# Share all "Silver Spoons" memories here! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197 "2005-04-13T22:33:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/1 "2005-04-13T22:33:10Z")
I’m working on a bit about [“Silver Spoons”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083479/) but I’m pretty much going by memory since it’s not available on VHS or DVD and I don’t know of any stations playing reruns. So, just list any memories you have of the show, _anything at all_. There’s no telling what I might find useful. Gimme plots of favorite episodes (like when Ricky and Derek opened up their own ice cream parlor, Derek wanted to combine their names and call it “Der-Rick’s”!). Gimme favorite characters. How did the theme song go? Also, help me with few details that I don’t remember so well, like: I know Ricky’s dad was born wealthy but wasn’t there a family business or something that he had to give his attention to? And what was the deal with Ricky’s mom? Dead? Divorced? I seem to remember the early episodes had a lot to do with Ricky and his Dad trying to get to know each other, like maybe Ricky’s dad never knew he had a son??? Kate Summers was employed by Ricky’s dad, but what was her actual position/job? Did she ever end up marrying Ricky’s dad? Wasn’t Derek always hitting on Kate? I vaguely remember that but I don’t know if it was a running gag, or just a specific “crush” episode. I’m especially interested in **cool rich kid stuff** that Ricky had. Like didn’t they have a train that connected each room in the house??? Or am I thinking of some other show? I’m also interested in any Erin Gray memories because, well, hell! she’s [Erin Gray](http://www.eringray.com/images/jpgs/Erin-Gray-1st-job-1965-640.jpg)- like we _need_ a [reason](http://www.eringray.com/images/jpgs/Early-Erin-640.jpg) to discuss Erin Gray??? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/2 "2005-04-13T22:55:36Z")
One thing I remember is John Houseman as the granddad. Once, he was calling the Auto Club, and was required to give his membership # over the phone. His delivery of the # was something like this (imagine JH’s voice): “000 (pause) 00 (pause) 000 (pause) 000 (pause) 3” I also remember the quarter-size train that worked its way around the mansion, and was often the way cast members would make “cute” entrances. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/3 "2005-04-13T23:13:30Z")
I remember the theme song, but it’s online [here](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-495/Silver_Spoons/) along with an [episode guide](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideSummary/showid-495/Silver_Spoons/). I’ve read that Rick Schroder’s parents were responsible for Jason Bateman being kicked off the show (they wrote an episode around him leaving with his mother due to a messy break up) because he was getting more fan mail. Later Alfonso Ribeiro (later of _Fresh Prince_ fame) had a similar problem so they stopped having him sing and dance [though he later became famous for “the Carlton Dance”]). In one episode they formed a rock group and Rick was the lead vocalist (the song was called “Talk to me” or some such and Alfonso sat in the background and smiled). I remember the Joey Lawrence as a waif who lives in a cave episode (which was damned near murderous in the diabetic way). And Pearl Bailey was brought on board in an unfunny cameo as a former Stratton maid who was now very rich and detested the grandfather (who had a French girlfriend his own age in one episod). The Stratton fortune was begun when Edward Stratton invented the innertube for his vacations to Coney Island, then the automobile was invented and it became tires, and Edward III had a toy company. There was a crossover episode with Gary Coleman from _Diffrent Strokes_ in which Arnold and Rick hacked into a defense design site. The character Edward III’s accountant Dexter Stuffins (played by actor Franklin Seales, later of _Amen_ and now dead) was the brother of a Nobel laureate whom Edward III called “Stovetop”. Rick had a redneck friend named JT whose overworked (three jobs) father Edward III filled in for one night so he could have some quality time and hilarity ensued. (I want to say the father was played by veteran character actor [Gary Grubbs](http://imdb.com/name/nm0344196/) but it’s not on his official site). When Rick was being bullied at school his father hired a bodyguard played by Mr. T, who in addition to intimidating the teacher and other students answered all of the questions correctly. John Houseman’s brother was played by Ray Walston in a few episodes. He was funloving like his nephews. One funny site-gage was a bag of one of the Stratton companies least successful products, STRATTON FLOUR. It was a flour bag with an image of a scowling John Houseman on it. On one of Houseman’s early appearances his son reaches out to him to hug or shake his hand and Houseman uses his outreached arms as a coat and hat rack (an improv on Houseman’s part). Joel Higgins wrote many successful commercial jingles before and after the series and now does a lot of Summerstock. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/4 "2005-04-13T23:17:32Z")
