Delta House (1979)
Forgotten TV is reader/listener supported. This article or podcast may contain affiliate links to Amazon or other retailers. As an affiliate, Forgotten TV earns royalties from these purchases, at no extra cost to you.ย
Debuting January 18, 1979. ABC, 8:30/7:30pm Central
While NBC was offering bizarre live-action superheroes, ABC aired ๐ฟ๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐ immediately following ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฎ.
In the wake of the popularity of 1978 film ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ค๐ค๐ฃ’๐จ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐, every TV network rushed out their copycats: CBS had ๐พ๐ค-๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง, NBC birthed ๐ฝ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ; while ABC brought back producers Marty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, as well as four members of the cast for this sitcom TV adaptation of the film that started it all. John Vernon was back as Dean Vernon Wormer; Stephen Furst as beanied sad sack Kent “Flounder” Dorfman; Bruce McGill was motorcyclist Daniel Simpson Day; and James Widdoes returned as head prankster Robert Hoover. Of course, missing was John Belushi, unavailable to return…so Josh Mostel stepped in as Bluto’s younger brother “Blotto” Blutarsky. Michelle Pfeiffer also appeared in the show as “The Bombshell,” and while it did not last, it gave her exposure and helped her career.
The theme song for ๐ฟ๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐ was written by Jim Steinman, with lyrics by Tony Hendra and Sean Kelly. The show’s episodes featured various plots involving the Delta fraternity’s pranks on the Omega House and their conflicts with Dean Wormer. The sitcom aimed to capture the spirit of the movie, but it just wasn’t the same; especially having to run up against television standards and practices, as writers played the ‘what will they let us leave in’ game with ABC’s Susan Futterman. The raunchy humor, sexual references, and foul language which made ๐ผ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐ what it was were thus watered down to be “family hour” friendly.
13 episodes were filmed with laughtrack added.
