Tv Show With Tom Hanks Dressed as a Woman
Great early 80's comedy that shows Tom Hanks just starting out
Warning: Spoilers
Sure, the storyline had been done before in "Some Like it Hot", but I really loved this show. The obvious reason for looking back on it now is to see Tom Hanks "back in the day" before he hit the big screen. After all, he was the only actor besides Spencer Tracy to ever win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars. Wouldn't you be curious if we had 40 or so half-hour episodes of Spence as a young man parading around in a dress in a situation comedy? I know I would. Besides Tom Hanks, the other cast members were terrific, and most had pretty good careers. Peter Scolari (Henry Desmond) had a long run on "Newhart" in the 80's, Donna Dixon (Sonny Lumet) was adequate enough as Hank's love interest on the show, the late Wendy Jo Sperber (Amy Cassidy) was very good as the overweight girl who hoped against hope that Scolari's character would come to love her, and finally there's the early appearance of Telma Hopkins (Isabelle Hammond) who had other comedic roles on "Gimme A Break" and then "Family Matters".
It isn't until the second season that Sonny learns the truth about Buffy and Hildy actually being Kip and Henry, and the dynamics of the show pretty much change completely with Kip and Henry and their old boss starting their own ad agency. After a couple of seasons the show simply ran out of steam because there is only so much you can do with such a limited premise - much like Gilligan's Island.
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Excellent 80's comedy
This is where Tom Hanks' climb got started.
Two men dress in drag so they can stay at an all women's hotel. Why? Their hotel was demolished, while they were in it.
The drag angle gave this a boatload of sight gags to work with. Like when they were wearing wigs, bras, and shaving cream and singing 'Macho Man.' Hanks and Scolari made a GREAT duo. These two worked off each other perfectly.
The late Wendi Jo Sperber and Thelma Hopkins provided great comedy on their own too. Sperber was better than she ever got credit for.
Holland Taylor made a great foil for the humor. However, you almost wanted to like her.
Donna Dixon was the looks. She was beautiful, and still is. I only wish her acting was better. But then, she still did well.
This is one of those shows you wish lasted longer.
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A Glance At Tom Hanks Before He Turned Hollywood...
And a delightful glance, at that. Hanks shines in this early television role, as does the rest of the cast. It may not be a classic, but it is good entertainment, and perhaps you can catch it on a Nick-At-Night type channel.
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This Is It....
....the show that launched the careers of Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari and Donna Dixon, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Inspired by the movie, "Some Like It Hot," two guys pose as their fictional sisters in order to live in all women's hotel. The boys were a funny comedy duo, and Dixon was their Monroe. However, once the premise and the uniqueness wore off, the series was stuck with trying to live up to its own hype which was impossible. The boys ended up losing their secret and starting their own business to try and keep the show going. A sad end to a great series !
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charming actors with a gimmick
Graphics artist Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and writer Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) are best friends who work in an advertising agency in NYC. Ruth Dunbar (Holland Taylor) is their boss and Amy Cassidy (Wendie Jo Sperber) is the receptionist. Amy is desperately in love with Henry. When the boys lose their apartment to the wrecking ball, they find a place with Amy's help in her ladies-only Susan B. Anthony Hotel. Kip falls head over heels for Amy's roommate Sonny Lumet (Donna Dixon). The boys have to cross-dress as their fake sisters Buffy and Hildagar. In the second season, Kip reveals their secret identities to Ruth, Sonny and Isabelle Hammond (Telma Hopkins) who becomes the new manger of the hotel. The boys buy their own video production agency "60 Seconds Street" with Amy and help from Ruth.
The gimmick allows the boys to cross-dress but it doesn't take full advantage of its comic potential. Hanks and Scolari have great chemistry. Wendie Jo Sperber is great fun as a third wheel option. Donna Dixon is gorgeous and charming. Her character is great in the first season but diminishes without the chase in the second season. Telma Hopkins doesn't get much interesting material and Holland Taylor is a good boss character. I think revealing their secret to each character could be great fun. Doing it all at the same time takes away some comedic possibilities. Isabelle should have uncovered the ruse early on. Sonny could have discovered it at the end of the first season as a cliffhanger. I like The Reunion and its after-school special message. Most of this show's best stuff comes from the fun duo's great chemistry.
