The Jeffersonian Era

Author Jay Moriarty takes us behind the scenes of a long-running sitcom with Honky in the House: Writing & Producing 'The Jeffersons' (Antler Productions). 

I haven't watched The Jeffersons in years, and I can't say I was ever a huge fan, though I certainly saw quite a few episodes. My hazy recollection is of a show that leaned heavily on insult humor, and was generally played to the rafters by its cast in a way I sometimes found off-putting. Moriarty considers the show groundbreaking in several aspects, and he makes a pretty good argument for his case. 

While I enjoyed his behind-the-scenes anecdotes, which also cover other shows for which he wrote, what I liked most about his book were the sections that serve as a how-to manual for aspiring sitcom writers. One of his more interesting comments explained why a newcomer submitting a sample script to producers should not send one for the show you want to write. He breaks down the structure of a traditional sitcom story in easy-to-understand terms, showing us a form almost as rigid as a haiku. Using practical examples from The Jeffersons, he illustrates the multitudinous challenges and choices that producers have to face in order to drop an episode into the can every week.  

Though this is generally a very engaging book, I do question his odd choice to write it in third person, and give himself and his longtime writing partner fictitious names. He explains in the introduction that he thought writing about himself in first-person form "egocentric." For this reader's money, the stylistic quirk was just an irritant that made the book harder to follow.

That quibble aside, Moriarty's book is well worth the read for classic TV buffs and wannabe screenwriters.

"Soap" in Your Eyes

I've rarely watched Soap since its original 1977-81 run on ABC, but A.S. Berman's Soap: The Inside Story of the Sitcom That Broke All the Rules (BearManor Media) does an excellent job of reminding me why I liked this quirky, innovative show so much.

Highly controversial in its day, Soap could be not only hysterically funny but surprisingly touching, and had a thoroughbred cast brimming with stage-trained actors. Behind it all was creator Susan Harris, one of the most distinctive voices in television comedy.

Berman's book is impressively researched, drawing on substantive interviews with cast and crew members. His critique of the show candidly addresses its flaws, but also celebrates what it did best, while acknowledging the talent and drive that went into its creation. And the detailed episode guide will have you chuckling as you recall some of the show's best moments.

Soap is a show that well deserves a book-length tribute and assessment. A.S. Berman has delivered it.

The Business of Laughter

If, like me, you're an admirer of that quintessentially American art form, the situation comedy, you'll want to pick up a copy of Paula Finn's insightful, smart, and funny Sitcom Writers Talk Shop: Behind the Scenes with Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, and Other Geniuses of TV Comedy (Rowman & Littlefield).

It's a compelling book of interviews with the likes of Matt Williams (Roseanne, Home Improvement), Dava Savel (Ellen), James L. Brooks (Mary Tyler Moore), and, of course, the aforementioned Messrs. Reiner and Lear. Ms. Finn brings an unusual insider's perspective in that her father -- to whom she pays tribute in a charming preface -- was sitcom writer Herbert Finn, whose credits include The Honeymooners and (be still, my heart!) The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna. 

I had already read one fine book of interviews with sitcom writers, Scott Lewellen's Funny You Should Ask, which I reviewed about five years ago, so I wondered if the newer work would cause an attack of deja vu. Surprisingly, there isn't that much duplication between the two books in terms of interviewees, although Lila Garrett, Bill Persky, and a few others grace both volumes. Ms. Finn's book skews a bit more toward recent TV history, including shows that ran into the 21st century. But don't let that mislead you: there's plenty here for the classic sitcom fan to savor. And while Lewellen presented his book in an oral history format, organizing the material by topics (working with actors, shows that failed, etc.), Ms. Finn conducts full-length interviews that cover her subjects' careers and experiences in depth. A nice touch is her periodic inclusion of sidebars, in which a colleague of the writer being interviewed adds a different perspective on the shows discussed.

I'm frequently reminded that, when it comes to capturing the type of firsthand memories that Ms. Finn's book contains, the clock is always ticking. Sitcom Writers Talk Shop is a valuable piece of television history.

NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Witch Hazel?

If you've spent enough (OK, too much) time watching Screen Gems sitcoms of the 1960s, you've probably noticed the frequent use of exterior shots filmed on the Columbia Ranch. Looking closely during those outdoor scenes of our favorite TV families, it appears that Hazel and the Baxter family are neighbors of Bewitched's Sam and Darrin Stephens.

Back then, crossovers between shows weren't as common as they later became. And in this case, George, Dorothy, and their irrepressible maid were residents of NBC's subdivision, while Samantha's spells were cast over ABC. But I found myself imagining the chaos that could result if our two heroines met and became pals.

