Taxi -- the series

Cafe Society
21

I’m a big fan of Reverend Jim too, but there were some great shows where Jim was just a supporting player, like the one where Louie rigs up the spare room as a bomb shelter, and the one where Louie has a fling with the always unseen garage owner’s wife (was the owner’s name Mr. McKenzie?) and the one where Alex and Latka go to the psychologist because Latka has assumed Alex’s personality and is living his life as Alex much better than Alex himself was doing.

Having said that, Reverend Jim was the best. Among my favorite tax shows not mentioned yet, there was the one where Jim and Elaine went to the fancy dinner party, and the one where Jim was a shoe-shine boy to a TV executive (“He had the Romulan commander saying things that no Romulan Commander would ever say!”)

22

My favorite two are the aforementioned “Jim’s Harvard Days” episode, and, the one where Latka becomes Vic Ferrari, disco stud extraordinaire. I still think that’s Kaufman’s funniest Taxi moment…

23

They had the Vic Ferrari one on last week. It was pretty good. I also enjoyed the one where Latka couldn’t talk for a month and kept insulting Tony with signs and recorded messages.

24

[ol][li]Jim gets his license.[/li][li]The episode where Jim gets to say goodbye to his father.[/li][li]The epsiode where we meet Louie’s mother.[/li]The episode where Jim’s horse dies.[/ol]

25

Call me a heathen, but I didn’t really care for “Vic Ferrari.”

26

Okay, youre a heathen.

My favorite moment had Jim sitting on a stool reading a comic book. Louis was bickering with the crew, and he grabbed Jim’s ear eith a pliers, and said (paraphrasing) “Not one word or the psych dies!” Jim goes on reading the comic book, and the scene progresses toward the end. Five minutes later, the camera not even on Jim, Louis back in his cage, we hear a blood-curdling shriek. Everybody looks at Jim, standing up with his hand on his ear. “OOOWWWW!”

27

Latka going into the cookie business to be like “da famous amos”. The cookies contain a secret ingredient…cocaine.

I love that show.

28

The only episodes I remember is the one with the wall of TVs and the flashback to Latka and Simka’s days in the old country, with the gibberish language. “Cow” = “mooey-mooey”. :slight_smile:

29

I know it’s already been mentioned many many times, but I don’t think this episode can be praised highly enough: Jim gets his driver’s license. It’s definitely in my top 5 list of All Time greatest single episodes of any show ever (it might even be my #1). No matter how many times I see it I laugh until I cry.

The yellow light bit’s funny, but I find the whole time he’s filling out the application even funnier (and that’s saying something).

He gets his name down, sex, then it comes to (parphrased from memory):

Jim: Eyes.

Elaine: No! Don’t put down “two”.

Jim: Oh, they mean colour? What colour are my eyes?

Elaine (looking at his eyes): Well, we can rule out “white”. Alex, want to take a stab at this?

Then there’s the aforementioned “Mental illness or narcotic addiction”.

Q: Have you ever experienced dizziness, blackouts, blah blah blah?"

Jim: Hasn’t everyone?

Then, when the application is finally over someone mentions that he can now take the test.

Jim: That wasn’t the test? Oh, maaan!

I’m sitting here giggling my ass off just remembering that episode. It’s a thing of beauty.

I also have very fond memories of the episode when Jim built the castle out of his van for Elaine.

Another good one is when Tom Sellack guest starred as this gorgeous fare that Elaine picked up. They hit if off and at the end of the (very long) drive, he asked her to spend the night. The only problem was he was leaving the country the next morning on business for an indefinite period of time. She turns him down, but they do kiss. He ends up giving her this HUGE tip and she after protesting at first, she finally accepts it, then asks, “Boy, what would you have given me if I’d spent the night?” Tom Sellack replies, “A beautiful memory.”

At that point Louis breaks in over the CB and says, “You’re better off with the money!” He had been listening the whole time! It was funny as hell.

I love Taxi… great show.

30

MY dad, my older brother and I were rolling on the floor when we saw this episode.

I also liked the one where Bobby went to Louie’s high school reunion as Louie, so that Louie could get back at everybody. Ahhh, if only I could have done that at my reunion.

31

Whoa, the secret ingredient was Cocaine???!? Damn, all this time I had thought it was marijuana! I’ll have to try to catch that rerun again in light of this new info!

32

Jim tastes a cookie.
“Coca leaves…Northern Peru…'78…before the rains.”
Or something like that.

33

Wine snobs got nothin’ on my man Jim.

34

I remember seeing something on (IIRC) Nick at Nite about the yellow light scene. Apparently the director told them to keep doing it as long as they could. The cracking up they all do is real.

As far as touching moments, my favorite is when Jim falls in love with Elaine and builds a castle in her apartment. The final scene is Jim driving off in the bare chassis of his van, which he’s cut the body off of to build the castle.

35

And don’t forget Ted Danson as the hairdresser that ruined Elaine’s hair. I read somewhere that his performance got him his part on Cheers.

One of my favorite Taxi memories is when Elaine accused Louie of peeping in the women’s room. She goes in, comes out, and Louie is holding his eye closed after she poked it. Louie gets fired, and ends up begging her to get his job back.

Also, when Alex runs many blocks thru the snow, barefoot, to “save” Elaine from doing anything with Bobby.

36

After further consideration, the best moment on Taxi was from the episode where Alex was working at a gopher in a theatre. Louis has snuck in and seen the director dismiss Alex out of hand and basically treat him like dirt. Eventually, Alex sees Louie.

Alex: Louie! How long have you been here?

Louie: Too long. (disconsolate)

Alex: How much have you seen?

Louie: Too much.

Alex: Who let you in here?

Louie: Two guys.
–Cliffy

37

After further consideration, the best moment on Taxi was from the episode where Alex was working at a gopher in a theatre. Louis has snuck in and seen the director dismiss Alex out of hand and basically treat him like dirt. Eventually, Alex sees Louie.

Alex: Louie! How long have you been here?

Louie: Too long. (disconsolate)

Alex: How much have you seen?

Louie: Too much.

Alex: Who let you in here?

Louie: Two guys.
–Cliffy

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Two posts.