I Married Joan

Last updated

I Married Joan
I Married Joan Title Screenshot.jpg
I Married Joan intro screen
GenreSitcom
Starring Joan Davis
Jim Backus
Theme music composerRichard Mack
Opening theme"I Married Joan"
Composer Roger Wagner Chorale
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes98
Production
Executive producersJoan Davis
James Bank
Producers P. J. Wolfson
Richard Mack
Running time25 minutes
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseOctober 15, 1952 (1952-10-15) 
March 23, 1955 (1955-03-23)

I Married Joan is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It stars actress Joan Davis as the manic, scatterbrained wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus). [1] [2]

Contents

Synopsis

Joan Davis and Jim Backus Joan Davis Jim Backus I Married Joan.JPG
Joan Davis and Jim Backus

The show, whose syndicated opening makes the claim "America's favorite comedy show, starring America's queen of comedy, Joan Davis, as Mrs. Joan Stevens" focused on a married couple, Joan and Bradley Stevens. I Married Joan's trademark was broad physical slapstick, with Joan Stevens portrayed as bright but somewhat childlike and given to misunderstanding. Virtually every episode had a plot which provided star Davis with a setup for at least one scene of over-the-top physical comedy.

Davis's real-life daughter, Beverly Wills, was a regular cast member for several months of the show's second season, portraying Joan's sister, Beverly Grossman. Early installments began with Backus, as Judge Stevens in chambers, recalling how one of his wife's madcap mishaps paralleled the problems of a couple seeking a divorce; this was followed by the unfolding of the episode, which ended back in chambers with Judge Stevens summing up his tale for the now-reconciled couple. This wraparound scenario was abandoned after a handful of episodes.

Sponsored by General Electric (original network openings extolled the virtues of the sponsor's products rather than those of its star), I Married Joan was aimed at the viewers who watched I Love Lucy , which had debuted the previous year and was already television's top-rated situation comedy; it was considered by many as an I Love Lucy knock-off and not seen favourably in comparison. [1] I Love Lucy and I Married Joan even employed the same director in each show's first season, Marc Daniels.

NBC scheduled I Married Joan Wednesdays at 8:00 ET against the first half of Arthur Godfrey and His Friends on CBS for the entirety of its three-season run. The show performed marginally during its first year, but enjoyed a surge in the Nielsen ratings during its second season in the wake of Godfrey's firing of Julius LaRosa and the resultant negative publicity.

In its third year, I Married Joan withered against the additional competition of ABC's new top-rated hit Walt Disney's Disneyland and was canceled, airing its last first-run episode on March 23, 1955.[ citation needed ] Although Davis' personal health problems have also been cited as a reason for the show's cancellation, she was seen performing robust physical comedy as a guest star on variety series, years after her own show ended.

Cast

ActorRole
Joan Davis Joan Stevens
Jim Backus Bradley Stevens
Hope Emerson Minerva Parker (pilot only)
Elvia Allman Aunt Vera
Sandra Gould Mildred Webster
Beverly Wills Beverly Grossman
Hal Smith Charlie Henderson
Geraldine Carr Mabel Henderson
Wally Brown Wally
Sally KellySally
Sheila Bromley Janet Tobin
Dan Tobin Kerwin Tobin