Sam, especially in the earlier episodes, could have picked up a few tips on cooking the mortal way from the maid whose meals always won raves. But while Hazel was already renowned for her take-charge ability to get things done, imagine how she could up the ante with a little help from everyone's favorite witch?

HAZEL (as George walks in from another tough day) "Ain't it hot today, Mr. B? But don't you worry none. While you was at the office, I installed a swimming pool in the backyard."

As for that nasty Deirdre, just let her try insulting Hazel now! "How'd you like a free trip to outer space, Miz Thompson?"

Aren't you glad I wasn't a TV producer in the Sixties? Maybe I'd better go lie down for a while.

Dorothy Baxter, Meet Ann Romano

The best role on Hazel was, of course, the sometimes maddening yet always endearing maid played by Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning Shirley Booth. Next in line was Don DeFore, as the boss with whom she regularly butted heads. That sometimes left co-star Whitney Blake, as the mistress of the household, bringing up the rear. "I have had to build the character," the actress told TV Guide in 1963."No one knew anything about Dorothy -- not even Ted Key, the cartoonist who created Hazel ... It's hard to create a role with so few lines." Nevertheless, she made herself a key element of a show viewers embraced. Of Hazel's popularity, she said, "We make people happy. We don't deal with deep problems. People tell me it's refreshing to see our show, that they never miss it because they feel good afterwards."

Written out of the series in 1965, Miss Blake continued to act periodically, but also brought to light other gifts. She hosted a local talk show, Boutique, on Los Angeles' KCBS-TV. And in 1975, she attained new recognition as co-creator of the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time. It depicted family life quite differently than Hazel. The premise -- a divorced woman raising children -- came from her own experience. Not only had she been a child of divorce, but she went on to be a single mother to her own kids (including daughter Meredith Baxter) after splitting from her first husband.

It was a situation that TV up until then had mostly ignored. "This country swarms with divorced women having to be both mother and father to their children," she told the Los Angeles Times' Cecil Smith in 1975. "But as far is television is concerned, they don't exist." Blake and her third husband Allan Manings, who was then producing Good Times, successfully pitched the concept to Norman Lear. The result was a hit show that ran nine years. 

Whitney Blake died of esophageal cancer in 2002, but she is remembered for the way she helped depict family life on classic TV -- both as actress and writer. For more on Hazel and its cast, please see my book Shirley Booth: A Biography and Career Record. 

Morning Merriment

Fans of classic comedy are in for a treat! Decades, the digital broadcast TV network, is giving its viewers plenty of laughs, with a double dose of morning comedy. Two of the best comediennes of the 1950s are brightening Decades' morning lineup, with the revival of I Married Joan (above), starring Joan Davis, and Our Miss Brooks (below), starring Eve Arden.

And if, after admiring their comic gifts, you find yourself wanting to know more about the lives and careers of these two very funny ladies, I have a suggestion or two for you about that.

A New Look at "Margie"

Could we be in for a resurgence of interest in Gale Storm's life and career? The recent release of a two-disc DVD set, My Little Margie: The Complete First Season (Nostalgia Family Video) gives me reason to hope.

In recent years, fans wanting to get their fix of Margie, Vern, and the gang have usually had to make do with less-than-ideal DVD releases, often featuring grainy copies of episodes taped off a TV rerun. This new set, however, offers some of the cleanest, most spruced-up prints I've ever seen. It's available through several major online retailers.

That, along with the forthcoming release of a certain book on the subject, may help longtime fans celebrate Miss Storm all the more, and hopefully win her a few new admirers as well. She deserves nothing less.

Sitcom Interruptus

Van Dyke and Lange, with TV daughter Angela Powell.

Some forty-odd years ago, my sister and I tried hard to convince my mother that we were big fans of The New Dick Van Dyke Show. What we liked best about it, in truth, was that it aired on Monday nights after Here's Lucy, which we were allowed to watch before being hustled off to bed. My mother, of course, never fell for that routine, designed to let us stay up a bit longer.

Not available on DVD, and little-seen in syndication, Van Dyke's second TV sitcom, which aired on CBS from 1971 to 1974, never came close to matching the popularity or the critical acclaim of his first. But the writers and producers and writers did try to bring a 1970s topicality to the show, with plots revolving around topics like marijuana and interracial dating. They went one step too far for CBS' comfort with the third-season episode Lt. Preston of the 4th Cavalry, which network executives refused to air as shot.