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Short lived television series most known because Tom Hanks starred in it.
This film was about two guys who lived in a dive that ended up being condemned. The place's rent was dirt cheap and they apparently have a hard time finding something in its price range until they stumble upon an all female building and you guessed it, they dress like girls to move in and take advantage of its low rent. And as you can tell by my description it was a premise that could only go so far which is why the show only lasted 37 episodes and would likely be all but forgotten if not for the fact this show starred a young Tom Hanks before movie stardom. This is not to say it was a bad show, it was funny enough in parts, but it was just not built to last a very long time. The two guys dressing like girls worked for a few episodes, but you can only have so many episodes of everything built around the same joke. Near the end they had fewer episodes that did revolve around this and one of my favorite episodes had the two friends trapped in a cabin during a snow storm and they begin fighting over some creamer in the fridge, both fearing dehydration before foolishly realizing that they could melt the snow and have all the water they needed. Tom Hanks is good in this one and of course would become the mega star. Peter Scolari starred as the other friend and he would later go on to be a costar in the Bob Newhart show "Newhart" and appear in a few other television shows so while not having the same success he had a rather good run as well.
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Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks
With the sad recent passing of Peter Scolari, I'm moved to write a review of this underrated sitcom. It was fun viewing, and we saw signs of Tom Hanks going on to bigger and huge things for sure. Peter Scolari moved on to Newhart, so at least he wasn't lost admist the Tom Hanks mania.
I'd love to see a reboot of this series where the gender roles are reversed. Have two females as the leads. Also have an acclaimed British actor appear such as Danny Dyer.
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One of the most underrated shows of the 80s
These guys dressed up before it was cool and it was often hysterical. I have a feeling this show was a bit before its time. Great cast and top notch writing made this one of the few comedy shows on TV that actually made you laugh out loud and was a real cut above most of the shows on back then.
I dont know, maybe if it were done today, it may stay on longer but this went to rerun land much too soon. I have most of them on tape but would love them to be released on DVD someday. Hey, maybe they could even do Bosom Buddies: The Movie and Ton Hanks could direct. How about it?
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Ain't Life A Drag
Warning: Spoilers
It's been 37 years since this show first appeared and we were presented with the acting abilities of two young men beginning their careers. Peter Scolari would go on to more TV work in series like HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS and NEWHART. The other actor you may have heard of starring in more big screen movies. His name was Tom Hanks.
BOSOM BUDDIES told the story of Kip Wilson (Hanks) and best friend Henry Desmond, two young men with dreams of making it as an artist and writer respectively, who work at an ad agency. When the building they're living in is demolished they look for somewhere else to stay. Agency secretary Amy (Wendie Jo Sperber), who openly longs for Henry, offers them a place for the weekend staying at her apartment. What she fails to mention is the fact that she lives in an all woman's apartment building. In an effort to "skirt" the regulations Kip and Henry borrow some ladies clothing from their workplace and waltz into the apartment complex as Buffy and Hildegard, sisters to Kip and Henry. When they realize how nice and affordable the place is they decide to make it more permanent and rent the room across the hall from Amy.
Making the place all the more attractive is the fact that Amy's roommate is Sonny (Donna Dixon), a beautiful blonde that Kip immediately falls in love with. Of course this leads to all sorts of shenanigans as Kip tries to woo Sonny while his alter ego Buffy continues to tell Sonny all about how wonderful a catch her "brother" is.
The series was successful enough to garner two full seasons and as a fan I never understood why it disappeared. Reading about it now it seems the ratings just weren't there for the show. Then again when you discover the same thing about a series like CHEERS it makes you wonder why TV executives don't to more to promote their shows and give them a bigger opportunity. The fact that the series has developed a bit of a cult following shows that it could have gone on longer.
The biggest attraction of the series was the quirky nature of the comedy involved here. Hanks and Scolari play well off one another and it's easy to see, more so when you read about it, that there are many improvisational items in the series that made it one of the funniest things on TV at the time. Watching it all these years later it is still hilarious and enjoyable.
But there is something else interesting to note here. There is no way possible this series could be made in now. The timing of this release, completely unintentional, rides on the coat tails of the #metoo movement and many items in the show would simply not fly in today's politically correct atmosphere. They are harmless and often revolve around the natural attraction between men and women. In fact much of the time when either Kip or Henry act like lecherous males it's to their detriment. And by living lives as women part time they discover the other side of the coin.