Episode list

Season 1: 1952–53

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot" Philip Rapp Phil Sharp & Arthur StanderOctober 15, 1952 (1952-10-15)
22"Career" Hal Walker Phil Sharp & Arthur StanderOctober 22, 1952 (1952-10-22)
33"Ballet"Hal WalkerPhil Sharp & Arthur StanderOctober 29, 1952 (1952-10-29)
44"Jitterbug"Hal WalkerRichard Powell, Phil Sharp & Arthur StanderNovember 5, 1952 (1952-11-05)
55"Crime Panel"Hal WalkerPhil Sharp, Arthur Stander & Frank Tarloff November 12, 1952 (1952-11-12)
66"Brad's Class Reunion" Marc Daniels Phil Sharp & Arthur StanderNovember 19, 1952 (1952-11-19)
77"Hunting"Marc DanielsPhil Sharp & Arthur StanderNovember 26, 1952 (1952-11-26)
88"Joan's Curiosity"Marc DanielsPhil Sharp, Arthur Stander & Frank TarloffDecember 3, 1952 (1952-12-03)
99"Birthday"Marc DanielsPhil Sharp, Arthur Stander & Frank TarloffDecember 10, 1952 (1952-12-10)
1010"Bazaar Pie"Marc DanielsPhil Sharp, Arthur Stander & Frank TarloffDecember 17, 1952 (1952-12-17)
1111"Dreams" Ezra Stone UnknownDecember 24, 1952 (1952-12-24)
1212"Acrobats"Ezra StoneUnknownDecember 31, 1952 (1952-12-31)
1313"Bad Boy"Ezra StoneUnknownJanuary 7, 1953 (1953-01-07)
1414"Circumstantial Evidence"UnknownUnknownJanuary 14, 1953 (1953-01-14)
1515"Uncle Edgar"Marc DanielsRichard Powell, Sol Saks & Arthur StanderJanuary 21, 1953 (1953-01-21)
1616"Moosehead"Marc DanielsUnknownJanuary 28, 1953 (1953-01-28)
1717"Fireman"UnknownArthur Stander, Ben Starr & Frank TarloffFebruary 4, 1953 (1953-02-04)
1818"Memory"UnknownUnknownFebruary 11, 1953 (1953-02-11)
1919"Draft Board"UnknownUnknownFebruary 18, 1953 (1953-02-18)
2020"Opera"Marc DanielsUnknownFebruary 25, 1953 (1953-02-25)
2121"Shopping"UnknownUnknownMarch 4, 1953 (1953-03-04)
2222"The Stamp"Marc DanielsArthur Stander, Ben Starr & Frank TarloffMarch 11, 1953 (1953-03-11)
2323"Little Girl"UnknownUnknownMarch 18, 1953 (1953-03-18)
2424"Diet"Marc DanielsArthur Stander, Ben Starr & Frank TarloffMarch 25, 1953 (1953-03-25)
2525"Model"Marc DanielsArthur Stander, Ben Starr & Frank TarloffApril 1, 1953 (1953-04-01)
2626"Lateness"Marc Daniels Sherwood Schwartz, Arthur Stander & Frank TarloffApril 8, 1953 (1953-04-08)
2727"Eviction"UnknownUnknownApril 15, 1953 (1953-04-15)
2828"The Recipe"Marc DanielsSherwood Schwartz & Arthur StanderApril 22, 1953 (1953-04-22)
2929"Repairs"Marc DanielsSherwood Schwartz & Arthur StanderApril 29, 1953 (1953-04-29)
3030"Secrets"UnknownUnknownMay 6, 1953 (1953-05-06)
3131"The Artist Show" John Rich Jesse Goldstein, Sherwood Schwartz & Phil SharpMay 13, 1953 (1953-05-13)
3232"The Threat"UnknownUnknownMay 20, 1953 (1953-05-20)
3333"Country Club"Marc DanielsSherwood Schwartz & Arthur StanderMay 27, 1953 (1953-05-27)
3434"Theatrical Can-Can"Marc DanielsSherwood Schwartz & Arthur StanderJune 3, 1953 (1953-06-03)
3535"Neighbors"Ezra StoneUnknownJune 10, 1953 (1953-06-10)
3636"Talent Scout"Ezra StoneUnknownJune 17, 1953 (1953-06-17)
3737"Honeymoon"Ezra StoneUnknownJune 24, 1953 (1953-06-24)
3838"Business Executive"Marc Daniels Bob Fisher, Alan Lipscott & Arthur StanderJuly 1, 1953 (1953-07-01)
3939"Broken Toe"Ezra StoneUnknownJuly 8, 1953 (1953-07-08)

