The Joey Bishop Show | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Danny Thomas Louis F. Edelman |
Written by | Harry Crane Stan Dreben Fred S. Fox Fred Freeman Irving Elinson Garry Marshall |
Directed by | Mel Ferber James V. Kern Jerry Paris |
Starring | Joey Bishop Abby Dalton (seasons 2 – 4) |
Theme music composer | Vincent Youmans (1961–62) Irving Caesar (1961–62) Jimmy Van Heusen (1962–65) Sammy Cahn (1962–65) |
Opening theme | "Sometimes I'm Happy" (1961–62) "Joey" (1962–65) |
Composer | Herbert W. Spencer |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 123 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Danny Thomas Joey Bishop |
Producers | Milt Josefsberg Marvin Marx Charles Stewart |
Cinematography | Henry Cronjager, Jr. |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production company | Bellmar Enterprises |
Original release | |
Network | NBC (1961–1964) CBS (1964–1965) |
Release | September 20, 1961 – March 30, 1965 |
Related | |
The Danny Thomas Show |
The Joey Bishop Show is an American sitcom starring entertainer Joey Bishop that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1964. After NBC canceled the series because of its low ratings, it was aired by CBS for its fourth and final season.
Danny Thomas served as the series' executive producer. The Joey Bishop Show is a spin-off of Thomas' series The Danny Thomas Show .
The series was conceived as a vehicle for entertainer Joey Bishop by Danny Thomas and Louis F. Edelman in 1960. At the time, Thomas was starring in his own series, Make Room for Daddy (later known as The Danny Thomas Show), airing on CBS. Thomas' series was then a top-20 hit and served as a launching pad for The Joey Bishop Show. [1] The series' pilot episode, titled "Everything Happens to Me", aired on March 27, 1961, during the eighth season of Danny Thomas. [2] In the pilot, an incompetent Hollywood "public relations man" named Joey Mason (Bishop) forgets to make proper accommodations for an exhausted Danny Williams (Thomas) after he arrives in Los Angeles to play a show. Joey is then forced to put Danny up in the home he shares with his colorful parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mason (played by Billy Gilbert and Madge Blake) and two unmarried sisters, Betty (Virginia Vincent) and aspiring actress Stella (Marlo Thomas). [3] [4]
By the time the series was picked up by NBC, Bishop's character's name was changed to Joey Barnes (Bishop had insisted his character and he share the same initials) [5] and the character of Joey's father was dropped. Two additional characters were added; a younger brother named Larry (Warren Berlinger), and brother-in-law Frank (Joe Flynn), the husband of Joey's older sister Betty. The series' first incarnation features Joey, a well-intending but hapless and trouble-prone young man, who works for the Hollywood public relations firm, Willoughby, Cleary and Jones. The firm is headed by J.P. Willoughby (John Griggs), Joey's demanding boss. Willoughby's secretary, Barbara Simpson (Nancy Hadley) has an unrequited crush on a mostly oblivious Joey. Joey lives with and supports his widowed mother, Mrs. Barnes and younger siblings, aspiring actress Stella and medical student Larry. Joey also supports his older sister Betty and her proudly unemployed husband Frank whom Joey tries to encourage to get and keep a job. [2]
Storylines during the first season typically revolve around Joey's misadventures concerning his job and problems with his colorful family. [6] As the series was a spin-off of The Danny Thomas Show, Danny Thomas and Marjorie Lord appeared as their Danny Thomas characters in the first season's fourth episode titled "This Is Your Life". Sid Melton, who appeared as Danny's boss Charley Halper on Danny Thomas, also appeared.
Upon its September 1961 premiere, the series struggled in the ratings. In an effort to improve viewership, NBC decided to "readjust" the series. After episode 13, several characters, including Joey's older sister Betty, brother-in-law Frank, Joey's potential love interest Barbara Simpson and Joey's boss Mr. Willoughby, were dropped. Several crew members were also dismissed. [7]
In episode 16, "Home Sweet Home", Bill Bixby joined the cast on a recurring basis as Charles "Charlie" Raymond, Mr. Willoughby's nephew who takes over as president of the PR firm and becomes Joey's new boss. As of episode 20, Joey had a new girlfriend, Peggy Connolly, played by Jackie Russell, who would last through the end of the season. In episode 22, Joey gained a new assistant, Leonard Jillson, played by Joe Besser. The concept of the series was changed in the first season’s final two episodes, "A Show of His Own" and "The Image". Joey is “discovered” and gets his own network talk/variety show a la The Tonight Show . The changes helped to improve the ratings, and NBC renewed the series for a second season. [7]
In the second incarnation of The Joey Bishop Show, Joey Barnes is still the host of a New York City talk/variety television show. Every character other than Joey and Leonard Jillson was dropped from the show, and a new supporting cast was assembled. In addition to the format changing, The Joey Bishop Show began filming in front of a live studio audience. [8]
Abby Dalton joined the cast as Joey's new wife Ellie (whom Joey called "Texas" because she hailed from Texas); the sudden marriage was announced in the first retooled episode. The two live at the Carlton Arms, a posh Manhattan apartment building. Their maid (and later nanny) named Hilda, portrayed by Mary Treen, serves as a foil for Joey.
