To Rome with Love (TV series)

Last updated
To Rome with Love
To Rome With Love.jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created byJoan O'Brien
Directed by Earl Bellamy
Frederick de Cordova
James Sheldon
Starring John Forsythe
Kay Medford
Peggy Mondo
Vito Scotti
Walter Brennan
Composer Frank De Vol
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes48
Production
Executive producer Don Fedderson
ProducerEdmund L. Hartmann
Running time25 minutes
Production companyDon Fedderson Productions
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 28, 1969 (1969-09-28) 
February 24, 1971 (1971-02-24)

To Rome with Love is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 28, 1969, to February 24, 1971.

Contents

Synopsis

To Rome with Love is the story of widowed college professor Michael Endicott, who decided to leave his native Iowa following the death of his wife and accept a new position as an instructor at the American Overseas School of Rome. The culture shock of his children in reacting to their new environment, and to an extent, his own, provided the main humor in the series. Family situations provided most of the rest. Early on, much of this came from Endicott's single sister, Harriet, who followed them to Rome, apparently for the sole purpose of dissuading them from living there and cajoling them into returning to Iowa. Harriet soon departed, but her place was taken shortly afterward by Andy Pruitt, Endicott's father-in-law and the children's grandfather. He came to Rome for a brief visit, but wound up staying indefinitely.

Broadcast history

SeasonTime slot (ET)
1969–70 Sunday at 7:30 pm
1970–71 Tuesday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1–15)
Wednesday at 8:30 pm (Episodes 16–22)

Episode list

Season 1: 1969–70

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot" Fred de Cordova Edmund Hartmann September 28, 1969 (1969-09-28)
22"Hello, Aunt Harriet"UnknownUnknownOctober 5, 1969 (1969-10-05)
33"The Roman from Iowa"UnknownUnknownOctober 12, 1969 (1969-10-12)
44"Goodbye Aunt Harriet"UnknownUnknownOctober 19, 1969 (1969-10-19)
55"The Telephone"UnknownUnknownNovember 2, 1969 (1969-11-02)
66"We Want to Go Home"UnknownUnknownNovember 9, 1969 (1969-11-09)
77"A Palazzo Is Not a Home"UnknownUnknownNovember 16, 1969 (1969-11-16)
88"The Long Road Home"UnknownUnknownNovember 23, 1969 (1969-11-23)
99"A Secret Day"UnknownUnknownNovember 30, 1969 (1969-11-30)
1010"An Affair of Honor"UnknownUnknownDecember 14, 1969 (1969-12-14)
1111"And One More Spring"UnknownUnknownDecember 28, 1969 (1969-12-28)
1212"Anything Can Happen in Rome"UnknownUnknownJanuary 4, 1970 (1970-01-04)
1313"A Gown for Alison" James Sheldon Elick MollJanuary 11, 1970 (1970-01-11)
1414"One Coin in the Fountain"James Sheldon Philip Rapp January 18, 1970 (1970-01-18)
1515"To Go Home Again"UnknownUnknownJanuary 25, 1970 (1970-01-25)
1616"The Pied Piper of Rome"Charles BartonBlanche HanalisFebruary 1, 1970 (1970-02-01)
1717"My Daughter Penny" Charles Barton Blanche HanalisFebruary 8, 1970 (1970-02-08)
1818"Beautiful People"Charles Barton John McGreevey March 1, 1970 (1970-03-01)
1919"Birds, Bees and Romans"UnknownUnknownMarch 8, 1970 (1970-03-08)
2020"The Pretty Little Girl"UnknownUnknownMarch 15, 1970 (1970-03-15)
2121"Father's Choice"UnknownUnknownMarch 29, 1970 (1970-03-29)
2222"A Friend for Penny"UnknownUnknownApril 5, 1970 (1970-04-05)
2323"Spring Vacation"UnknownUnknownApril 26, 1970 (1970-04-26)
2424"West of Rome"UnknownUnknownMay 3, 1970 (1970-05-03)
2525"Our Friend Gino"UnknownUnknownMay 10, 1970 (1970-05-10)
2626"We Remember Mama"UnknownUnknownMay 17, 1970 (1970-05-17)