Season 2: 1953–54

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
401"Brad's Moustache"October 14, 1953 (1953-10-14)
412"First Lie"October 21, 1953 (1953-10-21)
423"Furniture Quick Changes"October 28, 1953 (1953-10-28)
434"Sister Pat"November 4, 1953 (1953-11-04)
445"Tropical Fish"November 11, 1953 (1953-11-11)
456"Culinary Nightmare"November 18, 1953 (1953-11-18)
467"Initiation"November 25, 1953 (1953-11-25)
478"Bev's Boyfriend"December 2, 1953 (1953-12-02)
489"Lost Check"December 9, 1953 (1953-12-09)
4910"The Shotgun"December 16, 1953 (1953-12-16)
5011"The Musical"December 23, 1953 (1953-12-23)
5112"Double Wedding"December 30, 1953 (1953-12-30)
5213"Superstition"January 6, 1954 (1954-01-06)
5314"Barbecue"January 13, 1954 (1954-01-13)
5415"Mothers-in-Law"January 20, 1954 (1954-01-20)
5516"Mabel's Dress"January 27, 1954 (1954-01-27)
5617"Monkeyshines"February 3, 1954 (1954-02-03)
5718"Bev's Mistaken Marriage"February 10, 1954 (1954-02-10)
5819"Missing Witnesses"February 17, 1954 (1954-02-17)
5920"Anniversary Memo"February 24, 1954 (1954-02-24)
6021"Dented Fender"March 3, 1954 (1954-03-03)
6122"Mountain Lodge"March 10, 1954 (1954-03-10)
6223"Home of the Week"March 17, 1954 (1954-03-17)
6324"Pop Retires"March 24, 1954 (1954-03-24)
6425"Changing Houses"March 31, 1954 (1954-03-31)
6526"Jealousy"April 7, 1954 (1954-04-07)
6627"Get Rich Quick"April 14, 1954 (1954-04-14)
6728"Masquerade"April 21, 1954 (1954-04-21)
6829"The Milkman Cometh"April 28, 1954 (1954-04-28)
6930"Predictions"May 19, 1954 (1954-05-19)
7031"Brad's Initiation"June 9, 1954 (1954-06-09)
7132"Confidence"June 23, 1954 (1954-06-23)
7233"Joan's Haircut"July 7, 1954 (1954-07-07)

Season 3: 1954–55

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
731"New House"September 29, 1954 (1954-09-29)
742"Party Line"October 6, 1954 (1954-10-06)
753"Wall Safe"October 13, 1954 (1954-10-13)
764"Alienation of Affections"October 20, 1954 (1954-10-20)
775"Bombay Duck"October 27, 1954 (1954-10-27)
786"Clothes Budget"November 3, 1954 (1954-11-03)
797"Dancing Lessons"November 10, 1954 (1954-11-10)
808"Two Saint Bernards"November 17, 1954 (1954-11-17)
819"Manhole Cover"November 24, 1954 (1954-11-24)
8210"The Farm"December 1, 1954 (1954-12-01)
8311"Home Movies"December 8, 1954 (1954-12-08)
8412"Big Louie's Parole"December 15, 1954 (1954-12-15)
8513"Crazy Toes Smith"December 22, 1954 (1954-12-22)
8614"Joan the Matchmaker"December 29, 1954 (1954-12-29)
8715"The Wedding"January 5, 1955 (1955-01-05)
8816"The Maid"January 12, 1955 (1955-01-12)
8917"Money in the Shotgun"January 19, 1955 (1955-01-19)
9018"Eye Glasses"January 26, 1955 (1955-01-26)
9119"The Allergy"February 2, 1955 (1955-02-02)
9220"Lieutenant General"February 9, 1955 (1955-02-09)
9321"The Letter"February 16, 1955 (1955-02-16)
9422"Ladies Prison"February 23, 1955 (1955-02-23)
9523"The Lady and the Prizefighter"March 2, 1955 (1955-03-02)
9624"How to Win Friends"March 9, 1955 (1955-03-09)
9725"The Cowboy"March 16, 1955 (1955-03-16)
9826"The Jail Bird"March 23, 1955 (1955-03-23)

Release

Syndication

In the early 1980s, the series was rerun by the CBN cable network in a late-night block that included another TV sitcom, Gale Storm's series My Little Margie. The series was also aired on ION Television, and on the HOT (History of Television) network in New York (WKOB 42.4) and Dallas (KODF 26 and K31GL 31.3). The series currently (as of 2018) runs on AMGTV, also in a block with My Little Margie. Beginning in March 2018, the series began a weekday morning run on the Decades network.

Home media

Since 2004, VCI Entertainment has released 5 volumes of various episodes from different seasons on budget DVD compilations.

Other media

BearManor Media published a biography about Joan Davis, which includes a chapter dedicated to I Married Joan. Episodes of the series have been screened at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention held annually in Aberdeen, Maryland.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desi Arnaz</span> Cuban-American musician, actor, producer and television studio head (1917–1986)

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III, known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, in which he co-starred with his wife Lucille Ball. Arnaz and Ball are credited as the innovators of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series.

