Night Court: "Billie's Valentine"

Premiered February 14, 1985.

It's Valentine's Day in New York City.  Judge Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson) has feelings that he hasn't yet expressed for his court colleague, Public Defender Billie Young (Ellen Foley).  He plans to ask her out for a Valentine date, but she already has plans.  

She's head over heels for David Towers (Geoffrey Scott), a very wealthy Public Relations executive with an impressive list of accomplishments.  David has a romantic dinner planned for them.

Cupid's arrow has also struck the heart of Bernie (Martin Garner), who runs a newsstand in the courts building.  He asks the court's bailiff Selma (Selma Diamond) if she'll go out with him, but she's not interested.  Bernie tells if she's still not interested by midnight, he'll leave her alone.

When night court begins, Billie is surprised to see David enter the court as a defendant!  She thinks its some sort of Valentine prank. 

However, David has been arrested for grand larceny and pickpocketing.  It turns out that David lied about his wealth, he's actually a habitual criminal.  Billie is shocked and distraught and storms out of court. 

In spite of his criminal record, Billie still loves David.  She later visits him in jail and says she'll wait for him while he serves his sentence.  Her Valentine's Day gets even worse when David breaks up with Billie.  

While Harry has feelings for Billie, he also doesn't want to be hurt.  So the judge visits David to confront him.  Can this Valentine's day be saved?  

J.A. Morris says:

"Billie's Valentine" is a solid holiday episode.  Lots of Valentine episodes involve someone getting their heart broken and that's what happens here.  Harry likes Billie, so he could try to catch her on the rebound.  Since he's a good person who genuinely cares for her, he tries to be a bigger person and talk David into reconsidering.  

This episode gives us plenty of Valentine's Day atmosphere.  In one of the best moments of "Billie's Valentine," David hires a man (Larry Gelman) to dress up like a Valentine heart and sing to Billie.  

We get some presents with hearts on them, Bernie hitting on Selma and Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) trying in vain to get a Valentine date.  

I wouldn't call "Billie's Valentine" a "classic" episode, but it's fun and like all holiday episodes, it's a nice way for Night Court fans to get reacquainted with the series' great ensemble cast.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Valentine hearts.

RigbyMel says:

"Billie's Valentine" is an amusing episode from the second season of Night Court.    As J.A. Morris points out above, the holiday tropes abound -- we've got hearts and flowers and candy and romantic rivalry/disappointments galore.  

The regular courtroom zaniness of the series frequently featured cases on the docket that tied in thematically with the general theme of the episode and this installment features a comic elderly couple who have gotten arrested for starting a fight in a restaurant during their 65th anniversary party.   Their interaction in the courtroom indicates they might be better off going their separate ways, but they refuse on account of their (retirement age) children!  

Billie's personal and professional troubles regarding larcenous David, Bernie's fruitless pursuit of Selma and Harry's sacrifice on Billie's behalf are all both funny and touching.  

This Valentine's episode is a lot of fun even if it's not in the upper echelons of  television.  It reminds us to be careful of others' feelings on Valentine's day since hearts can be fragile and easily bruised. 

Billie confronts a broken heart in a more than metaphorical sense! 

"Billie's Valentine" is worth a look if you're a fan of Night Court or of holiday themed sitcom episodes in general. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 Valentine hearts.

Night Court: "Santa Goes Downtown"

Premiered January 11, 1984.

It's another typical evening, shortly after Christmas at the New York City night court, the honorable Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson) presiding.  That is, until a defendant identifying himself as Santa Claus (Jeff Corey) comes before the court on charges of trespassing.   He was found sleeping in a department store after hours in possession of half a bottle of gin.   The man is firm in his belief that he is the "real, true Santa Claus" and the court is in a holding pattern waiting to see if they can get more info on his true identity.

The next case on the docket concerns two troubled teens (Michael J. Fox and Olivia Barash), who were caught shoplifting.  They're runaways and are unwilling to give their real names.  They're also quite sarcastic, causing prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Laroquette) to voice an interest in smacking them around.

Eventually, it's revealed that the teens' first names are Eddie and Mary and they feel that no one cares about them.   This leads our alleged Santa as well as other members of the court to want to prove to them that someone DOES care about them.

Could it be that this is, in fact, the real Santa?  Can he help Harry get the teenagers to know they're loved?

RigbyMel says: 

This is the second episode of Night Court ever produced and it's quite a good one.   The whole "is this or isn't it Santa" plot is hardly original, but it's well executed here.

It's interesting seeing Michael J. Fox in a role other than Alex P. Keaton of Family Ties (which was airing concurrently, also on NBC) and he does a great job as a snarky, angsty teen, who according to our alleged Santa isn't really bad, he's just a bit frustrated. 

The humor in this episode is balanced with seriousness and a touch of pathos.  "Santa" does seem to know a fair bit about each member of the cast adding to the "is he or isn't he" angle in a smart way.

And even though the cast undergoes some changes between this and subsequent seasons, the workplace family vibe is always believable so we get the sense that these people care about each other and the people who come to the court despite their flaws and quirks.

Night Court was one of my favorite sitcoms in the 80s, and it's nice to see that they got this Christmas-y (despite not happening at Christmas precisely) episode right so early in their run. 

This episode is recommended in or out of the Christmas season.

RigbyMel's rating: 

.5


3 and a half candy canes.

J.A. Morris says: 
This is an enjoyable holiday episode of a good series.  Like my co-blogger, I was a regular viewer of Night Court.  I watched "Santa Goes Downtown" when it first aired.  I  remember being pleasantly surprised to see a "Christmas" episode premier in January.

