Who's Watching the Kids?
Who's Watching the Kids? is an American sitcom produced by Garry Marshall which aired on NBC from September 22, 1978, to December 15, 1978. The series focused on two young Las Vegas showgirls, working and rooming together, who each had a younger sibling living with them. The series originated as the pilot special Legs, which NBC aired on May 19, 1978. Following the pilot, the series was a ratings flop and was cancelled after only 9 aired episodes. Synopsis Two sexy Las Vegas showgirls are friends, co-workers and flatmates, and each cares for a younger sibling. Raving blonde beauty Stacy Turner (Caren Kaye) and voluptuous brunette Angie Vitola (Lynda Goodfriend) perform at Club Sand Pile. The club may have been third rate, but it was the perfect launching pad for the girls' career aspirations. Living with the showgirls were Angie's 15-year-old brother Frankie (Scott Baio) and Stacy's 9-year-old kid sister Melissa (Tammy Lauren). Frankie and Melissa were rambunctious and worldly, and they were forever getting into trouble. Their schemes would get them access to everything Sin City had to offer, including, for Frankie (who styled himself as "the Fox") closer opportunities to make time with the other beautiful women who performed at Club Sand Pile. Stacy and Angie divided their time between their careers and keeping the kids behaving properly, but it was always a challenge. They received help from their next door neighbor, aspiring journalist Larry Parnell (Larry Breeding), to watch the kids while they were at work. Larry's role alternated between family friend and foe, as he often had to chase Frankie and Melissa around in the midst of their scrapes. The two liked Larry, but they always tried to avoid supervision. Larry hoped someday to become a successful writer/reporter, but in the meantime had only made it to covering garden and weather reports at local TV station KVGS (no relation to the real radio station KVGS). Larry's friend and main cameraman at KVGS, the klutzy Bert Gunkel (James Belushi), also lived in the building and often helped Larry keep an eye on Frankie and Melissa. Mitzi Logan (Marcia Lewis), the heavyset host and owner of Club Sand Pile, was also their landlady. Memphis O'Hara (Lorrie Mahaffey) was a singer at the club, and was the most prominent object of Frankie's affection, although Frankie also made attempts to become friendly with Venus (Shirley Kirkes) and Bridget (Elaine Bolton), two other dancers at the club and close cohorts to Stacy and Angie. Cast Caren Kaye as Stacy Turner Marcia Lewis as Mitzi Logan Scott Baio as Frankie Vitola Lynda Goodfriend as Angie Vitola James Belushi as Bert Gunkel Tammy Lauren as Melissa Turner Larry Breeding as Larry Parnell Episodes Development and connection to other Garry Marshall series Who's Watching the Kids? employed several actors who were already familiar faces from shows produced by Garry Marshall and his associates Thomas L. Miller and Edward K. Milkis. Those who had already worked with the producers were Caren Kaye, Lynda Goodfriend, Scott