Nell Carter got more creative control of the show when the new producers Rod Parker and Hal Cooper came onto to the show during it's third season. The producers wanted a foil for Nell to interact with instead of just solving the girls problems. These attributes contributed to the producers decision to drop most of the cast for sixth season except for Nell Carter, Thelma Hopkins, Joey Lawrence and John Hoyt. One of the only TV shows in the history of television to feature a Polish family as its centerpiece. The only other storyline in the episode consisted of the activities director Lilly, a four time widow, having a crush on one of the senior members named Andy, and how he refused to go to her house for dinner many times. The episode only includes Nell and Grandpa from the main cast, and begins with Nell telling Grandpa to go the senior citizen center because it has a mess of women, to which he agrees. She finally sees eye to eye with him, and thanks God for everyone around her, letting him know she also thanks God for him. There were two reasons why it didn't happen. In fact it, along with Fame, Hill Street Blues, Cheers and Taxi became the original Thursday night anchors of "Must See TV" programming on NBC. Her character married the only other Jewish person in the cast, Jonathan Silverman. on DVD in Canada between 2006-07. All rights reserved. The show aired in ten different time slots during its six season run. The show has been in off-network syndication since 1985. This line retcons the events of "Samantha Steals a Squad Car", when she, Season 3s The Way to a Mans Heart has her in Weight Winners, a. Nell Carter, the robustly sassy singer and actress who exploded onto the New York musical stage in the Fats Waller revue Aint Misbehavin and went on to become a popular television star in the series Gimme a Break!, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 54. John Hoyt, however, who played Sweet's on-screen father Stanley, was born October 5, 1904 (some sources say 1905), nearly 16 years before him, making their age difference more credible. Gimme a Break! It was explained in the fifth season premiere that the Chief had died and the show continued with Nell taking over as the head of the household. I was sad when Dolph Sweet died,he was funny even though I usually see him in reruns. Nell's airhead and squeaky voice friend Angie portrayed by Alvernette Jimenez was dropped from the show. They should of had a Gimme a Break reunion movie. Gimme a Break starred the late great Nell Carter who plays a housekeeper that promises her friend to take care of her husband and three daughters when she dies. Although the show never cracked the top 30, it was still considered a solid enough hit to keep on the air for six years. Laurie Hendler who plays "Julie" is shown for only a few seconds at the start of episode 3 season 6 (Below Sea Level) taking a seat behind Nell & Joey on an airplane even though she was fired at the end of season 5. The Alvin Show. Dolph Sweet and Nell didn't get along at first but ended up becoming friends. cast members, and just focuses on the two boys and Mr. Pappalard. He was funny, and changed as the show went on, from the senile old goat to a wise old man. NBC canceled the series in the spring of 1987. A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! FremantleMedia owns the international rights, as they own Thames Television, which acquired Reeves Entertainment Group in 1990. IHeartHollywood.com is an online magazine about all thing "Hollywood." Another episode that aired earlier in the 198485 season, "Baby of the Family", ranked No. She questioned the child stars' morals, and the media for playing into the victim mentality. Early in her career, singer Whitney Houston made her acting debut in a non-singing role the Season 3 episode Katie's College. I saw episodes from Seasons One and Two and it seemed like the middle and younger daughters got all the speaking parts, and the youngest one all the zingers. She went into rehab several times during production and was blowing her money on cocaine every week . This show is in syndication on Antenna Tv and the episodes are on YouTube . is an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons (198187), starring Nell Carter as Nell Harper, a once-aspiring singer who became a housekeeper for the Kaniskys: patriarch Carl, the chief of police of the fictional Glenlawn, California, and his daughters Katie, Julie and Samantha (the last of the kids played by a young Lara Jill Miller). Most of the show's humor came from the clashes of culture (Nell, the Sassy Black Woman from the South vs. straightlaced second-generation Polish Chief Kanisky) and generation (Nell and Carl vs. the girls) in an otherwise standard 80s Dom Com setting. Lara Jill Miller said she routinely saw cocaine on the set. Final episode date. Visual Entertainment (under license from FremantleMedia) released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break! John Hoyt died in 1991, six years after his on-screen son died. Carter's character works in the home of a widowed chief of police who needs help taking care of his three daughters. - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gimme_a_Break!