The Nutt House

Last updated
The Nutt House
The Nutt House.jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created by Mel Brooks
Alan Spencer
Written by Bruce Bilson
Mel Brooks
Alicia Marie Schudt
Alan Spencer
Directed byGary Nelson
Starring Cloris Leachman
Harvey Korman
Brian McNamara
Molly Hagan
Gregory Itzin
Mark Blankfield
Theme music composerLance Rubin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes11 (5 unaired in U.S.)
Production
Executive producerAlan Spencer
ProducerMel Brooks
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesBrooksfilms Television
Alan Spencer Productions
Touchstone Television
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseSeptember 20 (1989-09-20) –
October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25)

The Nutt House is an American sitcom television series that aired for five episodes on NBC from September 20 to October 25, 1989. [1]

Contents

Overview

The Nutt House was the creation of executive producers Mel Brooks and Alan Spencer and was a broad farce about a once-prestigious New York City hotel, which had of late fallen on hard times, due in part to it being named for the proprietress, Edwina Nutt (Cloris Leachman). Other characters included manager Reginald Tarkington (Harvey Korman), and head of housekeeping Ms. Frick (also portrayed by Leachman). Frick appeared in every episode, Mrs. Nutt only in the pilot.

The Nutt House was a broad satire, described by cast member Molly Hagan as " Police Squad! meets Fawlty Towers " [2] . The main storyline for each and every episode was periodically interrupted by short, unrelated, often surreal gags. Its audience was quite a narrow one, and it was cancelled within 6 weeks of its premiere. However, all 11 of the produced episodes were broadcast on BBC 2 in the United Kingdom, where it became a moderate success being shown on Saturday evening following Clive James' Saturday Night Clive . Brooks appeared on this program to promote the first episode of The Nutt House on 14 October 1989. However, to the dismay of viewers, the BBC did not give the show a fixed airtime. Usually shown around 23.00 hours (but sometimes as late as 23.30), the final episode inexplicably aired at 19.30 on 16 December 1989.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1
2		"Pilot" Gary Nelson Mel Brooks & Alan Spencer September 20, 1989 (1989-09-20)23.0 [ citation needed ]
When Big Jake Herder (David Huddleston) of the powerful Texplex hotel chain announces his intention to purchase the failing Nutt House hotel, proprietress Edwina Nutt calls on her ne'er-do-well grandson, Charles Nutt III, to intervene. Upon his arrival, Charles finds a female guest stuck in a phone booth, a nearly-blind elevator operator, and discovers that hotel manager Reginald Tarkington has a fake guest list with 600 names on it -- a list he's been fudging for the past several years. Meanwhile, Big Jake's top buyer, Shrike (John de Lancie), gets more than he bargained for when he pays the Nutt House a visit.
3"The Accidental Groom" Bill Bixby Alan SpencerSeptember 27, 1989 (1989-09-27)18.3 [ citation needed ]
Agent Flynn (Mark L. Taylor), an immigration officer, informs Ms. Frick that she will be deported to Germany, unless she can marry a U.S. citizen within 24 hours. When it appears that Tarkington is the only available suitor, he and Frick set out to prove her first husband was an American.
4"A Frick Called Wanda" Bruce Bilson Jim GeoghanOctober 11, 1989 (1989-10-11)15.6 [ citation needed ]
A younger woman named Gwen Goode (Beth Broderick) tries to seduce Tarkington, sending him into full mid-life crisis mode. A jealous Ms. Frick discovers that Gwen is working for the infamous criminal mastermind, Hans Grueblik (Michael Harris).
5"21 Men and a Baby"Bruce BilsonAlicia Marie SchudtOctober 18, 1989 (1989-10-18)20.7 [ citation needed ]
Tarkington's favorite baseball team is in town, and their manager chooses the nearly-empty Nutt House for his team's accommodations in the hope that it is the quietest place in the city. Instead, a crying baby keeps the team's 21 players up all night. When the baby's mother leaves her child in Ms. Frick's care, Frick's long-suppressed motherly instincts are awakened.
6"Suites, Lies and Videotape"Roger Duchowny Richard Day October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25)17.2 [ citation needed ]
The President of the United States is in town to make an appearance at the Gentile Haberdashers conference, and Charles hopes to lure him into staying in the presidential suite at The Nutt House. To do so, he asks the employees to produce and star in a promotional video for the hotel.
7"When Charles Met Sally"Bruce BilsonAlan SpencerUnairedTBD
Newly-hired public relations manager, Marla (Beverly Leech), becomes Sally's rival for Charles' affections. When Marla makes Charles the star of a fashion show to be hosted at the hotel, Freddy and Ms. Frick intervene on behalf of Sally.
8"A Night at the Reunion" Art Wolff TBDUnairedTBD
Tarkington's Roosevelt High Class of '49 is staying at the Nutt House while in town for a reunion. Reginald tries to hide the fact that he is the hotel's manager, instead pretending to be into big business to impress his high school rival and classmates, which include Pope John Paul II.
9"To Tell the Truth"Art WolffMark Curtiss, Rod AshUnairedTBD
Sally needs to raise $7,000 to get her mother's damaged nose fixed. Just as Tarkington announces he's won some cash, an acrobatic burglar and her brutish assistant rob The Nutt House's till.
10"My Man Tarkington"TBDTBDUnairedTBD
Stuffy Englishman Alec Creed (Paxton Whitehead) supplants Tarkington as manager just in time for pay raise day. Creed fires Freddy, but the rest of the staff conspires against him to get Freddy's job back.
11"The Nutt Cracker Suite"TBDTBDUnairedTBD
To further the growing peace between the USA and USSR, Sally invites the Kyiv Ballet to stay at The Nutt House. But Sally has ulterior motives, as she's really longing to meet handsome Soviet dancer Mikael Nabokov.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Mary Tyler Moore Show</i> American television sitcom (1970–1977)

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970, to March 19, 1977. Moore portrayed Mary Richards, an unmarried, independent woman focused on her career as associate producer of a news show at the fictional local station WJM in Minneapolis. Ed Asner co-starred as Mary's boss Lou Grant, alongside Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Georgia Engel, Betty White, Valerie Harper as friend and neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern, and Cloris Leachman as friend and landlady Phyllis Lindstrom.

