Mickey (TV series)

Last updated
Mickey
GenreSitcom
Created byBob Fisher
Arthur Marx
Directed by Richard Whorf
Starring Mickey Rooney
Sammee Tong
Emmaline Henry
ComposerRobert Hammack
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes17 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSelig J. Seligman
ProducersBob Fisher
Arthur Marx
CinematographyFleet Southcott
EditorFloyd Knudtson
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesSelmur Productions
Four K's, Inc.
ABC Television Network
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 16, 1964 (1964-09-16) 
January 13, 1965 (1965-01-13)

Mickey is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 1964 to January 1965. Created and produced by Bob Fisher and Arthur Marx, the series starred Mickey Rooney, and was filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

Contents

Synopsis

Mickey Grady (Mickey Rooney), a retired businessman from Omaha, Nebraska, inherits the luxury Newport Arms Hotel in Newport Beach, California, and decides to run it.

Cast

Recurring

Awards

Rooney won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor in a Television Series" at the 21st Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremonies in 1964. [1]

Reception and cancellation

The series failed to sustain ratings to survive the full season in its 9 p.m. Eastern time slot on Wednesdays. Its principal competition was another sitcom, the top-ten series The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS. NBC ran television movies at the time. [2]

Due to low ratings, ABC was considering canceling Mickey. The network was hesitant to cancel the series due to the popularity of Sammee Tong's character, who had a solid fanbase thanks to Tong's role in Bachelor Father . Rooney wrote in his 1991 autobiography, Life Is Too Short that Tong was upset by the rumor; a heavy gambler who owed money to the mafia, Tong needed the money from the series to pay off his debts. On October 27, 1964, Tong took an overdose of barbiturates and died at his home. Tong's death effectively ended any chance for the series' survival, and ABC canceled Mickey. [3] The series' last episode aired on January 13, 1965.

Episode list

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Seaside, Westside"UnknownUnknownSeptember 16, 1964 (1964-09-16)
2"The Big Jump"UnknownUnknownSeptember 23, 1964 (1964-09-23)
3"The Case of the Slippery Slipsy"UnknownUnknownSeptember 30, 1964 (1964-09-30)
4"How to Raise Children Without Really Trying"UnknownUnknownOctober 7, 1964 (1964-10-07)
5"Mickey Crashes the Movies"UnknownUnknownOctober 14, 1964 (1964-10-14)
6"The Way the Fortune Cookie Crumbles"UnknownUnknownOctober 21, 1964 (1964-10-21)
7"Goodnight, Whoever You Are"UnknownUnknownOctober 28, 1964 (1964-10-28)
Note: Sammee Tong died of a drug overdose the day before this episode aired.
8"Nobody Buys Retail"UnknownUnknownNovember 4, 1964 (1964-11-04)
9"Hard Work Never Hurt Anyone"UnknownUnknownNovember 11, 1964 (1964-11-11)
10"Honest Injun"UnknownUnknownNovember 25, 1964 (1964-11-25)
11"Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed"UnknownUnknownDecember 2, 1964 (1964-12-02)
12"For the Love of Grandpa Toddie"Richard WhorfJohn Fenton MurrayDecember 9, 1964 (1964-12-09)
13"One More Kiss"Richard WhorfPeter Barry & Bob KaufmanDecember 16, 1964 (1964-12-16)
14"Luck O' the Irish"UnknownUnknownDecember 23, 1964 (1964-12-23)
15"The Elephant Mickey Won't Forget"Richard WhorfBob Fisher & Arthur MarxDecember 30, 1964 (1964-12-30)
16"Be My Guest"UnknownUnknownJanuary 6, 1965 (1965-01-06)
17"Mickey Takes Over"UnknownUnknownJanuary 13, 1965 (1965-01-13)

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References

  1. The 21st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1964) Archived 2010-11-24 at the Wayback Machine , Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Accessed October 25, 2008.
  2. 1964-1965 American network television schedule
  3. Rooney, Mickey (1991). Life Is Too Short . Villard Books. p.  266.