Another glurge episode was one in which Rick babysat the little girl of his father’s business associate, who told him (through her doll) that she had been kidnapped from her custodial mother [she didn’t use the word custodial]). Edward confronted the man about it, it ended happily and there was a PSA about kidnapped children at the end. Derek actually tried to set up some action with some older women while he and Rick were on a science fair trip and actually said the line “You wanna us to leave the room or to get nekkid?” Derek told Mr. Stratton in Eddie Haskell style “I just have a slow weekend planned, sir… I hope to read some of my favorite book tonight… if I’m lucky I can get through the Gospels of St. John and St. Mark tonight.” God I’m pathetic… I think I remember every episode I ever saw of this show. (Of course I’ve had a crush on Jason Bateman for 25 years now.) ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/5 "2005-04-13T23:21:24Z")
Any memories at all? OK, you asked for it. The only episode I ever remember watching, I saw in Israel. It was dubbed in French and subtitled in Hebrew. We laughed at the incongruity of seeing a moderately old show in reruns in assorted foreign languages while in a foreign country. The episode in question was easy for my companions who had seen the episode before to identify, but I don’t recall any specifics. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/6 "2005-04-13T23:21:29Z")
There are fan pages of everything! [http://www.sitcomsonline.com/silverspoons.html](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/silverspoons.html) > [@](#): > > 12/04/03: After five re-writes, four publishers and four years it is my pleasure to announce that “Together - A Sitcom Lover’s Guide To Silver Spoons” is now available for purchase online at [BookSurge.com](http://www.booksurge.com/author.php3?accountID=IMPR02070&affiliateID=A000429) > > Together is the only book based on the 1980s television series Silver Spoons. Completely backed by the cast and crew of the series, it is the ultimate guide for any fan of the show. > > For more information and to order online, [click here](http://www.booksurge.com/author.php3?accountID=IMPR02070&affiliateID=A000429) > > You can also contact the author Judith Moose at [judithmoose@earthlink.net](mailto:judithmoose@earthlink.net) to order directly from her. > > An update on Bobby Fite who played Ricky’s friend J.T. Martin on the show: he is single and lives in Dallas, Texas and works as a home developer. He keeps a low profile about his days as an actor. [http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/miscellaneous\_tv/000561.php](http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/miscellaneous_tv/000561.php) ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/7 "2005-04-14T02:20:38Z")
Ricky’s parents were divorced and his mother’s name was Evelyn (I think). The premiere episode had Ricky showing up unannounced on a break from military school. He walked up behind Edward III and said “I’m your son!” whereupon Edward III’s Pac-Man got eaten by a ghost and you heard the “dying Pac-Man” sound effect. It was an arcade game, not a console, too. And there was one episode where John Houseman had a young perky girlfriend who called him “Eddie 2”. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/8 "2005-04-14T02:37:49Z")
I remember Erin Gray in various flattering outfits. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/9 "2005-04-14T20:47:27Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > I remember Erin Gray in various flattering outfits. Occasionally, but nowhere as nice as some of her [Buck Rogers](http://www.celebrity-pictures-world.com/pictures/e/erin-gray/erin-gray-009.jpg) outfits. [Here](http://www.jumptheshark.com/s/silverspoons.htm)’s a fun rundown of some of the more “memorable” _SS_ moments. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/10 "2005-04-14T20:56:42Z")
I loved that show (I was in my Preppy Handbook phase when it was on), and now I can only think of one specific scene that for some reason has stayed with me all these years: It was a party, or just a bunch of the kids hanging out, and one of them says something about ‘a mess of tadpoles.’ Ricky gets this big goofy grin and asks, ‘How many tadpoles are in a mess?’ I have no clue why I remember that so well. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/11 "2005-04-14T23:00:07Z")
