Anyone else remember the episode of the ’80s sitcom Silver Spoons that guest-starred Whitney Houston? The episode, “Head Over Heels,” was the Season 4 premiere, aired in September 1985 and featured Houston playing herself. Ricky (Ricky Schroeder) and Alfonso (Alfonso Ribeiro) successfully get stuffy Dexter (Franklyn Seales) to loosen up enough (and don some awesome Miami Vice-esque threads) to the point where he is able to not only ask Whitney out, but become her boyfriend. An unlikely scenario, to be sure, but hey — this is ’80s TV.
Houston performed an altered version of “Saving All My Love For You” in the episode, which marked her second TV appearance. She would, of course, go on to make her feature-film acting debut in 1992’s The Bodyguard, but for some reason I flash back to this episode when I think of Whitney’s acting career, possibly because it was my first time seeing her act (and sing, outside of a music video), and even more possibly, because as a then-15-year-old I may have been just as smitten with her as Dexter was.