One episode does a great job of looking at how men look at women as mere meat rather than as entire entities. A night out in drag they're looked over by the men at a local singles bar causing Henry to get angry that the men don't find them attractive enough to bother to ask them to dance. His outrage becomes vocal as Kip tries to remind him that their NOT women and that it's probably in their best interest not to have men attracted to them. Later on Henry realizes that while he was angry at the treatment he received he's been doing the same thing with Amy for some time.
There are a number of jokes in the show that are hilarious and yet would cause the latest social warrior to demand a safe space to recover from being forced to listen to them. But the fact remains that comedy is supposed to make us uncomfortable at times, it's supposed to make us think and consider all there is around us. BOSOM BUDDIES did just that with each episode and made us laugh at the same time. It shows what is lacking in most comedies today, a sense of what is right without trying to shove it down your throat while watching. This more subtle approach unites rather than divides, never taking sides like many of today's comedies do. In the end it will make this the better series to remember and be enjoyed and will reach a larger audience.
The single seasons have been released in the past but CBS Home Entertainment is releasing it now in the complete series format in a single box that will most likely take up less shelf space and keep it all together in one spot. If you've never seen the show then by all means pick this one up. You'll find yourself laughing start to finish and in addition to that get exposed to the crazy antics of Hanks in a very different light than seen in recent years. He's become such a great actor and while that's apparent here he's more inclined to remind you of Robin Williams than the star he is today. Pick up a copy and see why.
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This Show Holds Up
Recently, I caught an episode of Bosom Buddies. A couple of things jumped out at me. First, the show was genuinely funny. Silly, but funny. Second, I really enjoyed the chemistry between Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. It's a shame that they didn't do more work together, aside from the small part in "That Thing You Do" and "Polar Express". I would like to see a movie where they truly co-starred in. It would be a nice bookend to their careers. (Not suggesting they are over.) The show wasn't exactly Seinfeld or Cheers, but the writing was solid and it holds up well. I know that there are only a limited number of episodes, but I would like to see this and other shows from the early 80's that seem to be hidden away.
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A Beloved Comedy from my Youth
This show, along with Three's Company and Happy Days, always bring back a great sense of nostalgia for me. It was a simpler time and while the shows back then could be a bit misogynistic, they were still fun. Bosom Buddies was one of those shows where it was fluff, but the actors were so adorable, you just couldn't help but like it.
Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari had great chemistry. You could tell they really liked each other and made believable best friends. The late Wendi Jo Sperber always played the high energy best friend who was reliable and good for a laugh. Her passing was a sad day as she had a lot of fun characters on her resume (Bachelor Party and Back to the Future). The lovely Donna Dixon as Sonny made my 14-year old self stand up and take notice of the attraction of a woman. I used to love Tony Orlando and Dawn back then and seeing Telma Hopkin in one of her first roles was a treat. She was great in Gimme a Break and Family Matters. Holland Taylor has made a career out of playing the tough, but lovable female guru (Romancing the Stone, Two and a Half Men, etc). All these actors were still relatively unknowns, but would go on to better, if not bigger, things in later years.
The gag ran out of steam after the first season, but it was still a ton of fun to watch. The way Kip used to snidely say Sonny's name over and over when he was trying to put something over on her, is something I still do today to people's names that end in the letter Y.
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so rad
this was one of my favorite shows growing up and i grieve for the silly b-movie career tom hanks has given up in lieu of serious roles. it's hard to believe that the guy who played the alcoholic uncle on family ties is now taken so seriously as a major hollywood player. bring this to syndication... please!!!!!!
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Great 1980's Memories
As a 14 year old boy, sitting in the studio audience of this show on quite a few occasions, many of my earliest Hollywood memories are wrapped around this show. The premise of the show was simple sure enough, but the lead actors really made it come to life. The moments before and after each taping were really memorable. Peter Scolari would always come out to the audience and hang out with us and chat. Sometimes juggle! He was a real sweetheart. Watching the show now brings it all back. How about a Bosom Buddies reunion show? I suppose Tom Hanks probably would like to pretend that the show never happened. Thankfully, the show is preserved on film forever.
