MovieChat Forums > Just the Ten of Us Discussion > Just The 11 Of Us

Just The 11 Of Us

posted 19 years ago by RonaldMcdonaldMiller
66 replies | jump to latest

When they changed the name of the series to "Just The 11 Of Us" was that at the begining of the 3rd season or midway through? I was just over at www.jumptheshark.com browsing when I came across this series which I had almost forgotten about but remember liking at the time it was on in the late 80s. It seems there are many people that dont even remember the 11th child or the name change so I was just curious as to when it occured because I do remember it happening and the change of the opening credits where they put a slash through the ten and made it an 11. Anybody know?

[–] StevenMars 19 years ago

This never happened. Trust me. I created and executive produced the series. It was always "Just the Ten of Us." We played the mother as pregnant in the first few episodes, but named the series "Just the Ten of Us" in ancipation of that birth.

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 19 years ago

I guess you are trying to imply you are Steve Marshall? You're not very convincing. Coach Lubbock and his wife initially had 8 children. The show was called "Just The Ten Of Us" because it was the 2 parents plus 8 kids which made the Lubbock family 10 strong. The mother got pregnant again which then made 9 kids total plus both parents which equalled 11 at that point. When that happened ABC in the opening credits of the show slashed out the Ten and put in an eleven to coincide with the newest addition to the Lubbock family. Now the shows name may have never "officially" changed but ABC did run it as Just The 11 of Us and the mother did have one more kid than what you are saying that was born sometime after that 1st season which is when ABC did the "Just The 11 Of Us" thing.

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

I'm not IMPLYING that I'm Steve Marshall...I am. Always have been, always will be. Sorry that my very existence is unconvincing to you.

However you, my friend, are wrong. There were 7 kids when we did the pilot/spin-off from Growing Pains. We had Elizabeth pregnant in that two-parter, plus the initial few episodes of Just the Ten of Us. As I said before, we named in the show in antipation of the soon-to-be-expanded family.

At no time did ABC or Warner Bros. Television revise the opening credits to read "11."

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

Wow. Time has taken its toll. I remember the opening line was "Life is a race and I know I can win it..." The refrain was "Doing it the best we can." I'd have to find an episode to get all the words for you, but my tapes are in storage at the moment. The music was written by Steve Dorff (father of actor Stephen Dorff) and lyrics by John Bettis, who did a lot of work with The Carpenters. It was sung by Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.

Sorry to let you down on those lyrics, but I'll continue to rack my brain and see if they come back.

[–] drednin 18 years ago

hey steve,i wrote most of it down on another message board for her.hey,sence you worked on the show tell them to put it on dvd for us!I really want to see the one with matthew perry on it.:)

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

I would LOVE to see the show on DVD...not only because it would make it available to old fans of the show and perhaps create some new ones, but because I have some ownership of it. (grin) In fact, I have been thinking about contacting Warner Bros. Television and suggesting it.

My partners, Dan Gunzelman and Mike Sullivan, and I took it very hard when this show was canceled. At the time, it was winning its time slot...the first show to do that in the 9:30 Friday night slot in ten years. But ABC execs were never behind the show. We only got to do it because of the cache we had earned at the network over the successful Growing Pains. The only reason they could give us for canceling a successful show was, "We just didn't care for it."

A year later, the president of ABC said to the president of Warner Bros. Television, "Maybe we made a mistake in canceling Just the Ten of Us." Too little, too late.

[–] BlackVelvetGlove 18 years ago

This was an awesome series. So good that, even as a 20-something, I made sure I was home on most Friday nights to see it. Why is it that networks make decisions like this--how can a show winning its slot be cancelled??? Don't networks ever listen to the viewers?

At any rate, I would buy this DVD for myself and several other people. There's a petition here supporting its release on DVD. http://www.petitiononline.com

Floaty, floaty froggie...

[–] Fedaykin_Sadako 18 years ago

Where? I'm not finding it and I would definitely sign it.

[–] Fedaykin_Sadako 18 years ago

I was only nine or ten when the show was on and here I am at the ripe age of 27 and I STILL quote it. Heck...I have the theme song as a ringtone on my mobile phone. Having the show on DVD would be the absolute best thing EVER especially because my VHS tapes of it are about to implode.

