From rifkin@cco.caltech.edu Sun Feb 13 04:00:28 1994 To: adam@vlsi.cs.caltech.edu, dobbin@tma.com Subject: Northern Exposure FAQ >Path: nntp-server.caltech.edu!news.claremont.edu!uunet!meaddata!news >From: sharonc@meaddata.com (Sharon Crichton) >Newsgroups: alt.tv.northern-exp,news.answers,alt.answers >Subject: alt.tv.northern-exp Frequently Asked Questions >Followup-To: alt.tv.northern-exp >Date: 15 Jan 1994 13:00:06 GMT >Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton, OH >Lines: 1249 >Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu >Distribution: world >Expires: 02/14/94 >Message-ID: >Reply-To: sharonc@meaddata.com (Sharon Crichton) >NNTP-Posting-Host: nochovies.meaddata.com >Xref: nntp-server.caltech.edu alt.tv.northern-exp:9013 news.answers:16845 Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4 Archive-name: northern-exposure-faq Last-modified: 1993/12/15 Frequently Asked Questions List for "Northern Exposure" and the Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.northern-exp New stuff this time: New ownership of the quotes list. Updates on Cheryl Leah and Chance. Sad news about Morty the Moose. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Legal stuff and all that jazz: Guarantees cannot be made for the accuracy of any of the information in this document. If you wish to flame me for my lack of knowledge, please do so only if you can also provide me with the correct information. I have tried not to influence the information in this document with my own opinions, but I can't guarantee that I've been entirely successful. Included are references to episodes where facts in this document were revealed, based on the episode titles in the Episode Guide by Andy Bates. Episode titles are listed in [] after a particular reference. This FAQ, as a collection of information, is Copyright (c) 1993 by Sharon Crichton . Distribution through any means other than regular Usenet channels must be by permission. The removal of this copyright notice is forbidden. Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers (/pub/usenet is a link to pub/usenet-by-group). The name under which a FAQ is archived appears in the Archive-name line at the top of the article. This FAQ is archived as northern-exposure-faq For information on how to do FTP, send e-mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the body of the message reading send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources Please do not send individual requests to me for copies of the FAQ. My address is a work address and I'm not really sure that MDC really wants me to create a mail server for FAQ requests. That's why this FAQ is crossposted to news.answers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Related documents: Two companion documents to the FAQ are the Northern Exposure Episode Guide and the Northern Exposure Music Guide. Both are published by Andy Bates . Due to massive volume and administrative headaches, Andy can no longer maintain the mailing lists for the guides. But he will try to send copies of the Guide to people who request it. You can also get the Episode Guide, the Music Guide, and episode summaries from the first three seasons from the MetaNet FTP site. The site is 198.67.13.2, and the files are in /put/MetaNet/Nexp. | The quotes list for the show, previously maintained by Erin Sasaki | has been given to Cliff Chen | . The list at the FTP site is up to date as | of episode 4.19, "Family Feud." If you would like information on the | list, please contact Cliff. The FTP site for the Unix quotes list is still | jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu in the /pub/usagi directory. Lee Groves runs a mailing list for Northern Exposure. You can subscribe by sending mail to trebuchet-request@noao.edu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abbreviations used in this document: NX = Northern Exposure Table of Contents: I. What is NX? II. Character information A. Characters and their histories B. Characters in episode "Cicely" C. Who played the flying man? III. Music Used in NX A. Northern Exposure CD (U.S. version) B. Northern Exposure soundtrack (German version) C. Toy Cows D. Turkey In The Straw E. Ebudae IV. Literature Used in NX A. NX books V. Various Miscellaneous Stuff A. How did the town of Cicely get its name? B. Other facts about Cicely C. Were Cicely and Roslyn lesbians? D. How long has Joel been in Cicely? E. Why are there no children in the show? F. Where is NX filmed? G. The fling thing H. How have the various boyfriends of Maggie O'Connell met their deaths? I. The legends of the Raven and the Eagle J. Related shows and films K. Satellite feed times L. Syndication information M. NX Merchandise N. Fan Clubs O. Dedication P. Videos Q. Voice-Overs & Other Roles R. Did Cynthia Geary do her own singing? S. Contacts ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. What is Northern Exposure? NX is a television show that airs on the CBS television network at 10:00pm EST/EDT on Monday. It was originally a summer replacement show from 1990 which developed a large following, and was eventually picked up as a regular network show. The show was created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, who were also the principle forces behind "St. Elsewhere" and "I'll Fly Away." There have been five seasons of NX: 1. Summer of 1990 (eight episodes) 2. Spring of 1991 (seven episodes) 3. Fall 1991 (23 episodes) 4. Fall 1992 (25 episodes). 