The Real McCoys
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| The Real McCoys | |
|---|---|
 title card |
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| Also known as | The McCoys |
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Irving Pincus |
| Directed by | Hy Averback Richard Crenna Sidney Miller David Alexander |
| Starring | Walter Brennan Richard Crenna Kathleen Nolan Michael Winkelman Lydia Reed Tony Martinez Janet De Gore Butch Patrick |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 224 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Danny Thomas |
| Producer(s) | Irving Pincus Norman Pincus |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Brennan-Westgate Marterto Productions |
| Distributor | SFM Entertainment |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC (1957–1962) CBS (1962–1963) |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | October 3, 1957 – June 23, 1963 |
The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's "Westgate" company. The program aired on the ABC-TV network from 1957 through 1962 and afterward on CBS through 1963.
The series was filmed in Hollywood at Desilu studios.
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[edit] Synopsis
The series revolves around the lives of a mountain family who originally hailed from the fictional community of Smoky Corners, West Virginia. The McCoys moved to California, where they became dirt farmers. The family consisted of Grandpa Amos McCoy, the head of the family (Walter Brennan); his grandson Luke (Richard Crenna), Luke's new bride Kate (Kathleen Nolan), teenage sister Hassie (Lydia Reed), and 11-year-old brother Little Luke (Michael Winkelman). The double-naming of the brothers was explained in the first episode by the elder Luke: Because their parents were so excited over the birth of the younger boy, "they forgot all about me!"
When they arrived at the new ranch, which had been in the family (it was originally owned by an uncle, Ben McCoy, who had died), they also gained a Mexican ranch hand named Pepino Garcia, played by the Puerto Rican-born Tony Martinez, who worked with them and eventually became a part of the family. The McMichaels, a brother-and-sister family played by Andy Clyde and Madge Blake, lived on the hill not far from the McCoys. Amos and George would sometimes quarrel, particularly over playing horseshoes. Kate was friendly with Flora McMichael, George's sister, and became involved with life in the community. She served as a mother figure for Luke's younger siblings, Hassie and Little Luke. Many of the episodes had a moral theme consisent with the views of Walter Brennan, such as one of the 1957 segments entitled "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man" with Joseph Kearns, later of Dennis the Menace.
Just before the show ended its run on ABC, Nolan left the series in a contract dispute. She, Winkelman, and Reed were written out of the script: the character of Kate was killed off, Hassie left home to attend college, and Little Luke joined the Army. Luke became a widower, and many of the stories revolved around Grandpa trying to match him up with a new wife. This nearly worked when Luke met Louise Howard (played by Janet De Gore), a widow with a young son, Greg (played by Butch Patrick).
[edit] Cancellation
For its first three seasons, The Real McCoys was the lead-in program on the ABC Thursday lineup for The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, which aired from 1957-1960. The Pat Boone series was succeeded in 1960 by Fred MacMurray in My Three Sons. For several seaons, The Real McCoys followed The Donna Reed Show.
Although the series had ranked in the Top 10 the entire time it was on ABC, it fell into disfavor after being sold to CBS. It was cancelled in the summer of 1963. Factors in the cancellation were the changes in the series (the death of the character Kate), its new Sunday evening time slot opposite NBC's Bonanza, and CBS's concentration on another rural show, Buddy Ebsen's The Beverly Hillbillies, which had become the #1 entry on television.
[edit] Syndication
During the late 1960's, the series aired weekday mornings on CBS under the title The McCoys, and was then syndicated. Its current distributor SFM Entertainment re-ran the series again on weekday afternoons on The Nashville Network in the latter portion of the 1990s.
[edit] DVD releases
Infinity Entertainment has released the first 3 seasons of The Real McCoys on DVD in Region 1. Season 4 will be released on June 29, 2010, more than two years after the release of season 3.[1]
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Season 1 | 39 | July 24, 2007 |
| Complete Season 2 | 39 | October 30, 2007 |
| Complete Season 3 | 39 | June 17, 2008 |
| Complete Season 4 | 39 | June 29, 2010 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1957 television series debuts
- 1963 television series endings
- 1950s American television series
- 1960s American television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American television sitcoms
- Black-and-white television programs
- CBS network shows
- English-language television series
- Fictional hillbillies
- Television series by CBS Paramount Television
- Television shows set in California
