Susan Dey in The Comeback Kid

In 1980, after taking two years away from the screen to have a baby, Susan Dey (to the delight of many, I'm sure) returned to television in the movie The Comeback Kid. The actress, who appeared to be healthy and happy, absolutely lit up the screen and had great chemistry with co-star John Ritter.

The 1976 film The Bad News Bears was a very popular movie and left in it's wake several sequels and a spinoff TV series. It also inspired imitations (rip-offs)...and one of these was The Comeback Kid. Various details are changed but the general premise is the same: irresponsible adult must interact with troubled children. John Ritter does a great job and brings his usual mix of humor and sentimentality to this project. Better yet, he has the gorgeous Susan Dey as his co-star and the pair did so well together that they re-teamed three years later for another TV movie (Sunset Limousine).

Nearly every time I watch a Susan Dey movie or show, I think to that this is thing where she looks the best. I thought that this time...but I've thought that many times before with many other projects of hers. Hey, maybe she does look her best in The Comeback Kid, or maybe it is something else. All that's really clear is that she looks terrific (take a look at the pics below).

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Here ares some images of Susan Dey in The Comeback Kid:

A photo of Susan Dey & John Ritter

Here's a black & white promotional image of Susan Dey and John Ritter for their 1983 TV movie Sunset Limousine.

Clip of Susan Dey and John Ritter in The Comeback Kid

Here's a great clip from Susan Dey's 1980 "comeback" movie (she hadn't done any film/TV projects for two years prior to this), The Comeback Kid. This TV movie paired stars John Ritter and Susan Dey and they worked quite well together (in my opinion at least). Susan Dey and John Ritter would later re-team for the 1983 TV movie Sunset Limousine.

This clip from The Comeback Kid shows the initial meeting between the characters played by Susan Dey and John Ritter. We first see the pair do some jogging and later they have lunch together, all while John Ritter works his comedic magic and Susan Dey looks simply terrific.

Susan Dey in Sunset Limousine

In the fall of 1983, Susan Dey was receiving a nice amount of TV exposure. September of that year saw her starring in the night time soap opera Emerald Point N.A.S. The next month saw the airing of Sunset Limousine, a fun made-for-television movie which featured Susan Dey re-teaming with star John Ritter. Three years earlier, the two had co-starred in another TV movie, The Comeback Kid. Somebody must have thought they had good onscreen chemistry, so Susan Dey and John Ritter were again paired up as romantic leads.

In Sunset Limousine, Susan Dey plays Julie Preston, a single mother who has been seeing aspiring stand-up comic Alan O'Black (John Ritter). The beginning of the movie shows Susan Dey kicking John Ritter out, claiming that he needs to get it together, and Ritter promptly sets about trying to get her back for the remainder of the film. After getting a job as a limo driver from his friend Jay (played by Paul Reiser), John Ritter gets himself into a bunch of comedic trouble involving one Bradley Z. Coleman (Martin Short). All the while Ritter rehearses his stand-up routines and does shows in the back room of a comedy club run by Elmer (portrayed by George Kirby). Susan Dey spends her time working at a plant nursery and eventually gets wrapped up in Ritter's life once again.

Susan Dey and George Kirby in Sunset Limousine

Advertisement for 1985 rebroadcast of Sunset Limousine

Promotional still of Susan Dey for Sunset Limousine

Unlike The Comeback Kid, Susan Dey and John Ritter's previous TV movie, Sunset Limousine has been released on dvd. I originally saw the movie on vhs and the dvd has been cleaned up significantly. It is well worth having in your collection if you are a fan of either star.

Here are some images of Susan Dey in Sunset Limousine:

Susan Dey and John Ritter

Susan Dey and John Ritter appeared in two TV movies together in the early 1980s.

First was The Comeback Kid which aired on ABC in 1980.

Susan Dey and John Ritter in The Comeback Kid

Next, Susan Dey and John Ritter did Sunset Limousine, a 1983 telefilm for CBS.

Susan Dey and John Ritter in Sunset Limousine

Unfortunately, The Comeback Kid hasn't been released on dvd yet. However, Sunset Limousine is available to own. Fans of either Susan Dey or John Ritter will most likely have fun with this lighthearted TV movie.

Here are some images of Susan Dey and John Ritter in Sunset Limousine: