- Dick and the Duchess
-
Dick and the Duchess Format Sitcom Starring Patrick O'Neal
Hazel CourtCountry of origin United States No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 26 Production Executive producer(s) Sheldon Reynolds Producer(s) Nicole Milinaire Location(s) London, England Running time 30 minutes Broadcast Original channel CBS Picture format Black and white Original run September 28, 1957 – March 22, 1958 Dick and the Duchess is a rare 1950s CBS situation comedy filmed and set in London, England, and starring Patrick O'Neal and Hazel Court.[1] O'Neal, a cousin of actor Ryan O'Neal, starred as Dick Starrett, an American insurance claims investigator based in London, who is married to Jane, an attractive patrician Englishwoman whom he calls "Duchess". Court was also known for her roles in horror films. Sheldon Reynolds was the executive producer of the series, filmed by Associated-Rediffusion Television.[2]
Twenty-six episodes aired between September 28, 1957, and March 22, 1958. The series aired in Britain during the following 1958–1959 season. In the story line, Jane's family had difficulty accepting Dick both as an American and a "commoner". Jane often got involved in a comical vein in Dick's insurance cases. Beatrice Varley appeared in a supporting role as Mathilda. Richard Wattis was cast as Peter Jamison, Dick's friend and office associate, in three episodes entitled "Maude", "The Wild Party", and "Bank Robbery". Michael Shepley played Inspector Stark of Scotland Yard, who sometimes helped Dick with his cases. English actor Ronnie Stevens appeared as Rodney, an employee in Dick's office.[1]
Series guest stars were mostly English actors. Margaret Rutherford, for instance, appeared as Cynthia Gordon in the 1957 episode "The Kissing Bandit".[3]
Dick and the Duchess aired on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, sandwiched between Perry Mason and The Gale Storm Show. Its principal competition was the second half of The Perry Como Show on NBC.[4] After the initial airing, rebroadcasts of Dick and the Duchess aired on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from March to May 1958 in the time slot formerly held by Leave It to Beaver, which then switched to Wednesday evenings for the remainder of its first-season run on CBS.[5]
References
- ^ a b Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present, New York: Random House, 1992, p. 224
- ^ "Dick and the Duchess title page". Internet Movie Data Base. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0559888/. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ "Episode list of Dick and the Dutchess". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050011/episodes. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ^ Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1997, appendix
- ^ "Episode list for Leave It to Beaver". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050032/episodes. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
Categories:- CBS network shows
- 1957 television series debuts
- 1958 television series endings
- 1950s American television series
- American television sitcoms
- Black-and-white television programs
- Television shows set in London
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
