Glitter (American TV series)

Glitter
Glitter main title screen
Genre Drama
Created by
Starring
Theme music composer Lalo Schifrin
Composers Lalo Schifrin
David Kurtz
Ben Lanzarone
Dennis McCarthy
Peter T. Meyers
Duane Tatro
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 14
Production
Executive producers
Production locations Los Angeles, California, United States
Running time 60 minutes
Production company Aaron Spelling Productions
Original release
Network ABC
Release September 13, 1984 –
December 27, 1985

Glitter is an American drama television series broadcast by the ABC network from September 13 to December 25, 1984, and, after a long hiatus, December 13 to December 27, 1985.

The series was produced by Aaron Spelling and was set behind the scenes of a top entertainment magazine titled Glitter, and attempted to combine the urgency of journalism and business politics with the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous featured in the pages of the magazine. The leading cast members were David Birney, Morgan Brittany, Christopher Mayer, Dianne Kay, and Arthur Hill.

The format of the series was similar to two other popular ABC shows, which were also produced by Aaron Spelling; The Love Boat and Hotel, in that each week it featured high-profile guest appearances from famous celebrities, including Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse. Unlike the other shows, Glitter was not a ratings success. It was scheduled on Thursday nights against Simon & Simon, Cheers, and Night Court, which were all among the top-20 most-watched programs at that time. The first three episodes aired in September 1984, and then the show was taken off the air (though was still in production) until December 1984, when three more episodes were shown. Ratings did not improve and the series was cancelled. The remaining eight episodes were shown during December 1985 as part of ABC's late-night line-up.

Despite its lack of success in the US, Glitter was sold internationally. It was shown in the UK on BBC1 in the summer of 1985 (though not all episodes were shown).

Cast

Episodes

Title Directed by: Written by: Original air date PC
1
2
"Pilot" Jackie Cooper Nancy Sackett & Art Baer & Ben Joelson September 13, 1984 N/A
Two-hour pilot
2 "Trouble in Paradise" Robert Scheerer Rick Mittleman September 20, 1984 005
3 "In Tennis, Love Means Nothing" Gabrielle Beaumont Sari Benson September 27, 1984 004
4 "On Your Toes" Alan Rafkin Duane Poole & Tom Swale December 11, 1984 001
5 "A Minor Miracle" Curtis Harrington Duane Poole & Tom Swale December 18, 1984 009
6 "Illusions" Bruce Bilson Anne Collins December 25, 1984 012
7 "The Tribute" Alan Rafkin Lan O'Kun December 13, 1985 003
8 "The Covergirl" Allen Reisner Del Reisman December 17, 1985 007
9 "Nightfall" Bob Sweeney Duane Poole & Tom Swale December 18, 1985 013
10 "The Matriarch" John Patterson Story by : Larry Forrester
Teleplay by : Jeff Stuart
December 19, 1985 011
11 "Fathers and Children" Gabrielle Beaumont Story by : Gary Kott & Rudolph Borchert
Teleplay by : Rudolph Borchert & Tom Sawyer
December 20, 1985 010
12 "Rock 'n Roll Heaven" Kim Friedman Donald Ross December 25, 1985 002
13 "The Runaway" Russ Mayberry Robert Van Scoyk December 26, 1985 008
14 "Suddenly Innocent" Richard A. Wells Rudolph Borchert December 27, 1985 006