Guestward, Ho!

Last updated
Guestward, Ho!
Flip Mark Guestward Ho 1961.JPG
Flip Mark as Brook Hooten with Tonka (1961)
Genre Comedy
Developed by Cy Howard
Written by Bob Schiller
Bob Weiskopf
Ronald Alexander
Arthur Julian, based on Guestward Ho! (1956) by Patrick Dennis and Barbara Hooton
Directed by Claudio Guzmán, Desi Arnaz
Starring Joanne Dru
Mark Miller
J. Carrol Naish
Flip Mark
Theme music composer Arthur Hamilton
Ending theme"Guestward Ho!"
Composer Earle Hagen
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes38
Production
Executive producerCy Howard
ProducersDavid Heilweil
Elliott Lewis
Running time30 minutes
Production company Desilu Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 29, 1960 (1960-09-29) 
June 22, 1961 (1961-06-22)

Guestward, Ho! is an American sitcom that aired on the ABC network from September 29, 1960, through September 21, 1961. It was based on the book of the same title by New Mexico dude ranch operator Barbara Hooton and Patrick Dennis. [1]

Contents

Overview

The premise revolves around a New York City family, the Hootens, who tire of the urban lifestyle and relocate to operate a dude ranch in New Mexico. Having bought the place unseen, they find it needs considerably more work than they were led to believe. The Hootens befriend the Native American "Hawkeye" whose "trading post" was the only source of supplies in the vicinity. Hawkeye, played by J. Carrol Naish, was a rather cynical native who sold indigenous-looking trinkets mass-produced in Asia, and who frequently read The Wall Street Journal , seemingly in search of a way to purchase the country and return it to its "rightful owners". [2] Jeanette Nolan guest starred as Mrs. Winslow in the 1961 episode "Hawkeye's First Love".

Earle Hodgins appeared in at least three episodes as the 67-year-old ranch wrangler named "Lonesome". In the episode "Lonesome's Gal", ZaSu Pitts, formerly of The Gale Storm Show , played his romantic interest. Jody McCrea, whose Wichita Town , an NBC western series in which he starred with his father, Joel McCrea, ended in 1960, was cast as an Indian, "Danny Brave Eagle", in the 1961 episode entitled "The Wrestler".

The second episode was entitled "You Can't Go Home Again", borrowing from Thomas Wolfe's novel, You Can't Go Home Again . The series finale was "No Place Like Home".

Cast

Characters in Guestward Ho! and Actors Who Portrayed Them
CharacterActor
Babs Hooten Joanne Dru [2]
Hawkeye J. Carrol Naish [2]
Bill Hooten Mark Miller [2]
Brook Hooten Flip Mark [2]
Lonesome Earle Hodgins [2]
Pink Cloud Jolene Brand [2]
RockyTony Montenaro Jr. [2]

Background

The trade publication Billboard reported in December 1957 that CBS was negotiating with Jeanne Crain to be the lead in an adaptation of Guestward, Ho! [3] A February 1958 Billboard article still had Crain set for the lead in the program being developed for the 1958-1959 season. [4]

Guestward, Ho! initially began at CBS in 1958, with Vivian Vance and Leif Erickson as the Hootens, an older childless couple. Desilu had developed the pilot specifically for Vance, who had portrayed Ethel Mertz on the hit CBS/Desilu sitcom I Love Lucy from 1951 to 1957, and its later followup specials. Vance had rejected doing an I Love Lucy spin-off focusing on Ethel and Fred Mertz, in favor of doing the Guestward, Ho! pilot. Upon viewing the pilot, CBS executives felt that Vance had become so typecast in her Ethel Mertz role that she was unconvincing playing a leading character in her own situation comedy. One executive allegedly said "I kept waiting for Lucy to come in" after viewing the pilot. Hence, CBS rejected the series.[ citation needed ]

Desilu eventually retooled the pilot, with Joanne Dru and Mark Miller as the Hootens, now a younger couple (with Babs being a former model). Flip Mark was cast as their son, Brook Hooten, a character created in the retooling. ABC bought this pilot, and slated it for its Thursday evening schedule with The Donna Reed Show . Ralston-Purina served as the primary sponsor, with 7 Up as an alternate sponsor.

