The Hathaways

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The Hathaways
The Hathaways 1962.JPG
From left, Charlie, Enoch, Peggy Cass as Elinore Hathaway, and Candy, 1962
Starring Peggy Cass
Jack Weston
Mary Grace Canfield
Harvey Lembeck
Barbara Perry
Theme music composer Herbert W. Spencer
ComposerHerbert W. Spencer
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producerRobert Sparks
Producer Ezra Stone
Running time30 minutes
Production companies Screen Gems, in association with Gloucester Productions, Inc.
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseOctober 6, 1961 (1961-10-06) –
March 30, 1962 (1962-03-30)

The Hathaways is a 26-episode situation comedy, which aired on ABC from October 6, 1961, to March 30, 1962, starring Peggy Cass and Jack Weston as suburban Los Angeles "parents" to a trio of performing chimpanzees. Weston portrayed Walter Hathaway, a flabby real estate agent. Cass is his zany bride Elinore, "mother" and booking agent to the Marquis Chimps, named Candy, Charlie, and Enoch. The chimps had earlier appeared on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show , a Jack Benny special in 1959 and several commercials in 1960. [1]

Contents

Ratings for the Screen Gems series were so low that ABC had largely to self-sponsor the program (although the series was sponsored on alternate weeks, throughout most of the season, by Ralston-Purina). The writers included Tom Adair and James B. Allardice; story consultants were Hugh Wedlock and Howard Snyder, who co-wrote the premiere episode with Dick Wesson. [2]

Episode list

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Love Thy Neighbor"Don TaylorStory by : Dick Wesson
Teleplay by : Dick Wesson & Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder		October 6, 1961 (1961-10-06)
Walter sells the house next door to a client who can't stand pets.
2"Elinor Buys a Hat"UnknownUnknownOctober 13, 1961 (1961-10-13)
Elinor buys a hat and ends up in jail when Charlie pockets her parking ticket.
3"Walter Takes a Partner"UnknownUnknownOctober 20, 1961 (1961-10-20)
Walter and Freddie start a synthetic soda pop business.
4"Elinore's Guilt"UnknownUnknownOctober 27, 1961 (1961-10-27)
Elinor is stricken with remorse for having left the chimps home with a sitter while she and Walter sojourn at Palm Springs.
5"Income Tax Rebate"UnknownUnknownNovember 3, 1961 (1961-11-03)
Walter is requested at the local office of the Internal Revenue Service to discuss deductions claimed on his "dependents".
6"Candy's Tonsils"UnknownUnknownNovember 10, 1961 (1961-11-10)
Candy, the baby chimp, faces surgery unless she can be coaxed into taking her medicine.
7"Trash Day"UnknownUnknownNovember 17, 1961 (1961-11-17)
Ex-newspaper thief Charlie becomes much too neighborly to Brockwoods, whose papers he's been stealing.
8"TV or Not TV"Richard KinonHerbert Finn & John ElliotteNovember 24, 1961 (1961-11-24)
Elinor and the chimps pinch-hit on Walter's television commercial when he becomes desert-bound.
9"The Kids Go to School"Richard KinonBen Gershman & Leo SolomonDecember 1, 1961 (1961-12-01)
The chimp classmates prove popular with everyone at the day nursery—with the exception of one shocked mother.
10"The Practical Joker"UnknownUnknownDecember 8, 1961 (1961-12-08)
Charlie borrows Elinor's purse, containing club funds, as bait in a sidewalk prank.
11"Double Birthday Party"UnknownUnknownDecember 15, 1961 (1961-12-15)
Walter sees himself as a forgotten man on his birthday and sulks.
12"The Hathaways Sleep Out"UnknownUnknownDecember 22, 1961 (1961-12-22)
Walter thinks Elinor has run away when she moves the paint-allergic chimps to a motel.
13"The Jingle Contest"UnknownUnknownDecember 29, 1961 (1961-12-29)
Walter and Bert base their entry in a jungle contest on a tune that Charlie plays on the piano.
14"Waltzing with Walter"UnknownUnknownJanuary 5, 1962 (1962-01-05)
Elinor wins dancing lessons for two.
15"Foxy Chimp"UnknownUnknownJanuary 12, 1962 (1962-01-12)
Elinor takes an ailing chimp from the zoo to recuperate at her house.
16"It's in the Cards"UnknownUnknownJanuary 19, 1962 (1962-01-19)
A neighbor sees something in Charlie's cards and steers Elinor into a visit to Walter's office.
17"The Headliners"UnknownUnknownJanuary 26, 1962 (1962-01-26)
Walter is supposed to stay home for a business conference while Elinor and the Chimps board a Honolulu-bound plane for a nightclub engagement.
18"The Paint Job"David ButlerHugh Wedlock & Howard SnyderFebruary 2, 1962 (1962-02-02)
Elinor campaigns for a new color job on the family "bus".
19"Grandma's Lamp"UnknownUnknownFebruary 9, 1962 (1962-02-09)
Walter plots to get rid of Elinor's antique horror, a gift from her family.
20"Help Wanted"UnknownUnknownFebruary 16, 1962 (1962-02-16)
Elinor secretly works as a cigarette girl to buy Walter a special surprise.
21"Swami Chimp"UnknownUnknownFebruary 23, 1962 (1962-02-23)
The Hathaways' chimp act is threatened by a mind-reading rival chimp.
22"A Man for Amanda"UnknownUnknownMarch 2, 1962 (1962-03-02)
About to lose their lovelorn housekeeper Amanda, Walter and Elinor round up some eligible mates.
23"Pop Goes the Budget"UnknownUnknownMarch 9, 1962 (1962-03-09)
Walter encounters family opposition when he tries to enforce an economy wave.
24"Charles Goes to the Races"UnknownUnknownMarch 16, 1962 (1962-03-16)
Beanstalk, a race horse, takes a shine to Charlie, and mopes for him on race day.
25"Shrewd Trader"UnknownUnknownMarch 23, 1962 (1962-03-23)
The chimps pick up Elinor's knack of swapping and practice it until perfect.
26"Elinor's Best Friend"UnknownUnknownMarch 30, 1962 (1962-03-30)
Elinor is elated when a college chum, now a wealthy world traveler, comes to visit.
Charlie makes friends with Walter's dancing teacher. Charlie The Hathaways 1962.JPG
Charlie makes friends with Walter's dancing teacher.

Reception

Latter-day television critics Castleman and Podrazik (1982) have called The Hathaways "possibly the worst series ever to air on network TV", criticizing the production, scripts, acting, the "utterly degrading" premise, and the overall "total worthlessness" of the program. [3]

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References

  1. ↑ TVparty, The Hathaways: http://www.tvparty.com/fall61.html
  2. ↑ Geocities, The Hathaways:https://web.archive.org/web/20080318164613/http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Stage/2950/US/Comedy/Hathaways.htm
  3. ↑ Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television . New York: McGraw-Hill. pp.  147–153. ISBN   0-07-010269-4.
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