&oldid=1105749188, Television series by Alan Landsburg Productions, Television series by Universal Television, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2011, Articles that may contain original research from July 2011, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bob Christianson (first two seasons only), Best Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series, Mort Lachman and Associates (Entire Series), Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell (seasons 1-5), This page was last edited on 21 August 2022, at 16:16. It's cool that we have reruns of it. #IHeartHollywood. Although not noted on several Gimme A Break! Several spin-offs were considered by producing pilot episodes during the series run. (See the Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, What's Happening, The Partridge Family, etc.). No infringement of previously copyrighted material is intended on this site. "Gimme a Break!" became Sweet's last work because of his unfortunate cancer diagnosis, which took away his life in 1985. The first two seasons use a different theme than the later seasons. For the primary 4 seasons, Dolph Sweet performed police Chief Carl Kanisky, elevating his three daughters after his spouse's demise. Originally, Nell's mother supported her dream of being a singer, but later became a shrill woman who never had faith in her. I was born in 1978. The Complete Series is now available in the US. But,they should of been in the show not wiped out all together. Nell Carter and Rosie O'Donnell never got along in the final season of the show. Nell says "Damn! Prior to the pilot episode . She was a mother figure on the set. This was the first show in NBC's all-star Thursday night line-up. Nell Carter didn't get along with the original producers, Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. Joey Lawrence was asked in an interview if he had the choice to reboot Blossom or Gimme a Break!, which show would he pick. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. I also love the grandfather character. Dolph Sweet also played a police chief in the original Out of Towners movie (1970). Parker said Carter spoiled him for a good two years and then suddenly turned on him. She tries to steal food from Max's fridge and may leave on the run, yet Max catches her. I was 9 years old in 1981 when this show debuted. Before she landed her own sitcom, Nell Carter made an appearance in Hair (1979). The fish died in the first episode, and kept coming back in subsequent episodes. (TV Series) Julie Smokes (1983) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Jim Drake Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) Produced by Film Editing by Larry Harris Casting By Randy Stone Art Direction by Peter Clemens Costume Design by Palmer Brown Makeup Department Production Management / Joey's father was portrayed by two different actors Fred McCarren and Patrick Collins (I). When the two are arguing, Katie makes a snide remark about why she thinks her father wanted her to take the test, prompting him to warn her to stop, and when she presses on, he takes off his belt and chases after her. The network fired the three daughters, Jonathan Silverman, and Howard Morton, the location was changed from Glenlawn, California to more upscale Manhattan, New York, Nell became an assistant at a publishing house, and Joey Lawrence's younger brother Matthew Lawrence was added to the cast. - A Fan Inquiry to Us on Facebook Leads to Some VERY Interesting New Information! What chapter does Gatsby meet Daisy at Nicks house. Date of birth. Alvin and the Chipmunks. Carter died in 2003, at age 54. Early episodes implied it was recent, and any bad behavior from the girls was treated as a reaction to it, and the plotlines of a few early episodes revolve around Nell getting used to the family. The episode aired three days after he died. Nell and the Kanisky family lived at 2938 Wells Drive. At this point, the producers were faced with a dilemma: either cancel the series or renew it for a sixth season with significant changes. 