Joe Besser portrayed Mr. Jillson, no longer Joey's assistant but now the building's goofy and henpecked superintendent. He lives in fear of his wife, Tantalia, who is never seen but often heard. [2] Also joining the cast was Guy Marks, who portrayed Freddie, Joey's manager. Marks left the series after nineteen episodes and Corbett Monica joined the cast as Larry Corbett, Joey's head writer.
Storylines for the series' run mainly focus on Joey's home life, but also feature episodes involving Joey's job as a television host. As such, various celebrities (who typically appeared as themselves) who were guests on Joey Barnes' talk show appeared throughout the series' run. Although the second incarnation of the series was seemingly unrelated to the first incarnation, the series featured Danny Thomas in two season-three episodes: "Danny Gives Joey Advice" and "Andy Williams Visits Joey". Rusty Hamer, who appeared on Danny Thomas as Rusty Williams, also appeared as his character in three season-four episodes: "Rusty Arrives", "Rusty's Education", and "Joey Entertains Rusty's Fraternity".
Towards the end of season two, Ellie discovers she is pregnant with the couple's first child. Their son, Joey Barnes, Jr. (played by Dalton's real son Matthew David Smith), was born in the season-two finale "The Baby Cometh". The child, still played by Smith, is seen on a recurring basis thereafter.
In the show's fourth and final season, two recurring roles are added. Joey Forman plays Dr. Sam Nolan, Joey Jr.'s pediatrician who also lives in the same building as the Barnes family. Towards the end of the season, Allan Melvin appears in several episodes as Art Miller, a policeman who becomes a friend of the family. In the next-to-last episode, Ellie gives birth to the couple's second child, a girl (whose name is not revealed in the episode.) The baby is played by Kathleen Kinmont, Abby Dalton's real-life daughter.
Season 1 only:
Debuted in season 1:
Seasons 2-4 only:
The Joey Bishop Show featured many celebrity guest stars who appeared as themselves. Among the celebrity guest stars are:
Actors who appeared in guest starring roles include:
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
1 | 32 | September 20, 1961 | May 9, 1962 | NBC | |
2 | 34 | September 15, 1962 | May 11, 1963 | ||
3 | 31 | September 14, 1963 | April 25, 1964 | ||
4 | 26 | September 27, 1964 | March 30, 1965 | CBS |
One Season 3 episode of The Joey Bishop Show is now considered lost. The episode, known only as #85, was filmed on November 15, 1963 and guest starred comedian and impressionist Vaughn Meader. Meader rose to fame in the early 1960s for his comedic impersonation of then-President John F. Kennedy featured on the popular comedy album The First Family . The episode centered around Joey confusing Meader for the real President Kennedy and Meader performing other, non-Kennedy related routines from his musical/comedy stage act. A week after filming, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. President Kennedy's death promptly ended Meader's career; his club bookings and television appearances were quickly canceled and his albums were pulled from stores. The episode featuring Meader was scheduled to air in February 1964, but was “scrapped”, or pulled from the schedule, by NBC. [9] The episode never aired and was reportedly destroyed. [10] [11]
The series was created by Louis F. Edelman and Danny Thomas who also served as the executive producer. The series was produced by Thomas' company, Bellmar Enterprises. [12] It was filmed at Desilu Studios in front of a live studio audience, with a laugh track added during post-production for "sweetening" purposes. [13]
Upon its debut on NBC in 1961, The Joey Bishop Show was telecast in black-and-white during its first season except for five episodes which were filmed and broadcast in color to promote parent company RCA's color television sets on special "all color nights" which included episodes of Wagon Train . Those episodes were broadcast on October 4, 1961; November 1, 1961; December 6, 1961; February 7, 1962; and March 14, 1962. The series second and third seasons were fully broadcast in color. After the series moved to CBS for the 1964–65 season, it reverted to black-and-white. [2]
Upon its premiere, The Joey Bishop Show struggled in the ratings. After the first re-tooling, ratings for the series improved and NBC renewed it for a second season. The series' second revamped season proved to be popular with audiences and ratings increased. By the end of the third season, the series had dropped in the ratings again and NBC announced it would be dropped from its lineup in January 1964 (the series' third-season finale episode aired in May 1964). [14] Around this time, Danny Thomas decided to end his series after eleven years despite its still high ratings. To compensate for Thomas' absence, CBS immediately picked up The Joey Bishop Show for the 1964–65 television season. [15]
The Season 4 season opener, "Joey Goes to CBS", premiered on Sunday night September 27, 1964 at 9:30 P.M. opposite NBC's highly popular western series Bonanza . As a result, ratings for The Joey Bishop Show were low. By late fall 1964, ratings had not improved. In an effort to save the series, CBS moved it to Tuesday nights opposite the second half of ABC's Combat! and NBC's Mr. Novak . Ratings still remained low and CBS announced the series’ cancellation in January 1965. [16] The series finale aired on March 30, 1965.