I would think that with Growing Pains getting a DVD release, JTTOU would as well being that it is a spin-off and all. It'd be fantastic if it did! And it'd probably sell well among the Nightmare on Elm Street fans due to Brooke Theiss, JoAnn Willett (though her role was little more than a bit part in Freddy's Revenge), and - of course - Heather Langenkamp.

And, on a personal note...Just the Ten of Us, though a "dumb sitcom" (if you'll indulge the quote), was one of the main influences on my path to becoming a filmmaker. And though you would usually get bombarded by not-so-covert requests to send you a script at this point, I just want to say thank you for the wonderful show and the great memories. It was one of the few TV shows on that my mother and I could both watch and be equally entertained as it didn't pander to the "younger" audience and had jokes that cracked up the "older" demographic.

I hope you're able to convince them to release it on DVD...and hopefully with as many special features as possible!

[–] ellichar 18 years ago

Please contact Warner Bros. about a DVD release ASAP!!! This was a great show that was canned far too soon, and deserves a chance at immortality.

[–] SHB_73 17 years ago

Steve that was a good series. Was it based on any of your family? Do bad it only lasted three seasons.

[–] lgriffith99 17 years ago

I was a huge fan of the show. This dude isnt lying. He is right!

Mom and Dad, Marie, Cindy, Wendy, Connie, The boy whatever his name was, Sherry and the twins. 10!

[–] dkcollins14 16 years ago

Steve was ever able to contact Warner Brother and asked them to put it on dvd. Would love for this series to be on dvd. thanks for any information.

[–] RobBase086-1 16 years ago

I feel that ABC were idiots in canceling this show because I loved watching it and had crushes on all of the Lubock girls when it was on. LOL

Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans of the show! www.deefilmroll.com/usa-uan/

[–] bsanderfer 18 years ago

Since I've actually taken the time to convert all the episodes from my old video tapes to DVD, I happen to have the theme song handy...so let me get those lyrics for you:

"Best I Can"

Life is a race and I know I can win it
Cause I'm learning the rules of the game
If I can stay on the ball,
Take it minute by minute
I just might make the Hall of Fame
What can I say?

I'm doing it the best I can
Leaning on nobody but me
Oh, seeing it from where I stand
Nothing comes easy

Oh, I'm always bringing home second places
At the end of every one of my days is
A house with love and all of their faces
The kid's been doing it the best I can
Yeah, I'm doing it the best I can
I keep on doing it the best I can
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh

Despite the fact that I have transferred all those old tapes to DVD, I would still buy a DVD set of this show (both seasons) the day they came out. My old tapes look like garbage (and transferring them to DVD didn't help, but at least the DVDs don't wear out), I'm missing one or two episodes, and they are not in broadcast order. So, here's to hoping we see a DVD set or two soon.

[–] amaks 17 years ago

I guess because I haven't seen the show in ages, I never realized Elizabeth was pregnant in the first season.

The first episode I remember seeing was the one where Wendy got suspended for 3 days from school, had to do chores, and almost lost her baby brother.

As for the family...

Grahm
Elizabeth
Marie
Connie
Cindy
Wendy
J.R.
Sherry
Harvey
Melissa.

I knew there were a set of twins (which to my surprise ended up being Cindy & Wendy.) However, I was always under the impression that Harvey & Melissa were the twins. From my recollection (which may not be correct) I usually saw Harvey & Melissa together, so thought they were the twin babies. I had no idea Elizabeth was pregnant for the first season (hence that would be Melissa's birth).

Anything regarding an official release of the show on DVD?

Thanks!!
~Am~

[–] kristin8881 18 years ago

Graham and Elizabeth, Marie, Wendy, Cindy, Connie, JR, Sherry...that makes 8, plus there was the little boy and the little girl... that makes 10...I don't remember there being another kid. But hell, it's been years :-(

I keep waiting for this to come out on DVD...I'll be the first in line to watch it. It's the only TV show that I remember watching faithfully as a child - I was under 10 years old when it originally aired. At the time, my mom was pregnant with my sister, and I got to name her...she ended up getting the name "Brooke," which was obviously after Brooke Theiss. My friends and I used to "play" the show at Recess every day. There was one girl we didn't particularly like, so we always made her be Marie, and made her go to "confession" for the whole time. Gosh, I miss that show!!!!

