Shabu
the Genie - Sassy, black genie featured
on the fantasy sitcom JUST OUR LUCK/ABC/1983-84. Shabu's
master was Keith Barrow, a young but wishy-washy white weatherman
(later reporter) at KPOX-TV Channel 6 in Venice, California.
Keith found Shabu in an old green bottle that he purchased at a
flea market after he accidentally cracked the bottle - while
jogging - and had
to buy it. Later, at home, Keith's cat smashes the bottle
and out pops Shabu, a 3000 year-old genie. He had been imprisoned
for 196 years before Keith opened the bottle.
Although, Shabu
swore allegiance to his new master as mandated by
tradition, the hip, Shabu resents his new master's modest
lifestyle compared to his former living large days in
a royal palace with the likes of Cleopatra, King Arthur and
Napoleon. So, instead of respecting his master, he uses his
magical powers to pull practical jokes and embarrass him
at work, at home
or in sensitive social
situations.
Occasionally, however, Shabu
helps Keith with his personal and work related problems. Once, Shabu helps liven up a party thrown to
impress the station manager so Keith could keep his job, and
another time, Shabu imbues Keith with a heapin' helpin' of "charisma"
after being told his screen presence was lacking ("You
just stick on the screen. Like old gum!")
Other people to cross Shabu's path includes
Keith's superior, program director Meagan Huxley; Meagan's
fiancé, Nelson Marriot, the station manager; Professor Bob,
the station's weatherman who replaced Keith; Jim Dexter, the
news anchorman; and Keith's neighbor, Chuck.
Keith Burrows and Shabu the Genie at KPOX-TV
TRIVIA NOTE:
According to T. K. Carter "Shabu
doesn't have a master because he doesn't believe in
master....I made it clear that I won't do that jive routine,
acting like some cat in a black El Dorado, drinking a Kool-Aid
daiquiri with a hat as big as a house....When Shabu pops out
of the bottle, he's wearing a Bill Blass raw silk suit. You're
not going to see me wearing a lot of jewelry and stuff." After
the program aired, The NAACP intervened with the show's
development insisting on such changes as the concept of
"master" and "servant" being dropped; the inclusion of
additional black script writers and an extra black actor to
appear on the cast, namely, Leonard Simon as Jim Dexter.
Despite all the efforts to make this show click, the series
was canceled after eleven episodes.
JUST OUR
LUCK/ABC/1983-84
|
Cast Credits |
|
T.K. Carter |
as |
Shabu |
|
Richard Gilliland |
as |
Keith Burrows |
|
Hamilton Camp |
as |
Professor Bob |
|
Ellen Maxted |
as |
Meagan Huxley |
|
Rod McCary |
as |
Nelson Marriott |
|
Richard Schaal |
as |
Chuck |
|
Leonard Simon |
as |
Jim Dexter |
