One In A Million (TV series)

Comedian Shirley Hemphill, who played the overpowering black waitress on What's Happening!!, got her own comedy series in 1980. In "One in a Million", down-to-earth cabdriver Shirley Simmons to inherits Grayson Enterprises, a multi-million-dollar, white run conglomerate, when one of her customers died. Bald, scowling Mr. Cushing found this quite inexplicable, as he had planned to take over himself, and he was doubly vexed when scrappy Shirley decided to teach the big "en-dustrailists" how to look out for the ordinary people. Barton Stone (Richard Stone) was the somewhat naive nephew of Mr. Grayson; Nancy Boyer (Dorothy Fielding), Grayson's secretary and Shirley's ally. Max Kellerman (Carl Ballantine), the owner of the deli where Shirley hung out. and Edna and Raymond Simmons (Ann Weldon and Mel Stewart), her parents.

First Telecast: January 8, 1980

Last Telecast: June 23, 1980

Cast

*Shirley Hemphill (Shirley Simmons)
*Richard Paul (Barton Stone)
*Billy Wallace (Dennis)
*Carl Ballantine (Max Kellerman)
*Ralph Wilcox (Duke)
*Mel Stewart (Raymond Simmons)
*Keene Curtis (Mr. Cushing)
*Ann Weldon (Edna Simmons)
*Dorothy Fielding (Nancy Boyer)

Episodes

1. "Chairman of the Board"
First broadcast: 1/8/1980

2. "Executive Dad"
First broadcast: 1/15/1980

3. "Shirley's Prince of a Guy"
First broadcast: 1/26/1980

4. "On the Cuff"
First broadcast: 2/2/1980

Guest star: Ellen Bry (Joanie)

5. "Lost Weekend"
First broadcast: 2/9/1980

6. "Stone vs. Simmons"
First broadcast: 2/16/1980

7. "The Chairman Babysits"
First broadcast: 2/23/1980

8. "Suddenly Single"
First broadcast: 3/1/1980

9. "Cushing Quits"
First broadcast: 3/8/1980

10. "Max Falls in Love"
First broadcast: 3/15/1980

11. "Over the Hill"
First broadcast: 3/22/1980

12. "The Committee"
First broadcast: 3/29/1980

13. "The Italian Connection"
First broadcast: 4/5/1980