Season 2: 1970–71

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
271"Here Comes Andy" Earl Bellamy Robert Pirosh September 15, 1970 (1970-09-15)
282"A Day in the Country"UnknownUnknownSeptember 22, 1970 (1970-09-22)
293"Baby of the Family"UnknownUnknownSeptember 29, 1970 (1970-09-29)
304"Roman Affair"UnknownUnknownOctober 6, 1970 (1970-10-06)
315"A Boy to Remember"UnknownUnknownOctober 13, 1970 (1970-10-13)
326"Rome Is Where You Find It"UnknownUnknownOctober 20, 1970 (1970-10-20)
337"Lire from Heaven"UnknownUnknownOctober 27, 1970 (1970-10-27)
348"Grandpa in Charge"UnknownUnknownNovember 10, 1970 (1970-11-10)
359"The Catnip Club"UnknownUnknownNovember 17, 1970 (1970-11-17)
3610"The Rose Garden"Earl BellamyUnknownNovember 24, 1970 (1970-11-24)
3711"The Boy Next Door"UnknownUnknownDecember 1, 1970 (1970-12-01)
3812"The Runaways"UnknownUnknownDecember 8, 1970 (1970-12-08)
3913"Fly Away Home"UnknownUnknownDecember 15, 1970 (1970-12-15)
4014"Doctor Andy"UnknownUnknownDecember 29, 1970 (1970-12-29)
4115"Making the Scene"UnknownUnknownJanuary 5, 1971 (1971-01-05)
4216"Bonzai or Bonsai"UnknownUnknownJanuary 13, 1971 (1971-01-13)
4317"Beauty and the Judge"UnknownUnknownJanuary 20, 1971 (1971-01-20)
4418"Age of Life"UnknownUnknownJanuary 27, 1971 (1971-01-27)
4519"Mike and the Countess"UnknownUnknownFebruary 3, 1971 (1971-02-03)
4620"The Stray Cat"UnknownUnknownFebruary 10, 1971 (1971-02-10)
4721"Yankee Trader"Earl BellamyUnknownFebruary 17, 1971 (1971-02-17)
4822"Boy Meets Penny"Earl BellamyUnknownFebruary 24, 1971 (1971-02-24)

Reception

Originally airing on Sunday nights, the show went up against ABC's Land of the Giants and NBC's The Wonderful World of Disney and never garnered the ratings CBS had hoped for. Also, Kay Medford as Aunt Harriet did not catch on with viewers and, as a result, was phased out of the series shortly after its premiere. Nevertheless, the network agreed to renew the show for a second season. To Rome With Love was switched to Tuesdays at 9:30 in September, 1970.

In order to give Forsythe a strong co-star, Walter Brennan joined the cast as Michael Endicott's father-in-law, Andy Pruitt. However, the second season did even worse than the first. In January, 1971, in an attempt to salvage the series, CBS shifted the show to Wednesdays to make room for a new CBS sitcom: All In The Family . The move did not help, and the series was canceled in the spring of 1971.

Crossover episodes

"Roman Affair" (Season 2, Episode 4) features Anissa Jones and Johnnie Whitaker as their Family Affair characters Buffy and Jody, respectively. "Rome Is Where You Find It" (Season 2, Episode 6) features William Demarest, Don Grady and Tina Cole as Uncle Charley, Robbie Douglas and Katie Douglas respectively from My Three Sons . All 3 series were produced by Edmund Hartmann and Don Fedderson,

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>The Andy Griffith Show</i> American sitcom TV series (1960–1968)

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.

<i>My Three Sons</i> American television sitcom (1960–1972)

My Three Sons is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seven seasons, which were filmed in color. My Three Sons chronicles the life of widower and aeronautical engineer Steven Douglas as he raises his three sons.

<i>The Real McCoys</i> American sitcom

The Real McCoys is an American sitcom starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company, it was broadcast for six seasons: five by the ABC-TV network, from 1957 to 1962; and a final season by CBS, 1962–1963. Set in California's San Fernando Valley, it was filmed at Desilu studios in Hollywood.