If there is anything that I can do to help get it onto DVD, I certainly will!

[–] chronicbliss2 17 years ago

Marie, Wendy, Cindy, Connie, JR, Sherry, and 2 babies, one of which was born after the "You're pregnant too?" Growing Pains spinoff episode. That's ten people, 8 kids plus the parents. I know this is an old thread and that somewhere theres a message the admins deleted but still only 8 kids.

As for the 10 being slashed out I think I may remember that but I think it was the dog they were talking about, or a guest that wouldn't leave. Oh well, feel free to bash me for posting on an old thread.

[–] T-DogStarnes 18 years ago

the change of the opening credits where they put a slash through the ten and made it an 11.

Ronald, that does sound familiar and it seems like in my mind's eye, I see it happening, too. But, SteveMars sounds pretty convincing, also. So, I don't know.

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father...prepare to die!

[–] tinybott22 18 years ago

I liked the show too. Didn't reruns air on TVLand a few years ago?

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

No. It was shown on USA Network for two seasons after its cancelation by ABC. It hasn't been aired since then.

[–] rymc730 18 years ago

I do remember seeing a Christmas episode on TV Land a few years back during a Christmas marathon of a bunch of old shows (including The Facts of Life, Perfect Strangers etc)

[–] obx518-2 18 years ago

To Steve Marshall:
Fans want the series on DVD! Please see what you can do! :)

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 18 years ago

Ronald, that does sound familiar and it seems like in my mind's eye, I see it happening, too. But, SteveMars sounds pretty convincing, also. So, I don't know

Something like that did happen although its been so long since the series originally aired I cant remember specifics. The title screen at the begining was changed though

[–] t-a-walker 18 years ago

I seem to recall an episode where the mother thought she might be pregnant, so one of the bumpers or whatever they called it had the 10 crossed out, with an 11 written in and a question mark at the end. It seems like they did stuff like this a few times, such as when they created the fake opening credits for Wendy's dream tv show.

One of my favorite shows of all time. I would definitely buy it on DVD if it came out.

[–] t-a-walker 18 years ago

Actually, now that I think about it some more, I think it may have been the episode where Marie was going to become a nun, and was going to leave the family to go off to the nunnery or whatever. In that case, the bumper would have been "Just The Nine of Us", with the ten crossed out, and a question mark after it.

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 18 years ago

Thanks t-a-walker maybe one of those situations was what I was thinking of. I dont remember everything about the original airings and my only experience seeing the show since then has been the few episodes on TV Land the last few years

[–] bowsertrowser 17 years ago

Yes, this definitely happened. This is actually the reason I came to the board, I was trying to determine if I was imagining things in my head.

___________________________
"Look, a seagull!" *A-GULP*

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 18 years ago

No. It was shown on USA Network for two seasons after its cancelation by ABC. It hasn't been aired since then.

Yes it has. TV Land has aired some episodes a few times since then as part of their Merrython, Ultimate Fan Hour and Before They Were Friends in just the last few years.

You sure you are the real Steve Marshall?

[–] mmyer2 18 years ago

I think he means it hasn't been aired regularly since, you know, like every monday afternoon at say 3:30. I don't think showing it once in a merrython or in before they were friends really counts the same way.

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

You sure you are the real Steve Marshall?

Wait a minute...let me check my driver's license............

Yep, it's me all right.

Perhaps there were isolated episodes shown here and there. I do know there was one shown on a one-time only basis on TV Land, but considering that I have never received a residual check since the USA Network airings, I am fairly confident in saying that it hasn't aired anywhere on a regular basis.

