Paper Moon (American TV series)

Last updated

Paper Moon
Paper Moon TV series title card.PNG
Starring Christopher Connelly
Jodie Foster
Opening theme"It's Only a Paper Moon"
Composers Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, and Billy Rose
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerAnthony Wilson
Producer Robert Stambler
Running timeca. 25 minutes [1]
Production companies The Directors Company
Paramount Television
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 12 (1974-09-12) –
December 19, 1974 (1974-12-19)
Paper Moon television 1974.JPG
Paper Moon TV series Foster Connelly 1974.jpg
Jodie Foster and Christopher Connelly in publicity photos for Paper Moon

Paper Moon is an American sitcom which aired for one season on ABC in 1974. The series starred Christopher Connelly and Jodie Foster.

Contents

Premise

Moses "Moze" Pray is a con man and traveling Bible salesman who roams the Midwestern United States in his 1931 Ford Model A roadster during the Great Depression of the 1930s, flim-flamming people with his gold-embossed Bibles. [2] [3] [4] Tagging along with him is Adelaide "Addie" Loggins, a precocious 11-year-old girl who is convinced that Moze is her father – although he denies it – and calls herself "Addie Pray." [2] [3] [4] Usually only a step ahead of the law, they always are working one fast-buck scheme or another, although they never have much money. [3] They get on one another's nerves but have a strong bond, and it often is up to Addie to bail Moze out. [4]

Cast

Production

A gentle comedy, [3] Paper Moon was based on the successful 1973 movie of the same name, [3] which in turn was based on Addie Pray , a 1971 novel by Joe David Brown [3] which was retitled Paper Moon after the release of the movie. The series was filmed on location in Kansas. [3] For its theme song, it used an authentic 1933 recording of "It's Only a Paper Moon," composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. [3] [5]

The Directors Company and Paramount Television produced Paper Moon. [6] Anthony Wilson was the television show's executive producer [2] [6] and Robert Stambler produced it. [2] [6] Episode directors included James Frawley, Herschel Daugherty, Alex March, Jerry Paris, and Jack Shea. [7]

Broadcast history

Paper Moon premiered in the United States on September 12, 1974, on ABC. [2] [3] [6] It suffered from low ratings [4] and ran for only 13 episodes, the last of which aired on December 19, 1974. [4] [6] Reruns of the show then were broadcast in its regular time slot until January 2, 1975. [2] [3] [6] It aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday throughout its run. [3] [6]

In the United Kingdom, Paper Moon premiered on September 24, 1974. [6] It aired on BBC2 on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm. [6] In Canada, Paper Moon aired on CBC.