Norman Lear's sitcoms had radically changed sitcom standards in the early 1970s, so Van Dyke's producer Carl Reiner was shocked that censors targeted this episode. It does have a premise you won't see on I Love Lucy, or My Three Sons. The episode finds Van Dyke and his TV wife (in this series, Hope Lange) coming to the slightly horrified realization that their young daughter unwittingly barged in on her parents while they were making love. Even though the script handled the premise in good taste, CBS censors felt that the episode was not in keeping with the star's family-friendly image. Reiner was so angered by this decision that he promptly quit the show, and shortly afterwards Dick Van Dyke refused to continue the series for a fourth year.

Like so many other TV obscurities, that episode has now been posted to YouTube, along with several others. Having heard about the brouhaha for some years, I was interested to see the show for myself. Take a look, and let me know what you think. Did CBS make the right call, or did executives overreact?

That's My Little Margie!

Sixty-five years ago tonight, Americans had their first look at a television comedy series called My Little Margie. Airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. (EST), it was the summer replacement for TV's Number One show, I Love Lucy.

TV critics were not impressed, and predicted a hasty -- and well-deserved -- demise. But as one observer later said, "Nobody liked it but the people." The show caught on immediately, making leading lady Gale Storm a full-fledged television star. The series lasted four seasons, and played in reruns for decades afterwards.

Be on the lookout next spring for my book on the life and career of Gale Storm.

When Book Reviewing Ain't for Sissies

If you've been following my book reviews on this blog, you may have noticed that they tend to accentuate the positive. Knowing from first-hand experience how much effort writing a book entails, not to mention how personally writers take our work, I can't find any pleasure in slamming anyone's writing. I'd rather spend my energy calling attention to the books I enjoy.

That's why I hesitated to offer my opinion of The Top 100 American Situation Comedies: An Objective Ranking. It was written by two authors whose credentials are impressive, and issued by a respected academic publisher. Unfortunately, as many readers will quickly notice, it is also rife with errors.

To name a few:

Buddy (The Dick Van Dyke Show) was played by Morey, not "Maury," Amsterdam.

Beth Howland's Alice character was Vera Gorman, not "Goodman."

Uncle Tonoose (The Danny Thomas Show) was played by Hans Conried, not "Conreid."

On The Big Bang Theory, Raj's full name is Rajesh, not "Rajeesh."

And Fred MacMurray was not the only actor to be a regular cast member of My Three Sons for all 12 seasons. He shares that distinction with Stanley Livingston.

Maybe there truly is enlightenment to be found in the unique sitcom scoring system the authors have devised (although you have to wonder about a ranking that drops the classic 1970s Bob Newhart Show to #88). As for me, I had to put the book down. The mistakes were making my head swim.

I spent only $3.99 for the Kindle version of this book. Had I purchased it at full price ($39.95), I would be seriously pissed. I just hope its factual mistakes aren't perpetuated in other sources.

Happy Labor Day!

In honor of our national holiday celebrating hard-working Americans, here are a few gainfully employed folks from classic TV:

Enjoy your weekend!

Goodbye, Mr. Young

RIP to the multi-talented Alan Young, who died this week at the age of 96. For all his considerable success as a film player (1960's The Time Machine), a voice actor, and star of a critically acclaimed early TV variety show, there's no escaping the fact that he will be best-remembered for his popular 1961-66 sitcom Mister Ed. By some accounts he was initially reluctant to star opposite a talking horse, but with the passage of time he seemed to embrace the show, recognize that it showcased him well, and take pleasure in how much viewers loved it. And if it's not the sort of role, or series, that typically took home the Emmy gold, it surely took a special gift as a performer to believably carry on conversations with a horse -- especially when the horse answers back.

A Papal Birthday

Wishing a very happy 87th birthday to the marvelous character actress Peggy Pope, born May 15, 1929. Ms. Pope has always had her own distinctive comic style, and has enjoyed a lengthy career in movies and TV. She was memorably featured as a tippling office worker in Nine to Five (1980), and has played guest roles in more shows than you can shake a stick at. She was evidently a favorite at the Witt - Thomas - Harris production company, playing a recurring role in Soap, as well as making appearances in The Golden Girls and Empty Nest.

I just learned she's published a memoir, Atta Girl: Tales from a Life in the Trenches of Show Business. That's one I want to read!

Lucy a la Carte

Why you should never sit near Lucy in a busy restaurant, especially if you're a male celebrity:

While William Holden (above), in his classic 1955 episode of I Love Lucy, has always been the best-known example of this phenomenon, there are others. Consider the case of Danny Kaye, in a 1964 Lucy Show appearance:

Poor Milton Berle, a few years later, didn't even have to leave home to run afoul of Lucy and her food fumbles:

Celebrities, as the captain on Hill Street Blues used to say, "Let's be careful out there!"