[–] Paul-308 18 years ago

This show needs to be on DVD.If for no other reason than to once again re-live the awesome enthusiasm of Brooke Theiss and her portrayal of Wendy Lubbock.For me,she was the whole series...Such energy,such cuteness,such catch phrases...("Hi-eeee,Bye-eee!).
Jamie Luner wasnt bad either,playing the ditzy sister to the hilt.I have seen her on TV as of late...she has grown into a fine actress and attractive lady.

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 18 years ago

I think he means it hasn't been aired regularly since, you know, like every monday afternoon at say 3:30

StevenMars saying the show hasnt aired since USA Network broadcast it is completely different than saying the show hasnt been on a regular schedule on tv since that time. Its obvious StevenMars is unaware of many of the showings on tv even to this day.

TV Land showed the Christmas episode several years in a row as part of their Merrython. TV Land also showed episodes as part of their "Before They Were Friends" special which dealt with the cast of "Friends" appearing on other tv shows before they landed the Friends job. FWIW both Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry appeared on episodes of "Just The Ten of US" TV Land has broadcast "Just The Ten of Us" as part of Ultimate Fan Hour

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

Sorry Ronald (if that is your REAL name) but your description of airings of isolated episodes hardly qualifies as being on a regularly scheduled basis on any network or in syndication. These are special airings of individual episodes and, as such, hardly qualify as being "regularly scheduled."

Believe me, no one would like to see if aired regularly than I. But I stand by my assertion that it hasn't been aired ON A REGULAR BASIS since it was on USA.

[–] becki8238 18 years ago

I remember it airing on USA and at the time I thought about taping it but I decided I'd get it the next time. Well there was no next time, I searched for it all the time in the listing but it was never on and I've regretted it ever since. This is my favorite show ever and I would LOVE to see DVDs!

[–] RonaldMcdonaldMiller 18 years ago

Sorry Ronald (if that is your REAL name) but your description of airings of isolated episodes hardly qualifies as being on a regularly scheduled basis on any network or in syndication.

Please dont try and use excuses for being wrong or try to change what you said and start adding conditions to your original post now that everyone can see you dont know cerain aspects about the show and its history. You quite clearly said:

No. It was shown on USA Network for two seasons after its cancelation by ABC. It hasn't been aired since then.

Which is completely wrong because the show has aired since then. After I called you out on that fact you then said well perhaps it could have happened and you remember only once it airing. You also then use some excuse you didnt get any residual check when as many times as JTTOU has aired you should have seen something if you had ownership in the show.

I just dont see how realistically you could have ownership in the show and not have any idea of what was going on with the airings of the show or the fact you didnt get any money at all when episodes of the show were being broadcast by TVLand. In fact not only did TVLand show some episodes but they actually paid money for the exclusive broadcast rights for a period of 4 years and could have aired every single episode in the entire series if they had wanted. Instead TVLand chose to only air a few episodes.

and no my name is not Ronald. Ronald Miller is a character from the movie Can't Buy Me love which is one of my favorite movies.

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

Okay, "Ronald" read it slower this time and maybe you'll get my point. I was under the impression that we were talking about regularly scheduled airings and not isolated instances in which the show may have aired for a special purpose...such as showing members of the "Friends" cast before they were on that show. I still maintain that there have been NO regularly scheduled airings of Just the Ten of Us since it was on USA Network. We can get into a pissing contest about this, but I see little to be gained from it.

______________________________________________________________________________
I just dont see how realistically you could have ownership in the show and not have any idea of what was going on with the airings of the show or the fact you didnt get any money at all when episodes of the show were being broadcast by TVLand.
______________________________________________________________________________

Royalties for ownership have nothing to do with individual airings, but an rather entire syndication cycle. If they happened to air a random episode that I happened to have written, then I would have received a RESIDUAL (different from ROYALTY). A residual is for the writer of a specific episode. Royalties are for those who own a piece of the show, which I do. That ownership would have seen me through my old age had the show not been canceled after two seasons. And for the record, Warner Bros. Television is under no obligation to pick up the phone and call me when a single episode of the show airs.

