# Pretender Question....Miss Parker **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387 "2001-02-06T19:10:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cerebrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@cerebrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerebrum)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/1 "2001-02-06T19:10:01Z")
Ok firstly a statement,…Doesnt Miss Parker Just have the best legs on TV these days? hehehee Ok to my ACTUAL question…What is Miss Parker’s First name on the show? Do they mention it or is it some sort of running gag? ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/2 "2001-02-06T19:29:53Z")
To my knowledge, they never mention it. However, the actress’s name is actually Andrea Parker. If the character is named after her, well, there ya go. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/3 "2001-02-06T19:42:03Z")
Andrea Parker said in a chat that the rule on the Pretender was that if you have a first name you don’t get a last one, and if you have a last one, you don’t get a first one. Jarod Miss Parker Broots Lyle Rains Sydney kind of cool, actually. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/4 "2001-02-06T19:53:03Z")
I could have sworn that in one episode she was referred to as “Ms Cynthia Parker.” But I don’t remember who said it. And, no, I was not confusing it with her mom Catherine (sp?) Parker. Aside from the looks, though, it’s a great character, and they give her some really great lines. ---
**Author:** ![jeyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a4c791/32.png) [@jeyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeyen)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/5 "2001-02-06T20:21:09Z")
Miss Parker’s first name is unknown to everyone except Daddy Parker and Jarod. See these sites for more interviews and info: [ul][li][http://web.dreamsoft.com/yorkie/home16.htm[/li][li]http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2083/centre.html[/li][li]http://www.jamiedenton.com/s-n-c-Yahoo-chat-1.htm[/li][li]http://home.hetnet.nl/~meccurfs/AndreaParkerNBCLive2.htm[/li][li]http://sxangxulo.tripod.com/AndreaParker/andreapress8.html[/li][/ul]](http://web.dreamsoft.com/yorkie/home16.htm%5B/li%5D%5Bli%5Dhttp://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2083/centre.html%5B/li%5D%5Bli%5Dhttp://www.jamiedenton.com/s-n-c-Yahoo-chat-1.htm%5B/li%5D%5Bli%5Dhttp://home.hetnet.nl/~meccurfs/AndreaParkerNBCLive2.htm%5B/li%5D%5Bli%5Dhttp://sxangxulo.tripod.com/AndreaParker/andreapress8.html%5B/li%5D%5B/ul%5D) According to [this site](http://www.jongries.com/pretender.shtml), Broots’s first name is also unknown (as indicated in earlier posts). Oh, and yes, Miss Parker does have glorious legs. I too amazed and appreciative to even be jealous. Jeyen ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/6 "2001-02-06T22:43:50Z")
[hijack][drool] **Jarod** [/drool][/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/7 "2001-02-06T23:11:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fogmage \* > \*\*[hijack][drool] **Jarod** [/drool][/hijack] > \*\* No…shit. How much was I dying when he was ‘pretending’ to be a gigolo? guh. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/8 "2001-02-07T02:44:50Z")
She’s quite hot on _The Pretender_, but even hotter when giving sponge baths to other women… ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/9 "2001-02-07T14:39:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by johnson \* > \*\*She’s quite hot on _The Pretender_, but even hotter when giving sponge baths to other women… \*\* And where the hell does this happen? ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/10 "2001-02-07T14:52:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atrael \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by johnson \* > > \*\*She’s quite hot on _The Pretender_, but even hotter when giving sponge baths to other women… \*\* > > And where the hell does this happen? \*\* Seinfeld: “The Contest” But what season was it? I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/11 "2001-02-07T16:12:35Z")
Ms. Parker… Definately a hottie! Who all was bummed when NBC removed “The Pretender” off of their broadcast schedule? Also, it would seem to me that if you look at any of the 1st season episodes when Jarod flashes back to his youth at The Centre, that he had a memory of talking to her where she introduced herself. ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/12 "2001-02-07T18:35:49Z")