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I love this show
How silly is this.... I sign up for IMDb because I love movies and my eye is drawn immediately to Bosom Buddies.... I adore this show. Prepsoterous and brilliant. It's probably a huge hit in England, right? Because the English love men in dresses --hee hee... But Tom Hanks is so hilarious in this and I think there is no better show that shows the potential of young actor. In retrospect one can see the tools of his trade being honed. I suppose a case could be made Robin Williams in Mork and Mindy, but wasn't he coked out his mind during the majority of the filming? Plus, I didn't really like the show all that much after season one. Peter Scolari was a great straight man for the show and I wonder what he's doing now. I may have to purchase my first DVD box set -- hee hee.
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A TV Classic Sitcom
Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond lost their apartment after it torn down and they have nowhere else to live and they live in a hotel for Women Only in New York City.
They dress up as women.
It's a TV Classic and stars Tom Hanks before he becomes a movie star.
I give it ****1/2.
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Doobs was wrong
Not only has Thomas Hanks played a woman, but he is an MTV Teen Choice Award winner!
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A Star In The Making
The moment I saw him, I knew Tom Hanks was gonna be a star. He had it. Whatever it is. And it exploded on the screen every week. The show was fluffy, silly and Hanks was a delight.
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"Who Is It?"
This sitcom has to be one of the missed favorites. It was definitely ahead of its time in its own way and only lasted 2 seasons. I so wish they would have made more than just 2 seasons. The opening song was perfect for the show and is still one of my favorites to this day. The chemistry between the characters were amazing especially those between Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks. And unlike Seinfeld (a show about nothing) this one always had a lesson behind their crazy antics. The next time someone knocks on your door, don't forget to ask "Who Is It"?
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Hey, it's not Kafka, but...
Why does everyone bash this show? Granted, the cross-dressing is basically a cheap vehicle to get you to watch it. But, once you see the great interaction between Hanks and Scolari (lots of from the hip, rapid fire jokes) you'll be hooked. These two guys haven't been funnier since (OK, maybe Hank's Bachelor Party is funnier). Bless TBS for keeping this one alive a little while longer.
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This Show Sucks
A local TV station began showing episodes of 'Bosum Buddies' and all I tell you is that unless you were old enough to remember watching this show back in the eighties, don't bother looking for it. I was a big fan of 'Bosum Buddies' back in grade school but after twenty-five years it has dated badly. While I admit it's interesting to see Tom Hanks back when he was young and unknown, the jokes are of the early PC variety and the plot lines revolve around Tom Hanks' and Peter Scolari's attempt to hide their cross-dressing secret from the women at the hotel. Watching this show in 2005, it's incredible how preachy everybody was back then.
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Bad
Kip and Henry (Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari), two ad men down on their luck, find an affordable room in the city that's perfect for them, there's just one catch; the Susan B. Anthony home for women only rents rooms to women. So of course the obvious solution is for Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari to dress as women for half their lives to get cheap rent, in this wacky sit-com... Its fine for what it is, Tom Hanks alone is a reason to watch a few episodes. Definitely not an icon for drag or anything of that nature, both Hanks and Scolari do well playing women in a funny but not overly mocking way, and they bring what they can to the scripts, their chemistry only gets better as the show progressed. The writing is fairly bad, created by many of the same writers as Laverne & Shirley (itself a Happy Days spin-off), the thought seems to have been "man if only we could write another successful show about women but this time without having leads be women!" From IMDB, this show about women featured 8 male directors and ~15 male writers over its few seasons, I didn't see any women listed. I wouldn't recommend this show frankly unless you're a mega-fan of Hanks, its fairly hard to come by and can definitely be skipped.
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I was a fan of Hanks and Scolari even then!
Maybe I was a nerd or something-but I loved this show when I first saw it! And as a teenager; (at the time I was-I remember well; oh well...) I could definitely could relate to the theme song. I loved Wendy Jo too-May God rest her soul. Back then she was chubby and I was too. I still remember when the one whom she had a crush on; Buffy or Hildagarde, the little short one totally humiliated her because he knew she loved him. I hated him for that! But like the previous commenter I have to admit the show fizzled after they let the cat outta the bag about stars. Not a smart move-in my opinion. Nowadays they would've waited for the show finale' to do that. But it was great till then.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080202/reviews
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