[–] Alphadog1980 18 years ago

Steve, is the any inclination, that this will EVER be on DVD?? We are finally getting the facts of Life on May 9th, this would completely put the icing on the cake. :~)

Justin

[–] StevenMars 18 years ago

Well, the Facts of Life has a lot more episodes to market, so it's an easier sell. There are only 44 episodes of Just the Ten of Us, which doesn't exactly make for a fat package. Nevertheless, I have written to Warner Bros. Television Home Video, with a plea to get it out there. I included a number of posts from this site to prove that people are still talking about it all these years after the fact. Perhaps I'll be able to convince them that there is a market for this show.

[–] Alphadog1980 18 years ago

Hell yeah, maybe i should do the same, we all should!!!!
Thank u so much Steve! I"ll help out anyway i can.

[–] purplebuterfly2000 18 years ago

Steve, There was an episode when they thaught that the mom might be having a baby and for christmas they way the told gram was giving him a bumpersticker that said just the 10 of us with the 10 crosed out and an 11 put in its place.

[–] drednin 18 years ago

I so do not remember that epidsode:)I know i have a few missing on my vhs tapes i have.The one with matthew perry being one of the missing shows.it MUST come on dvd.If eerie indiana can come out this can too!By the way,does anyone else remember the "dream"one where at the end of wendy's dream it had "wendy and the butler will be right back"?They never showed it after the first airing of that show.

[–] t-a-walker 18 years ago

I remember that as well. Unfortunately, it is very common for tv shows to re-edited after the initial broadcast so that more commercials can be added. It generally happens right before or after a commercial break, I guess simply because then it is less noticeable...

[–] movieperson113 18 years ago

I've seen alot of jokes get CUT OUT during the middle of a scene.
In a syndicated Episode of JTTOU there's the FIRST SINGING episode where the girls are on stage. They realize the parents are in the audience. A line is cut out where Marie say "Dad I'm so sorry about stealing the car".

A lot of the time if they cut out a few seconds of the THEME song or out of a Camera Shot where they show a building they can keep in lines. I mean do we really need to see a 10 second shot of the house to know where they are.

Well that's tv I guess.

[–] kevinhw 18 years ago

SteveMars just might be crazy enough to pull it off (80s laugh track here).

Those White lines get drawn into the sun
If you ain't go no one
to keep you hangin' on

[–] steves81 17 years ago

There is actually 47 episodes, at least according to this website that is selling the entire series box set.

http://www.tvdvdplanet.com/movie/comedy/Just_The_Ten_of_Us.html

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] StevenMars 17 years ago

Here's an update to my post earlier this year saying that I wrote to Warner Bros. Home Video asking for them to consider a DVD release and including copies of posts from this site as evidence of public interest.

The upshot? They ignored me. I never even received a reply to my letter. That's the state of the business these days...instead of saying, "No, we pass on that idea," they just ignore you.

It certainly doesn't make good business sense to have those episodes sitting in a vault somewhere, gathering dust, when they could be making money with them.

[–] horror_freak_8-1 17 years ago

i know, i sent a letter to them in i think june. and they ignored me.
i guess they're too busy giving crappy shows lke "the jeff foxworthy show" a dvd release while just the ten of us goes ignored by those bastards.

TVSHOWSONDVD.COM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

vote for jst the ten of us people!!!!!!!! you have to register first but, it's worth it.

im not sure but i think the ranking is at 174th place or so.

PLEAAZE!!!!!! VOTE!!!! WE NEEEEED THIS SHOW ON DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAKE IT a new years resolution.

"Roses are red, Violets are Blue, They'll need dental records to identify you. "

[–] poptart13 17 years ago

I just emailed Warner Bros asking for a release. It will probably be ignored, but it's worth a shot. Maybe if they hear from enough people they won't be able to ignore us.

[–] jcohenderson 17 years ago

What do you do to email WB? I would love to have it on DVD. This and Growing Pains were two of my favorite shows. Kirk Cameron was my first crush.

[–] poptart13 17 years ago

I just went to the Warner Bros web site and searched around for an email address. i found the Warner site through yahoo.

[–] rycki1138 17 years ago

Here's a direct link to the "Just the Ten of Us" page on TVshowsondvd.com.

http://tvshowsondvd.com/showinfo.cfm?showID=2561

It's currently 57th in the voting of unreleased shows and 165th in the overall voting for all shows. There are 1797 votes for this series with 99% wanting it in Season Sets.

