Joe & Valerie


Joe & Valerie is an American sitcom starring Paul Regina and Char Fontane as the title characters that aired on NBC in two parts: four half-hour segments from April 24 to May 10, 1978, and three half-hour segments from January 5 to January 19, 1979. The series was produced by Bob Hope's production company, Hope Enterprises, and his daughter, Linda, served as executive producer.

Synopsis and changing formats

The first season, set in 1978 Brooklyn, follows the romantic misadventures of a teenage couple – Joe Pizo, an apprentice plumber, and Valerie Sweetzer, a cosmetics salesgirl – who meet and fall in love at a New York City disco. Joe shares an apartment with his roommates Frank and Paulie while Valerie lives at home with her divorced mother, Stella.
The second season in early 1979 centers on the courtship, marriage and efforts of Joe and Valerie as they begin a married life together in Brooklyn. This new updated version of the series also saw cast changes as the role of Valerie's mother Stella was recast with Arlene Golonka and Lloyd Alan replaced Bill Beyers as Joe's chauvinist friend Frank; Donna Ponterotto returned as Valerie's friend, but her character name was changed from Thelma to Rita.
The show was highly influenced by the disco craze of the late 1970s and the movie Saturday Night Fever specifically.

Cast

Season 1

  • Paul Regina as Joe Pizo
  • Char Fontane as Valerie Sweetzer
  • Bill Beyers as Frank Berganski
  • David Elliott as Paulie Barone
  • Donna Ponterotto as Thelma Medina
  • Pat Benson as Stella Sweetzer
  • Robert Costanzo as Vincent Pizo

Season 2