BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE: BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere episode of this comedy series, set in New York City, about the marriage of a Jewish writer-cabdriver and an Irish-Catholic schoolteacher.
Bernie Steinberg, a Jewish cab driver, and Bridget Fitzgerald, a Catholic schoolteacher, meet and fall in love, intending to get married. However, they soon arrive at the harrowing task of introducing each other to their families. Bernie first meets Bridget's brother Mike, a Catholic priest. To Bernie's surprise, Mike is supportive of their relationship, but is concerned about what his parents will think. Bernie brings Bridget to meet his parents over dinner, and they soon make Bridget feel uncomfortable and out-of-place. Bernie is upset over their seeming intolerance of Bridget and she leaves, beginning to feel ill. Bernie's meeting with Bridget's parents is equally awkward; Bridget did not inform them of Bernie's religion and they are unable to stop drawing attention to it, demonstrating that they are also somewhat intolerant. Bernie runs out feeling ill, similar to Bridget with his family.
Bernie believes that the behavior of their families makes his and Bridget's marriage impossible, but she says that if they truly love each other it won't matter. They decide to have a brief private civil ceremony, with Bernie's friend Otis serving as best man. Bernie's family visits Bridget's family, as they cannot find either of them. Bernie brings Bridget back to his apartment, carrying her over the threshold. Eventually the two families locate them there in bed and panic. They reveal to their assembled relatives that they have already been married, calming them somewhat. They all have dinner together, demonstrating solidarity, but soon the two families devolve into argument once again. Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Hearst Corporation, 1998.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: September 16, 1972 Saturday 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:22:32
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T87:0432
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1972-1973
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Douglas S. Cramer … Executive Producer
- Jerry London … Producer
- Richard Kinon … Director
- Bernard Slade … Created by, Writer
- Jerry Fielding … Music by, Theme Music by
- Debra Hilderbrand … Theme Music by
- David Birney … Cast, Bernie Steinberg
- Meredith Baxter (See also: Meredith Baxter-Birney) … Cast, Bridget Fitzgerald Steinberg
- Harold J. Stone … Cast, Mr. Sam Steinberg
- Bibi Osterwald … Cast, Mrs. Sophie Steinberg
- Audra Lindley … Cast, Mrs. Amy Fitzgerald
- David Doyle … Cast, Mr. Walt Fitzgerald
- Ned Glass … Cast, Uncle "Moe" Plotnik
- Robert Sampson … Cast, Father Mike Fitzgerald
- William Elliot … Cast, Otis Foster
- Ivor Barry … Cast, Charles