The show was set in
Passaic, New Jersey, and was about the daily life of Billy Manucci, a young man who frequented the local
disco club, Inferno, at night while working at an
ice cream parlor called Tasti-Queen during the day. Manucci was highly influenced by the disco craze and specifically by the movie
Saturday Night Fever.
Ellen Travolta, co-star of
Saturday Night Fever and
John Travolta's sister, played Manucci's mother. ''Makin' It
had the misfortune of coming to air near the end of the disco fad as backlash against the disco culture (such as the one portrayed in the show) was rising in the United States, culminating in Disco Demolition Night in the summer of 1979. As such, it lasted only eight weeks on air before being canceled. It ranked #104 out of 114 shows airing that season, with an 11.9 rating and a 20 share. The show was one of six whose cancellation was announced by ABC on the same day in April 1979, all listed in the same release in an issue of TV Guide, the other five series being Welcome Back, Kotter, What's Happening!!, Delta House, Starsky & Hutch, and the original Battlestar Galactica'', which was gone after a single season despite its phenomenal popularity.
Robert Stigwood, the producer of
Saturday Night Fever as well as the
Bee Gees' manager, was involved in the show's creation, as was
Garry Marshall. The
theme song, sung by David Naughton, reached #5 on the Billboard Top 40 charts in 1979. It entered the Top 40 on May 12, nearly two months after the show had been canceled. The song was also featured in the Bill Murray movie
Meatballs as well as the
GameCube dance game
MC Groovz Dance Craze. The song was also featured in the movie
Detroit Rock City, despite the fact the movie is set in 1978 and ''Makin' It'' was released in 1979. ==Cast==