The Jim Backus Show

Last updated
The Jim Backus Show
Jim Backus The Jim Backus Show 1962.JPG
Jim Backus as Mike O'Toole.
Starring Jim Backus
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes39
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production company California National Productions
Original release
NetworkFirst-run syndication
ReleaseOctober 6, 1960 (1960-10-06) 
July 11, 1961 (1961-07-11)

The Jim Backus Show is a 39-episode American television sitcom that aired in broadcast syndication in 1960 and 1961. The series was also known as Hot Off the Wire. [1]

Contents

Premise

The program focuses on Backus in the role of Mike O'Toole, the editor/proprietor of a low rent wire service struggling to stay in business.

Cast

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"The Mad Bomber" John Florea John L. Greene October 6, 1960 (1960-10-06)
2"The Patriots" Bretaigne Windust Dick Conway & Roland MacLaneOctober 25, 1960 (1960-10-25)
3"Mike O'Toole, Angler" Gene Reynolds Joseph QuillanNovember 1, 1960 (1960-11-01)
4"South Hampton Story" James Sheldon Bill Danch & Tedd Pierce November 8, 1960 (1960-11-08)
5"No Help Wanted"Gene Reynolds Dick Chevillat & Jay Sommers November 15, 1960 (1960-11-15)
6"The Marry-Go-Round" Christian Nyby Ray Singer November 15, 1960 (1960-11-15)
7"The Nephew" Hollingsworth Morse David Chandler & Don Quinn November 22, 1960 (1960-11-22)
8"Baby, Come Home" Ralph Levy Bill Danch & Tedd PierceNovember 29, 1960 (1960-11-29)
9"The Frame Up"Christian NybyDick Chevillat & Ray SingerDecember 6, 1960 (1960-12-06)
10"Painting Caper" Howard W. Koch Dick Chevillat & Ray SingerDecember 13, 1960 (1960-12-13)
11"The Three Sisters"James SheldonJess Carneol & Kay LenardDecember 16, 1960 (1960-12-16)
12"Uncle Chester" Alan Crosland Jr. Bill Davenport & Charles Tannen December 20, 1960 (1960-12-20)
13"Crime a la Carte" Theodore J. Flicker Bill Danch & John L. GreeneDecember 27, 1960 (1960-12-27)
14"The Desk"Howard W. KochBill Danch & Tedd PierceDecember 27, 1960 (1960-12-27)
15"Piano Prodigy"Christian Nyby Hendrik Vollaerts January 10, 1961 (1961-01-10)
16"Mike Cheats a Cheater"James SheldonPeggy Chantler Dick & William CowleyJanuary 17, 1961 (1961-01-17)
17"Meet Melvin"Ben Feiner Jr.George Atkins & Bob Ogle January 24, 1961 (1961-01-24)
18"The Woman's Touch"Christian NybyStory by: Robert A. Cinader,
Teleplay by: Marvin Marx & Manny Manheim
January 31, 1961 (1961-01-31)
19"Sidney's Scoop"Hollingsworth MorsePeggy Elliott & Tedd PierceFebruary 7, 1961 (1961-02-07)
20"The Hypnotist"Ben Feiner Jr.Bill Danch & Tedd PierceFebruary 14, 1961 (1961-02-14)
21"Once Upon a Moose"Christian Nyby Harry Crane & John Tackaberry February 21, 1961 (1961-02-21)
22"Pinkmalion"Alan Crosland Jr.Bill Davenport & Charles TannenDecember 28, 1961 (1961-12-28)
23"When a Body Meets a Body" Sidney Salkow George Atkins, John O'Dea,
Bob Ogle & Sidney Salkow
March 7, 1961 (1961-03-07)
24"Arabian Night"James SheldonWalter BlackMarch 14, 1961 (1961-03-14)
25"Old Army Game"Christian NybyStory by: Robert A. Cinader
Teleplay by: Stanley Davis & Elon Packard
March 21, 1961 (1961-03-21)
26"The Fix" Arthur Lubin Arthur AlsbergApril 4, 1961 (1961-04-04)
27"Sad Sack Santa" Harvey Hart Sam Locke & Joel Rapp April 11, 1961 (1961-04-11)
28"The Plant"James SheldonStory by: Jay Sommers,
Teleplay by: Carol & Joseph Cavella
April 18, 1961 (1961-04-18)
29"The Temporary Scoundrel"Theodore J. FlickerThomas Knickerbocker & Mort R. LewisApril 25, 1961 (1961-04-25)
30"Floundered in Florida"UnknownUnknownMay 2, 1961 (1961-05-02)
31"Dear Minnie"UnknownUnknownMay 9, 1961 (1961-05-09)
32"In the Rough"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 1961 (1961-05-16)
33"Dora's Vacation"UnknownUnknownMay 23, 1961 (1961-05-23)
34"The Birthday Boy"UnknownUnknownMay 30, 1961 (1961-05-30)
35"War Bride"UnknownUnknownJune 13, 1961 (1961-06-13)
36"The Texas Tycoon"UnknownUnknownJune 20, 1961 (1961-06-20)
37"Gift for Grandma"UnknownUnknownJune 27, 1961 (1961-06-27)
38"O'Toole and Son"Christian NybyStanley Davis & Elon PackardJuly 4, 1961 (1961-07-04)
39"Farewell to Dora"UnknownUnknownJuly 11, 1961 (1961-07-11)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter O'Toole</span> British actor (1932–2013)

