The Real Housekeepers of Studio City - A Request

One of the things that I wanted to stress in terms of the brand new All-Request Wednesday feature in this blog was the opportunity for people to have their say as to what they wanted to see. After all, this blog would be nowhere if it weren't for all of you reading this day after day. So, the Wednesday blog entries are my way of saying thank you to all of you out there by giving you the opportunity to have your say in what you want to see.

And, one of the things that I will absolutely encourage is promoting other people's projects, events, or special days within this space. After all, I think that promotion is the key to great success (if done correctly, that is).

So, for today's request, I'm going to offer up a little promotion for the person who suggested this idea.

First things first, this idea was suggested to me last Wednesday by Heidi P. of California, and when I heard her suggestion, I was intrigued to not only make it the subject of the day, but to give something that she has worked on some promotion.

So, I'm sure that most of you have heard of the whole franchise of television programs that deal with the “Real Housewives” of whatever county, right? Apparently, there are franchises that are set in Orange County, Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Miami, and Vancouver.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: Okay, there are seriously SEVEN different versions of this show? Seriously? Not even “Law & Order” had that many spinoffs!!!

And, this might shock you (or not), but I have never so much have watched one full episode of any of these seasons. Ever. The idea of watching rich socialites acting like nothing more than trophy wives does not interest me in the slightest. Especially since most of the housewives are only famous because they appear on the program which seemingly promotes bad behaviour, overindulgence, and “First World Problems”.

Okay, okay, I'll admit that there have been a couple of success stories out there. Bethenny Frankel has become a wealthy businesswoman in her own right and is set to officially launch her own talk show in September, while NeNe Leakes has appeared in everything from “The Celebrity Apprentice” to “Glee”. But most of the others are...well...not exactly famous.

And, they sure as heck don't act like most housewives I know. You never see Kim Zolciak trying to do six loads of laundry. You never see Teresa Guidice swapping recipes with Caroline Manzo. And, somehow, I don't think I can picture Lisa Vanderpump sitting on a couch eating chocolates while catching up on episodes of “General Hospital”.

NOTE 1: The above descriptions that I just wrote are admittedly the stereotypical definition of “housewife” that one might have seen in 1970s sitcoms, but even so, I still have my doubts that you'd see the Real Housewives doing any of that stuff.

NOTE 2: Yes, I did have to look up the names of the Real Housewives. To me, they all kind of resemble the same woman anyway.

NOTE 3: I realize that by insulting the Real Housewives franchise, I have lost any right to become a spokesperson for Bravo. Ah, well. C'est la vie.

Of course, looking back at some of the people who have starred in television sitcoms, the so-called housewives didn't exactly do much housework themselves. I don't think I saw Angela Bower from “Who's The Boss” do much dusting. I don't think I remember Jane Jetson doing any dishwashing (well, except for those commercials she did for Electrasol). And, while Carol Brady may have been the world's most perfect mother, I don't even remember her doing much cleaning around the house either.

But then again, why would they? Not when they had people (or robots) doing all the work for them!

And, that's what today's subject is all about.

You see, Heidi and her husband have been working on a musical project entitled “The Real Housekeepers of Studio City”, and the musical recently had its debut performance in Los Angeles on June 9. In fact, you can visit the official website below.

http://www.therealhousekeepersofstudiocity.com/

CONFESSION: Okay, I admit. The banner is really cool looking!

Basically, the plot of the musical deals with what happens when a family from a fictionalized version of Studio City creates an ad for view on Craigslist, which attracts the attention of several sitcom maids. It is an original one-act musical, and it has been doing very well, if recent reviews are any indication.

Now, unfortunately, all of these performances are in the Los Angeles area, and Los Angeles is quite a ways away for me to actually check out the show for myself. However, if you are in the Los Angeles area, and you want to check this show out, just click on the link above. Tickets are still available, and the show is running until June 28, so there is still time for you to check it out! And, there are preview videos and pictures available on the website as well.

So, I thought that for this edition of the blog (and to tie it to the musical that Heidi helped bring to the public), I would do a feature on some of the housekeepers that are featured in this particular musical. Now, for time purposes, I'll only feature the ones that have been drawn into the banner, but judging by the description of the show, the musical does a great job representing several different housekeepers of all different backgrounds, genders...and in one case, machine.

