'Married. . .' for 100 Infamous Episodes
By Kevin Allman The LA Times April 18, 1991 The Scene: Monday night in Beverly Hills, at a celebration for the 100th episode of "Married . . . With Children," the show that brought America the Al Bundys, the infamous family of bottom feeders that set new standards in televised boorishness. Instead of throwing the party in a typical Bundy environment--a bowling alley or a discount shoe store--Columbia Pictures Television and Fox Broadcasting opted to rent the trendy Beverly Hills club Asylum. (Hey, the show is going into syndication this fall. They can afford it.) Who Was There: "Married" stars Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Amanda Bearse and Ted McGinley; former cast member David Garrison; creators and executive producers Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye and a raft of Columbia and Fox executives. Fashion Statement: Applegate, whose outfits on the show tend to be more exiguous than expansive, came all covered up in a peasant dress and a black hat. Chow: A lavish buffet that belied the Bundys' humble station on the food chain--short ribs, oysters on the half shell, shrimp, crab fritters, buffalo mozzarella, asparagus, guacamole and pastries. Favors: Departing guests received big silver cans, the kind that usually hold peanut brittle or joke-shop snakes. Inside were black T-shirts with the slogan "100 Episodes in the Can." Entertainment: In the spirit of "The Simpsons," which had an annoying but best-selling rap song a few months ago, the party also marked the debut of a "Married . . . With Children" rap tune, "As Bundy as They Wanna Be." Noted: Ensconced at the cast table was Buck, the Bundy pet--a magnificent 6-year-old brown and black dog. Buck can bark and kiss on command from his trainer, but he seemed more interested in chasing down interesting smells on the tablecloth. Hollywood Moment: Informed that the dog's name was Buck, one confused waitress asked, "Is that his real name or his stage name?" Triumphs: Everyone involved was justly proud of the success of "Married . . . With Children." Said Gary Lieberthal, chairman of Columbia Pictures Television: "This is the only show that was on Fox since the start of the network. But that's not bad, because I don't think CBS even has any shows from last year." Glitches: One photographer, in search of Ed O'Neill, asked, "Is Ted Bundy in the other room?" Wrong Bundy, buddy.
