Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Brother, Can You Spare an Ep Title?

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? may have been the anthem of a single era, but the term has permeated pop culture for the ages.

Ten cents sure won't buy what it used to. Now — according to the inflation calculator at the US Bureau of Labor Stastics — panhandlers should be asking "Brother, can you spare $1.36?"

But that's reality. How much do people request in TV Land? I'm so glad you asked. Let's take a look at ep titles throughout TV history:
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Job? (''The Dick Van Dyke Show,'' 12/26/1961)
  • Brother, Can You Spare $2500? (''The Dick Van Dyke Show,'' 1/6/1965)
  • Woody, Can You Spare a Sister? (''Hey Landlord,'' 2/19/1967)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Life? (''Ironside,'' 11/16/1972)
  • Brother, Can You Spare an Act? (''Sanford and Son,'' 10/17/1975)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Father? (''Laverne & Shirley,'' 2/15/1977)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Million? (''Welcome Back, Kotter,'' 9/29/1977)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Job? (''The New Odd Couple,'' 11/26/1982)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Heart? (''Hill Street Blues,'' 5/5/1983)
  • Harold, Can You Spare $4,000? (''Domestic Life,'' 2/1/1984)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde? (''Moonlighting,'' 9/24/1985)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Charlie & Company,'' 10/9/1985)
  • Brother Can You Spare a Crime (''Hardcastle & McCormick,'' 2/10/1986)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Crime? (''Sledge Hammer!,'' 1/31/1987)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dollar? (''Gung Ho,'' 2/6/1987)
  • Sister, Can You Spare a Fifty? (''My Sister Sam,'' 3/16/1987)
  • Mother, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Together We Stand,'' 4/10/1987)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Kate & Allie,'' 10/19/1987)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Jake and the Fatman,'' 10/27/1987)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Child? (''Dallas,'' 12/11/1987)
  • Father, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Family Ties,'' 5/1/1988)
  • Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket? (''The Golden Girls,'' 12/3/1988)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Grand? (''Open House,'' 3/18/1990)
  • Tony, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Who's the Boss?,'' 1/4/1992)
  • Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? (''The Simpsons,'' 8/27/1992)
  • Sister, Can You Spare a Dime? (''Reasonable Doubts,'' 3/13/1993)
  • Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime (''Love & War,'' 1/31/1994)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Date? (''Good Advice,'' 6/29/1994)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Hot Rod? (''Home Improvement,'' 1/10/1995)
  • Beavis, Can You Spare a Dime? (''The Beavis & Butt-Head Show,'' 7/10/1995)
  • Brother, Can You Spare $1.2 Million? (''The Larry Sanders Show,'' 9/20/1995)
  • Brother Can You Spare a Dime? (''The Wayans Brothers,'' 9/17/1998)
  • Brother, Can You Spare a Bomb? (''Seven Days,'' 4/19/2000)
  • Brother Can You Spare a Clarinet? (''Arthur,'' 10/15/2001)
  • Money or Brother, Can You Spare a Ski Trip? (''Off Centre,'' 12/9/2001)
  • Can You Spare a Dime? (''SpongeBob SquarePants,'' 3/8/2002)
  • Brother, Can You Spare the Time? (''All Grown Up!,'' 1/17/2004)
Can you believe someone had the nerve to ask for $1.2 million?

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