<i>The Streets of San Francisco</i> American crime drama television series

The Streets of San Francisco is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forsythe</span> American actor (1918–2010)

John Forsythe was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety shows and as a panelist on numerous game shows.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

<i>Green Acres</i> American television sitcom (1965–71)

Green Acres is an American television absurdist sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series was first broadcast on CBS, from September 15, 1965, to April 27, 1971.

<i>The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet</i> American television sitcom (1952–1966)

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it continued its success, initially running simultaneously on radio and TV. In terms of seasons, it was the longest running live-action sitcom in U.S. television history until It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia surpassed it on December 1, 2021. The series starred the entertainment duo of Ozzie Nelson and his wife, singer Harriet Nelson, and their sons, David and Ricky. Don DeFore had a recurring role as the Nelsons' neighbor "Thorny".

Love Is a Many Splendored Thing was an American daytime soap opera that aired on CBS from September 18, 1967, to March 23, 1973. The series was created by Irna Phillips, who served as the first head writer. She was replaced by Jane Avery and Ira Avery in 1968, who were followed by Don Ettlinger, James Lipton and finally Ann Marcus. John Conboy served as producer for most of the show's run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madge Blake</span> American actress (1899–1969)

Madge Blake was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Larry Mondello's mother, Margaret Mondello, on the CBS/ABC sitcom Leave It to Beaver, as Flora MacMichael on the ABC/CBS sitcom The Real McCoys, and as Aunt Harriet Cooper in 96 episodes of ABC's Batman. Gene Kelly had a special affection for her and included her in each of his films following her role in An American in Paris.

<i>Charles in Charge</i> American comedy television series

Charles in Charge is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott Baio, who had previously starred in Happy Days, in the title role. Willie Aames, who had previously been a cast member on Eight Is Enough, also starred as Charles’ best friend Buddy Lembeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rural purge</span> Coordinated cancellations of American rural-themed television programs

The "rural purge" of American television networks was a series of cancellations in the early 1970s of still-popular rural-themed shows with demographically skewed audiences, the majority of which occurred at the end of the 1970–71 television season. In addition to rural-themed shows such as Mayberry R.F.D., The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres, the cancellations ended several highly rated variety shows that had been on CBS since the beginning of television broadcasting. CBS saw a dramatic change in direction with the shift, moving away from shows with rural themes and toward more appeal to urban and suburban audiences.

<i>Bachelor Father</i> (American TV series) 1957 American TV series or program

Bachelor Father is an American sitcom starring John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong. The series first premiered on CBS in September 1957 before moving to NBC for the third season in 1959. The series' fifth and final season aired on ABC. A total of 157 episodes were aired. The series was based on "A New Girl in His Life", which aired on General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Medford</span> American actress (1919–1980)

Margaret Kathleen Regan, better known as Kay Medford, was an American actress. For her performance as Rose Brice in the musical Funny Girl and the film adaptation of the same name, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Hastings</span> American actor (1925–2014)

Robert Francis Hastings was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Lt. Elroy Carpenter on McHale's Navy and voicing Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Animated Universe.

<i>The New Andy Griffith Show</i> American sitcom TV series (1971)

The New Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on CBS in 1971 on Fridays at 8:30 ET. It debuted on January 8, 1971, and ended on May 21, 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Descher</span> American actress

Sandra Kay Descher is an American former child actress of the 1950s.

<i>Bob</i> (TV series) American television situation comedy

Bob is an American sitcom television series created by Bill Steinkellner, Cheri Steinkellner, and Phoef Sutton. It aired on CBS from September 18, 1992, to December 27, 1993, for two seasons. The series was the third starring vehicle sitcom for Bob Newhart, following his previous successful CBS sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart.

Rickey William Kelman is a former actor. He had supporting roles in two single-season sitcoms, The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959-1960) on CBS and Our Man Higgins (1962-1963) on ABC.

Return of the Beverly Hillbillies is a 1981 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1962–1971 sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies which reunited original cast members Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas and Nancy Kulp reprising their characters of Jed Clampett, Elly May Clampett and Jane Hathaway, along with newcomers Werner Klemperer as C.D. Medford, Ray Young as Jethro Bodine and Imogene Coca as Granny's 100-year-old mother; original cast members Irene Ryan (Granny) and Raymond Bailey had died in 1973 and 1980 respectively, and Max Baer Jr. declined to participate.

References