Peter Seamus O'Toole was an English stage and film actor. He attended RADA and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and with the English Stage Company. In 1959 he made his West End debut in The Long and the Short and the Tall, and played the title role in Hamlet in the National Theatre's first production in 1963. Excelling on the London stage, O'Toole was known for his "hellraiser" lifestyle off it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Backus</span> American actor (1913–1989)

James Gilmore Backus was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis' character's husband on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Rudolph</span> American actress and comedian (born 1972)

Maya Rudolph is an American actress and comedian. Born in Gainesville, Florida, and raised in Los Angeles, she is the daughter of singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph. In 2000, Rudolph became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). During her tenure on the show, she played supporting roles in the films 50 First Dates (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Idiocracy (2006).

<i>Sea Hunt</i> American action adventure television series from 1958 to 1961

Sea Hunt is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as former Navy diver Mike Nelson, and was produced by Ivan Tors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Magoo</span> Fictional cartoon character

J. Quincy Magoo, better known as Mr. Magoo, is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem. However, through uncanny streaks of luck, the situation always seems to work itself out for him, leaving him no worse than before. Bystanders consequently tend to think that he is a lunatic, rather than just being near-sighted. In later cartoons, he is also an actor, and generally a competent one, except for his visual impairment.

Mister Magoo is an American animated television series which was produced from November 7, 1960 to February 2, 1962. A single episode included five four-minute shorts and could either be aired together with bumpers as a single half-hour show, or it could be split up with one short aired each weekday, along with other cartoons. It was produced by United Productions of America. The series' voices were Jim Backus, Mel Blanc, Jerry Hausner, Benny Rubin, Paul Frees, and Frank Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Championship Wrestling from Florida</span> American professional wrestling promotion

Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling. When Mike Graham tried a return to promoting, the rights to the name had been acquired by an outside party, forcing him to use another name, Florida Championship Wrestling.

Saturday Night Live has long mocked the television medium with many fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. Another of the show's frequently used styles of recurring sketches has been the talk show format. However, anything from cop shows to children's shows has been fair game for the ever-changing cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Carrara-Rudolph</span> American actress

Leslie Carrara, sometimes credited as Leslie Carrara-Rudolph or the misspelling Leslie Carrera-Rudolph, is an American actress, performer, puppeteer, speaker, singer and artist.

Arline Hunter was an American actress and model. She was perhaps best known as Playboy's Playmate of the Month for August 1954. Her centerfold was the first not to be purchased from the John Baumgarth Co. by Hugh Hefner, and was instead photographed by Ed DeLong, who went on to become one of the more prolific Playboy photographers in the 1960s.

The Highwaymen, also referred to as the Florida Highwaymen, are a group of 26 African American landscape artists in Florida. Two of the original artists, Harold Newton, and Alfred Hair, received training from Alfred “Beanie” Backus. It is believed they may have created a body of work of over 200,000 paintings. They challenged many racial and cultural barriers. Mostly from the Fort Pierce area, they painted landscapes and made a living selling them door-to-door to businesses and individuals throughout Florida from the mid-1950s through the 1980s. They also sold their work from the trunks of their cars along the eastern coastal roads.

Mr. Skin is a website that specializes in locating, posting, and rating instances of female nudity in television and film. Founded in August 1999, Mr. Skin is also the nickname of the company's chief executive, Jim McBride. MrSkin.com attracted more than seven million visitors per month in 2007, going up to over ten million in 2014. As of 2017, the site has more than nine million visitors per month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nita Talbot</span> American actress

Nita Talbot is an American actress. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the 1967–68 season of Hogan's Heroes.

The JCPenney Classic was a mixed team golf tournament sponsored by the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour. Teams consisted of one PGA Tour player and one LPGA Tour player. It was played in California and Florida. Corporate sponsors were Haig & Haig, Pepsi-Cola, and JCPenney.

<i>A Privates Affair</i> 1959 film by Raoul Walsh

A Private's Affair is a 1959 American musical comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh. It stars Sal Mineo and Christine Carère. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1960.

Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History is a 2001 American made-for-television docudrama film based on the 1964–1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Ives (actor)</span> American actor (1926–2013)

George Ives was an American character actor.

What's New, Mr. Magoo? is an American animated television series which aired on Saturday mornings from September 10 to December 24, 1977, on CBS. It was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and United Productions of America. The series has the voices of Jim Backus, Bob Ogle, Casey Kasem, Hal Smith and Frank Welker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Prentiss</span> American actor

Paul Edward Prentiss was an actor in the era of old-time radio. He was perhaps best known for portraying the title role on the radio version of Captain Midnight.

References

  1. TV Guide Guide to TV . Barnes & Noble. 2004. ISBN   0-7607-5634-1.
  2. "The Woman's Touch".
  3. "Floundered in Florida on The Jim Backus Show". IMDb . May 2, 1961. Retrieved August 7, 2016.