5. Fall 1993 (25 episodes ordered) NX is essentially the story of Joel Fleischman, a New York City raised Jewish internist who financed his medical education through a scholarship from the state of Alaska. Unfortunately, the terms of this scholarship require Joel to repay it by serving as a doctor in Alaska for four years. Because there were no openings in Anchorage, Joel was sent to the town of Cicely ("on the cusp of the new Alaskan Riviera") to serve his term. The show originally centered around Joel and his reaction to the inhabitants of the town, but has branched out in later episodes to concentrate more on the other citizens. NX is shown internationally on various broadcast networks: Oz: Channel 10, Thursday, 8:30pm. Austria: ORF1, Wednesday, 10:00pm. Same showing as Germany, but the ORF broadcasts without ANY breaks (paradise for video tapers!) Belgium (Flemish part of): VTM, Tuesday, 11:00pm. Subtitled in Dutch. Canada: Global, MITV, CBS: Monday, 10:00pm. Global and MITV get their own feed, since they sometimes show NX when CBS doesn't. In Calgary, it is also shown Sunday nights at 9pm on channel 2 or 7. Finland: MTV3, Thursday, 9:00pm. The Finnish title is "Villi Pohjola" which roughly translates as "The Wild North" Germany: RTL, Wednesday Midnight. The German title is "Ausgerechnet Alaska", which roughly translates to "Alaska, of All Places." Ireland: Network 2, Sunday 9:00pm. Netherlands/Holland: Filmnet, Friday, 19:00. Shown with Dutch subtitles | NZ: TV3, Monday, 9:30pm. Poland: Channel 2, Friday nights at 10:15pm. The Polish title is "Przystanek Alaska", which translates to "Stopping Place Alaska." The literal translation would be "Bus Stop: Alaska", but it is customary in Polish to use "przystanek" to describe a place (town, country, state, etc.) in which one intends to stay or stayed only temporarily. It is not dubbed or subtitled; instead, a narrator reads a translation over the original soundtrack. Singapore: Channel 5, Monday nights at 12:15am. Just recently taken off the air. Spain: TVE2, irregular times, but almost once a week late at night. It is dubbed, and called 'Doctor en Alaska' (Doctor in Alaska) South Africa: SABC Channel 1, Wednesday 9:00pm. It is dubbed into Afrikaans, under the title "Goeie Mo^re Alaska." The original soundtrack (in English) is simulcast on an Radio 2000. UK: Channel 4, 10:00pm. NX was nominated for 16 Emmy awards for the 1992-93 season, but did not win any this year. :-( ------------------------------------------------------------------------ II. Character information A. Characters and their histories Main characters: Joel Fleischman (actor: Rob Morrow) A New York (Flushing) raised doctor fulfilling the terms of his medical scholarship ($125,000 to attend Columbia University) by serving four years as general practitioner in the town of Cicely, Alaska (he earns $465 a month after taxes [Grosse Point 48230]). Joel is the only Jewish person in the entire Borough of Arrowhead County, Alaska [Things Become Extinct]. Mary Margaret (Maggie) O'Connell (Janine Turner) A bush pilot who owns Joel's cabin (rented by Maurice for Joel), she is constantly at odds with Fleischman (rarely do they call each other by their first names). Maggie was raised in Grosse Point, MI and is the daughter of the youngest CEO in automotive history ("Do you remember the hatchback? That's my Dad.") She flies a Cessna 170 (an old tail-dragger.) [Birds of a Feather] Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin) Ex-astrounaut with a family fortune of $68 million [On Our Own], Maurice has big plans for the town of Cicely. The local radio station, KBHR (K-Bear 570 AM), is the flagship of the Minnifield communications network, and is almost solely run off the extensive music collection of Maurice (including a fabulous collection of show tunes). Maurice also owns the local newspaper and 15,000 "acres of opportunity." Christopher Danforth (Chris) Stevens (John Corbett) (alias: Chris in the Morning) A free-spirit who can converse on Kafka and theoretical physics, as well as philosophize on any topic that might come to mind, Chris is the DJ at KBHR. He began acquiring his vast wealth of knowledge when he spent time in prison in West Virginia (for grand theft auto, which is why he can no longer vote.) He jumped parole in 1986 [Democracy in America]. He lost his extradition hearing in 1992, but the judge ruled that the town must find a suitable replacement in three years or he is to be handed over to the authorities from West Virginia "if they show up." Chris also doubles as the town's minister, being ordained in the Worldwide Church of Truth and Beauty after answering an ad in the back of "Rolling Stone." Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows) Ed is a half-native Alaskan who was raised by one of the local tribes when his parents abandoned him. Ed wants to be a film director, and has already started pen-pal correspondences with Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Peter Bogdanovich, and others. Ed works for Maurice and Ruth-Anne, and has an IQ of 180. Ed just recently met his father, Pete [Duets] and has been called to be a shaman. Ruth-Anne Miller (Peg Phillips) The owner of the general store in town, Ruth-Anne left the lower 48 in 1971 with an old station wagon, all her household possessions she could carry, and her cats to make a new life in Alaska. Regrettably, one of her children is an investment banker. Holling Gustav Vincoeur (John Cullum) The owner of one of the local bars, The Brick, Holling is an ex-trapper and hunter who swore off killing. Holling and Maurice are old and dear friends, but once were mortal enemies over the love of a woman. His family history of long life spans has lead him to believe that he would outlive any woman that he would marry, but he recently overcame that objection to marry Shelly. Holling is also a direct male-line descendant of French aristocracy [The Body in Question], which leads him to believe that he will pass on his "evil seed" (so clearly demonstrated by the appearance of his daughter, a con woman who comes to Cicely to bilk the townspeople of their money [The Bad Seed]). Shelly Marie Tambo-Vincoeur (Cynthia Geary) Shelly is the woman over whom Maurice and Holling wanted to kill each other. A former Miss Northwest-Passage, Shelly came to Cicely to marry Maurice. But once she met Holling, she left Maurice to be with him (Holling is over 60 years old, but Shelly hasn't even hit "the big 21" [Northwest Passages]). Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles) Joel's receptionist, who raises ostriches at her farm. She is in love with the Flying Man (Enrico Bellati) from a travelling circus, but cannot leave Cicely to accompany him. (Character note: Elaine got the part when she accompanied her mother to the audition. The producers and director liked her timing and sense of humor better.) Recurring characters: Adam (Adam Arkin) The world's worst pathological liar (as far as Joel is concerned), Adam is a gourmet chef who was originally thought to be the Cicely version of Bigfoot [Aurora Borealis]. He pops up occasionally to cause havoc in Joel's life. He and Eve are now the proud parents of baby Aldrich. Eve (Valerie Mahaffey, winner of a Best Supporting Actress Emmy, 1992) Adam's wife, also the heiress to a $22 million tungsten fortune, she is the world's champion hypochondriac and once chained Joel to her cabin so that she could have a doctor in-house round-the-clock [The Bumpy Road to Love]. Bernard Stevens (Richard Cummings, Jr.) Chris' African-American half-brother. Bernard and Chris are psychically connected-- they discovered each other when they both had the same vision of a sculpture about the Aurora Borealis [Aurora Borealis]. They often share the same dreams and thoughts. Their mutual father was a travellin' man who just happened to have two families. Sgt. Barbara Semanski (Diane Delano) A state trooper who shares the mutual hots for Maurice, but who cannot sustain a relationship with him because of his disregard for the law (tax law, that is) [The Bumpy Road to Love]. Elaine Shulman (Jessica Lundy) Joel's ex-fiance'e-- she left Joel to marry an older man who died shortly after their marriage. She and Joel have since reconciled their relationship and the unfortunate way that it ended. Dave (William J. White) Cook at The Brick, he takes a lot of abuse from Adam over his style of cooking (bacon is not pancetta). Dave and Ed are cousins to Marilyn through their clans (Dave and Ed are of the Bear; Marilyn is of the Raven). Duk Wan Minnifield (?) Korean son of Maurice Minnifield and a woman that Maurice knew in Korea during the war. Recently engaged to Pak Sun Yi, who is the daughter of Maurice's sworn enemy, Pak Sun Yat. | Ron Bantz (Doug Ballard) and Erick (Don R. McManus) Owners of one of the local bed and breakfast establishments. They bought the property from Maurice, whom they thought at first to be a "kindred spirit," since he lives alone, loves gourmet food and show tunes. They also double as archaeological excavationists [Survival of the Species], and Ron has served as a translator for Maurice and his Korean son, Duk Wan [Sleeping with the Enemy]. Ron served as a Marine in the Korean war. Leonard Quinhagak (Graham Greene) Leonard is a shaman, and his healing skills have been shown in a number of episodes. Recently, Leonard diagnosed Ed as having the call and the abilities to be a shaman, but he warned Ed that his life would be very different if he takes up the calling. Walt (Moultrie Patten) We don't know much about Walt, other than that he's a friend of Ruth-Anne and Holling. He's been showing up more and more, though (in the Brick, | spitting seeds with Joel, and other places.) We do know that he's a trapper. | [Baby Blues] Mike Monroe (Anthony Edwards) A lawyer who once suffered from MSC (multiple chemical sensitivity), he lived in a geodesic dome off of Highway 3. He was hyper-allegic to the environment around him, a condition that developed in the last few years of his life. Why is this written in past tense? Mike was cured during his stay in Cicely and has since left to fight environmental villains as a lawyer for Greenpeace. Joel still thinks he's wacko, cured or not, but Maggie is attracted to him. Morty (Morty the Moose) | Details are still sketchy, but Morty recently passed away. He was part of | the captive moose herd maintained at a Washington State Univ. research | station. According to some reports, another moose at the station (Minnie) | died of a cobalt and copper deficiency, and it was too late to save Morty. | Morty was about five years old at the time of his death. Most moose live | only 6 or 7 years in captivity, as opposed to up to 16 years in the wild. | Morty is survived by a number of offspring, including Melody and | Matilda, sired in the spring of 1993. B. Characters in "Cicely" (and their modern day equivalents) Ned Svenborg = Ed Mace Mobrey = Maurice Kit = Chris Sally = Shelly Abe = Holling Mary O'Keefe = Maggie Franz Kafka = Joel Nurse = Marilyn Rhoda = Ruth-Anne (woman at meeting) The actress who played Roslyn (Jo Anderson) also played Jane, Holling's school teacher, in the episode "Learning Curve." C. Who played the Flying Man in the episode involving the circus coming to Cicely? [Get Real] The Flying Man (Enrico Bellati) was played by Bill Irwin. A bio of him in the Playbill for "Largely New York," one of his Broadway shows, says the following: BILL IRWIN (The Post-Modern Hoofer, Author, Director and Co-Choreographer) was an original member of KRAKEN, a theatre company directed by Herbert Blau, and was an original member of the Pickle Family Circus of San Francisco, where he worked with Larry Pisoni and Geoff Hoyle. He appeared as a guest artist with the ODC Dance Company of San Francisco, which first produced his original work. His own pieces, often developed with Doug Skinner and Michael O'Connor, include "Not Quite/New York," "The Courtroom" and "The Regard of Flight" (PBS "Great Performances"). Skinner, Irwin and O'Connor have performed "The Regard of Flight" on and Off-Broadway, across