Well if you’d like you can catch the reruns on TNT, I think it’s on around 7pm EST. They also came out with a 2 hour movie about a month back and another is on the way. Frankly the movies aren’t as entertaining as the series was. They don’t seem to have the polish and quirky sense of humor that the NBC crew had. The hardest I’ve evr lauhghed at the television was during a Valentine’s episode when Broots was dreaming and in came Raines as ‘Mr. Biggles’ for a threesome with Miss Parker. Literally fell off the couch laughing. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/13 "2001-02-07T18:54:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by funneefarmer \* > > Frankly the movies aren’t as entertaining as the series was. They don’t seem to have the polish and quirky sense of humor that the NBC crew had. Although Ms. Parker had a great onliner in that first movie: “You just can’t trust a guy with a stolen thumb.” and Dragwyr: > [@](#): > > Also, it would seem to me that if you look at any of the 1st season episodes when Jarod flashes back to his youth at The Centre, that he had a memory of talking to her where she introduced herself. Well, she DOES introduce herself, but even when she was ten or twelve Jarod called her Miss Parker. I remember that specifically from the Christmas episode where he buys her a bunny. sigh…Jarod…you’re so dreamy. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/14 "2001-02-07T19:01:08Z")
It seems as though those characters refered to by their first names are good; last names are bad people. Arguable exceptions (and my explanations): although Mr. Broots is rather amiable, he is actively looking to recapture Jarod. And although Sidney did actively use Jarod throughout his childhood, he now deflects Ms. Parker’s attempts to get info to capture Jarod. The actor Richard Marcus is listed as William Raines. Raines is definately bad, but after his “born again” era, I guess calling him William came into being. Andrea Parker said that when she came in to read for the part, the character was already named “Ms. Parker”. She says that what told her that the role would be hers. 😃 And gawd yes! Has she got gams! ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/15 "2001-02-07T19:53:10Z")
Yeah, Ms. Parker, mmmmm. I was pissed when the didn’t bring the show back this season! I remember watching Jay Leno one night a few years ago, and the president of NBC was his guest. I distinctly remember them talking about “The Pretender”, and the NBC prez said that his mother loves the show, so he would never be able to cancel it without getting grief. I hope he got plenty! ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/16 "2001-02-07T20:22:24Z")
Miss Parker definitely has great legs. Does anyone else just love her wardrobe? Ever notice how Ally McBeal looks like a tarted-up 10-year-old in her short skirts but Miss Parker looks so fabulous? And mmmm mmm Jarod . . . geez, I must have missed the “pretend to be a gigolo” episode. I _must_ buy a VCR. . . . ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/17 "2001-02-07T20:31:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by missbunny \* > And mmmm mmm Jarod . . . geez, I must have missed the “pretend to be a gigolo” episode. I _must_ buy a VCR. . Ay yi yi yi. Och mein Gott! Jarod’s so hot he makes me tri-lingual. The gigolo episode was for Valentine’s Day a few years ago. He was supposed to seduce this married woman who’s homelife was [ally sheedy in breakfast club] un-satisfying [/ally sheedy in breakfast club] He couldn’t do it, of course, because he’s such an f-ing angelface. But at one point he was in black pants and a white cotton button down shirt…that was completely unbuttoned…G.R.O.W.L. Just to keep things On Topic though: My husband digs Ms. Parker the most, and interestingly, loved her even more when she used to smoke. She was a good smoker. jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![cerebrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@cerebrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerebrum)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/18 "2001-02-07T21:44:55Z")
hahahahaha! that episode with Broots and Miss Parker and Rains…bwahahhahahahahahha. I LOVED that episode! ---
**Author:** ![cerebrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@cerebrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerebrum)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretender-question-miss-parker/53387/19 "2001-02-07T22:01:52Z")
One of the links that jeyen provided says this: the 2nd link 10-08-69 Miss Parker tells Jarod her first name [http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2083/centre.html](http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2083/centre.html)