The plot of "Santa Goes Downtown" owes a big debt to Miracle On 34th Street, but that's not a bad thing.  While the belief in Santa's existence is part of the story, the most important point is that the troubled teens need someone to believe in them, and Santa and Harry seem to be the only adults who do.

Santa is portrayed by character actor Jeff Corey.  He's more disheveled than most TV and movie Santa Clauses, but he conveys genuine warmth and empathy towards Eddie and Mary.  It's a funny and touching performance.

I wasn't familiar with Corey.  My research on him shows he had an amazing career as an actor and acting teacher.  Corey's acting career stalled in the 1950s when he was Blacklisted during the Red Scare, which led him to focusing on teaching.  His acting students included Jane Fonda, Leonard Nimoy and Jack Nicholson.  When McCarthyism faded, Corey acted in such films as Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, True Grit, The Cincinnati Kid and appeared in TV shows like Star Trek and The Outer Limits.

"Santa Goes Downtown" is an enjoyable episode and was a pleasant way for me to revisit old sitcom "friends" from my childhood.  It's post-Christmas setting makes for nice "after-Christmas" viewing.

A surprise visitor comes to Night Court!

J.A. Morris' rating: 

3 candy canes

Night Court : "Halloween, Too"

Premiered October 31, 1985

It's four days before Halloween and Judge Harry Stone (Harry Anderson) is busy planning his annual Halloween bash.  Court bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll) is experimenting with new methods of carving pumpkins.

In the middle of this, Harry meets a woman named Kim Daniels (Mary-Margaret Humes) and is instantly attracted to her.  The feeling is mutual and the pair begins dating.

The judge and Kim fall for each other fast.  Prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) and public defender Christine Sullivan (Markie Post) are disgusted by Kim and Harry's public displays of affection.

Everything seems to be going great for Kim and Judge Stone.  However, things change on Halloween night.  Kim and another woman named Edna (Anne Ramsey) are brought before Harry for trial.  They are accused of building a bonfire and "dancing robustly" in Central Park.

Harry gets upset when Kim tells him she's a witch and that the fire was part of a Halloween ritual.  Since he's too close to the case, he recuses himself and holds Kim's case for the next court.

Christine tells Harry that continuing his relationship with Kim is a bad idea.  If anyone found out about it, she believes Judge Stone would be removed from the bench.  Harry will have to make choice between Kim and his career.

Is Kim really a witch?  If so, will Harry break up with her?  Plus, Dan's Halloween costume rental plans get complicated...

RigbyMel says: 

I have quite a few fond memories of Night Court in general.   Harry Anderson's goofy humor and magic tricks as Judge Harry Stone appealed to me as a kid, plus this was one of the first "workplace comedies" I remember watching on a regular basis.    The quirky characters and ensemble cast were always fun and the holiday setting allows things to kick up a notch.

Harry's dresses up as his idol, Mel Torme!

Often holiday episodes (like this one) feature a touch of the supernatural.  "Halloween, Too" definitely has lots of festive hijinks going on -- the main storyline of course has to do with witchcraft!

And in a non-supernatural vein, we see decorations and costumes around the courthouse and get a gander at wacky costume choices by our main characters.

Christine as a witch, Bull as a kangaroo!

I am not sure how actual practitioners of Wicca might feel about the portrayal of witchcraft in this episode, but I know that watching it now, I got quite frustrated that Harry wanted Kim to give up an important part of herself to be with him.   She rightly points out that asking her to do that would be like asking him not to be a judge.

There's also an amusing subplot involving Dan's desperate search to find a last minute costume for Judge Stone's annual Halloween bash -- if he doesn't come up with something, he could lose his parking space(!) -- and there's a great 1980s running gag involving Dan being unaware of what a Smurf is.   Needless to say, he does not go as a Smurf.

Some fun trivia:   Anne Ramsey - who plays Edna, Kim's Central Park partner in crime - was quite a busy character actor in the 80s.  She is probably best known for playing "Mama Fratelli" in The Goonies and for her Oscar-nominated role in Throw Mama From Train.

Mary-Margaret Humes, who charmingly plays Kim in this episode, has had a nice character actress career as well.  Some might remember her as Gail Leery aka Dawson's mom on the Dawson's Creek TV series. 

All in all, "Halloween Too" is an enjoyable episode of Halloween silliness from an enjoyable show.  Worth checking out, especially if one's 1980s nostalgia is in need of feeding!

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 jack o'lanterns

J.A. Morris says: 
Like my co-blogger, I was a big fan of this series and a regular viewer from the first episode.  It's a good Halloween episode with costumes, witches and a Halloween party.

Richard Moll is particularly funny in this episode.  There's a scene where Bull mixes up Halloween and Easter customs.  Moll really sells Bull's disappointment when Christine explains that most people don't dye pumpkins.

I agree with RigbyMel that Harry doesn't come off particularly well in this episode.  Nor does Christine, who is the first person to tell Harry that he must break up with Kim if he wants to remain a judge.

The episode ends on a high note, with the entire cast in costumes at the Halloween party.  The ending reminded me of lots of Christmas episodes where co-workers become a family and celebrate the holiday together.

Dan's costume: Humpty Dumpty!

It's worth mentioning that this episode has lots of reference to 1980s pop culture.  We get mentions of  1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton, the series TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, the Smurfs craze and the Moral Majority.  So you may enjoy "Halloween, Too" a bit more if you were alive in the 80s.

While it's not a classic, "Halloween, Too" is a funny, solid Halloween trip back to the 80s and is recommended.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 jack o'lanterns