Voting Results
Unreleased Rank: 57th
Overall Rank: 165th
Season Set: 1775 (99%)
Best of: 473 (26%)
Individual Episodes: 357 (20%)
Total Number of Voters: 1797

Nothing's Gonna Change My World - The Beatles

[–] catdaddyd 11 years ago

I wonder if METV or one of the new retro over-the air channels would be interested in showing it. I too enjoyed the show back then.

[–] spiderman_iceman_andfire 11 years ago

Thanks for posting here Steve Marshall! This was my favorite show as a kid, and loved the extreme character personalities and at the end of the day, the family values. ABC was really stupid to cancel it, espeically as the replacement show was a huge flop. Anyone remember 'Going Places'? No, it went nowhere.

I know there are issues with all of the music used in the show. Rights issues are no fun.

I encourage you to go to warner to get this show on DVD. It does have a fan following!

[–] llpeek1006375991 17 years ago

No Ronald, you are right. I remember watching re runs of this show during 1994- 1995 when i Was like nine or ten and they DID cross out the 10 and put an eleven! That guy who is supposedly steven marshall is wrong!

[–] stevenackerman69 17 years ago

I don't remember that although there was an episode where Marie is driven to a convent by Elizabeth because she wants to enter a nunnery and the act out says, "Just the NINE of Us?" as a joke, meaning is she leaving the show or not? She didn't by the way.

[–] StevenMars 17 years ago

I'm not "supposed" to be me...I am me. And no, we never renamed the show or called it Just the 11 of Us. Once again...we knew when we kicked off the show that there would be ten in all after the baby was born. We called it "Just the Ten of Us" in anticipation of that event...and never changed the show's title. Now if anyone cares to contradict my memory of that event, then I challenge them to come up with a tape of the episode in which we allegedly changed the name of the show. Ball's in your court.

[–] marie_claire88 17 years ago

Amazing. This thread has been active for two years. Steve, I believe it's you.

The only reference to "Just the 11 of us" that I recall was during a conversation between Elizabeth and Graham, when Elizabeth jokingly mentioned the phrase.

In defense of "Ronald," I must admit that I also have a memory of the "10" in the show's logo being crossed out and replaced by "11" during the opening credits. Just once. I could be wrong.

Now, a quick eulogy.

This show came out when I was in kindergarten and had a strictly enforced 9:30 bedtime on weekends ("Bedtime after Balki" was the mantra in my household). However, this changed with the debut of "Just the ten of us." My dad had been the youngest of seven in a conservative Roman Catholic family and was interested in the premise of the show. He encouraged my mother to watch it one night. They both loved how funny the show was, but also that it had a good, wholesome message without being condescending or overly cheesy. After that, I was allowed to stay up till 10:00 on Fridays.

Stupid "Going places" switched bedtime back to 9:30.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I just needed a moment to lament the loss of good, relatively innocent television. Don't get me wrong, I own all of the DVDs of "The Sopranos," but they are not what I'll be sharing with my twin daughters (six months old) anytime soon.

Great show! Can't wait for those DVD's to come out (hopefully, one day.)

[–] Paul-308 17 years ago

I think the studio might pay more attention to this "drive" if the shows stars actually got involved in pushing for a DVD.Jamie Luner,Heather Lagenkamp,Brooke Theiss,all of them need to pressure the execs for a DVD release.Afterall,wouldnt they get residual checks too??

[–] llpeek1006375991 16 years ago

well Mr. Marshall i'm sorry for my ignorance, and for the record i like your shows. However, shouldn't a big name like you have better things to do than go online and search for posts about yourself and get into fights with people over the internet? C'mon. I DO remember at some point during the reruns a drawn-on orange "x" crossing out the ten and putting the eleven in it's place during the opening credits. It may have been a temporary thing, (I never said they changed it) But it WAS there at one point because I remember noting it in my nine-year old brain, and i don't forget things like that easily. For all the success you have had you shouldn't be so demeaning to people, however I still have trouble believing you are who you say you are.

