Shirley (TV series)

Last updated
Shirley
Genre Comedy drama
Created byLance Madrid III
Starring Shirley Jones
Opening theme"Here Is Where the Love Is" performed by Shirley Jones
ComposerBen Lanzarone
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesTen Four Productions
Universal Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseOctober 26, 1979 (1979-10-26) 
January 25, 1980 (1980-01-25)

Shirley is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from October 26, 1979, until January 25, 1980.

Contents

Premise

A recent widow moves from New York City to a small town with her three children, her stepson and her housekeeper. [1]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Is This What Dad Really Wanted? [2] " Stan Lathan Greg Strangis and Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov October 26, 1979 (1979-10-26)
Shirley Miller, a widow with four children, moves her family from New York to Lake Tahoe. Upon arrival they discover their new home is being fumigated.
2"Hard Hat" Gene Nelson Dusty KayNovember 2, 1979 (1979-11-02)

Shirley gets a job as a construction-firm paymaster, but the men resent her position.

Guest stars: Michael Cavanagh and Joseph V. Perry.
3"Son of a Gun"Gerald MayerTerry HartNovember 9, 1979 (1979-11-09)
Shirley is less than delighted over Bill's news that he found his father's gun.
4"Things Your Mother Forgot to Tell You" Mel Ferber Greg Strangis and Gwen Bagni & Paul DubovNovember 23, 1979 (1979-11-23)
Shirley becomes a substitute teacher in a sex education class.
5"The One That Got Away"UnknownPat Green & Chris ManheimNovember 30, 1979 (1979-11-30)

Bill's haughty mother wants him to leave Shirley and the family and live permanently in Paris.

Guest star: Claudette Nevins.
6"Play on Words" William F. Claxton Dave Hackel & Steve HattmanDecember 7, 1979 (1979-12-07)

A student athlete disrupts substitute teacher Shirley's class and she is angered when the vice-principal insists that she overlook the behavior.

Guest stars: Robin Strand and Michael Parks.
7"Twenty Years to Life"Stan Lathan and Alan Myerson Jaqueline Simmel-McKane & Joel Arthur TappisDecember 14, 1979 (1979-12-14)

While substitute teaching, Shirley flunks an elite athlete which keeps him benched. Shirley finds out the student's older brother is the vice principal at the school which creates conflict.

Guest stars: Tyne Daly and Bonnie Bartlett
8"Separate Agendas"William F. Claxton Dave Hackel & Steve HattmanDecember 21, 1979 (1979-12-21)
Debra (Rosanna Arquette) does not trust the divorced man (Edward Winter) who is going out of his way to get into Shirley's good graces.
9"Visions of Christmas Past"Robert BirnbaumStory by: Lance Madrid III and Greg Strangis & Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov
Teleplay by: Lance Madrid III
December 28, 1979 (1979-12-28)

During Christmas time, Shirley recalls the happy moments with her husband and the tragic news of his death.

Guest star: Peter Haskell.
10"On the Skids"Alan MyersonChris Manheim & Pat GreenJanuary 4, 1980 (1980-01-04)

Shirley is stunned when she learns Lew (Patrick Wayne) is a 'borderline' alcoholic.

Guest star: Frank Marth.
11"Fenced In"UnknownParke PerineJanuary 11, 1980 (1980-01-11)
Shirley has to tell the Hemms that their son is a thief.
12"The Three Dates of Shirley Miller" Michael Preece Mary-David Sheiner & Sheila Judis WeisbergJanuary 18, 1980 (1980-01-18)
After two disastrous blind dates, Shirley is convinced bachelor number three is the right man, until the roof falls in.
13"Teddy Roosevelt Slept Here"Mel FerberStory by: Sandra Kay Siegel
Teleplay by: Dave Hackel & Steve Hattman
January 25, 1980 (1980-01-25)

A historical society claims Teddy Roosevelt once slept in Shirley's house and subsequently invade her home.

Guest stars: Jeanette Nolan, Robin Eisenman and Linda Hamilton.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Ullman</span> British-American actress, comedian, singer, dancer, director, producer and writer

Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, and director. Critics have lauded her ability to shift seamlessly in and out of character and accents, with many dubbing her the "female Peter Sellers". Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind. After a brief singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lander</span> American actor (1947–2020)

David L. Lander was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley. He also served as a goodwill ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Jones</span> American actress and singer (born 1934)

Shirley Mae Jones is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and The Music Man (1962). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a vengeful prostitute in Elmer Gantry (1960). She played the lead role of Shirley Partridge, the widowed mother of five children, in the musical situation-comedy television series The Partridge Family (1970–1974), which co-starred her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, son of Jack Cassidy.