the United States and in Sydney, Australia. Mr Irwin most recently appeared on the New York stage with Steve Martin, Robin Williams and F. Murray Abraham in "Waiting for Godot" at Lincoln Center. At the La Jolla Playhouse he played Galy Gay in Brecht's "A Man's a Man," Medvedenko in "The Sea Gull" and Arlecchino in "Three Cuckolds." He has appeared on Broadway in "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" and "5-6-7-8 . . . Dance!" On television he has been seen on "Saturday Night Live," "The Tonight Show," "The Cosby Show" and HBO's "Bette Midler, Mondo Beyondo." In Britain he appeared on the BBC "Paul Daniels Magic Show." His film credits include the 1981 Robert Altman movie "Popeye," Alan Alda's "A New Life" and John Sayles' "Eight Men Out." In 1983 Mr. Irwin was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer's Fellowship, and in 1984 was named a Guggenheim Fellow and awarded a five-year MacArthur Fellowship. He gratefully acknowledges those awards. The Playbill was copyright 1989, and since then he has appeared in: "Steppin' Out" as Liza Minelli's only male student "My Blue Heaven" as the partner of Rick Moranis Bobby McFerrin's video of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" "Eight Men Out" "Fool Moon" (current Broadway production) Great Performances: "Soundheim: A Celibration at Carnegie Hall" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ III. Music Used in NX You can get a list of the songs used in a specific NX episode. Send a SASE and the name of the episode you want to list from to: Northern Exposure Song List 3000 Olympic Blvd. Suite 2575 Santa Monica, CA 90404 A. Northern Exposure CD (U.S. version) The CD includes: 1. Theme from Northern Exposure [Pilot, Kodiak] Performed by David Schwartz 2. Jolie Louise [Pilot, The Body in Question, Old Tree] Performed by Daniel Lanois 3. Hip Hug-Her [Animals R Us; My Mother, My Sister] Performed by Booker T. and the MG's 4. At Last [Slow Dance] Performed by Etta James 5. Everybody Be Yoself [Spring Break] Performed by Chic Street Man 6. Alaskan Nights [It Happened in Juneau, Our Tribe] Performed by David Schwartz 7. Don Quichotte [Jules et Joel] Performed by Magazine 60 8. When I Grow Too Old to Dream [The Big Kiss] Performed by Nat "King" Cole and His Trio 9. Emabhaceni [Roots] Performed by Miriam Makeba 10. Gimme Three Steps [My Mother, My Sister] Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd 11. Bailero from Chants d'Auvergne [Wake-Up Call] Performed by Frederica Von Stade with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Antonio de Almeda 12. Medley: A Funeral in My Brain [Things Become Extinct, Our Tribe, Ill Wind, ...] Woody the Indian [Sex, Lies, and Ed's Tape] The Tellakutans [Seoul Mates, The Body in Question] Performed by David Schwartz B. Northern Exposure soundtrack (German version) The title is "Ausgerechnet Alaska" (like the series title). It is distributed by IDEAL Vertrieb, Wichmannstr. 4, 2000 Hamburg 52. The tracks: 1. The Moose "Northern Exposure Theme-Mix" 2. The Kingsmen "Louie Louie" 3. Little Milton "Stand By Me" 4. Lee Dorsey "Ya Ya" 5. Billy Steward "Summertime" 6. Little Richard "Good Golly Miss Molly" 7. Coasters "Little Egypt" 8. The Drifters "On Broadway" 9. Dolly Parton "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" 10. Guy Mitchell "Singing The Blues" 11. Patsy Cline "Crazy" 12. Paul Anka "My Way" 13. The Marcels "Blue Moon" 14. Showaddiwaddi "Who Put The Bomp" 15. Trini Lopez "This Is Your Land" 16. Jerry Butler "Moon River" 17. Andy Williams "Man Is A Many Splendored Thing" C. Toy Cows [It Happened in Juneau] Aaron Naas did the detective work to answer the most important question since time began-- mainly, who did the song "Toy Cows in Africa"? The song "Toy Cows In Africa" is by a group called Chance. Updates on Chance: Cheryl Leah and Ed Willet moved from L.A. to Wisconsin. Their CD is finally out, and Cheryl has it available for $16.50 postpaid within the U.S. Send your order to: | Cheryl Leah | W10993 Black Hawk Trail | Fox Lake, WI 53933 | 414-928-2389 She and Ed plan to continue their musical pursuits in Wisconsin under the name Chance. D. Turkey In The Straw [Learning Curve] Kimiye Tipton posted the answer to yet another burning NX music question. The Orlando Sentinel TV critic, Greg Dawson, got the following info from CBS, regarding what sounded like an Native American version of "Turkey in the Straw" in "Learning Curve." The scene was of Marilyn touring around Seattle, accompanied by this piece. The song is "Ojibway Square Dance" from _Songs_of_the_People_ by Georgia Wettlin-Larsen. It can be ordered from The Melody Shop (218-751-5303) in Bemidji, Minn. E. Ebudae [Northern Lights] The piece played at the end of the episode "Northern Lights," where Chris is displaying his sculpture of light, is "Ebudae" by Enya, from her album "Shepherd Moons." It is sung in Gaelic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV. Literature Used in NX There was a syndicated article that appeared in the New York Times and other various newspapers around the U.S. that started to touch on the list of books that Chris has quoted/read on the air. Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Renascence and Other Poems" Joseph Campbell, "Power of Myth" Shakespeare, the complete works Stephen Hawking, "A Brief History of Time" Hegel, "Early Technological Writings" Kierkegaard, "Sickness Unto Death" Emmanuel Kant, "Critique of Pure Reason" Walt Whitman, the complete works Nietzsche, "Logic," and "The Metaphysics of Morals" Tolstoy, "War and Peace" Maurice Sendak, "Where the Wild Things Are" Baudelaire, "Flowers of Evil" (in translation, Chris does not read French) "The Papers of Thomas Jefferson" Alexis do Tocqueville, the complete works Additions to the NYT article: Jack London, "Call of the Wild" Holling Clancy Holling, "Paddle to the Sea" Herman Melville, "Billy Budd" Robert Pirsig, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Raymond Chandler, "Red Wind" Joseph Campbell, "Hero With a Thousand Faces" | Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" A. NX books. Letters from Cicely: a book / Ellis Weiner; based on the Universal Television series Northern Exposure created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey. -- New York: Pocket Books, c1992. ISBN 0-671-77735-1. CIP (May. 92) A series of letters from each character to various people; the author has tried to keep his voice in sync with the individual characters. The Northern Exposure Cookbook Ellis Weiner from Contemporary Books A collection of recipes for a community feast, as the characters would probably fix them. Scott Nance, EXPOSING NORTHERN EXPOSURE, Pioneer Books, Inc., 5715 N. Balsam Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130, 1992 ISBN 1-55698-324-7, $14.95 The book details all the NEXP episodes from the pilot to "Cicely." Included are cast interviews, character bios, and a number of character, location, and set photos, none in color. Chris in the Morning: Love, Life, and the whole Karmic Enchilada Compiled and Edited by Louis Chunovic Published by Contemporary Books ISBN: 0-8092-3762-8 The Northern Exposure Book Louis Chunovic A Citadel Press Book published by Carol Publishing Group 120 Enterprise Ave., Secaucus, NJ 07094 ISBN 0-8065-1409-4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ V. Various Miscellaneous Stuff A. How did the town of Cicely get its name? Cicely was founded, but nameless (and lawless) until two women, Cicely and Roslyn, came to town to form a utopian society. For more details, see the episode "Cicely" which tells the history of the two women and the society. For those people who haven't seen the show, the town is (obviously) named after Cicely, due to her selfless death to protect Roslyn. B. Other facts about Cicely According to some publicity photographs, the population is 215 and elevation is 6572 feet. Other people have reported that Brand and Falsey set the town's population at 839, since they were originally paid $839,000 an episode. In "Survival of the Species" Ed states it as 849, which was confirmed in a few later episodes. C. Were Cicely and Roslyn lesbians? Yes. Maurice has asked Chris to downplay this part of their town's history. It is also alluded to in the pilot episode, where Maurice tries to tell Joel that, despite what other people will tell him, they were just good friends. It is not stated but alluded to in "Cicely" during the conversation between Mary O'Keefe and Roslyn about alternatives to men. The two innkeepers, Ron and Eric, are also gay. D. How long has Joel been in Cicely? Joel's contract originally required four years of service to the state of Alaska. In the episode "Thanksgiving," the rising cost of living and devaluation of the US dollar caused the state to add another year to Joel's "sentence." The latest markers on Joel's journey out of Alaska are (episodes listed in order of their original air dates): Russian Flu (first season): Joel says that it's been 2 months since he and Elaine were together. Spring Break (first season): Joel says that he's been in Cicely for 10 months without experiencing intimate sexual contact. Goodbye to All That (second season): Chris says that Joel has been there eight months. Lost and Found (third season-- Joel renews his subscription to _The_New_Yorker_): 3 years, 8 months, 22 days, and 15 hours to go Thanksgiving (fourth season): 3 years, 9 months, 17 days, and 1 hour to go (but what's another hour?) Learning Curve (fourth season): Anything he currently has + 2 months to repay the $800 he borrowed from Maurice. Love's Labour Mislaid (fourth season, 1993): Ed states that he will have known Joel for 2 years in June. Family Feud (fourth season): Maggie and Joel argue about their relationship after having known each other for 2.5 years. The writers have been much busier lately (in the fourth season) giving clues about how long Joel has been there, or how long he has left. Still, because of the open-ended nature of the show's run, it is possible that the time spent on the show will not match the exact calendar time from the premiere episode (see episodes of "MASH" for a comparison to this situation). E. Why are there no children in the show? Well, a lot of people who subscribe to this newsgroup are pretty glad there aren't any main characters who are under 18 years of age. Others believe that children are missing and should be included. There have been children in certain episodes; there were children in Ed's film "Cicely" [Animals R Us], there were children around during the visit by the circus [Get Real], and there were children at the wedding [The Wedding]. And of course, there is baby Aldrich, the progeny of Adam and Eve, and the upcoming offspring of Shelly and Holling. But if you think about the lack of children, consider that most of the main characters are single and highly independent, so the inclusion of any children would be against the characters as drawn so far in the show. F. Where is NX filmed? NX is filmed in the town of Roslyn, Washington. There really is a Roslyn('s) Cafe', a bar where The Brick is (but the inside looks nothing like The Brick), and a store where Ruth-Anne's general store is located. Word from the people who have visited is that the local people are very excited about the show and generally do not mind non-nosy tourists visiting. There are certain "hot" sets that you cannot enter, but generally the whole town is very open and friendly. However, the March 22 episode of The New Yorker has an article that covers the growing dissatisfaction of a number of Roslyn residents with Pipeline Productions. Be aware that there is a significant portion of the townspeople who