Episodes of The Joey Bishop Show aired on TV Land in 1998. [17]
In 2016, the series began airing on Retro TV.
Antenna TV announced in October 2016 it would begin airing the series the following January, including the rarely seen first season. [18]
In September 2004, Questar Entertainment released the complete second season of The Joey Bishop Show on Region 1 DVD in the United States. [19]
On March 13, 2018, SFM Entertainment (distributed by Allied Vaughn) released all four seasons plus a "Complete Series" set on DVD in Region 1 via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available exclusively through Amazon. [20]
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on U.S. network television, and one of the longest-running, live-action American series. The show continues to air in syndication. The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe. The series initially starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon and later featured Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. The show is known for presenting pressing moral dilemmas.
Danny Thomas was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in the Danny Thomas Show. In addition to guest roles on many of the comedy, talk, and musical variety programs of his time, his legacy includes a lifelong dedication to fundraising for charity. Most notably, he was the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a leading center in pediatric medicine with a focus on pediatric cancer. St. Jude now has affiliate hospitals in eight other American cities as of early 2020.
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show focused on his relationship with his family, yet went through a number of significant changes in cast and characters during the course of its run. Episodes regularly featured music by Thomas, guest stars and occasionally other cast members as part of the plot.
Joseph Abraham Gottlieb, known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk/variety show host, then later hosted a late-night talk show with Regis Philbin as his young sidekick on ABC. He also was a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford. He is listed as 96th entry on Comedy Central's list of 100 greatest comedians.
The following is the 1964–65 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1964 through August 1965. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancel after the 1963–64 season.
Eleanor Audley was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. She played Oliver Douglas's mom, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom Green Acres (1965–1969), and provided two Disney animated classics with the voices of the two iconic villains: Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother in Cinderella (1950), and Maleficent, the wicked fairy in Sleeping Beauty (1959). She had roles in live-action films, but was most active in radio programs such as My Favorite Husband as Liz Cooper's mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper, and Father Knows Best as the Anderson family's neighbor, Mrs. Smith. Audley's television appearances include those in I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mister Ed, Hazel, The Beverly Hillbillies, Pistols 'n' Petticoats, and My Three Sons.
Gladys Marlene Wasden, known professionally as Abby Dalton, was an American actress, known for her television roles on the sitcoms Hennesey (1959–1962) and The Joey Bishop Show (1962–1965), and the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1986).
Dennis Day was an American actor, comedian and singer. He was of Irish descent.
The John Larroquette Show is an American sitcom television series that was created by Don Reo for NBC. The John Larroquette Show was a star vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series takes place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri, and originally focused on the somewhat broken people who worked the night shift, and in particular, the lead character's battle with alcoholism. The series was produced by Reo's Impact Zone Productions, Larroquette's Port Street Films and Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Edward Binns was an American actor. He had a wide-spanning career in film and television, often portraying competent, hard working and purposeful characters in his various roles. He is best known for his work in such acclaimed films as 12 Angry Men (1957), North by Northwest (1959), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Fail Safe (1964), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Patton (1970) and The Verdict (1982).
Russell Craig "Rusty" Hamer was an American stage, film and television actor. He portrayed Rusty Williams, the wisecracking son of entertainer Danny Williams, on the ABC/CBS situation comedy Make Room for Daddy, from 1953 to 1964. He reprised the role in three reunion specials and the sequel series, Make Room for Granddaddy, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1971.
George Vincent Homeier, known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star.
The Farmer's Daughter is an American sitcom, loosely based on the 1947 film, that was produced by Screen Gems Television and aired on ABC from September 20, 1963, to April 22, 1966. It was sponsored by Lark Cigarettes and Clairol, for whom the two leading stars often appeared at the show's end, promoting the products; the commercials were also filmed. The Farmer's Daughter also enjoyed a brief run in syndication when it aired on CBN Cable in the 1980s.
The Joey Bishop Show is an American talk show that had its first broadcast on ABC on April 17, 1967, hosted by Joey Bishop and featuring Regis Philbin in his first ongoing role with national television exposure, as Bishop's sidekick/announcer. Created to challenge The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the show lasted 33 months, with the last show airing on December 26, 1969.
The third season of Full House, an American family sitcom created by Jeff Franklin, premiered on ABC in the United States on September 22, 1989, and concluded on May 4, 1990. The season was partially directed by Franklin and produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, Miller-Boyett Productions, and Lorimar Television, with Don Van Atta as the producer. It consists of 24 episodes, most of which were directed by Bill Foster.
"The Chase" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the American comedy-drama series, Desperate Housewives, and the 127th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on ABC in the United States on February 28, 2010. In the episode, Gabrielle gets a break from the children when one of them catches chickenpox, Lynette forgets her daughter's birthday, and Katherine continues to explore her feelings of lesbianism.
The twelfth season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1988–89 TV season.
The thirteenth season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1989–90 TV season.