So, let's delve into the lives of “The Real Housekeepers of Studio City”, shall we?

ALICE from “The Brady Bunch”.

If “The Brady Bunch” was on “Hollywood Squares”, Alice would always be center square. After all, she was always in the middle of the grid during the show's opening credits. And, I often think that the Brady clan would be absolutely nowhere had Alice not been there.

I literally see Alice as the glue that kept the Brady Bunch together, making her place in the center of the Brady grid even more symbolic.

I mean, think about it for a second. Alice had to prepare meals, clean the house, and look after six children that weren't even hers. And, she was more than just a housekeeper. She was more often than not the closest confidante for everyone in the Brady household, and almost always had just the right words to say in order to cheer people up, or make them feel special.
To me, Carol and Mike Brady were poseurs. Alice was the real star of the Brady house!

EDNA GARRETT from “Diff'rent Strokes”.

Of course, most of you probably know Edna Garrett best for keeping Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie out of trouble in the long-running sitcom, “The Facts of Life”. But it certainly wasn't the first show to feature Edna. After all, Edna was the first of three housekeepers for the Drummond residence, as Edna happily served Philip Drummond, his daughter, Kimberly, and his two adopted sons, Willis and Arnold.

Now, Edna was considered to be fairly eccentric on both shows, but she had such comedic timing that one could overlook all of that. And, one thing that made her stand out was her ability to listen. She gave Arnold, Willis, and Kimberly some great advice over the years...advice that she would later take with her to Eastland.

NELL from “Gimme A Break!”

I recall doing an entire blog entry on this show quite some time ago, but just to briefly summarize what the show was about, Nell moved into the Kaminsky household to help the widowed Charles raise his daughters Katie, Julie, and Samantha after Nell made a promise to Charles' late wife that she would step in and take care of her family. And, Nell was one of the best housekeepers in the whole world. She loved the Kaminsky girls as if they were her own daughters, and when the Chief passed away, she still honoured her commitment to the Kaminsky girls until they were ready to go to college. And, even then, Nell still managed to show just how big her heart was when she agreed to take on a foster child named Joey to look after.

Granted, the addition of Joey Lawrence was solely to keep the show running...but it worked out well.

CONSUELA from “Family Guy”.

There's really not a whole lot to say about Consuela, so maybe this video will give you a bit of an idea as to what she is like.

Granted, I'm not sure if most people would like their housekeeper to steal their entire house, but man, oh, man, is she one tough broad!

ROSIE THE ROBOT from "The Jetsons"

Okay, so Rosie the Robot was considered to be a little old-fashioned for the setting of the Jetsons (but in the 1960s, she was the wave of the future).  Even now in 2013, Rosie the Robot has probably been successfully replaced by the Roomba.

But Rosie had character, heart, and passion.  Three adjectives that you wouldn't even think of using to describe a piece of metal that just happens to clean windows, scrub dishes, and make beds.  And, even though there were sleeker models of robot housekeepers out there, the Jetsons would never part with Rosie.  Rosie was a part of the family, and I don't think anyone in the Jetson household could imagine life without them.

LURCH from "The Addams Family"

Lurch, at first glance, might frighten you.  After all, he is almost seven feet tall and in some adaptations, he has the same skin colour as a zombified Smurf.  And, he's not exactly a master of communication.  His idea of speech involves garbled moans and somewhat broken English.  And, he isn't even really that agile, as his large size has made him quite clumsy.

But here's the thing with Lurch.  You'll never find a more loyal servant.  He is treated with nothing but kindness and respect by the Addams family, and he is very fond of both Wednesday and Pugsley Addams, both of whom he dotes on.  

And, while butlering might not exactly be Lurch's strong suit, he does play a mean harpsichord!

So, those are just a few of the housekeepers you'll meet in "Studio City".  Now I want to turn things over to all of you.

BONUS QUESTION:  Who are some of your favourite television housekeepers?  Berta from "Two and a Half Men"?  Tony from "Who's The Boss"?  Mr. Belvedere from...well..."Mr. Belvedere"?  I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!

And, keep sending me ideas for topics.  We are on Facebook and Google+!