<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">Jim Backus</span> American actor (1913–1989)

James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis' character's husband on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.

<i>The Nanny</i> American television sitcom (1993–1999)

The Nanny is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens who becomes the nanny of three children from an Anglo-American upper-class family in New York. The show was created and produced by Drescher and her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, taking much of its inspiration from Drescher's personal life growing up, involving names and characteristics based on her relatives and friends. The show earned a Rose d'Or, and one Emmy Award, out of a total of twelve nominations; Drescher was twice nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy. The sitcom has also spawned several foreign adaptations, loosely inspired by the original scripts.

<i>Eve</i> (American TV series) American sitcom (2003-2006)

Eve is an American television sitcom created by Meg DeLoatch that originally aired for three seasons on UPN from September 15, 2003, to May 11, 2006. Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Eve, Jason George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks, and Sean Maguire, the show revolves around two sets of male and female friends attempting to navigate relationships with the opposite sex. The executive producers were Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari; the series was produced by The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio and Mega Diva Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television for UPN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jess Oppenheimer</span> American radio and television writer, producer, and director

Jessurun James Oppenheimer was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhea Perlman</span> American actress (born 1948)

Rhea Jo Perlman is an American actress. She is well-known for playing head waitress Carla Tortelli in the sitcom Cheers (1982–1993). Over the course of 11 seasons, Perlman was nominated for ten Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress, winning 4, and was nominated for a record six Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. She has also appeared in films, including Canadian Bacon (1995), Matilda (1996), The Sessions (2012), Poms (2019), and Barbie (2023).

<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.

<i>Heres Lucy</i> American television series (1968–1974)

Here's Lucy is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's third network sitcom, following I Love Lucy (1951–57) and The Lucy Show (1962–68).

<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.

<i>Life with Lucy</i> American sitcom (1986)

Life with Lucy is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. Created by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis, the series aired for one season on ABC from September 20 to November 15, 1986. It is the only Lucille Ball sitcom to not air on CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Asher</span> American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter (1921–2012)

William Milton Asher was an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific early television directors, producing or directing over two dozen series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Davis</span> American actress, vaudevillian (1912–61)

Josephine "Joan" Davis was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy I Married Joan, Davis had a successful earlier career as a screen actress, and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.

<i>The Mothers-in-Law</i> American television series

The Mothers-in-Law is an American sitcom featuring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as two women who were friends and next-door neighbors until their children's elopement made them in-laws. The show aired on NBC television from September 1967 to April 1969. Executive produced by Desi Arnaz, the series was created by Bob Carroll, Jr., and Madelyn Davis.

<i>My Favorite Husband</i> American radio program and network television series

My Favorite Husband is the name of an American radio program and network television series. The original radio show, starring Lucille Ball, evolved into the groundbreaking television sitcom I Love Lucy. The series was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) written by Isabel Scott Rorick, the earlier of which had previously been adapted into the Paramount Pictures feature film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942), co-starring Ray Milland and Betty Field.

<i>Clueless</i> (TV series) American television series based on the movie of the same name

Clueless is an American teen sitcom based on the 1995 film of the same name. It premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996, as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season. The series then spent its last two seasons on UPN, ending on May 25, 1999. Alicia Silverstone had a development deal with Columbia-TriStar at this time, and was unable to reprise her role from the film.

<i>My Little Margie</i> American TV series or program

My Little Margie is an American television sitcom starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California, at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach Jr., and Roland D. Reed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Stevens West</span> American actress (born 1985 or 1986)

Amber Dawn Stevens West is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series Greek (2007–2011), Maxine in the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in the CBS comedy Happy Together (2018–2019). She has also appeared in films The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014) and Jessabelle (2014). She played the lead role of Maya in the 2018 comedy film Love Jacked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucille Ball</span> American actress (1911–1989)

Lucille Désirée Ball was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by Time in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for her work in all four of these areas. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She earned many honors, including the Women in Film Crystal Award, an induction into the Television Hall of Fame, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Wills</span> American actress

Beverly Wills was an American television and film actress.

References

  1. 1 2 Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. p. 297. ISBN   978-0-415-93853-2.
  2. Falk, Patricia; Hunker, Stefanie (January 20, 2010). Cataloguing Outside the Box: A Practical Guide to Cataloguing Special Collections Materials. Elsevier. p. 131. ISBN   978-1-78063-026-7.