<i>The Jersey</i> American TV comedy series (1999–2004)

The Jersey is an American comedy television series based on the Monday Night Football Club books by Gordon Korman. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 30, 1999, to March 23, 2004.

<i>The Facts of Life</i> (TV series) American sitcom

The Facts of Life is an American television sitcom created by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon and a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes that originally aired on NBC from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on Edna Garrett, as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloris Leachman</span> American actress (1926–2021)

Cloris Leachman was an American actress and comedienne whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nominated and, along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, most awarded performer in Emmy history. Leachman also won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In her early career, she was known for her versatility. Another unique trait of Leachman's acting style was her distinctive physicality, where she utilized props to accentuate and express her roles' characterizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Korman</span> American actor and comedian (1927–2008)

Harvey Herschel Korman was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the CBS sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1977) for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>Phyllis</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Phyllis is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from September 8, 1975, to March 13, 1977. Created mainly by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels, it was the second spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary Tyler Moore Show producer James L. Brooks was also involved with the show as a creative consultant. The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who had been Mary Richards' friend, neighbor, and landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Molly Hagan is an American actress. She co-starred in films Code of Silence (1985), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), The Dentist (1996), Election (1999), and Sully (2016), and is also known for her roles in television on Herman's Head (1991–94) and Unfabulous (2004–07).

Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills is an American sitcom starring Harvey Korman, Valerie Perrine and Sue Ball broadcast from April 25 to June 6, 1986 on Friday nights at 8:30 p.m ET on CBS.

<i>Lancer</i> (TV series) American television series

Lancer is an American Western television series that aired Tuesdays at 7:30 pm on CBS from September 24, 1968, to June 23, 1970. The series stars Andrew Duggan as a father with two half-brother sons, played by James Stacy and Wayne Maunder.

<i>Johnny Staccato</i> American TV series or program

Johnny Staccato is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes which ran for 27 episodes on NBC from September 10, 1959 through March 24, 1960.

<i>Amandas</i> American TV series or program

Amanda's is an American sitcom television series based on the 1970s British sitcom Fawlty Towers that aired on ABC from February 10 to May 26, 1983. The series starred Bea Arthur as Amanda Cartwright, who owns a seaside hotel called "Amanda's by the Sea" and was Arthur's first return to series television since her sitcom Maude ended in 1978.

<i>Saints and Sinners</i> (1962 TV series) American TV series or program

Saints and Sinners is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1962-63 television season. The program starred Nick Adams as newspaper reporter Nick Alexander. Saints and Sinners was created by Adrian Spies, who worked as a journalist before becoming a screenwriter.

Radio Roo is a British children's television programme which featured the adventures of Dennis and Clive, who run a radio station, Radio Roo, based in England that Clive inherited. The show ran for a total of 31 episodes from 25 February 1991 to 29 March 1993 on the BBC. All episodes were written by Wayne Jackman, who starred as Dennis. The broad Australian accent of Clive the Kangaroo was provided by Ian Tregonning.

<i>Frontier Circus</i> American Western TV series (1961–1962)

Frontier Circus is an American Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s. Filmed by Revue Productions, the program originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1961, until September 20, 1962. It was also shown on the BBC in England.

<i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1980 TV series) US variety program (1980–81)

The Tim Conway Show – the second of two television series of the name – is a 1980–1981 American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Tim Conway. It aired on CBS from March 22, 1980 to May 17, 1980, and from September 20, 1980 to March 7, 1981.

<i>Dr. Kildare</i> (TV series) American medical drama television series (1961–1966)

Dr. Kildare is an NBC medical drama television series which originally ran from September 28, 1961, until August 30, 1966, for a total of 191 episodes over five seasons. Produced by MGM Television, it was based on fictional doctor characters originally created by author Max Brand in the 1930s and previously used by MGM in a popular film series and radio drama. The TV series quickly achieved success and made a star of Richard Chamberlain, who played the title role. Dr. Kildare inspired or influenced many later TV shows dealing with the medical field. Dr. Kildare aired on NBC affiliate stations on Thursday nights at 8:30–9:30 p.m. until September 1965, when the timeslot was changed to Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:30–9:00 p.m. through the end of the show's run.

The Harvey Korman Show is an American sitcom television series starring Harvey Korman, Christine Lahti, Barry Van Dyke and Milton Selzer that aired for five episodes on ABC from January 31 to August 3, 1978.

Just for Laughs is an American anthology television series that aired on ABC in the summer of 1974. The 30-minute episodes consisted of unsold television pilots for situation comedies.

References

  1. ↑ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. Hyperion Books. pp. 373–374. ISBN   0-7868-6359-5.
  2. ↑ "The Nutt House (TV Series 1989) - Trivia - IMDb". IMDb .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.