The Paul Lynde Show
| The Paul Lynde Show | |
|---|---|
| File:Lyndeshowcard.jpg | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Ron Clark Sam Bobrick (based on a play by Phoebe Ephron) |
| Directed by | William Asher Bruce Bilson Jack Donohue Jerry London Oscar Rudolph Coby Ruskin George Tyne |
| Starring | Paul Lynde Elizabeth Allen Jane Actman |
| Composer | Shorty Rogers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Harry Ackerman |
| Producer | William Asher |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production companies | Ashmont Productions Screen Gems |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 13, 1972 – March 14, 1973 |
The Paul Lynde Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC. The series starred comedian Paul Lynde and aired for one season, with original episodes airing from September 13, 1972, to March 14, 1973. It was added to the weekend schedule of the Antenna TV network in July 2018.
Setting
The series starred Lynde as Paul Simms, a general-practice attorney and the father of a family that consisted of his wife Martha (Elizabeth Allen) and daughters Barbara (Jane Actman) and Sally (Pamelyn Ferdin). The Simms family lived in the fictional city of Ocean Grove, California.
It also starred John Calvin as Barbara's husband, Howie Dickerson, an eccentric university student who was of genius intelligence (IQ 185) and was a whiz with everything and full of advice, but inexplicably, he could not manage to hold down a job, and Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara as Howie's parents, Barney and Grace Dickerson. Howie's misadventures around the house and his lack of steady employment drove his father-in-law to distraction and got him in a slow-burn anger.
Critics perceived the show as derivative of All in the Family, then television's most popular primetime program, and the Paul Simms role bore similarities to Lynde's best-known film role, that of Harry MacAfee from the film and musical Bye Bye Birdie. For his role in the series, Lynde was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe.
Cast
- Paul Lynde - Paul Simms
- Elizabeth Allen - Martha Simms
- Jane Actman - Barbara Simms Dickerson
- John Calvin - Howie Dickerson
- Pamelyn Ferdin - Sally Simms
- James Gregory - T.R. Scott
- Anne Meara - Grace Dickerson
- Allison McKay - Alice
- Jerry Stiller - Barney Dickerson
- Herb Voland - T.J. McNish
- Thelma Carpenter - Thelma
- Mabel Albertson - Mabel
- Charlotte Rae - Aunt Charlotte
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Howie Comes Home to Roost" | William Asher | Sam Bobrick, Ron Clark | September 13, 1972 |
| 2 | "Whiz Kid Sizzles as Quiz Fizzles" | William Asher | Ed Jurist | September 20, 1972 |
| 3 | "The Landlord" | William Asher | S.A. Long | September 27, 1972 |
| 4 | "No Nudes Is Good Nudes" | William Aher | Bob Fisher, Arthur Marx | October 4, 1972 |
| 5 | "To Commune or Not to Commune" | Bruce Bilson | Bob Fisher, Arthur Marx | October 11, 1972 |
| 6 | "How to Be Unhappy, Though Poor" | William Asher | S.A. Long | October 18, 1972 |
| 7 | "Pollution Solution" | Jack Donohue | Bob Fisher, Arthur Marx | October 25, 1972 |
| 8 | "To Wed or Not to Wed" | Ernest Losso | Bud Grossman | November 1, 1972 |
| 9 | "Unsteady Going" | Jack Donohue | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | November 8, 1972 |
| 10 | "Whose Lib?" | Ernest Losso | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | November 22, 1972 |
| 11 | "Meet Aunt Charlotte" | George Tyne | Ed Jurist, Stan Dreben | November 29, 1972 |
| 12 | "An Affair to Forget" | George Tyne | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | December 6, 1972 |
| 13 | "Martha's Last Hurrah" | Jack Donohue | William Raynor, Myles Wilder | December 13, 1972 |
| 14 | "Paul's Desperate Hour" | Bruce Bilson | Ben Starr | December 20, 1972 |
| 15 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | George Tyne | Bernie Kahn | December 27, 1972 |
| 16 | "The Bare Facts" | George Tyne | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | January 3, 1973 |
| 17 | "Howie's Inheritance" | Jerry London | Lawrence Marks | January 10, 1973 |
| 18 | "P.S. I Loathe You" | Jack Donohue | Bob Carroll Jr., Madelyn Davis | January 17, 1973 |
| 19 | "The Congressman's Son" | George Tyne | Leo Rifkin | January 24, 1973 |
| 20 | "Out of Bounds" | Oscar Rudolph | William Raynor, Myles Wilder | January 31, 1973 |
| 21 | "Is This Trip Necessary?" | George Tyne | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | February 7, 1973 |
| 22 | "Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Mother-in-Law But Were Afraid to Ask" | Coby Ruskin | Robert Fisher, Arthur Marx | February 14, 1973 |
| 23 | "Back Talk" | Oscar Rudolph | Phil Sharp | February 21, 1973 |
| 24 | "Barbara Goes Home to Mother" | Jerry London | Monica McGowan, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, S.A. Long | February 28, 1973 |
| 25 | "Togetherness" | Ernest Losso | Barry E. Blitzer | March 7, 1973 |
| 26 | "Springtime for Paul" | Ernest Losso | S.A. Long | March 14, 1973 |
Reception
Scheduled opposite the first half of the Top 30 hit The Carol Burnett Show on CBS and the Top 20 hit Adam-12 on NBC, the first episode proved to be a major hit; strong negative reactions led to bad word of mouth and a resulting collapse in ratings.[1] The show was canceled after a single 26-episode season.
Production
The show was based on the play Howie, about a lawyer, played by Lynde, whose daughter marries a slacker named Howard, or "Howie". The Lynde character despises him as he is not interested in earning money or traditional pursuits. Howie was developed for CBS in 1962, as a replacement for The Dick Van Dyke Show, but when that series was saved from cancellation, plans for Howie were shelved.[2]
William Asher later resurrected the Howie concept for ABC and Screen Gems as a replacement for Bewitched. Asher and then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery were contractually obligated for two more seasons of Bewitched for ABC. Montgomery was not interested in continuing the series (she and Asher were also on the verge of divorcing), and Lynde was also under contract to ABC. The Paul Lynde Show (along with the first incarnation of Temperatures Rising) was created to fulfill the contracts. Lynde had appeared numerous times on Bewitched as "Uncle Arthur". Asher designed The Paul Lynde Show to be ABC's counterpart to CBS's All In The Family; however, the show lacked the controversial and topical issues brought up by All In The Family, due to ABC's continued restriction on social issues at the time. This was despite Lynde's rewrite of the show's dialog in an effort to make the series more lively and comedic.[2]
The show was filmed before a live audience, with a laugh track added during post-production for "sweetening" purposes. Unusual for such a series, the production included a frequently seen backyard set with a fully functional swimming pool, which Lynde would occasionally fall into.
The next season, ABC would cast Lynde as the lead on the re-tooled Temperatures Rising over Asher's objections. That series lasted until 1974. ABC would burn off Lynde's contract by placing him in variety shows such as The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Donny & Marie.[1]
References
- ^ a b Bruce Vilanch on "The Paul Lynde Halloween Special". Archive of American Television Interviews via YouTube (August 2, 2016). Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Film Threat: "The Bootleg Files: The Paul Lynde Show"
External links
- 1972 American television series debuts
- 1973 American television series endings
- 1970s American sitcoms
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- English-language television programs
- Television series about families
- Television series based on plays
- Television series by Screen Gems
- Television shows set in California