do not take kindly to the presence of the show, or of the tourists that it brings (they call tourists "looky Lous".) Tom Owens wrote to warn that a cop (who reminds him greatly of Officer Semanski) is stationed on the main drag through town, giving out $48 tickets if you try to turn left on the street to park. Apparently, there's quite a bit of unflattering graffiti about her and the left turn ordinace in the men's room at The Brick. Exterior shots are filmed during mid-week. Interior shots are filmed in a warehouse/soundstage in Redmond, Washington, and are not open to the public (closed sets). The church where Adam and Eve were married is in Easton, WA, which is about 15 miles from Roslyn headed back towards Seattle. This may or may not be the Tulalip Indian Reservation, which is north of Everett, WA. Rumor has it that the Reservation allowed them to shoot footage if the show built the church. An offshoot (and popular disussion) is, where is Cicely? Nobody knows for sure-- it's right next door to Springfield, USA. Like The Simpsons, the producers and writers of NX have sprinkled enough misleading clues that it cannot be pinpointed exactly. Some include | It's 40 air-minutes from Anchorage, the nearest hospital. (Joel tells | Shelly she'll be going there to deliver.) [Baby Blues] | It is in the panhandle, because the specific Indians mentioned | are Pacific Northwest tribes (Tlingit and Haida.) It is within a 75 mile radius of 143 degrees W, 62 degrees N, according to the ice-sculpture at Maurice's feast. [The Big Feast] It's 200 miles from the next nearest town. [Ill Wind] It's north of the Arctic Circle because they spend some days in complete darkness [Northern Lights] and some days in complete light [Midnight Sun] It's south of the Arctic Circle because they don't have permafrost [Survival of the Species] It's 400 miles from Saldatna (the length of the drive for the owner of "Rick" the dog.) [Animals R Us] It's 500 miles from Sourdough. [Spring Break] It's in the panhandle portion that runs along the coast next to Canada ("The cusp of the new Alaskan Riviera" - premiere episode) It's located along a river (or at least Roslyn, WA is), and is 1000 miles from Anchorage [Kaddish]. It's 200 miles from Sleetmute, and not too far from Unalaklete. At least we know that it's on a major log truck route, and there are paved roads nearby [premiere]. G. The fling thing That thing is called a trebuchet (pronounced tray-boo-shay). For more information, I quote a post by Hank Nunes: ""Car & Driver" did a whole article on the 'trebuchet.' It was called "Seige the Day." Two guys in England built a replica and fling toilets filled with gasoline and small cars and people. They thought that they might sell a few of these, but at the time of the article, they had only sold one-- to NX. If you want one, they only cost $18,000.00." Some references/cites: Car & Driver, June 1992 "All Things Considered", National Public Radio, Jan. 2 1992. The Wall Street Journal, July 30, 1991 Items that have been flung: Maggie's burnt piano [Burning Down the House] Chris' dead friend Tooley [Heroes] The exact quote by Chris about the fling: "It's not the thing you fling, it's the fling itself." [Burning Down the House] H. How have the various boyfriends of Maggie O'Connell met their deaths? This is known as the curse of Maggie O'Connell-- every man she has ever slept with has died in some gruesome accident. The latest was Rick Pederson, who was played by Grant Goodeve in the first season (until Rick's untimely demise). Until her house burned down, Maggie had kept small shrines to each boyfriend. Harry ---- potato salad at a picnic Bruce ---- victim of a terrible fishing accident Glenn ---- took a wrong turn in his Volvo onto a missile test site Dave ---- fell asleep on a glacier and froze to death Rick ---- merged with a satellite This is from the eulogy given at Rick's funeral by Chris [Slow Dance]. Additions after "Northwest Passages": Steve ---- struck by lightning while working on an oil rig (revealed only during Maggie's hallucination) Maggie has "cured" at least one boyfriend (Mike Monroe), and she's slept with Fleischman [Ill Wind] but he hasn't died (yet). I. The legends of the Raven and the Eagle A long time ago, the Raven looked down from the sky and saw that the people of the world were living in darkness. The ball of light was kept hidden by a selfish old chief. So the Raven turned himself into a spruce needle, and floated on the river where the chief's daughter came for water. She drank the spruce needle. She became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, who was the Raven in disguise. The baby cried and cried until the chief gave him the ball of light to play with. As soon as he had the light, the Raven turned back into himself. The Raven carried the light into the sky. From then on, we no longer lived in darkness. From "Seoul Mates," as told by Marilyn Whirlwind. [Marilyn]: The Eagle wasn't always the Eagle. The Eagle, before he became the Eagle, was Yucatangee, the Talker. Yucatangee talked and talked. It talked so much it heard only itself. Not the river, not the wind, not even the Wolf. The Raven came and said "The Wolf is hungry. If you stop talking, you'll hear him. The wind too. And when you hear the wind, you'll fly." [Nadine]: So he stopped talking. [Marilyn]: And became its nature, the Eagle. The Eagle soared, and its flight said all it needed to say. From "Birds of a Feather," as told by Marilyn Whirlwind to Nadine Fleischman. J. Related shows and films "Local Hero" is a film by Scottish director Bill Forsythe. In Local Hero, an upwardly-mobile young professional (oilman) goes to a remote part of the world (northern Scotland) where he is initially annoyed by the lack of modern conveniences but eventually enchanted with the local culture. At one point an old Russian