Guest stars

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"The Hootens Buy a Ranch"September 29, 1960 (1960-09-29)
2"You Can't Go Home Again"October 6, 1960 (1960-10-06)
3"The Lost Tribe"October 20, 1960 (1960-10-20)
4"Babs Meets Phyllis Brady"October 27, 1960 (1960-10-27)
5"Babs and the Cow"November 3, 1960 (1960-11-03)
6"The Hootens Fire Lonesome"November 10, 1960 (1960-11-10)
7"Babs' Mother"November 17, 1960 (1960-11-17)
8"The Thanksgiving Story"November 24, 1960 (1960-11-24)
9"Babs' Vanity"December 1, 1960 (1960-12-01)
10"Babs and the Lion"December 8, 1960 (1960-12-08)
11"The Matchmaker"December 15, 1960 (1960-12-15)
12"The Christmas Spirit"December 22, 1960 (1960-12-22)
13"The Model Mother"December 29, 1960 (1960-12-29)
14"Injun Bill"January 5, 1961 (1961-01-05)
15"The Social Director"January 12, 1961 (1961-01-12)
16"Frontier Week"January 19, 1961 (1961-01-19)
17"Too Many Cooks"January 26, 1961 (1961-01-26)
18"Dimples Goes Hollywood"February 2, 1961 (1961-02-02)
19"No Vacancy"February 9, 1961 (1961-02-09)
20"Manhattan Merry-Go-Round"February 16, 1961 (1961-02-16)
21"Bill, the Candidate"February 23, 1961 (1961-02-23)
22"Babs, the Guest"March 2, 1961 (1961-03-02)
23"Hawkeye's First Love"March 9, 1961 (1961-03-09)
24"Hawkeye, the Mother"March 16, 1961 (1961-03-16)
25"Hawkeye's Stadium"March 23, 1961 (1961-03-23)
26"The Honorary Indian"March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30)
27"The Hootens Build a Barbecue"April 6, 1961 (1961-04-06)
28"Hooten's Statue"April 13, 1961 (1961-04-13)
29"Two Guests From the Past"April 20, 1961 (1961-04-20)
30"Bill, the Fireman"April 27, 1961 (1961-04-27)
31"Babs, the Manager"May 4, 1961 (1961-05-04)
32"Lonesome's Gal"May 11, 1961 (1961-05-11)
33"The Wrestler"May 18, 1961 (1961-05-18)
34"The Hootens Versus Hawkeye"May 25, 1961 (1961-05-25)
35"The Hooten's Second Car"June 1, 1961 (1961-06-01)
36"The Wild West Show"June 8, 1961 (1961-06-08)
37"The Beatniks"June 15, 1961 (1961-06-15)
38"No Place Like Home"June 22, 1961 (1961-06-22)

Production

Guestward, Ho! was broadcast on Thursdays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. [2] Ralston Purina and 7 Up were the sponsors. [5] David Heilweil was the producer. [6]

It ran opposite Outlaws on NBC, and later in the season, against fellow Desilu program The Ann Sothern Show on CBS. ABC ultimately canceled the series following one season, replaced with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in its timeslot.[ citation needed ]

Critical response

A review of the premiere episode in The New York Times called it "an example of Hollywood formula film TV at its best and brightest." [7] The review said that Dru, Miller, and Mark portrayed their characters "airily", and it concluded with "By dint of its high polish it achieved an entertainment level well above that reached by most of its rivals." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>I Love Lucy</i> American television sitcom (1951–1957)

I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley, and follows the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocts plans with her best friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz, to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy is depicted trying numerous schemes to mingle with and be a part of show business. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version of the show continued for three more seasons, with 13 one-hour specials, which ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first known as The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show, and later, in reruns, as The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Frawley</span> American actor (1887–1966)

William Clement Frawley was an American Vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom I Love Lucy. Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of the sitcom My Three Sons and the political advisor to the Hon. Henry X. Harper in the film Miracle on 34th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desilu</span> American production company

Desilu Productions, Inc. was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Mannix, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Until 1962, Desilu was the second-largest independent television production company in the United States, behind MCA's Revue Studios, until MCA bought Universal Pictures and Desilu became and remained the number-one independent production company, until Ball sold it to Gulf and Western Industries in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Vance</span> American actress (1909–1979)

Vivian Vance was an American actress best known for playing Ethel Mertz on the sitcom I Love Lucy (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, among other accolades. She also starred alongside Lucille Ball in The Lucy Show from 1962 until she left the series at the end of its third season in 1965. In 1991, she posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is most commonly identified as Lucille Ball’s longtime comedic foil from 1951 until her death in 1979.