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Nell Carter, 54, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best remembered for her role as the motherly, no-nonsense housekeeper on NBC's hit 1980s series "Gimme a Break!," died Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, the Associated Press reports. There were two reasons why it didn't happen. The "Flashback" episode shows her alive when the girls were relatively young, but still old enough to remember her. Everyone called Carl "Chief" or "Daddy" except for his parents and brother who called him by his first name. ", "Gimme a Break! I vaguely remember the theme song. For the six seasons that in ran on NBC-TV(1981-1987) in the eighties,this was one of those shows that was constantly in the top ten ratings during its run on the Peacock network. The Amazing Race. Houston played Rita, a friend of Katie Kanisky (Kari Michaelsen). Gimme a Break! Nell's mother was originally portrayed by Hilda Haynes. Nell wonders why her mother would have a date, and when her mother shows up, she meets her date, Ernie, a man from her past. . NBC already had a college oriented show in development starring Lisa Bonet, The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World for the 1987-1988 season. We heart you!!! The other cast was great too. She was 54. This sitcom centers on a housekeeper played by Nell Carter. A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the Kanisky household in season three. Throughout the course of Gimme a Break, there had been several un-successful spin-off attempts. As the fifth season saw the death of the chief, Nell became the head of the household. Antenna TV aired the show from January 2, 2018 until December 31, 2021. Nell Carter, Jonathan Silverman, Joey Lawrence, and Matthew Lawrence all play characters named after themselves. Too many changes were made and and the series was a completely different show from when it started. The episode "Cat Story" was aired live over NBC-TV on March 2, 1985. Minelli flew her to a special rehab center the Halzalden Clinic in Minnesota where she kicked her habit a second time and lost over 90 pounds. Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, CA The Kanisky daughters need all the help they can . I loved grandpa too. Copyright TV Series Finale. So three different actors were cast in the role of the youngest Kanisky child; a boy and two girls. He is survived by his wife of eleven years and son from his first marriage. Not a brilliant show by any means, but certainly a show that highlights the great talents of Nell Carter, in basically her only venture in TV. According to Telma Hopkins, Nell Carter was devastated when the show was canceled and was an emotional wreck at the wrap party. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. However, Samantha usually acted as if she never knew her mother. The cast found out about the show's cancellation when it was announced at the wrap party. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the Kanisky household in season three. To open the next season, the crew wrote out the character of Carl Kanisky and built the season premiere ("Joey's Train") around the family's coming to terms with the loss and their indecision over facing the one place that evoked the most memories of Carl his empty bedroom. The next networks I'm going to write to are TBS, PAX TV, and possibly ABC Family and request that they bring this incredibly show back on the air so I can tape it. In the end, he forgives her, and tells her he was never as rich as he is now that he owns his own deli. This is one of many shows I used to watch just because it was on, not because I particularly enjoyed it. Considering it was a. The two made peace in 1997 when Rosie had her hit talk show which lasted for six seasons. is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. However, because of Dolph Sweet's death, the ratings dropped during the fifth season. Sweet died in 1985, at age 64, while the show was still in production. Their business is recorded as REGISTERED TRADE NAME. so it is a very stressful job on top of raising his daughters without their mother, But the chemistry Nell and Dolph had was terrific. Carter also said that she called other cast members by their character names for the same reason. For other uses, see. Grandma Kanisky was portrayed by three different actresses Elvia Allman, Elizabeth Kerr, and Jane Dulo. Telma Hopkins felt the show lost its ground quickly when they made all the changes in the sixth season. It was warm, funny, and presented many contemporary topics that modern families struggle with, such as teen sex, drugs, alcoholism, dating, etc. The daughters were all fired at the end of the fifth season, because of the low ratings on the show. And as much as they tried to make it work, there were just things missing. At the end of the first episode of the fifth season, the picture fades of the Chief slowly, with no applause from the audience. Nell's middle name is Ruth, which was also Nell Carter's middle name in real life. Like the episodes "Nell and the Kid" and "The Center", this episode does not rely on any Gimme A Break! Whitney was very young on Gimme A Break, and only had a minute or two on screen. With spotify premium, you get ad free music, forever! Also, I don't think I've seen every episode. They kept Lara Jill Miller as Sam. The name Matthew would pop up again in the show, as Matthew Lawrence joined the cast in season 6 as Joey's little brother, Matthew Donovan. