Hot Hero Sandwich, Episode 2: Andy Breckman,“Tommy Two,” with the Hot Hero Band

by G. Jack Urso 

Andy Breckman, backed up by the Hot Hero Band, performs “Tommy Two.”

In Aeolus 13 Umbra’s further exploration of the 1979-1980 children’s educational television show, Hot Hero Sandwich, we turn our attention to a music clip demonstrating the show’s approach to exploring the issues young people deal with growing up — in this case, the sense of loneliness and difficulty making friends. The video of the performance is provided above, and the lyrics below, in this article.

 

Andy Breckman performs his song “Tommy Two” in Episode 3 of Hot Hero Sandwich. Breckman was a writer on Hot Hero Sandwich (and also played the Puberty Fairy), and later for Late Night with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and created the TV series Monk.

  

I'm not exactly sure who the child actor is, but it may be the show’s resident child actor Adam Ross as Breckman’s mini-me, Tommy Two. Ross is now an author and currently editor of the literary journal, The Sewanee Review.

 

The song, using a Country and Western touch, details the plight of a bored young man who decides to build himself a computerized pal. On the surface, it’s a funny song meant to elicit laughs, but there is deeper, sadder, current underneath. This is lonely boy with no friends. It’s easy to forget this part of adolescence. The social awkwardness when trying to find a group of peers where you feel accepted — and the rejection that comes when you aren’t. How much easier would it be to be able to create our own friends?

 

Ironically, in the age of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and robotics, such a scenario, however farcical, may not be so far-farfetched anymore.  

 

This type of messaging was later followed by interviews with Dr. Tom Cottle interviewing celebrities to touch on some of the topics (this episode featured interviews with Leonard Nimoy, Donna Pescow, Richard Pryor, and Sally Struthers). This approach was typical of the show, exploring common themes in the episode though song, skits, interviews, etc. 

A behind-the-scenes photo of the performance (credit: Sherry Coben).

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“Tommy Two” by Andy Breckman

[Note, the text in italics is the robot Tommy Two’s responses in the song.]

 

Well, making friends was always kind of difficult for me

Friday nights, I used to be so blue

But now I know that making friends is easy as can be

All you need is some wire and some glue

 

You take a small computer, you put it in a mold

Then close it up, that’s all you have to do

Like this kid standing here, he’s only seven hours old

I plugged him in and called him Tommy Two

 

Tommy Two?

What?

Would you clean my room?

OK

And would you do my homework when you’re through?

OK

Tommy Two?

What?

Then would you mow the lawn?

OK

Making friends is so much fun to do

 

The other kids they never want to play with me enough

I used to be so lonesome and so bored

But now I take my Tommy with me everywhere I go

All I need is a long extension cord

 

Tommy Two, I want to go outside

OK

and play some basketball with you

OK

Tommy Two?

What?

You better let me win

OK

I always win when I play Tommy Two

 

Holy cow! I never been so popular before

I swear I never felt so confident

Someday I’ll build a factory and make ten million more

and then I’m gonna run for president!

 

Tommy Two?

What?

Come here and scratch my back

OK

You can make my dinner when you’re through

OK

Tommy Two?

What?

A little lower to the right

OK

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tommy Two

Yeah, making friends is so much fun to do 

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Related Content: For more exciting Hot Hero info, check out:

• Hot Hero Sandwich: The Late 70s TV Teen Scene
• Hot Hero Sandwich — A Second Serving! A Retrospective Interview

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