Fresno Famous

 

Back in 1986, at the peak of TVs obsession with "Dallas", "Dynasty", "Falcon Crest" and other nighttime soap operas, there came the parody "FRESNO: The Miniseries".  Cashing in on Fresno's then-recent notorious ranking as the WORST city in the US in which to live, "FRESNO" and the Kensington clan were to raisins what the Ewings of "Dallas" and Carringtons of "Dynasty" were to oil. The miniseries was big news when the cast and crew came here to film location scenes and the weeks leading up to its premiere were filled with all sorts of promotions. I still have packed away somewhere a "Fresno: The Miniseries" sweat shirt I got at Gottschalks. (And darn it all... I'd love to get my hands on one of the promotional posters with the tag line "The POWER! The PASSION! The PRODUCE!!")

 

There was talk initially of the show becoming a regular weekly TV series if it did well enough in the ratings. It stars Carol Burnett as the matriarch of the Kensington raisin fortunes, Charlotte Kensington (wonderfully outfitted by Bob Mackie). It also stars Dabney Coleman, Charles Grodin, Teri Garr and Gregory Harrison. The show was broadcast over 5 nights on then KJEO channel 47.  It had huge ratings initially, but as the nights wore on the ratings plummeted. Yep, the show was THAT BAD...and it's never been aired again. Nor as it ever had an official release on home video (although bootleg versions have surfaced).

 

The miniseries has almost become a thing of myth locally. People who missed it in its only airing have wondered what it could possibly be like and if it's really THAT bad. Bits and pieces have surfaced, but never the whole thing. But now you can finally judge for yourself. Someone named " AWESOMESAUCE1427 "recently posted the entire miniseries on Youtube. Watch it quickly before it gets yanked off!  There are 29 episodes at about 10 minutes each.  They're all below. Enjoy:

 

 

Part 1:

 

 

http://youtu.be/6mW-SeBdLes

Part 2:

 

 

http://youtu.be/H3u8bgGu7Zo

 

 

Part 3:

 

 

http://youtu.be/ppog53Ee1-8

 

 

Part 4:

 

 

http://youtu.be/-nT6L4yfoC8

 

 

Pasrt 5:

 

 

http://youtu.be/mKdLqiGwUkE

 

 

Part 6:

 

 

http://youtu.be/GdiftOZX1S0

 

 

 

Part 7:

 

 

http://youtu.be/Yo9OUs_HVKw

 

 

Part 8:

 

 

http://youtu.be/Sr6geX_924I

 

 

 

Part 9:

 

 

http://youtu.be/Di7AVS5WXGI

 

 

Part 10:

 

 

http://youtu.be/PxZAnyp6ofQ

 

 

Part 11:

 

 

http://youtu.be/UDgNW1x8b_4

 

 

Part 12:

 

 

http://youtu.be/eUwGrvz3lvI

 

 

Part 13:

 

 

http://youtu.be/iPfuUkuzen8

 

 

Part 14:

 

 

http://youtu.be/yrhLDMPF4yk

 

 

Part 15:

 

 

http://youtu.be/0BFGyG7zkuE

 

Part 16:

 

 

http://youtu.be/GN_nRiJQhj4
Part 17:
http://youtu.be/_LYLUwJHQzo
Part 18:
http://youtu.be/JFJkGAfy91o
Part 19:
http://youtu.be/H_EjX_ttKKE
Part 20:
http://youtu.be/UQw9JYVsMuY
Part 21:
http://youtu.be/EK8oUJpDCkU
Part 22:
http://youtu.be/r0d6ivllZBE
Part 23:
http://youtu.be/DowS-rW7QJk
Part 24:
http://youtu.be/b8EC9xZYVhA
Part 25:
http://youtu.be/JBtGGH-0IF8
Part 26:
http://youtu.be/vzoENmKwIas
Part 27:
http://youtu.be/GoXKPmARXuU
Part 28:
http://youtu.be/IuGtkmrF-v8
Part 29:
http://youtu.be/C1UaDTjvalQ