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff had a lot of faith in Nell Carter and thought she had potential to become a breakout star. In the episode "Nell's Friend" Addy talks about the progress of Black Women in modern American society. I like the theme song from the third season. Jonathan Silverman was a good addition after that. Nell Carter was interred in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. They ended up working out their differences and became friends. One of the episodes is called "Knock Three Times". [11] VEI released Gimme a Break! I watched reruns of this show when it aired on USA in 1998. In her autobiography, Rue McClanahan says this was a bad television show, but at that point in her career, she had to take what she was offered. GIMME A BREAK (Entity Number: 1260888) was incorporated on 10/12/2001 in Ohio. At first, everyone hates the idea, but then they all decide to have a dance there consisting of both punk rock and old time music from the early 1900s. The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions (renamed as Reeves Entertainment Group in 1985). ", "Gimme a Break! Kaser was named as the heir to Carters property and guardian of Carters children. The creators of the show were Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. on DVD in Canada between 200607. Carter performed the lyrics in both versions of the theme song. [13] and two Golden Globe nominations as Best Actress in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical. Rosie O' Donnell and Nell didn't get along during the final season and O' Donnell said Nell treated her terribly. I would be very interested in what anyone here thinks of it. Another episode has Julie not knowing the cause of her mother's death (it was lung cancer, which is how Carl convinces Julie to quit smoking). [12], Nell Carter received two Emmy nominations as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. If you grew up in the 80's this show was a must see. By this point the girls were all grown up and Dolph Sweet had passed away so there was no father figure in the house. The abrupt changes in tone are handled adroitly, John J. OConnor wrote. Nell's father was originally the one who disapproved of Nell's dreams, but after he died. In the series pilot, Katie is arrested for shoplifting. NBC had many quality sitcoms on the air in the 80s, such as Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts Of Life, Silver Spoons, etc. Over the six-year run, a number of celebrities appeared on the show, including singer Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ray Parker, Jr.. But I actually like Mama's Family so go figure. This was and to this day is still one of my all time favorite sitcoms of the eighties. The original third child was a red-headed boy named Matthew, as seen in the original pilot. In a meta-sense, Carter received bushels of mail from children who watched the show, who saw her as one for them. Dolph Sweet's final episode aired May 11, 1985, three days after he died. Lara Jill Miller said the jealousy her character feels when Joey was adopted by the Kanisky clan, and she was no longer the baby of the family, was quite real; She was in fact jealous of the attention Joey Lawrence was now getting on the set. The Season 2 episode "Julie Smokes" has Carl slap his daughter across the face when, after she lied to him that she was not smoking, she accidentally blew smoke in his face, having unsuccessfully concealed that she had currently been smoking a cigarette. I was very young when it originally aired. Logo TV may used to air this show reruns from 2015 until the end of 2017. It has been nice revisiting the story lines, how real they were , and how people can still relate .i am glad to eee some of the cast is extremely successful RIP to some of the cast who I loved as a teenager . Who was the unluckiest person in the world? [1], Main article: List of Gimme a Break! She was basically the whole show , which dealt with many cast changes, perhaps the most shocking being Chief Carl Kaminskys death- Dolph Sweet. A running gag involved the Kanisky's goldfish, Gertrude. every chance we could. The show followed Nell Harper, the housekeeper to Carl Kanisky and his three teenage daughters, Katie, Julie, and Sam. This does bring up the question of what happened to said uncle this whole time? Nell Carter, 54, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best remembered for her role as the