The Four Seasons. Now. And Then …

TC let Peg watch VGK hockey while he took a trip down memory lane triggered by Tina Fey’s edition of The Four Seasons. Bingeable? Read on! —the editor

After getting my companion Peg into a binge watching The White Lotus back in March, I jumped into one on Hulu called Mid Century Modern, a new sitcom from the creators of Will and Grace, now in the streaming era, on Hulu, with cussing and the great late Linda Lavin in her last role, playing Nathan Lane’s live-in mother. A gay Golden Girls does not do this show justice, and I hope they continue and not wait too long for new episodes.

What’s Next Doc??

I locked into one that has a family back story. Peg was all ears, believe it or not. Anyway, let me elaborate. The subject matter is Tina Fey’s take on the classic 1980’s movie, The Four Seasons. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, Alan Alda, after stretching his directing muscles on various episodes of his comedy/drama MASH, acted in several modest films for Universal Pictures. Two of his early efforts were:

>> Same Time Next Year (1978)

>> The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) –He wrote and starred in this one.

His breakout, where he also directed along with writing and acting, happened in 1981. The film? “The Four Seasons” co-starring Carol Burnett, Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, and Bess Armstrong. It’s a story about three couples who vacation together over a year, during each of the four seasons (following the backdrop of Antonio Vivaldi’s classic musical suite).

Over a space of a year, one couple breaks up, and introduces a new element to the group –his new girlfriend.

Fast Forward to 2025…

I was intrigued to find out that Tina Fey produced an update and homage to this cult classic that’s now showing on Netflix as an 8-episode mini-series.
Clearly she expanded on Alda’s concept (with his blessing I might add).

I was patiently waiting to compare it to the 1981 film that I had seen so many times on cable during the 80’s. Technically it doubled the length of its predecessor. It was tweaked, and thank goodness, in a modern new way.

The 2025 cast includes Fey, Steve Carell, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Kerry Kenney, Marco Calvani, and Erika Henningsen.

Noteworthy: The gender of Rita Moreno’s Claudia became Claude, and Danny changed race and sexual orientation, not to mention a missing Mercedes Benz, (more about this later), most of the basic story is the same with a few surprises and shocks.

Spoiler alert! Alan Alda makes a surprise cameo!

In 2025, the experience is expanded due to better production values and technology for modern audiences.

It does not look cheap…

Breaking it up to 8 parts in 30-minute segments, two for each season of the year, makes it easier to enjoy (and binge!). Even Peg could follow the storyline(s).

Now for Some Context…

I was 14 when the original was released. Being closer to the age of the cast made it more relatable, even though I had not been married at all. I admit I had a few surprises and belly laughs while watching it.

[I also have a craving for the original film, which sadly is out of print on video, nor available on cable or streaming. A lost opportunity, depending on how you look at it.]

Ha! Now also on Netflix!!

So. Our Family Angle..

Back in 1981, my brother Paul was working in Stone Harbor for Hunt’s Theaters, the cinema that was open only during the summer. He told us that we needed to send money to my aunt and uncle to watch this movie.

Why was he so insistent?

Well, there’s a scene that shows the demise of a certain automobile. Not just any automobile. First more background for your (and Peg’s) amusement.

My Aunt Doris and Uncle Harold were a cute and fun couple.

Dad always took two kids with him to visit his sister and husband. It involved a trip to Walt Disney World, back when it was just the Magic Kingdom. There was a 5-year gap between when I was allowed to go, due to my finicky diet choices that would drive my Aunt nuts. It was my first plane ride as well, that was cursed with an 8-hour delay on a DC-10 mere months after that bad crash in Chicago.

The torture I got from my siblings didn’t help matters much. I got introduced to a lot of different foods eventually and became the family traveler, but I digress.
Uncle Harold had a Mercedes Benz. We were never allowed to drive around with him in it. We were kids at the time.

So, in the 1981 film “Four Seasons,” a major character was stuck in a frozen lake and one of the other characters drove his car over the ice to save him.
Thin ice. Human life was saved. The car (a Mercedes), not so much…

Paul was curious to find out how my Uncle, who prized his classic Mercedes, would react to a dying car.

“Uncle Harold, how did you like the movie?”

“Horrible, what a horrible waste for a car.”

That’s a Wrap!!

Naturally, in my mind, “Four Seasons” and my uncle’s Mercedes are forever linked.

[Note: I miss him bellowing “Well Hello!” as he has been gone for almost 40 years now.]

Anyway, in my mind, I would like to think that Tina Fey, close to my age (3 years younger), and Philadelphia area based, may have taken the Expressway to “The Shore” and perhaps even vacationed in Stone Harbor. And maybe, she saw the lines in front of the Paul’s movie theater, and wanted to see what all these “parents” were lining up for.

Yeah… Alan Alda’s film is like an old friend, not seen in many years, that brings up great memories. ‘Nuff said…

Thanks for reading!