Episodes

SOURCES [4] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Nº Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Settling"UnknownUnknownSeptember 12, 1974 (1974-09-12)
Moze prefers the traveling life, but Addie is tired of life on the run, so she talks Moze into using his "special method" to get $1,000 that they can use to buy a house she has fallen in love with and settle down. Guest stars: Harry Geldard, Scotty Philip, and Ed Mullaney.
2"Second Prize"UnknownUnknownSeptember 19, 1974 (1974-09-19)
The pilot episode for Paper Moon. Needing money for car repairs, Moze enters Addie in a Shirley Temple talent contest — and makes sure that she will win second prize.
3"Imposter"UnknownUnknownSeptember 26, 1974 (1974-09-26)
Moze tries to pass off Addie as the long-missing granddaughter of a tough and reclusive millionaire so that the man will give Addie all the advantages due his granddaughter, but the plan falls apart when Moze meets his match. Guest stars: Jeff Corey, David Huddleston, Don Clippinger, and Henry Wolf.
4"Manly Arts"UnknownUnknownOctober 3, 1974 (1974-10-03)
Angry with Moze for losing all their money to a pool hustler, Addie enters him in a local boxing match with a prize of $100 after he brags about his boxing prowess.
5"Birthday"UnknownUnknownOctober 10, 1974 (1974-10-10)
Addie tells Moze that on her upcoming birthday she would like to "celebrate big" — by placing a telephone call to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
6"Long Division"UnknownUnknownOctober 17, 1974 (1974-10-17)
A silver-tongued, college-educated drifter promises to teach Addie long division in exchange for Moze teaching him the confidence business – and before long the man begins to drive Moze and Addie apart. Guest stars: Lawrence Pressman and Mary Jane Hampton.
7"Gimme That Old Time Relation"Unknown Linda Bloodworth October 24, 1974 (1974-10-24)
Also known as "Old Time Relatives." Inspired by both love and the sight of collection plates laden with money, Moze decides that he and Addie will join two sisters – one of them an old friend – who run tent revivals.
8"Harvest"UnknownUnknownOctober 31, 1974 (1974-10-31)
Moze is conned into serving as the advance man for Buffalo Tillman's Harvesting Crews, a wheat-harvesting company which he is told will arrive the next day.
9"Bonnie and Clyde"UnknownUnknownNovember 7, 1974 (1974-11-07)
Ignoring Addie's warning, Moze cons townspeople into believing that he works as an advance man for Bonnie and Clyde — and then Bonnie and Clyde unexpectedly arrive. Guest stars: Robert F. Lyons and Linda Haynes.
10"Visions of Las Vegas"UnknownUnknownNovember 14, 1974 (1974-11-14)
Moze and Addie attend the funeral of Indiana Harry, the man who taught Moze the con business. Moze gives a moving eulogy that brings tears to Harry's eyes – because Harry is alive and still running cons.
11"Who Is M. P. Sellers?"UnknownUnknownNovember 28, 1974 (1974-11-28)
Addie has her heart set on learning her father's identity when she and Moze arrive in Ophelia, Kansas, where she was born – and she tries to prove Moze is her father.
12"Green Gods"UnknownUnknownDecember 12, 1974 (1974-12-12)
Moze and Addie are excited that they have quintupled their cash on hand when a cheerful bootlegger's widow falls easily for Moze's Bible con and pays him in gold certificates – but then the woman arouses Addie's suspicions.
13"Day Off"UnknownUnknownDecember 19, 1974 (1974-12-19)
Addie begins to question the way of life she and Moze lead, and while Moze is busy, she takes time off to think about life and meets a remarkable teacher at the local schoolhouse.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatum O'Neal</span> American actress (born 1963)

Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress. At the age of 10, she became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon co-starring her father, Ryan O'Neal. She later starred in the films The Bad News Bears, Nickelodeon, and Little Darlings, and appeared in guest roles in the television series Sex and the City, 8 Simple Rules, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

<i>Paper Moon</i> (film) 1973 film by Peter Bogdanovich

Paper Moon is a 1973 American road comedy-drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. Screenwriter Alvin Sargent adapted the script from the 1971 novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown. The film, shot in black-and-white, is set in Kansas and Missouri during the Great Depression. It stars the real-life father and daughter pairing of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal as protagonists Moze and Addie.

Paper Moon may refer to:

<i>Hawkins</i> (TV series) 1973 American TV series or program

Hawkins is an American legal drama and murder mystery television series which aired for one season on CBS from March 13, 1973 and March 5, 1974. The series starred James Stewart as rural-bred lawyer Billy Jim Hawkins, who investigated the cases in which he was involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Connelly</span> American actor (1941–1988)

Christopher Connelly was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Harrington in the successful prime time ABC soap opera Peyton Place. He stayed with the series during its entire five-year run, from 1964 to 1969.

Addie is a given name, nickname and surname. It may refer to:

Actors Studio is an American television series that was hosted by Marc Connelly. It originally aired on ABC from September 26, 1948 to October 26, 1949 and then on CBS from November 1, 1949, to June 23, 1950. It was one of the first series to be picked up by a network after being cancelled by another network. CBS departed from its own precedent when it took the World Video-owned series. Until then it had not shown any sustaining programs that were not owned by CBS.