motherly, no-nonsense housekeeper on NBCs hit 1980s series Gimme a Break!, died Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, the Associated Press reports. Damn!" 38 on TV Land's list of "The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments"; the latter episode depicted Joey dressing and performing in blackface at Nell's church benefit at Sam's behest after Nell did not allow Sam to go on an unchaperoned fishing trip. Gimme a Break is a non-profit whose mission is to care for caregivers by giving an emotional and physical break as. DVD news: Announcement for Gimme a Break! This would eventually become known as "Must See TV", and come to include shows like Cheers (1982), Family Ties (1982), The Cosby Show (1984), Hill Street Blues (1981), Seinfeld (1989), L.A. Law (1986), ER (1994), Friends (1994), Will & Grace (1998), and The Office (2005), and would dominate the network ratings from the '80s into the 2000s. But her mom did and helped her obtain it. We heart influencers and interesting people. A female classmate had called Sam another ethnic slur, referring to her as a "dumb Polack," at school, which resulted in Sam getting into a physical altercation with the girl in which Sam was hit with a stick. Future seasons adding 'child' Joey Lawrence,Jonathon Silverman and Telma Hopkins as a fine tandem to Nell, especially proving more so important after Dolph Sweets sudden death with 2 seasons left. With Nell Carter's personal issues behind the scenes with her drug use, weight struggle, intense mood swings plaguing production and yet another proposed retooling NBC finally had enough and canceled Gimme a Break! He was born Adolphus J. is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. When Carl demands an explanation, Katie makes a snide remark "She can't say anything, she's dead!" after Carl dies, much in the same way Florida Evans shouts the same thing after her husband James died on Good Times, ten years earlier. is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman. Required fields are marked *. Dolph Sweet, the lovingly sarcastic police chief on television's "Gimme A Break" and an actor who began his career in a World War II prison camp, died May 8th, 1985 (shortly after filming the final episode of the 1984-1985 season) of cancer at Tarzana Hospital in Tarzana, California.He was 64. Sweet on July 18th, 1920 in New York, New York. During the filming of the backdoor pilot Nell and the Kid, Nell and Don Rickles didn't get along and were clashing all over the place. Nell Carter To this day I have written letters to the Hallmark Channel, KSMO WB 62, KCMI 38, USA, and KCWE 29 networks requesting that they bring this show back on the air. Gimme a Break! Miller also expressed in the same interview that she felt the producers made a big mistake getting rid of the daughters and implied that the decision came from the girls receiving less story-lines starting around the fourth season and more emphasis being put on Nell Carter and Thelma Hopkins. Why Did People In Old Hollywood Talk Funny. Privacy Policy. A real romance developed between Kari Michaelson and Andy Gibb when he guest starred. According to Rod Parker in an interview, at one point during the series Nell Carter had a slight falling out with Joey Lawrence because she thought he was getting too much screen-time. #80s Began in 1981, ran 6 seasons & 137 episodes. Gimme a Break! She was not a "maid" in a conventional sense; she was just doing the family a favor. The Complete Series on DVD in Canada on July 20, 2010.[7]. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) At some point during the mid-1990s, Carter had begun a relationship with a woman named Ann Kaser, but this was not known to the public until after her death. She had suffered from diabetes and had recovered from a near-deadly bout with a brain aneurysm in the 1990s. Although there was mutual animosity and hostility between Nell Carter and Rosie O'Donnell on the set, they reconciled when Nell appeared on Rosie's talk show several years later. Carter had begun experimenting with cocaine while in the cast of Aint Misbehavin He never did, however, and eventually, Carl's worst fears losing his wife and partner in raising their daughters to lung cancer came true. The second spin-off attempt from Gimme a Break occurred at the end of season three in 1984 during the episode "The Center". Gimme a Break was almost canceled after it's first season due too poor ratings. Joey Lawrence portrayed Joey Donovan, a 7 year old orphan who would end up living with the Kaninsky family and becoming Nell's foster son. Enjoy all of Ms. Carters' talents and cherish them for all time. on Issac Hayes' hit song "Theme From Shaft.". But in the pilot, he slapped Katie, so that was not true. Helen Hunt portrayed Katie's pregnant friend Valerie in