Kate And Allie 11-15

Candidate

This episode premiered on November 5th, 1984. The lead in show was Scarecrow and Mrs. King and was followed by Newhart. It ran opposite Monday Night Football on ABC (Redskins 27-Falcons 14) and a movie on NBC (Airplane)

Allie loses her wallet, two minutes after she cancels her credit cards someone shows up with it. The woman who returns the wallet invites Kate and Allie to come down to a campaign office where she works. Allie visits and gets drafted into stuffing envelopes and then falls for the candidate, they end up kissing. The next day Allie meets the candidates wife and quits the campaign. The candidate wins the election. 

Dated References

Allie loses her wallet and has to cancel her cards. Today you could just block them and if they turned up in 24 hours you could reactivate them

Allie has a Gimbels card. The store officially closed in 1987.

When Allie tries to uncancel her credit cards Kate says "This should be on That's Incredible". This was a TV show that ran from 1980 to 1984.

The campaign office has a bank of pay phones.

And on a side note, the name of the Washington DC team has been changed to the Commanders.

Kate And The Plumber

This episode premiered on November 12th, 1984. It ran in its usual time slot. It ran opposite Monday Night Football on ABC (Seahawks 17-Raiders 14) and a movie on NBC (Victims For Victims-The Theresa Saldana Story)

Kate breaks the faucet and Allie hires Ted the plumber, he has arachnophobia so Kate has to hang out with hi while he works on the water heater. After chatting Ted asks Kate out on a date but she turns him down. The next day the handle on the kitchen faucet falls off and Ted just happens to be in the neighborhood. Kate agrees to go out on a date, he takes her to an avant-garde play. The two have a fight over how they perceive each other, Kate walks out of the play. Ted follows her home and insists she go to dinner. They have a fight at the restaurant but end up making out in the living room. Kate goes with Ted on an uptown emergency, she doesn't get back until 6:45 the next morning.

Dated References

Kate complains that a payphone costs a quarter. Today you'd be hard pressed to find a payphone. 

Kate complains about all the new phone companies. In 1982 AT&T agreed to avoid a federal lawsuit and break up their company into what became known as the Baby Bells. As a result other companies began offering phone services. 

The family plays Trivia Pursuit. The game was released into the U.S. market in 1983 and became beloved and hated by people all over America.

Ted has a beeper for emergencies. 

Ted charges them $42.50 for fixing their sink and adjusting the pressure. Today it would cost you $45 for a plumber to walk through your door.

When Kate spends the night with Ted Allie gets a shocked look while Kate has a "winky winky" look. Nobody actually says anything but we know what they were doing all night. 

Gregory Salata plays Ted Partelo, the plumber. He'll become a regular on the show.

The Safe Caper

This episode premiered on November 19, 1984. It ran in its usual time slot. It ran opposite Monday Night Football on ABC (Saints 27-Steelers 24) and a movie on NBC (Fatal Vision)

While trying to hang a painting Allie finds a safe behind the plaster. Kate calls Ted, the plumber from the previous episode, to come over and drill out the lock. They find an old letter, a guy was breaking up with the recipient of the letter because he lost all his money in the stock market crash of 1929, but he never mailed it. Kate decides to track the woman down based on the address on the letter. It turns out the woman had gotten engaged and was going to break it off with the guy. Kate tracks down the guy who wrote the letter, he's living in a nursing home in Brooklyn. They schedule a meeting but he decides that he doesn't want to see her because she planned on dumping him. Kate convinces him to come to the apartment, the couple decide to go and talk. They don't hit it off and decided to go their separate ways, they both ask Kate and Allie to talk to the other person for them. 

Dated References

The letter in the safe has a 02¢ stamp from 1929. Today a stamp costs 78¢

Allie mentions that love stories only happen on The Late Show. Those were movies that would run after the late news. Today you can stream movies any time you want. The Late Show With David Letterman would premier in 1993.

The couple in the letter were going to meet at the Biltmore Hotel in 1929. It closed in 1981 and was torn down. 

Using the name and address on the letter Kate looks up the woman's number in the phone book but it turns out to be her brother. He gives them the woman's current phone number. Do they even print phone books in the modern world? Who in the modern world would give out someone's phone number to a complete stranger?

The classic Hollywood actors mentioned in this episode: June Allyson, Irene Dunne, Greer Garson, Dorothy McGuire, Mary Pickford and Douglass Fairbanks senior. 

The classic films: Waterloo Bridge and An Affair To Remember 

Pirates

This episode premiered on November 26, 1984. It ran opposite Monday Night Football on ABC (Dolphins 28-Jets 17) and a movie on NBC (Rearview Mirror)

Jen is up for the lead in the school production of Pirates Of Penzance, however so is Emma. Emma is a better actor but Jen is a great singer. Neither of the girls can dance. Jen gets the part and the girls get into a "girl" fighting. Kate and Allie sleep in the girl's bunk beds so the girls can sleep in separate rooms. The two girls talk and they sound just like their mothers. In the end Jen plays the lead and Emma is an extra.

Dated References

Jen says she up for the Linda Ronstadt part in Pirates. The movie version came out in 1983

Country Dog

This episode premiered on December 3, 1984. It ran opposite Monday Night Football on ABC (Chargers 20-Bears 7) and a movie on NBC (Children In The Crossfire)

Wednesday is Chip's birthday, but it's also Charles night with him, Clair is planning a party. Charles agrees to swap out and see Chip on Tuesday. Charles takes the kids to the circus for Chip's birthday and has a clown greet them at the door. Charles sends Chip a computer for his birthday so Allie gets Chip a dog. The dog use to live in the country and wants to go out for the night. All the neighbors start complaining about the dog barking too much. Allie tells Chip that she's going to have to give the dog away to a farm. Allie gets mad at Charles, he says he has to buy expensive gifts to make up for not being there so Allie suggest he spend more time with the kids. Charles volunteers to keep the dog at his place. The dog is going upstate to live on a farm, hmmmm.

Dated References

The home computer costs $1500. A top of the line computer in the modern world costs $1200.

Chip is happy that his new computer comes with floppy discs. 

There weren't a lot of references to things specifically in the 80's in these episodes. I hope that changes in the next five.