I had blocked it out of my mind due to the fact that it sucked to high heaven.First problem with this fake puke inducing "sitcom" is Bonnie Franklin with her lame "bob" Patty Duke haircut. Second is Mackenzie "Let me snort that for you" Phillips. Third is the cliché Pat Harrington Jr., who is apparently supposed to be funny based on the laugh track, but never is. And speaking of laugh tracks, that would be fourth in the problems with this show. But, fifth, and most repulsive, is the character David "I need a man bra" Kane. How can anyone find Pat Harrington Jr. funny? How can anyone believe Bonnie Franklin as the character she so desperately tries to portray? How can anyone stomach more than 5 seconds of Mackenzie "Let me shoot that in my arm" Phillips? How can anyone not want to throw a brick at their TV the second Richard Masur enters the scene?Several reviews say how this show didn't age well. Truth is it sucked back then and still sucks to this day. It actually set the standard for suck, by which all other shows are measured. In reality, the only reason it lasted as long as it did is because there were enough teenage geeks and losers that had a crush on Valerie Bertinelli to keep the ratings up. But I'm not sure why, because her tomboy character wasn't exactly one that would desire a male, if you know what I mean.

I'm not exactly sure what year I started watching One Day at a Time but I am sure that in terms of quality,it's right up there with the other Norman Lear classics that ran between 1971 to 1985. It may not have gotten the Emmy nods like those other shows but that doesn't mean that it lacked in quality.Much like my own mother back in 1977,in 1975 Ann Ramano was divorced and moved her children to a new city to start over. I know some here say Bonnie Franklin is not that great an actress but what I feel is that she was chosen because she wasn't a household name and that makes her character more convincing. A well known actress might have overshadowed what the writers were going for.She truly does act like a real mother in this show,imperfections and all. She right as a parent can be but she makes errors too. She's as one of many mothers of that time dealing with a rebellious teen and younger teen getting mixed messages.MacKenzie Phillips as Julie was perfect to play the rebellious daughter,not because of her real life problems but because she had already seen these things first hand as the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas 60s vocal group. It's only an unfortunate situation that her real drug use disrupted the series,leading finally to the writers having Julie run away for good from her husband and family.Valrie Bertenelli did a good job as the "good girl" Barbra who has to put up with big sis's attitude about her being "mom's favorite". Then,like now it's difficult being a good kid when others around you seem to do as they please. Valrie brought this out in her character really well.Then there's the great comic relief from the serious situations at hand,the building's super Dwayne Schneider played by Pat Harrigton Jr. (look for him as the head of "The Phone Comany" in the classic comedy "The President's Analyst". ) Well remembered for his line "please always remember and don't ever forget ..etc." He originally was always trying to hit on Ann but later became a friend and ally for the family of 3 women and one of best characters. In fact,he was the subject of the final show of the series. In May 1984,after Ann re-married and moved to England for a new career and all had moved on in the 2nd to last show....his character moves to Florida to help take care of relatives living there. (Meant possibly as a pilot for a spin-off that never happened.) Overall,the show dealt with real issues,teen rebellion sex,drinking,drugs,emotional problems of both teens and adults and many other serious subjects. A reviewer long ago called this show a "fluke" hit. There's nothing accidental about the show's long run and popularity. Women needed a voice on TV at that time and along with The Bunker ladies,Maude Findlay,Alice Hyatt and Mary Tyler Moore...Ann Ramano and daughters were right up there in importance.This and shows like these will never exist again,only because back then there was that need to show women as more than a housewife.In today's TV landscape,women are strong without having it needed to be proved to the masses. For all of these reasons I've written about,I give "One Day At A Time" 10 stars. It's one of the greatest of a great era of television...oh,and a snappy theme song to boot! (END)04/23/2015 > Now currently airing on Antenna TV!!

This was one of my favorite shows, at least for the first few seasons that it was on. This was one of the first shows that dealt with divorce and more importantly how it effects the children. Bonnie Franklin did a wonderful job as Ann and Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli were great as Julie and Barbara respectively. However, the character that really made the show was immortal Dwayne F. Schneider played by Pat Harrington. He brought a wonderful sense of humor to offset the more serious moments of the show. However complaint I do have a few complaints about the show. One is that I think that once Julie was written out of the show it should have ended there. Another is that like so many other shows that struggled for ratings, they fell into the trap of bringing on the cute kid character in the form of Alex. Also, if Ann was truly trying to be the modern independent woman, why did she wind up getting married towards the end of the show?

Just like Ann Romano (Franklin), this show's a survivor."One Day at a Time" is one of those great shows that came out in the '70s that showed how far women had come in TV terms. In the '60s, you'd never have seen a show about a divorced woman who moved to Indianapolis with her daughters (Phillips, Bertinelli) to start a new life for themselves. And what a great character they had in Ann Romano: spirited, opinionated, a fighter and someone who didn't take the bull that men fed her and fought tooth and nail for everything she had. A lot of that strength was from anger, naturally, but she modulated it well.Then there was always Schneider (Harrington), the apartment super where she lived. Something of a ladies' man, he was always around to fix someone's pipes (if you know what I mean), but Ann wisely kept her distance. She knew a goof when she saw one, and Schneider's scenes were largely played for laughs. Good choice.In fact, the whole series had a great run and never lacked for story lines (women's rights, divorce, suicide, runaways) but was a real showcase for Franklin, who was terrific. Hey, TV suits; give her another series as good as this one!Ten stars for "One Day at a Time", a TV series whose "Time"-ing was perfect.