Lime Street is an Action-Adventure drama series starring Robert Wagner that aired on ABC during the 1985 television season. It starred child peace activist and budding actress Samantha Reed Smith as Elizabeth, the elder daughter of Wagner's character, and Maia Brewton as her younger sister, Margaret Ann.
This series provides examples of the following tropes:
- The '80s: Characteristics of the decade are very visible in the styling of the sisters and the female guest stars. Samantha Reed Smith's updo and blue satin dress in "The Mystery of Flight 401" are particularly noteworthy.
- Deep South: James Culver and his two daughters live on a horse farm in rural Virginia. Virginia, of course, was home to the capital city of The Confederate States of America. Also, the youngest daughter is always referred to in the dialog as Margaret Ann and never just Margaret. This "double name" trope is very much associated with the Southern United States. Because of Samantha Reed Smith's
tragic death coupled with the Sleeper Hit popularity of The Golden Girls, we would never find out Elizabeth's middle name. - Genre-Busting: An odd example: the A plot was typical Action-Adventure fare, while the B plot revolved around James Culver's family life and the growing pains of his daughters. It was initially a hard sell for this reason.
- Girliness Upgrade: Elizabeth wears a blue satin dress with puffy sleeves to her first date with a boy, as it is a school dance. Elizabeth does not wear a dress elsewhere, and by 1985, many American girls the character's age had started to wear pants to dances. This shows the age both of the writers and the costume people.
- Non-Actor Vehicle: The series is largely remembered for starring Samantha Reed Smith, the child peace activist who became known as "America's Youngest Ambassador" for building bridges with the Soviet Union.