[–] maggiemurphy7 16 years ago

Thought I would jump in and add my voice to the debate.

There was never a "Just the 11 of Us." Those who remember the 10 being crossed out with an 11 are misrembering. As a few people have mentioned, the "x" happened during the "Highway to Heaven" epsiode when Marie was on her way to the convent. However, the 10 was crossed out and replaced with a 9. They even added a question mark to the end of the title. (Sherry even made a joke about it when she tries to move into the attic with the older girls. "Let's face it. After today it could be just the nine of us.") The title card of Just the 9 of Us? appeared on a bumper just before a commerical during the original broadcasts on ABC. I compared my ABC tapes to the USA reruns and the title card didn't appear on the USA run. (At least the ones I taped.)

For those who are remembering "11", do you remember the "9" as well? If not, perhaps you are just remembering the wrong number. Once I figure out how to hook my VCR up to my computer and take a screencapture, I'll be more than happy to post a pic of the convent episode as proof. :)

There was never any need for a Just the 11 of Us joke. The family did make jokes about Elizabeth getting pregnant all the time. In the track meet episode, Coach says he has an announcement, and Marie's immediate repsonse is to happily exclaim, "Mom, you're pregnant, when is the baby due?!" In the later football episode when Elizabeth brings Coach a treat after a winning game, Cindy and Connie share this exchange. "Ovaltine and Ho-hos?" "She'll be pregnant by sun-up." With all the jokes though, there was never a pregnancy scare on the show.

To sum up, it's been 20 years. I was in high school when the show first aired and have all the episodes on tape. If anyone who remembers it as an 11 can point me to a particular episode, I'll be more than happy to look. But until, I remain firmly in the 9 crowd. :)

[–] vze5bnpf 16 years ago

There was never a Just the 11 of us! Marie was going to join a convent in one episode, and before one commercial break they ran the title and x-ed out the "Ten" and replaced it with a "9," jokingly referencing the fact that Marie may leave the family. Real fans of the show would know this. And I do believe that is steve marshall.

[–] VinnieRattolle 16 years ago

I found this thread and it instantly rang a bell, though I'm certain it was just a one-time, on-screen gag; the show was never actually retitled. The episode vze5bnpf mentioned is #36, "Highway to Heaven," which unfortunately is one of the episodes I don't have on tape (at least, it's not with the rest of the shows). I think vze was correct. I scanned through the tapes of the show that I have and didn't see it anywhere -- I cut the opening credits out of a lot of the episodes (so I could jam more onto the tapes), but I left all of the unique title credits intact (the "Rock Around the Clock" opening in "Dream Girls," the instrumental in "Snow Job (2)," etc.)... If it appeared in any of the episodes that I taped, I certainly would've kept it. Or perhaps the earlier poster was correct who said it was a gag in an ABC promo, and if that's the case, there's a very slim chance that it'll ever surface again. I'm relatively certain that it did appear somewhere once.

And before I get bombarded with requests, the quality of my tapes is pretty terrible, so I'm not in the market to make copies of the series for everyone. In late '95/early '96, I set the VCR to tape JTTOU and "Parker Lewis" in the mornings, then copied them onto individual tapes later that night, cutting out commercials. EP to EP, non-high fi, so the picture's sort of washed out and the audio is muffled and buzzes. It was another year or two before I realized there was merit to taping shows in higher quality, and by that time, USA had dumped the shows. Hindsight is 20/20. Wish I'd had episode guides and online TV listings when it was airing, so I could've at least figured out which episodes I was missing and gotten them (I think I'm missing 12 episodes)...

As a post-script for anyone who's interested, I found a couple brief season one ABC promos on old tapes and loaded 'em onto RetroJunk eons ago, though in the site's video conversion, the ends got lopped off:

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/1963/
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/1962/

CARRIE... A Fan's Site:
http://carriefansite.blogspot.com/

[–] sliders5125 16 years ago

I have to say the reason this is remebered is that ABC advertised it this way for like a month straight and the comercial leading into the bumper would say it as well. While the actualy title card of the show itself never changed ABC advertised it this way.