President Duke

First Couple Ted Bessell and Patty Duke.

In honor of Presidents' Day, here's a chief executive you may or may not remember -- President Julia Mansfield, as played by Oscar and Emmy winner Patty Duke, in the 1985 ABC sitcom Hail to the Chief.

The show was created by Susan Harris, the mastermind behind the popular comedy Soap. Like that show, Hail to the Chief utilized a serial format, with stories that continued week to week. Unfortunately, as Duke noted in her autobiography, though she thought Harris' pilot script "was the best thing I'd ever read for half-hour television," subsequent episodes fell short, and ABC canceled the show after only seven weeks.

Now, more than 30 years later, life may catch up with art, if voters elect our first Madam President this fall. As for Patty Duke, aside from her continuing popularity as an actress, she went on to serve as president of the Screen Actors' Guild, and become a respected advocate for mental health awareness. Not bad for a lady whose TV term was over almost before it began.

Reading the Fine Print

How much attention do you pay to the closing credits of your favorite shows? See if you recognize these phrases commonly seen at the closing of some favorite 60s and 70s sitcoms:

Hint: Not one of the correct answers! 

A. "Train furnished by Barbary Coast, Hoyt Hotel, Portland, Oregon"

B. "Based on The Saturday Evening Post character"

C. "Based on the book Life without George by Irene Kampen"

D. "(Actor's name) courtesy of the Broadway musical Raisin"

Answers on Wednesday, unless some bright TV watcher posts them first.

Anne's Day

Happy birthday to talented and lovely Anne Jeffreys, who turns 93 today. Her career as an actress has encompassed everything from Broadway to daytime soap operas. But she may be best known as Marion Kerby, "the ghostess with the mostest," on the 1950s television classic Topper.

She's featured, alongside nine other pioneering sitcom stars, in my book The Women Who Made Television Funny.

The Anti-Binge Watcher

Star Judi Dench (center) is flanked by (l-r): Philip Bretherton, Geoffrey Palmer, Jenny Funnell, and Moira Brooker.

Although "binge watching" of favorite TV shows seems to be the norm these days, I wonder if anyone's coined a term to describe its opposite -- the deliberate, leisurely savoring of each episode. That's where I am these days with As Time Goes By, the charming, low-key BBC sitcom that, much to my regret, I've almost finished watching. I don't really want to look at the DVD box and see how many episodes I have left, but I think it's only nine or ten.

For me, this series, written by Bob Larbey, has the rare capacity to make its characters seem so real and relatable that you begin to think them almost as friends. And although I probably have more in common with Geoffrey Palmer's Lionel than I might care to admit, I enjoy all the actors and their characters. I find myself thinking about Jean and Lionel, Judith, Alistair, and Sandy between episodes, wondering what lies ahead for them in life.

So while I'd love to watch an episode (or two) today, I might just hold off just a bit longer.

Look! It's Frank Aletter -- Again

Someone at CBS in the 1960s really liked actor Frank Aletter -- a lot. Born 90 years ago today, Aletter (1926-2009) never had a starring role in a hit sitcom -- but it wasn't for lack of trying. In Bringing Up Buddy (1960-61), he played a young man being "raised" by his two elderly aunts. When that one didn't catch on, he returned with The Cara Williams Show (1964-65), unfortunately another flop, and reportedly an extremely tense set on which to work. The third time wasn't the charm when he was cast as a time-traveling astronaut in Sherwood Schwartz's It's About Time, which didn't make it beyond the 1966-67 season.

Though his lead roles in sitcoms didn't pay off big for him, Aletter was still one of the busiest actors in TV for years afterward. A very incomplete checklist of shows in which he appeared would include Perry Mason, M*A*S*H, The Fugitive, The Mod Squad, Medical Center, Ironside ... seemingly every popular show of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1985, he was a guest star in the pilot episode of The Golden Girls, playing Harry, the man Blanche thought she wanted to marry, who despite his outwardly charming and elegant demeanor is memorably (and correctly) assessed by Sophia as "a scuzzball."

For more information on Aletter, and his role in It's About Time, check out my book Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television. 

Write Your Own Caption...

Here's a publicity still from "The Paul Lynde Show," which aired on ABC in the 1972-73 season. As suburban attorney Paul Simms, Paul just found out that his daughter and son-in-law (Jane Actman, John Calvin) are SAPs. Sure, you could do an online search for an episode synopsis, or find the episode on YouTube, but wouldn't it be more fun to just make up your own dialogue? Have at it!