Co-Ed Fever

Co-Ed Fever
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Martin Ransohoff Michael Elias Frank Shaw
Directed by	Marc Daniels
Starring	Heather Thomas Alexa Kenin Cathryn O'Neil Tacey Phillips Jillian Kesner
Theme music composer	Alan Bergman Marilyn Bergman Henry Mancini
Opening theme	"Dear Mom and Dad"
Composer(s)	Henry Mancini
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	6 (5 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Martin Ransohoff
Producer(s)	Frank Shaw
Running time	22 –24 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	February 4, 1979 (1979-02-04) – February 4, 1979 (1979-02-04)

Co-Ed Fever is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the motion picture National Lampoon's Animal House. It was the third of three "frat house" comedy series to air in early 1979 (the others were ABC's Delta House and NBC's Brothers and Sisters). CBS cancelled Co-Ed Fever after only one episode, and all three series were off the air by the end of April 1979. The series was so low rated it never made it to it's regular time slot, Monday night, instead it aired as a 'special preview' the night before.^[1][2]

In 2002, Co-Ed Fever ranked number 32 on TV Guide's 50 Worst Shows of All Time list.^[3]

Synopsis

The series was set in Brewster House, a dorm on the campus of Baxter College, a formerly all-female college that had just started to admit male students.^[4] Co-Ed Fever starred Heather Thomas (The Fall Guy, Zapped!) (as Sandi), Alexa Kenin (Maria a.k.a. "Mousie"), Cathryn O'Neil (Elizabeth), Tracey Phillips (Hope), and Jillian Kesner (Melba) as residents of Brewster House, who are joined by David Keith (Tucker Davis), Christopher S. Nelson (Doug), and Michael Pasternak (Gobo). Jane Rose played the "spaced-out" housemother Mrs. Selby; Hamilton Camp was Mr. Peabody.

The pilot episode was aired as a "special preview" at 10:30 pm(et) on February 4, immediately after the airing of the movie Rocky; however, the series was canceled in the interim between this airing and the scheduled premiere date (February 19). Six episodes were completed, but only the pilot was broadcast in the United States; however, all six were aired in Canada (on BCTV in Vancouver) in a late afternoon weekend timeslot. The Brewster House "set" was later reused as the girls' dormitory during the first season of The Facts of Life which premiered during the summer of 1979.

Another new sitcom, Billy, was scheduled on CBS in Co-Ed Fever's regular timeslot instead. By airing once, Co-Ed Fever at least fared better than Mr. Dugan, another sitcom that CBS planned to air during the spring of 1979; the Norman Lear-produced comedy about a black congressman never aired at all, due to complaints from real black congressmen.

Episode list

Episode #	Title	Airdate
1	Pilot	February 4, 1979
2	"Pepperoni Passion"	Unaired in the U.S.A
3	"Goodbye, Mrs. Selby"	Unaired in the U.S.A
4	"Mid-Term Panic"	Unaired in the U.S.A
5	"Disco Tuck"	Unaired in the U.S.A
6	"Double Exposure"	Unaired in the U.S.A

References

1. ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. pp. 233. ISBN 0-345-45542-8. 
2. ^ (11 February 1979). "Co-Ed Fever" Expires, Bonham Daily Favorite (UPI story)
3. ^ TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes and Noble. 2004. pp. 228. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1. 
4. ^ (12 January 1979). College fun big success in Hollywood], Montreal Gazette (UPI story)

External links

• Co-Ed Fever at the Internet Movie Database
• Co-Ed Fever at TV.com
• Sitcoms online listing for Co-Ed Fever, including pictures and cast list
• YouTube video showing series promo and first few minutes of pilot