<i>Happy Days</i> American television sitcom (1974–1984)

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. The series presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s Midwestern United States, and it starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Richie's parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. Although it opened to mixed reviews from critics, Happy Days became successful and popular over time.

<i>Laverne & Shirley</i> American television sitcom (1976–1983)

Laverne & Shirley is an American sitcom television series that ran for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, two friends and roommates who work as bottle-cappers in the fictitious Shotz Brewery in late 1950s Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From the sixth season onwards, the series' setting changed to mid-1960s Burbank, California. Michael McKean and David Lander co-starred as their friends and neighbors Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman, respectively; along with Eddie Mekka as Carmine Ragusa, Phil Foster as Laverne's father Frank DeFazio, and Betty Garrett as the girls' landlady Edna Babish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Booth</span> American actress (1898–1992)

Shirley Booth was an American actress. One of 24 performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, Booth was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penny Marshall</span> American actress, director, and producer (1943–2018)

Carole Penny Marshall was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her portrayal.

Christa Miller is an American actress known for her roles in television comedies. Her foremost roles include Kate O'Brien in the ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show, Jordan Sullivan in the NBC/ABC comedy series Scrubs, Liz in the Apple TV+ comedy drama Shrinking, and voicing Cleopatra "Cleo" Smith and Candide Sampson in Clone High. She has also appeared in Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and CSI: Miami. From 2009 to 2015, she starred in the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town.

Tracey Gold is an American actress and former child star known for her role as Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains.

Nancy Justine McKeon is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life and Jinny Exstead on The Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Williams</span> American actress (1947–2023)

Cynthia Jane Williams was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcoms Happy Days (1975–1979), and Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also appeared in American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), Mr. Ricco (1975), and More American Graffiti (1979).

Peter Thomas Barton is an American retired actor. He starred in The Powers of Matthew Star, with Louis Gossett Jr.; Burke's Law with Gene Barry; and the soap opera Sunset Beach. Named one of the 10 sexiest guys in soaps by Playgirl, Barton is probably best known as Scott Grainger on the daytime drama The Young and the Restless.

<i>Lassie</i> (1954 TV series) 1954 TV series

Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie dog named Lassie and her companions, both human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 25, 1973. The eighth longest-running scripted American primetime television series. The show ran for 17 seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Initially filmed in black and white, the show transitioned to color in 1965.

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

Bonnie Bedelia is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life and made her film debut in The Gypsy Moths. Bedelia subsequently appeared in the films They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Lovers and Other Strangers, Heart Like a Wheel, The Prince of Pennsylvania, Die Hard, Presumed Innocent, Sordid Lives, and Needful Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Russell</span> Character on the soap opera Passions

Eve Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV from 2007 to 2008. Created by the soap's head writer, James E. Reilly, Eve was played by Tracey Ross for the series' entire run. In 2003, actresses Amanda Maiden and Kimberly Kevon Williams played the character in flashbacks to her childhood and her time as a nightclub singer. Ross was initially hesitant to audition for the role following her negative experience on Ryan's Hope, but was attracted to the show after learning about its supernatural and fantasy elements. Her casting was part of NBC's attempt to include a racially diverse ensemble on daytime television. She based her performance on Joanne Woodward's role in the 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve and Catherine Halsey from Ayn Rand's 1943 novel, The Fountainhead.

<i>Young Doctor Malone</i> American television series

Young Doctor Malone is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced Pepper Young's Family and later was a co-creator with husband Ted Corday of NBC Daytime's Days of Our Lives.

<i>Please Dont Eat the Daisies</i> (TV series) Television series

Please Don't Eat the Daisies is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 14, 1965 to September 2, 1967. The series was based upon the 1957 book by Jean Kerr and the 1960 film starring Doris Day and David Niven.

Monica Johnson was an American screenwriter whose film credits included Mother, Lost in America, Modern Romance, Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again and The Muse. Her television credits included The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley and It's Garry Shandling's Show. She was a frequent collaborator with Albert Brooks.

<i>Great News</i> American sitcom television series

Great News is an American sitcom television series created and written by Tracey Wigfield, and executive produced by Wigfield alongside Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment, Little Stranger and Universal Television. The series premiered April 25, 2017 on NBC.

Gina Gail Gillespie is an American former child actress best known for her recurring roles in the television series Law of the Plainsman and Karen, and for playing Pippi Longstocking in a 1961 episode of Shirley Temple's Storybook. She later attended law school and became an attorney.

References

  1. TV Guide. "Shirley Cast and Details". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
  2. "NBC Network - Shirley - "Is This What Dad Really Wanted?" (Complete Broadcast, 10/26/1979) 📺". YouTube . 20 May 2023.