Backstage with the Bundys was a MTV television special that documented the taping of the Season 6 episode, "The Goodbye Girl". It aired on May 9, 1992.
Synopsis[]
A 30 minute special that documented the taping of the Season 6 episode, "The Goodbye Girl", along with backstage interviews with the cast and crew of Married... with Children.
Plot[]
The special opens with the audience arriving for the filming of the episode "The Goodbye Girl" and footage of the first scene with Al leaving on his trip.
Ed O'Neil and Katey Sagal discuss the history of their characters, with Katey stating that she believed Peggy was in 8th grade and Al was a high school senior when they first met. Both mention that Al was a football hero who peaked at 17, and then took a summer job at a shoe store, before remaining there.
After the recording of the scene with Al explaining to Bud why he is taking a vacation on the couch, Katey mentions that the Bundys are a honest family and relatable, followed by Christina Applegate explains that the Bundys do love each other, but don't show it very well.
After the commercial break, Ed and David Faustino give a tour of the Bundy living room, showing what's behind the garage door, the basement door (revealing it to be a small storage closet) and the backyard area, followed by the kitchen and empty refrigerator. They proceed to go upstairs, revealing that it leads to a small corridor where the actors doodle and write on the wood panels during the long periods of waiting in the area.
Later, the scene where Marcy congratulates Kelly for getting a job while Jefferson is hassled by several kids is shown. Ted McGinley is then shown in the hair and makeup department and brings out Gerry Cohen, the director for the episode. Gerry brings out his squirt gun and urges MTV viewers to vote for Jerry Brown during the 1992 Democratic Party presidential primaries (Brown would eventually lose the nomination to Bill Clinton, who then the won the presidential election). Ted then asks him who he thinks is the most difficult person to work on set with, before the makeup department crew point directly at Gerry, who then jokingly says Ed O'Neill. He then brings up the fact that David Faustino had recently 18 years old and could go to strip clubs for "research", before Gerry implies that David may have been doing so already. He then quickly exits and sprays water on Ted's pants, as Ted introduces Dottie McQuown, who does hair for the show.
Another scene with Marcy talking to Kelly at TV World is shown, followed by Amanda Bearse introducing herself and showing the control booth, where the executive producers, script supervisor and director watch the recording live. She then introduces Kitty Rourke, Sam W. Orender, and Barbara Kramer and what they do in the control booth, while also pointing to where MWC creators Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye sit to supervise and make script changes. After showing the booth from a different section with Gerry taking his seat as director, Amanda then introduces Sharan, the show's publicist who had been there since the beginning.
Animal trainer Steven Ritt is introduced along with Buck the dog, explaining how he trains the dog to act on command and also act like a real pet to the family. David Faustino is brought back, showing him getting his makeup done in the hair and makeup department and then talking about how Bud is a typical loser who sits by the phone and tries to girls to go out with him. Christina then talks about how Kelly is actually smart and would show it more if only she could put her mind to it. She is then asked if there are other girls like Kelly, to which she points out that hundreds of them could be found at any dance club in Los Angeles. David discusses his love for rap music and how it has grown over the years, that it was no longer just a fad. He then discusses the impact of rock and rap music coming together, which got him to like the thrash metal band, Anthrax, and mentions that they appeared on the show earlier in "My Dinner with Anthrax".
Katey returns and discusses that Peggy loves her kids and is honest with them. David and Christina discuss the relationship between Bud and Kelly, viewing it a typical brother-sister relationship but exaggerated for television.
After the last commercial break, several audience members are interviewed outside while in line to get in, with all of them saying that Al Bundy is their favorite character. Then it follows up with the final scene from the episode, with Al telling his family that despite his "travels" around the world, nothing beats coming home to a nice normal family as the Bundys (with Kelly as The Verminator and Bud dressed as King Roach) bond on the couch. As the special wraps up, David is filming Ed with the MTV camera and asks for the actor's opinion, where he jokes that the episode sucked and that David is a mediocre actor. He then spins around to show the production crew waving and then Amanda Bearse telling David that the camera is crooked because of its weight.
Cast and Crew Who Appeared in the Special[]
- Ed O'Neill
- Katey Sagal
- Christina Applegate
- David Faustino
- Amanda Bearse
- Ted McGinley
- Buck the dog
- Gerry Cohen (Director)
- Dottie McQuown (Hair)
- Nina Kent (Makeup)
- Sam W. Orender (Associate Director)
- Kitty Rourke (Script Supervisor)
- Barbara Kramer (Producer)
- Sharan Magnuson (Publicist)
- Steven Ritt (Animal Trainer)
Trivia[]
- When Ed O'Neill opens the basement door to reveal that is a storage closet, inside is a copy of the Bundy's front door with a cut out in the center. That door was used earlier in "If I Could See Me Now" after Al threw Jefferson through it for stealing his chance at winning a cash prize and bragging that "its a young man's world".
- Steven Ritt mentions that Buck the Dog, who played Buck Bundy, was 9 years old at the time the special was filmed and that the dog had appeared in the 1988 film Scrooged and the music video for "When I Think of You" by Janet Jackson.