Classic TV Shows - Just The Ten Of Us

Ahhh yes, "Just The Ten Of Us". This show was a spin off from Growing Pains and featured an overweight bald gym teacher who managed to have 8 kids with his skinny blond wife. I guess safe sex was not a message promoted by the ABC network at this time. Anyway, it was a good excuse to move a family entrenched in NY out to California. The show ran in the late 90's and was part of the old TGIF programming but I remember watching it on USA after school.

In any event, I don't remember much about any of the plots of this show...all I cared about is how good the daughters looked especially the blond and redhead ones named Julie and Cindy. As with most sitcoms they had annoying child actors (who'll I'll point out later in the below credit sequence).

The Holy Grail episode of the series was when the family goes to the Caribbean and the girls are prominently features in bikinis. Believe me when I say that my 13 year old hormones were going crazy.

Anyway, follow along with the credits for some further insight...




:05 - Time to pack up the van and head out west. It looks like they are leaving NYC based on the shot of the Twin Towers in the background. I hope they have a much bigger trailer than the one they are towing to bring all of their stuff out 3000 miles to California.

:12 - Now they're cruising along the country passing through such iconic cities like St. Louis, the Rocky Mountains, the plains, and finally California. Taking a step back, how torturous must that ride have been with TEN PEOPLE JAMMED INTO THE VAN INCLUDING TWO INFANTS. I'd shoot myself by the time we'd hit Philadelphia.

:22 - The beginning of the character intros. First the Dad and Mom. Apparently this guy was a comedian because he doesn't lack the sex appeal of most TV Dads at the time. The Mom isn't that bad looking so you have to wonder if he has some damaging information from her past that makes her stay with him and have 8 children.

:27 - Ah yes, sweet Heather Langenkamp. You might remember her better as Nancy from the Nightmare on Elm Street Movies.

:30 - Jamie Luner...once again, I reference the episode that they go to the Caribbean as one of the best TV moments ever.

:32- Brook Theiss - Apparently she was in Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4. On some episodes she looked good, others she didn't but that was probably due in part to her frizzy 80's hair.

:35 - Jo Ann Willette - She played the geeky sister and paled in comparison to the other sisters (plus she had a terrible name in Connie), but I bet she looks the best out of all them today. Just a hunch.

:37 - Hah, this actor must have been going crazy working with all of these hot women. He looks like he's 14 years old so I'm sure he's still going over those days when he a caught a glimpse of the sisters changing in the wardrobe room...or at least I assume that happened.

:39 - This child actress has the face and mannerisms you want to punch. I did not like when they focused any storylines on her as they took away valuable screen time from the four sisters.

:42 - end. In order, various mini-clips of things like:

* the family throwing what looks like a party for the little brother and old sister winning some kind of medal

* one sister tackling the other because she used her last tampon

* one sister seemingly trying to smell the other sister...this may tie back into the douche commercials from last week

* the youngest face I want to punch sister torturing her brother who's carrying a big box of his older sister's underwear to sell on the street

* the mom explaining how she can't deal with the dad's pants being hiked up to his breasts

* the girls hugging the dad as he appears to be in a hospital bed....if you look closely you can see his massive erection

* my favorite shot of the four sisters acting like the Bangles...I especially love that little move they do at :55

* Mom and dad beginning to work on child number 9. God help the tax paying citizens of California if this family ever goes on welfare.

* The obligatory shot of the cast waving and pandering to the audience. Some one needs to teach the punch faced child actress how to wave properly.