One Day at a Time 

The misadventures of a divorced mother, her family, and their building superintendent in Indianapolis.

Creators:

Whitney Blake, Norman Lear, Allan Manings

Stars:

Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin, Pat Harrington Jr.

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Valerie Bertinelli	...	Barbara Cooper / ... 209 episodes, 1975-1984
Bonnie Franklin	...	Ann Romano / ... 208 episodes, 1975-1984
Pat Harrington Jr.	...	Dwayne F. Schneider 204 episodes, 1975-1984
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Julie Cooper / ... 123 episodes, 1975-1983

Storyline

This sitcom follows recently divorced mother (Ann Romano) and her two teenage daughters (Barbara and Julie) as they start a new life together in Indianapolis, They are befriended by the building superintendent (Dwayne Schneider), who treats them like family. Together, these four main characters face life's challenges together.

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Plot Keywords:

sitcom | mother daughter relationship | female protagonist | 1970s | handyman | 

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Taglines:

A mother who's trying to double as father. Two headstrong daughters. A series of the world's least likely (and most amorous) men. The result is a bubbling mixture of small chuckles and big laughs that just won't quit. (season 1)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

One Day at a Time

Filming Locations:

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy Television, TAT Communications Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (209 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

All in the Family (1971) season eight, episode five, "Edith's 50th Birthday", involved a storyline where Edith battled a would-be rapist on her birthday, which was originally intended for this show. Ironically, instead of David Dukes playing Anne's rapist (as he does on All in the Family (1971)), he plays her boyfriend in season two, episode eleven, "The Maestro".

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Goofs

The family supposedly moves from Logansport,Indiana to Indianapolis at the beginning of the series. However, the area where they are shown departing is clearly not "Logansport" which is a small city of roughly 20k located in the north-central portion of the state. No major interstates run in or near Logansport and the city is surround by farmland and some low rolling hills.

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Quotes

Duane Schneider: [after hearing Ms. Romano had a heart attack] Women don't get heart attacks. They give 'em.

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Connections

Referenced in Reality Bites (1994)

User Reviews

Mixed Bag...Groundbreaking

Even as a kid, I knew that I was watching something that had never been done before. It made me want to watch it more, if only to see my mother that uncomfortable with the messages conveyed; messages about birth control, the ERA, per-marital sex....can you see where I'm going here? Ann Romano was the divorced mother of two girls, one a potential beauty queen, one not so cute (but you got the idea that was her choice somehow). The chaos in their eyes was, we now know, genuine. The actors were in as much a state of flux as our nation. Women were emerging as independent beings who didn't need a man to make their way in the world. The entire sit-com was played out, probably 90%, in the Romano living room. I think they wore the same 5-6 outfits through-out the entire show. The mostly absent father was played as a philandering, abusive, schmuck and largely only used as a way to man-bash. The maintenance man, Schneider, made phallic gestures with his ever present hammer and was never really fleshed out as a character but at the end of the run he was suddenly more evolved and flirted around with Anne...never made any sense to me at all. I loved the complicated teenage angst, as I was approaching that age myself, and the questions that as a young girl I never realized I was even entitled to ask. It was the 1970's and women were cutting their hair, burning their bras, tossing their inhibitions to the wind...but at my military family household you would never have known it was happening. If I have one criticism of this show, and it's been a 'thing' with me for 30 years, it's the physical language used in the portrayal of Anne by Bonnie Franklin...I never understood her intense anger. She wasn't just driven to make it on her own, you got the idea she was capable of violence if her rights were challenged. It might have been because she was petite but her chin always seemed to be up and stuck way forward...unnauturally posed so that you could actually see her neck rather than her face, and during those shots she was typically photographed from the side...you'd never have seen her face-on otherwise...it was truly 'in your face' and she'd effect that pose while grinning...it was almost maniacal. Again, the actress and the character were both up against a wall. The show had it's critics but refused to back down. A lot was on the line and everyone was watching. There were moments where she seemed less frantic, less controlling, and had touching moments with her daughters...but they were few and far between. By far, the daughters were the central characters, especially Mackenzie Phillips character, Julie. She was too tall, too thin, had acne and was a perpetual wreck...she embodied the way a lot of teen girls felt back then. Everyone wanted to be Barbara; organized, clean, funny, beautiful. A lot went on in that living room!