By Paula Green

October 16 has been declared National Boss Day.  When the holiday falls on a weekend, it is celebrated on the working day closest to the 16th. 

This celebration dates back to 1958 when State Farm Insurance employee Patricia Bays Haroski of Deerfield, Ill., registered the holiday with the Chamber of Commerce of the United States.  She selected October 16 because it was her father’s birthday.
Haroski’s purpose was to designate a day to show appreciation for her boss and other bosses.  She also hoped to improve the relationship between employees and supervisors.    

On television we have seen some sinister, conniving, bumbling and even nice bosses  appear over the years.  Well, whether you love them or hate them, they certainly have been entertaining. 

On The Lucy Show there was Mr. Mooney and The Dick Van Dyke Show had Alan Brady.  Get Smart featured a boss known as “Chief” while The Beverly Hillbillies had a greedy chief named Milburn Drysdale.  Larry Tate was Darren’s boss on Bewitched, and Oscar Goldman was the boss on two TV series:  The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.

Lou Grant was Mary Tyler Moore’s boss, while the cabbies of Taxi answered to Louie DePalma.  Arthur Carlton was the head honcho on WKRP in Cincinnati and bumbling Governor James Gatling was Benson’s superior.

In the animated world we saw Fred Flintstone take orders from Mr. Slate while George Jetson reported to Mr. Spaceley.  Homer Simpson’s administrator is crabby old Montgomery Burns.

There were also bosses that were more heard than seen.  These were the faceless wonders of television that called the shots.  On Mission Impossible Mr. Phelps took orders from a tape recorded voice.  “The Angels” answered to the speaker phone voice of Charlie Townsend on Charlie’s Angels.  Mork spoke with the voice in the sky, Orson, on Mork and Mindy and likewise 3rd Rock from the Sun characters talked with The Big Giant Head.  Drew Carey heard from high-level executive Mr. Hawthorne Bell.  On Seinfeld, George Costanza worked for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.  The befuddled baseball executive was never seen; the camera filmed him from behind as he sat in a chair.  Another colorful executive from the Seinfeld series that was seen was Elaine’s boss, J. Peterman.

Sam Malone was the boss on Cheers until he lost the bar and went to work for female boss Rebecca Howe.  Another male who worked for a female was Tony Miceli, who was the housekeeper for Angela Bower on Who’s The Boss?

Since we have taken a look at who’s been bossing whom around, we must now test your superior TV knowledge, because it is time to get a little trivial...

1. What was Mr. Mooney’s first name on The Lucy Show?

2. What was Mr. Spaceley’s first name on The Jetsons?

3. This “Boss” had no employees, but he was from the South and always wore white.

4. This female boss was hard to work for; she went through 93 different secretaries.

5. On The Drew Carey Show, Mr. Bell was fired and this gentleman became Carey’s boss.

6. On the The X-Files, Mulder and Scully answered to this FBI assistant director.

7. Who portrays boss Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock?

8. Who portrayed Artie the executive producer on The Garry Shandling Show?

9. This person commanded the helm on the original Star Trek series.

10. Name this mafia boss from this popular HBO series.

11. What show features female boss Miranda Bailey?

12. This series features boss Michael Scott and his supervisor Jan Levinson.

13. This program featured two law firm executives John Cage and Richard Fish.

14. On MASH Col. Blake left the series and this man took charge.

15. Although he isn’t a TV star, this rock n’ roller is known as “The Boss.”

Sources:

http://www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/us/boss.aspx

http://www.tvland.com/topten06/bosses/bosses.jhtml

http://www.hrworld.com/features/15-great-tv-bosses-060408

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/21/news/newsmakers/bad_bosses/index.htm

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/469616/worst_tv_bosses_of_all_time.html,

http://www.tvacres.com/faceless_bosses.htm

Answers:

1. Theodore  2. Cosmo  3. Boss Hogg (Dukes of Hazzard)  4. Murphy Brown  5. Nigel Wick  6. Walter Skinner  7. Alec Baldwin  8. Rip Torn   9. Captain Kirk  10. Tony Soprano  11. Grey’s Anatomy  12. The Office  13. Ally McBeal  14. Col. Sherman Potter  15. Bruce Springsteen

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