season 1. Although I don't remember much about it, I must say that it was a pretty good show. During the first season, Nell Carter and Dolph didn't get along in the beginning coming from different backgrounds in real life and in showbiz. Jane Dulo who portrayed Mildred Kanisky, mother of Carl Kanisky (played by Dolph Sweet) was born October 13, 1917 (some sources give 1912 and 1918 as her birth year); and with Sweet being born July 18, 1920, he and Dulo are too close in age to be playing mother and son credibly. Nell Carter was deemed difficult to work with most of the time. The network deemed Gimme a Break! O'Donnell later revealed how, at first, she was thrilled and excited at being cast on a major prime time television show, yet very quickly became disappointed and disheartened at feeling snubbed by most of the cast, who, for the most part, treated her more as an interloper than as a fellow actor. DMCA. Nell also served as a parent to the Chief's three daughters, Katie (Kari Michaelsen), Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara Jill Miller). Visual Entertainment released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break!' If you tap now and watch the short video you'll get 30 minutes of ad free music! Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service (September 30, 1991 to December 31, 1993), TBS Superstation (September 22, 1986 to December 27, 2004) and the USA Network (September 22, 1997 to September 11, 1998). The show centered on the lives of the Kanisky Family in Glenlawn, CA, headed by Carl (Dolph Sweet), the widowed Chief of Police in town. Laurie Hendler on the other hand, was upset and caught by surprise because she had recently purchased a new house. [5], By contrast, the New York Times found the show promising, praising the performances of Carter and Sweet and the way the show balanced wisecracks with bits of seriousness. Nell's Mama Maybelle (Rosetta LeNoire) began being seen in more recurring roles starting in season six after previous guest appearances. This prompts her to move out of the house temporarily, and when Carl stands his ground and justifies his actions, Nell, Katie and Samantha ostracize him forcing his hand and, in talking to Julie, getting him to reveal why he was so furious with her. She attempted suicide and struggled with her faith. TV Listings. Added to that, he did not help with taking care of his brother's children after the Chief died. Julie and Jonathan, who were now living in the Chief's old room, found out they were expecting a baby; their daughter, whom they named after Nell, was born before season's end. I forgot about this show and I've been watching the reruns . / In the episode, Nell decides to have lunch there just to try a new hip place in town, and finds her purse has been stolen. She said that "Once that original formula was broken, it just didn't feel the same. I loved it when I was little but imo this has not aged well. In addition, she said Nell was also unhappy with the script for that week. Your email address will not be published. Gimme A Break! Telma Hopkins "Baby of the Family" had a resentful and jealous Samantha dressing up Joey in black face for a performance at Nell's black church, to get even with Nell for ignoring her. Answer (1 of 2): A2A When Gimme A Break started out it was mildly funny. I had a crush on Joey Lawrence and Matt was cute too. 1,041. This instance accidentally retcons the pilot episode's instance by having Carl say he's never slapped one of his daughters before. When his backstory is finally explained when he reunites with his father, in particular that his mother is dead and his father was at sea, it turns out that he really was living with an uncle at the time Nell adopted him. Kaser was named as, Nell Carter, 54, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best remembered for her role as the motherly, no-nonsense housekeeper on NBCs hit 1980s series Gimme a Break!,. Helen Hunt auditioned for the role of Katie Kanisky. Sadly, Nell Carter, who played Nell, and Dolph Sweet, who played Carl, have since passed away. Gimme a Break! We heart books. When I tried to tape it when I finally got my cable back and I was shocked to learn that it had been taken off the air. To each their own though. From 2006 until 2010, both networks are Ion Television and MeTV reruns this show, during daytime and nighttime. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Dolph Sweet, the lovable police chief on the NBC's ''Gimme a Break'' who died of cancer at age 64, began his acting career in a one-act play with fellow prisoners of war during World War II. Nell became an uptight, overdramatic control freak after season two. "The day it was announced we had an MBA class and the topic was corporate culture. 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