town friend stumbles into the scene, both towns are run to some extent by an enterprising man in many roles, and the main character deals with a kind, elderly store-keeper woman. "Going to Extremes" is another Brand/Falsey creation. It has been described as "St. Elsewhere" on the sand with characters from NX thrown in. Comparisons to NX are natural-- doctors thrown into a foreign culture with lots of colorful local characters. It was cancelled shortly into its first season. "Doc Hollywood" is a movie that was released in the summer of 1991. It stars Michael J. Fox as a doctor, who while travelling to Beverly Hills to begin a career as a plastic surgeon, ends up stuck in the small town of Grady, trying to pay off a debt by filling in as the town doctor. No one can be certain which came first: NX or "Doc Hollywood." Rumor has it that the script for DH had been floating around Hollywood for years, but NX was created by Brand and Falsey after talking to a doctor friend of theirs. A DH/NX connection is that Roberts Blossom played both the judge who sentenced Fox's character (Ben Stone) to community service in DH, and the elder Ned Svenborg [Cicely]. "Twin Peaks" has also been compared to NX. TP was also filmed in the state of Washington (in Snoqualmie) and took place in a town filled with colorful characters. But while TP was mainly about a series of bad events in an generally evil place, NX is mainly about a series of slightly odd events in a generally nice place (this is entirely the FAQ's author's opinion, who has seen both shows and infinitely prefers NX over TP). NX has done an homage to TP. In "Russian Flu," Holling, Joel and Elaine visit a scenic waterfall (Snoqualmie Falls-- the same falls used in TP), there is some vague TP-type music playing in the background (which they hear and snap their fingers to), and they talk about coffee and cherry pie. "Picket Fences" is another show that is often described as "quirky," a' la NX and Twin Peaks. It is set in the town of Rome, Wisconsin, and is currently showing on the CBS network at 10:00pm Fridays. Picket Fences recently won a number of 1993 Emmy awards, including best drama. "Mediterraneo" (Italian, 1991) Takes place during WWII, eight Italian soldiers who land on a small Greek island to secure it for the Axis forces and end up staying until the end of the war, partly because their ship was sunk and also because they fall in love with the people and the place. The main female lead is also "resourceful" and brunette (but definitely in a different line of work than Maggie!) K. Satellite feed times The feed for NX is on satellite T2/22 (I don't know sat lingo - this is probably transponder 22 on T2) at 4:00am EST Sunday morning. This NEXP feed is from the production company to the network (color-timed master), so there are no commercials. The Canadian feed runs on Anik-1 (E1), transponder 8, at 3:00pm Eastern time, Sunday afternoon. L. Syndication information At this time, NX is not in syndication, so it cannot be found in regular reruns. CBS has been rerunning some shows at different times slots but this does not mean that it is in syndication. Real-honest-to-god-no- kidding- syndication is supposed to begin in fall of 1994. M. NX Merchandise NX merchandise is sold by a number of catalogs, and shops. 1. Northern Exposure P.O. Box 800197 Houston, Texas 77280-0197 1-800-762-6600 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) (713) 744-1922 (310) 908-7627 When you order merchandise, "2 - 4% of Net Proceeds will go to World Wildlife Fund" (this is what the catalog claims.) Merchandise available in the latest catalog includes a stuffed moose wearing a NX t-shirt, mugs, sweatshirts and t-shirts with various designs, hats with various logos, the NX CD, and a 32oz. sports bottle free with every order over $60.00. Be forewarned-- when you call to order a catalog, you may get an operator who wants your credit card number. This happened to quite a few people, (including me :-), but it's fairly easy to talk them out of it. 2. Universal Studios Theme Park, Orlando, FL. Great selection of stuff in their souvenir shop that contains merchandise from their various tv shows and movies. 3. Wireless, the catalog of National Public Radio Pretty much the same stuff as #1 - tshirts, sweatshirts, mugs, etc. 4. Memory Makers - Home of Northern Exposure Gifts and Souvenirs PO Box 369 Roslyn, WA 98941 (509) 649-2557. This is the shop right smack in the middle of everything. They have everything imaginable with a NX logo on it. N. Fan Clubs There are two fan clubs that Larry Klaes has provided information for. There may be more, but I don't have any other addresses or information. An Oasis P.O. Box 63162 Phila., PA 19154 A1Burokas@aol.com (Club Pres. email id (America On-Line)) Northern Exposure Fan Club in Florida P.O. Box 2605 Orlando, FL 32802-2605 O. Dedication There was a dedication at the end of March 15, 1993 episode for John "Yomi" Rothlisberger, but no explanation about him. Rothlisberger was an elderly farmer who lived in Roslyn, Wash.,where the show is filmed, and he appeared in virtually every episode as an extra. When he died recently, the producers and crew felt as if they had lost an adopted cast member. P. Videos MCA is releasing episodes of NEXP on both VHS and Laserdisc format. For those interested, here is some preliminary info: Laserdiscs: MCA41568LD Pilot/Aurora Borealis $34.98 MCA41569LD Cicely/Northwest Passages $34.98 Thanksgiving/Seoul Mates $34.98 Videotapes: MCA81482 Pilot $14.98 MCA81559 Cicely $14.98 MCA81560 Spring Break $14.98 MCA81562 Northwest Passages $14.98 MCA81483 Aurora Borealis $14.98 No word yet on other formats. Q. Voice-Overs & Other Roles The following is the current information that I have on voice-overs and other roles that the NX actors have undertaken currently and in the past. I know that there's