<i>Addie Pray</i> 1971 novel by Joe David Brown

Addie Pray is a 1971 novel by Joe David Brown. It was adapted for the 1973 film Paper Moon, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. After the film's release, the novel was retitled Paper Moon.

<i>Ichabod and Me</i> 1960s American sitcom

Ichabod and Me is an American sitcom television series starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler that aired in the United States during the 1961–62 television season. It depicts the life of a New York City newspaper reporter who moves to a small New England town and becomes the publisher of its newspaper.

<i>My Sister Eileen</i> (TV series) 1960 American sitcom

My Sister Eileen is an American sitcom broadcast during the 1960–1961 television season. It depicts the lives of two sisters, one a writer and the other an actress, who move to New York City to further their careers.

<i>The Tom Ewell Show</i> 1960 TV series or program

The Tom Ewell Show, also known as The Trouble With Tom, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1960-61 television season. It depicts the challenges a husband and father faces as he resides in a household otherwise consisting entirely of women and girls.

<i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1970 TV series) US television series - 1970

The Tim Conway Show – the first of two television series of the name – is a 1970 American sitcom starring Tim Conway and Joe Flynn which centers on a single-plane charter airline. The show aired during periods between January 30, 1970, and June 12, 1970.

<i>The Super</i> (TV series) 1972 American TV series or program

The Super is an American sitcom television series starring Richard S. Castellano which centers on the superintendent of an apartment building in New York City. The show aired on ABC from June 21, 1972 to August 23, 1972.

<i>Oh! Those Bells</i> 1962 American TV series or program

Oh! Those Bells is a 1962 United States sitcom television series starring The Wiere Brothers about the misadventures of three brothers who work in a Hollywood theatrical supply shop. It aired from March 8 to May 31, 1962.

<i>Vacation Playhouse</i> 1963 American TV series or program

Vacation Playhouse is an American anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS during the summer months from 1963 through 1967.

<i>Window on Main Street</i> American television series

Window on Main Street is an American comedy-drama television series starring Robert Young about an author who returns to his home town after an absence of many years to write about the people and events there. Original episodes aired from October 2, 1961, until May 23, 1962.

<i>Love and Marriage</i> (1959 TV series) 1959 American TV series or program

Love and Marriage is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1959–60 television season. The series stars William Demarest as the owner of a struggling music publishing company.

<i>Sally</i> (1957 TV series) 1957 American TV series or program

Sally is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1957–58 television season. The series stars Joan Caulfield as Sally Truesdale, a young saleswoman at a department store who tours Europe with a widow who is the store's wealthy and scatter-brained owner. After the trip is over, Sally returns to work at the store.

<i>Love That Jill</i> 1958 American television sitcom

Love That Jill is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1957–58 television season. The series stars Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as the heads of rival modeling agencies in Manhattan.

<i>Bringing Up Buddy</i> American sitcom

Bringing Up Buddy is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1960–61 television season. It depicts a young bachelor who lives with the two maiden aunts who raised him.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ TVDB Paper Moon Accessed 24 October 2022
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McNeil, pp. 540–541.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Brooks & Marsh, p. 795.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nostalgia Central PAPER MOON
  5. ↑ "It's Only a Paper Moon". jazzstandards.com. 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The Classic TV Archive Paper Moon Accessed 23 October 2022
  7. 1 2 TMDB Paper Moon (1974) Accessed October 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes Paper Moon (1974) Episode List Accessed 24 October 2022
  9. ↑ ultimate70s.com Episode Guide for 'Paper Moon'
  10. 1 2 AV Club Paper Moon – 1974 – Comedy Accessed 24 October 2022
  11. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, September 12, 1974, p. 36.
  12. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, September 19, 1974, p. 33.
  13. ↑ New York Daily News, October 3, 1974, p. 297.
  14. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, October 24, 1974, p. 32.
  15. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, October 31, 1974, p. 43.
  16. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, November 7, 1974, p. 31.
  17. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, November 28, 1974, p. E10.
  18. ↑ "Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," Schenectady Gazette, December 12, 1974, p. 54.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.