Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1980s 3 Mins Read

    Scruples

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 8 0 (USA)
    3 x 120 minute episodes

    Based on the best-selling novel by Judith Krantz, the three-part miniseries Scruples followed the life story of the improbably beautiful, preposterously wealthy young widow Billy Ikehorn and her path to riches.

    The glossy, super-slick $6 million production opens with Billy (Lindsay Wagner) leaving her mansion in Beverly Hills to scatter her zillionaire husband’s ashes over the Pacific Ocean from a helicopter flown by pilot Hank Sanders (Robert Wood).

    Having dispensed with hubby’s remnants, Billy invites Hank to make love to her in a motel room, where she already has chilled champagne waiting by a plush king size bed . . .

    From the motel, she goes directly to the opening party for her new luxury Beverly Hills fashion boutique (called ‘Scruples’, geddit?).

    scruples_wagner

    It is here that Billy thinks back over her life . . . firstly to Boston in the late 1960s when she was an overweight and badly-dressed schoolgirl of 18.

    At an Aunt’s insistence, she is sent to Paris where her appearance improves as much as her French. The ugly duckling, predictably, becomes a beauty.

    She falls in love, has her heart broken and returns to America a tougher and wiser girl.

    The series then follows Billy through love affairs, marriage to a millionaire, widowhood, her creation of the exclusive Scruples boutique, her remarriage to film-maker Vito Orsini and ultimately motherhood.

    Along the way she’s doped at a party and compromising pictures are taken. Blackmail rears its ugly head, she foils the attempt, is attacked and someone else is murdered.

    As in all blockbusters, there’s a tangled web of sub-plots with the emphasis on who’s been sleeping in whose bed.

    For starters, there’s sexually prolific photographer Spider Elliott and his partner, French designer Valentine O’Neill (Marie France Pisier), who both work for Billy. Spider falls in love with a model, Melanie, who makes it to Hollywood via a lesbian relationship with the editor of a fashion magazine; meanwhile Valentine falls in love with a homosexual.

    The cast is stacked with beautiful people and the plot has everything you would expect from a novel which dominated airport bookstands – torrid love affairs, blackmail, intrigue, and murder.

    Billy Ikehorn
    Lindsay Wagner
    Ellis Ikehorn
    Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
    Edouard de la Cote de Grace
    Francois-Marie Benard
    Spider Elliott
    Barry Bostwick
    Valentine O’Neill
    Marie France Pisier
    Maggie McGregor
    Connie Stevens
    Alan Wilton
    Michael Callan
    Harriet Toppingham
    Gene Tierney
    Vito Orsini
    Nick Mancuso
    Josh Hillman
    Robert Reed
    Mary Ann Evans
    Louise Latham
    Lilianne de Vertdulac
    Genevieve
    Jake Cassidy
    Gary Graham
    Susan Arvey
    Sarah Marshall
    Sid Amos
    Milton Selzer
    Pat O’Byrnne
    Paul Carr
    Lieutenant Tony Bakersmith
    John Hancock
    Aunt Wilhelmina
    Anna Lee
    Joanne Hillman
    Lelia Goldoni
    John Prince
    George Gaynes
    Melanie Adams
    Kim Cattrall
    Curt Arvey
    Gavin MacLeod
    Faye
    Carol O’Leary

    Related Posts

    • Cold Comfort Farm
      Cold Comfort Farm
      1 9 6 8 (UK) 3 x 50 minute episodes Following the death of her parents, 20-year-old Flora Poste (Sarah Badel)…
    • Trials of Rosie O'Neill, The
      Trials of Rosie O'Neill, The
      1 9 9 0 - 1 9 9 2 (USA) 34 x 60 minute episodes Rosie O'Neill (former Cagney & Lacey…
    • Jessie
      Jessie
      1 9 8 4 (USA) 7 x 60 minute episodes Dr Jessica 'Jessie' Hayden (Lindsay Wagner) is a beautiful psychiatrist who…
    • ABC Afternoon Playbreak
      ABC Afternoon Playbreak
      1 9 7 3 - 1 9 7 5 (USA) 17 x 90 minute episodes Irregularly scheduled 90-minute drama specials for…
    • Bloomfield
      Bloomfield
      1 9 8 3 (UK) 3 x 60 minute episodes Billy Gibbs (Michael Elphick) is a Leeds-based private eye with…
    • Law of the Plainsman
      Law of the Plainsman
      1 9 5 9 (USA) 30 x 30 minute episodes When he was 14, Apache Sam Buckhart (Michael Ansara) had saved…
    • Playing for Real
      Playing for Real
      1 9 8 8 (UK) 6 x 50 minute episodes When her father dies, Chrissie Buchan (Patricia Kerrigan) inherits the position…
    • Cloning of Joanna May, The
      Cloning of Joanna May, The
      1 9 9 2 (UK) 2 x 80 minute episodes This Granada Television miniseries starred Patricia Hodge as Joanna May, a…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleBenny & Joon (1993)
    Next Article Carry On Dick (1974)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Android (1982)
      In an isolated space station millions of miles from Earth in the […]
    • Crocodile Shoes
      1 9 9 4 – 1 9 9 6 (UK) 13 x 55 minute episodes Having […]
    • Aqua Net
      Aqua Net’s glue-like hold has been making hair happy for […]
    • Up In Smoke (1978)
      Two boys, Pedro (Richard “Cheech” Marin) and Man […]
    • Thursday Creek Mob, The
      1 9 7 1 (Australia) 15 x 30 minute episodes This comedy series […]
    • Life With Snarky Parker
      1 9 5 0 (USA) 15 minute episodes The marionettes of puppeteers […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    2 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.