The Brothers (1956 TV series)

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The Brothers
Starring Gale Gordon
Bob Sweeney
Barbara Billingsley
Ann Morriss
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes24
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 2, 1956 (1956-10-02) –
September 7, 1957 (1957-09-07)

The Brothers is an American television sitcom broadcast by CBS from October 2, 1956, to March 26, 1957. [1] Reruns of The Brothers were broadcast by CBS during the summer of 1958, alternating with repeats of Bachelor Father . [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The Brothers (original pilot title: The Box Brothers) was about the small adventures of the Box brothers, Gil and Harvey, who owned a photography studio in San Francisco. [3] Harvey was the more aggressive, overbearing brother while Gil was a reserved, shy man who happily allowed his big brother to run things. Both of them had steady girlfriends who were matched to their personalities, Harvey's being the strong-willed, aggressive Dr. Margaret Kleeb and Gil's being the quiet, unassuming Marilee Dorf.

It was one of the first shows to have an unseen character. Andy, the darkroom person, was always heard but never seen. [4]

Cast

ActorRole
Gale Gordon Harvey Box [1]
Bob Sweeney Gilmore "Gilly" Box [1]
Barbara Billingsley Barbara [1]
Ann MorrissDr. Margaret Kleeb [1]
Nancy Hadley Marilee Dorf [1]
Oliver BlakeCarl Dorf [1]
Robin HughesBarrington Steel [2]
Frank Orth Captain Sam Box (1956) [2]
Howard McNear Captain Sam Box (1956-1957) [2]
Mary LansingHazel [3]
Rodney BellLester [3]
David OrrickRoscoe Blinder [3]

Episodes

Ep #TitleAirdate
1"Gilly's Birthday"October 2, 1956
2"Dorf's Photo Machine"October 9, 1956
3"Renting the Attic"October 16, 1956
4"The Social Climber"October 23, 1956
5"The Class Reunion"October 30, 1956
6"The Quadrangle"November 6, 1956
7"Girls, Girls, Girls"November 13, 1956
8"Captain Sam's Testimonial Dinner"November 20, 1956
9"The Babies"November 27, 1956
10"The Other Harvey"December 4, 1956
11"Box Park"December 18, 1956
12"The Christmas Story"December 25, 1956
13"Gilly's Adventure"January 1, 1957
14"The Brave One"January 8, 1957
15"The Crush"January 15, 1957
16"Prisoners of Love"January 22, 1957
17"The Social Club"January 29, 1957
18"Gilly's Investment"February 5, 1957
19"Gilly and the Movie Star"February 12, 1957
20"Unwelcome Guest"February 26, 1957
21"Stop That Bookmaking Up Three"March 5, 1957
22"Picnic"March 12, 1957
23"A Muscle for Harvey"March 19, 1957
24"The Runaways"March 26, 1957

Production

The Brothers was a Dallad Productions and Desilu Studios product. Episodes were filmed in black-and-white with a live audience. Edward Feldman was the producer, and Hy Averback was one of the writers. Bill Davenport, Jim Fritzell, Al Lewin, and Burt Styler were among the writers. Wilbur Hatch provided music. Sponsors included American Tobacco Company, Lever Brothers, Procter & Gamble, and Shaeffer Fountain Pens. It was broadcast on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. [5]

Critical response

After The Brothers went off the air, Feldman blamed critics for the cancellation. He said that prior to the series's debut advertising agencies, sponsors, and CBS all expected it to be a hit. "Then came the reviews on the first show", he said. [6] "Most of the critics clobbered us, and overnight that enthusiasm of our original supporters vanished. Suddenly we were working in an atmosphere of failure." [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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. p. 122. ISBN   0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 188. ISBN   978-0-307-48320-1 . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-7864-8641-0 . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Brothers, CBS-TV". Billboard. August 18, 1956. p. 30. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Leszczak, Bob (November 16, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 24–25. ISBN   978-0-7864-6812-6 . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Humphrey, Hal (April 7, 1957). "Who Killed 'The Brothers?'". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 2 C. Retrieved May 27, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
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