The Queen & I (American TV series)
| The Queen & I | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Howard Leeds |
| Written by | Arthur Julian Laurence Marks |
| Starring | Larry Storch Billy De Wolfe Dave Morick Pat Morita Chet Stratton Carl Ballantine Dave Willock Reginald Owen Liam Dunn Barbara Stuart Janet Clark Natalie Masters |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Edward H. Feldman |
| Running time | 22 mins |
| Production company | Bing Crosby Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | January 16 – April 24, 1969 |
The Queen & I was a short-lived American sitcom which aired on CBS from January 16 to April 24, 1969. It starred former F Troop star Larry Storch as a junior officer serving a once popular but now aging and run-down cruise ship, the Amsterdam Queen. When he finds out the new owners intend to sell the ship for scrap, he and the rest of the crew involve themselves a number of "get rich quick" schemes in an attempt to save their ship.[1]
Duffy's efforts to raise money often coincided with his gambling and other personal scams. He and the crew were opposed by first officer Oliver Nelson (Billy De Wolfe), the main antagonist, who was highly suspicious of Duffy's activities and often sought to put an end to them.[1]
History
Although Storch, Tucker and De Wolfe were the main stars, the series had a strong supporting cast that included familiar character actors Liam Dunn, Dave Morick, Pat Morita (later of Happy Days), Chet Stratton, Carl Ballantine, and Dave Willock. Other supporting roles were played by British actor Reginald Owen and American television actresses Barbara Stuart, Janet Clark and Natalie Masters.[1]
First airing on January 16, 1969, The Queen & I was originally intended to replace the sitcom Blondie midway through the 1968–69 season. Although it received some positive reviews, including being featured on the covers of TV Times [2] and TV Magazine,[3] it failed to catch on with viewers and was canceled after 11 episodes (two episodes never aired). The series, however, served as a prelude to The Love Boat which debuted eight years later.[1]
Characters
- Commodore Dodds – Reginald Owen
- Captain Washburn – Liam Dunn
- First Officer Oliver Nelson – Billy De Wolfe
- Junior Officer Charles Duffy – Larry Storch
- Max Kowalski – Dave Morick
- Barney Cook – Pat Morita
- Forsythe – Chet Stratton
- Becker – Carl Ballantine
- Ozzie – Dave Willock
- Wilma Winslow – Barbara Stuart
- Mrs. Schager – Janet Clark
- Mrs. Bradford – Natalie Masters
Episodes
| # | Title | Writers | Original airdate | Series No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Series One Episode One (Duffy's Cruise)" | Arthur Julian & Laurence Marks | 16 January 1969 | #1.01 |
|
Duffy works out a super scheme to keep the ship afloat and its wacky crew members solvent. | ||||
| 02 | "Series One Episode Two (The No-Cruise Cruise)" | TBA | 23 January 1969 | #1.02 |
|
After losing $5,000 in a poker game, Duffy agrees to provide the winner with an all expenses paid trip in one of the luxury suites aboard the "Amsterdam Queen". The problem is the ship is scheduled to be docked in NYC for the next two weeks... | ||||
| 03 | "Series One Episode Three (The Promotion)" | Laurence Marks | 30 January 1969 | #1.03 |
|
Duffy romances the commodore's secretary as he tries to get meddlesome First Officer Nelson promoted off the "Amsterdam Queen" – and off his back. | ||||
| 04 | "Series One Episode Four (Requiem for Becker)" | Arthur Julian | 6 February 1969 | #1.04 |
|
All hands conspire to hide Becker from his money-hungry wife ... but a whole new set of problems erupts when it's when it's assumed that the steward has been lost at sea. | ||||
| 05 | "Series One Episode Five (Who's Holding the Bag?)" | Arthur Julian | 13 February 1969 | #1.05 |
|
Duffy and two smugglers are after First Officer Nelson's little black bag. | ||||
| 06 | "Series One Episode Six (Duffy Against the Computer)" | Arthur Julian | 27 February 1969 | #1.06 |
|
Duffy tries to short circuit a computer that could show up the crew's incompetence. | ||||
| 07 | "Series One Episode Seven (Who Am I Talking To?)" | TBA | 29 February 1969 | #1.07 |
| 08 | "Series One Episode Eight (My Karate Lies Over the Ocean)" | Laurence Marks | 13 March 1969 | #1.08 |
|
To bolster the ego of the ship's cook, Duffy pays a karate champ to take a dive in a bout with him. The scheme works too well; the cook becomes an aficionado, and the Queen reverberates with athletic grunts. | ||||
| 09 | "Series One Episode Nine (Hoss Feathers)" | TBA | 20 March 1969 | #1.09 |
| 10 | "Series One Episode Ten (But to a Captain, Is He a Captain?)" | Arthur Julian | 27 March 1969 | #1.10 |
|
Nelson's test run as captain of the Queen puts him, on a collision course with Duffy – and an old salt who remembers Nelson's World War II boners. | ||||
| 11 | "Series One Episode Eleven (The Trousseau)" | TBA | 3 April 1969 | #1.11 |
|
Duffy promotes a highstakes shuffleboard match between Nelson and Kowalski. Object: providing a Japanese bride with a trousseau. | ||||
| 12 | "Series One Episode Twelve (Don't Make Big Waves)" | TBA | N/A | #1.12 |
| 13 | "Series One Episode Thirteen (Kowalski of Harvard)" | TBA | N/A | #1.13 |
References
- ^ a b c d "The Queen and I". US TV – QB VII to Quincy M.E. MemorableTV.com. 2007.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Los Angeles Times. "The Queen and I." TV Times. 1 Jan. 1969.
- ^ Sunday Herald Traveler. "Can Losers Win?: Larry Storch" TV Magazine. Jan. 1969.