a lot more, especially for John Cullum. Darren Burrows -------------- Casualties of War Class of 1999 Cry Baby Dragnet Hard Times on Planet Earth TV101 976-EVIL John Corbett ------------ Flight of the Intruder MTV motorcycle series (1993) Wonder Years Isuzu (commercial, voice-over) Barry Corbin ------------ Ballad of Gregorio Cortez Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Bitter Harvest Boone Career Opportunities The Chase (1991) Conagher Critters 2: The Main Course A Death in California The Defiant Ones (1986) Fatal Vision Firefighter Ghost Dad Hard Traveling Honkytonk Man The Hot Spot (1990) I Know My First Name Is Steven It Takes Two The Keys LBJ: The Early Years Last Flight Out Lonesome Dove Man Against the Mob The Man Who Loved Women MASH My Science Project The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia Nothing in Common Off the Mark The People Across the Lake Permanent Record Prime Suspect (1982) Secret Witness Short Time Six Pack Spies Stir Crazy Stranger on My Land The Thorn Birds Under Cover (1987) Urban Cowboy WarGames Warm Hearts, Cold Feet What Comes Around Who's Harry Crumb? Young Harry Houdini Dominicks' (commercial) Portland General Electric (commercial) John Cullum ----------- 1776 (film) The Day After (1983) Marie Mattie's Choice (1993) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever The Prodigal Shenandoah Shootdown Sweet Country Quantum Leap Washington Mutual Bank (commercial, voice-over) Richard Cummings, Jr. --------------------- thirtysomething Hyundai (commercial, voice-over) The Wall Street Journal (commercial, voice-over) Anthony Edwards --------------- Downtown El Diablo Fast Times at Ridgemont High Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story Gotcha! Heart Like a Wheel High School U.S.A. Hometown Boy Makes Good How I Got Into College The Killing of Randy Webster Miracle Mile Mr. North Revenge of the Nerds Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise Summer Heat (1987) The Sure Thing Top Gun (1986) It Takes Two Cynthia Geary ------------- Adam 12 Dangerous Curves Divorce Court For the Love of Mike Rich Girl Superior Court War Dancing The Young & the Restless Rob Morrow ---------- Fame Private Resort Saturday Night Live Spencer for Hire Tattingers Mastercard (commercial, voice-over) Dentyne (commerical) Peg Phillips ------------ Chase Dangerous Affections Plainclothes Waiting for the Light Dominick's (commercial) Janine Turner ------------- The Ambulance (1990) Behind the Screen (1981) Cliffhanger General Hospital Knights of the City (1987) Knight Rider The Love Boat Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear (1988) Quantum Leap Steel Magnolias (1989) Tai-Pan (1986) Young Doctors in Love (1982) Chevrolet (commercial) R. Did Cynthia Geary do her own singing? In the episode "Old Tree," Shelly discovers that she can no longer talk; all that comes out of her mouth is music. After both airings of this show, the latest burning alt.tv.northern-exp question was "Did she do her own singing?" (Shelly is now song-less, having lost the ability during her 18th week of pregnancy [The Three Doctors].) Yes, Cynthia Geary did all of her own singing for this episode. She has a degree in voice from Univ. of Mississippi. The songs in the brick and their apartment were pre-recorded and played back during filming (lip-synched); the scene in Joel's office is live and a'capella. The song about the lady and the snake is not original; that is, the story goes back a long time (other versions of the parable include a frog and a scorpion.) All of her other songs were written for the show. S. Contacts To contact anyone on the show use one of the following addresses: (Producers, writers, directors, technical questions) Northern Exposure Pipeline Productions 3000 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 2575 Santa Mona, California 90404 (is this supposed to be Santa Monica?) (Actors, location producers, local employees) Northern Exposure Pipeline Productions 740 180th Avenue NE Redmond, Washington 98052 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Much thanks to the following people for helping to edit this document, and for helping with contributions to this document (whether they realize it or not :-): Richard Ahrens, Iain Anderson, Pam Baker, Jason Bassford, Andy Bates, Rob Bednark, Greg Bole, Brian Boutel, David Bowen, Melissa Brown, Rodney Brown, Stan Brown, John Cohen, Tad Cook, Cliff Chen, Terence Chua, Michael E. Costello, Tony Daniel, Eric DeMund, Anton de Weger, Adam Dobrzycki, Peter Douglas, Nick C. Fotis, Ralph Foy, Brian Fristensky, Howard Gershen, Gary Goldberg, Dan Goldstein, Lee Groves, F.F. Jacot Guillarmod, V. M. Haas, Eric R. Hanson, Rob Heerdink, Peter Hillstrom, Doug Hogarth, Anthony Horan, Kay Jones Kerrin Rhys Jones, Joe Kirby, Larry Klaes, Sascha Krasny, Sean Lamont, Larry J Lennhoff, Wm. Linden, Joe Lynn, Rick Maddy, Declan Malone, Matt Mccoy, Doug Merrett, George Mitchell, Pekka Makela, David G. Moore, Tim Moors, Ronan Mullally, Aaron Naas, Bill Newman, Henry W. Nunes, Il Hwan Oh, Tom Owens, Louise Penberthy, Aveline Perez, Kate Perkins, George Pete, Tim Pierce, Darren Reiniger, Douglas J Renze, Evan Rosser, Gunther Sablon, Melissa Safran, Erin Sasaki, AJ Schricker, Debbie Schwartz, Forrest Smith, Werenfried Spit, Gary Stephens, Rick Stickle, Kimiye Tipton, Micheal Tucker, Steven Vest, Larry W. Virden, Jeff Witzer, Gordon Wong, David Yang, Artur Zaroda, Eriks Ziemelis, Reid (urrraymon@msuvx1.memst.edu), pgut1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz, Dan , The Bean , , , yox@news.delphi.com, jailbait@valhalla.intercon.com, ZOOL190@csc.canterbury.ac.nz Copyright (c) 1993 by Sharon Crichton. That's all. -- Sharon Crichton Mead Data Central sharonc@meaddata.com Life is a dark ride P.O. Box 933 uunet!meaddata!sharonc Dayton, OH 45401 FAX: (513) 865-1655