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Subject: alt.tv.northern-exp Frequently Asked Questions
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Archive-name: northern-exposure-faq

  Last-modified: 1993/11/15

  Frequently Asked Questions List for "Northern Exposure"
  and the Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.northern-exp

  New stuff this time:

  Miscellaneous stuff

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  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 <[e-mail]>. 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 [e-mail]
  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 <[e-mail]>. 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.

  Erin Sasaki <[e-mail]> maintains a quotes list for the
  show. If people would like to subscribe to the quotes list, send mail to
  [e-mail] with your name, a valid e-mail address, and a
  note of which list they would like to be on (the quotes list, or one of
  those that just receives notice when the quotes have been updated at
  the FTP site). The FTP site for the Unix quotes list is
  jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu in the /pub/usagi directory.

  Lee Groves <[e-mail]> runs a mailing list for Northern Exposure.
  You can subscribe by sending mail to [e-mail].

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  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. But they have a "secret" NX
      network, since they claim that no one up North can read any messages
      that they post to the net :-)

      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 , 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, Thursday, 9:30pm. Not currently showing, but hopefully the
      new season will start up shortly.

      Poland: Channel 2, Friday nights at 10:15pm. The Polish title is
      "Przystanek Alaska", which translates to "Stopping Place Alasks."
      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)

  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).

  Doo Kwan Minnifield (?)

  Korean son of Maurice Minnifield and a woman that Maurice knew in Korea
  during the war. Recently engaged to Pak Sun Ye (I hope I have the
  spellings correct!), who is the daughter of Maurice's sworn enemy,
  Pak Sun Yat.

  Ron Bantz (?) and Eric (?)

  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, Doo
  Kwan [Sleeping with the Enemy]. Ron served as 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.)

  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 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)

  Morty is a part of a captive moose herd maintained at a Washington State
  Univ. research station. Although WSU was somewhat reluctant, at first,
  to lend Morty for such blatantly exploitative purposes, they finally
  relented and the rest is history. And he's now a father, having sired
  Melody and Matilda 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

  Andy Bates has a music guide for the show-- hopefully he can be
  prevailed upon to post the guide to this group.

  You can also 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 (from Tad Cook): Cheryl Leah and Ed Willet moved
  from L.A. to Madison, 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/CHANCE
  c/o Rabins
  5302 Fairway Drive
  Madison, WI 53711-1039

  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"


  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.

  Coming this November:
  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 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 a 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.


  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)
     [phone]
     [phone]

     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
     [phone].

     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
           [e-mail] (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 in 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 ([e-mail]), [e-mail],
  Dan <[e-mail]>, The Bean <[e-mail]>,
  <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, [e-mail],
  [e-mail]


  Copyright (c) 1993 by Sharon Crichton. That's all.
  --
  Sharon Crichton                               Mead Data Central
  [e-mail]    Life is a dark ride   P.O. Box 933
  uunet!meaddata!sharonc                        Dayton, OH 45401
                                                FAX: [phone]