<i>The Lucy Show</i> American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–1968

The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance was the co-star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gale Gordon</span> American actor (1906–1995)

Gale Gordon was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television sitcom The Lucy Show. Gordon also appeared in I Love Lucy and had starring roles in Ball's successful third series Here's Lucy and her short-lived fourth and final series Life with Lucy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madge Blake</span> American actress (1899–1969)

Madge Blake was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Larry Mondello's mother, Margaret Mondello, on the CBS/ABC sitcom Leave It to Beaver, as Flora MacMichael on the ABC/CBS sitcom The Real McCoys, and as Aunt Harriet Cooper in 96 episodes of ABC's Batman. Gene Kelly had a special affection for her and included her in each of his films following her role in An American in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Dru</span> American actress (1922–1996)

Joanne Dru was an American film and television actress, known for such films as Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, All the King's Men, and Wagon Master.

Ethel Mae Mertz , played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom I Love Lucy. Ethel is the middle-aged landlady of the main character, Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball. Ethel was most likely born about 1905, and was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is married to Fred Mertz, played by William Frawley, with whom she had a career in vaudeville. The two female characters are close friends, habitually scheming together; Ethel is generally the voice of reason as a counterpart to Lucy's harebrained ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane Croft</span> American actress (1916–1999)

Mary Jane Croft was an American actress best known for roles as Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Miss Daisy Enright on the radio and television versions of Our Miss Brooks, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, and Clara Randolph on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Marc Daniels, born Danny Marcus, was an American television director. He directed on programs such as I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jody McCrea</span> American actor (1934–2009)

Joel Dee "Jody" McCrea was an American actor. He was the son of actors Joel McCrea and Frances Dee.

<i>The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour</i> American TV series

The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a collection of thirteen black-and-white one-hour specials airing occasionally from 1957 to 1960. The first five were shown as specials during the 1957–58 television season. The remaining eight were originally shown as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. Its original network title was The Ford Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show for the first season, and Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Presents The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show for the following seasons. The successor to the classic comedy, I Love Lucy, the programs featured the same cast members: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, and Little Ricky. The production schedule avoided the grind of a regular weekly series.

<i>Whirlybirds</i> American TV series

Whirlybirds is a syndicated American drama/adventure television series, which aired for 111 episodes — broadcast from February 4, 1957, through January 18, 1960. It was produced by Desilu Studios.

I Love Lucy is a 1953 American comedy film that is a spin-off of the sitcom I Love Lucy. Except for one test screening in Bakersfield, California, the film was never theatrically released and was shelved.

<i>December Bride</i> American television series

December Bride is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network from 1954 to 1959. It was adapted from the original CBS radio network series of the same name that aired from June 1952 through September 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Miller (actor)</span> American actor (1924–2022)

Mark Miller was an American stage and television actor and writer who starred in over 30 plays and made more than forty appearances in television programs and films since 1953. He is best known for his roles as Bill Hooten in Guestward, Ho!, as Jim Nash in the Please Don't Eat the Daisies TV series and as Alvie in the movie he wrote and produced, Savannah Smiles.

<i>The Ann Sothern Show</i> American TV series or program

The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, who had previously starred in Private Secretary, which also aired on CBS from 1953 to 1957.

<i>Lucy</i> (2003 film) TV movie about Lucille Ball

Lucy is a 2003 television film directed by Glenn Jordan. It is based on the life and career of actress and comedian Lucille Ball. The film premiered on May 4, 2003 on CBS.

<i>Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse</i> American TV anthology series (1958–60)

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables.

References

  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. pp. 345–346. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 411. ISBN   0-345-42923-0.
  3. "Producers' Rank About Par on Number of New Pilots". Billboard. December 30, 1957. p. 6. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. "Nets Vary Widely on Show Types for Fall". Billboard. February 3, 1958. p. 6. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  5. "Network Sales Activity". Sponsor. April 18, 1960. p. 11. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  6. "Hollywood Roundup". Sponsor. May 23, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Shepard, Richard F. (September 30, 1960). "'Guestward Ho!' Opens" . The New York Times. p. 55. Retrieved August 3, 2024.