I remember when Rick and his friend took two girls out to dinner and work punk type outfits. One of the girls orders a huge meal for everyone and Rick asks his friend if he has enogh money to cover it. His friend says something like “I got $32.74”. But when the bill comes, it turns out the money is in the bank. That’s about all I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/12 "2005-04-14T23:30:27Z")
Didn’t Ricky’s mom die, so that he had to go live with his dad? And then the dad was embarrasingly kid-like–the train was his, not Ricky’s. I don’t really remember very well, which is funny considering the crush I had on Ricky Schroeder back then. I do remember when he engineered a makeover for himself and went from preppy argyle sweaters to being “the Ricker” with a slashed-up neon green shirt and two layers of socks, like a good 80’s trend-setter. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/13 "2005-04-14T23:54:28Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > One of the girls orders a huge meal for everyone and Rick asks his friend if he has enogh money to cover it. His friend says something like “I got $32.74”. But when the bill comes, it turns out the money is in the bank. Is that the one where they do the “Dine & Dash” (which, the bad-girl tells them, is known as a “Lick and Leave” at Baskin Robbins)? And Freddy (God, what do I remember his name?), the nerdy kid, gets caught and Rick has to bail him out. ([Freddy](http://imdb.com/name/nm0683018/) in another episode was revealed to be a tap dancing prodigy.) ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/14 "2005-04-15T00:02:57Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Is that the one where they do the “Dine & Dash” (which, the bad-girl tells them, is known as a “Lick and Leave” at **Baskin Robbins** )?\) :eek: You just said [the forbidden words!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6053446&postcount=82):eek: ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/15 "2005-04-15T03:03:45Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Is that the one where they do the “Dine & Dash” (which, the bad-girl tells them, is known as a “Lick and Leave” at Baskin Robbins)? And Freddy (God, what do I remember his name?), the nerdy kid, gets caught and Rick has to bail him out. ([Freddy](http://imdb.com/name/nm0683018/) in another episode was revealed to be a tap dancing prodigy.) Yep, that’s the one. I think Freddy leaves his glasses or something. When the show started, didn’t Rick go to a private school? I thought his mother was still alive, but kept sending him off so his father decided to take him in. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/16 "2005-04-15T03:07:46Z")
Yep, according to [TV Tome](http://tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-495/), his mother got remarried and sent him off to military school. His father didn’t know anything about him, having only been married to his mother for a week. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/17 "2005-04-15T12:40:29Z")
Then there was the episode where Kate Summers inducted Ricky into adulthood, using only… wait… that may have just been a dream of MINE. And I think I had it during _Buck Rogers_, so it’s not part of this thread anyway. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/18 "2005-04-15T13:38:56Z")
Man, I had such a crush on Jason Bateman … which is why I’m thankful for _Arrested Development_. But that’s not important right now. I recall the “Dine & Dash” episode, certainly, and one with Houseman where his car somehow ended up in the middle of the living room. I can’t remember if it was Ricky or Grandpa that actually drove it through the wall, though. Ricky’s on the phone to the police or emergency services, and they ask him about the car’s license plate, which reads “GONE.” “What’s the license plate number, son?” “It’s GONE.” “Well, do you see it around anywhere?” Hilarity (but not penis) ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-all-silver-spoons-memories-here/299197/19 "2005-04-15T14:18:46Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Didn’t Ricky’s mom die, so that he had to go live with his dad? And then the dad was embarrasingly kid-like–the train was his, not Ricky’s. Yeah, the premise of the show was that the father, having grown up as a trust-fund baby, acted like a kid (train, videogames in the living room, etc.), which Ricky, who had spent the last few years in a military boarding school, was very responsible and adult. IIRC, at the end of the first episode, Edward promised to try to be a dad if Ricky loosened up and had fun like a kid. –Cliffy