The Chicago Teddy Bears

The Chicago Teddy Bears
Genre	Sitcom
Directed by	Norman Tokar Leslie H. Martinson Gary Nelson
Starring	Ann Sothern (pilot only) Dean Jones Jamie Farr Art Metrano Marvin Kaplan Mickey Shaughnessy Huntz Hall John Banner
Theme music composer	Jerry Fielding
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer(s)	Jerry Thorpe Hy Averback
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Dean Jones Productions Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	September 17, 1971 (1971-09-17) – December 10, 1971 (1971-12-10)

The Chicago Teddy Bears is an American sitcom that aired on CBS. The series was part of the network's 1971 fall lineup, premiering on September 17, 1971.

Synopsis

Unlike other shows set in Prohibition-era Chicago, The Chicago Teddy Bears was a sitcom. Any threats of violence were inferential rather than overt.

The main characters were Linc McCray (Dean Jones) and his Uncle Latzi (John Banner), partners in a speakeasy. A small-time gangster named Nick Marr (Art Metrano) wants to take it over. Marr is McCray's cousin and Latzi's nephew; the naive Latzi finds it hard to believe his nephew could be anything but a fine boy. However, Marvin the bookkeeper (Marvin Kaplan) and Linc's inept bodyguards, especially Duke (Jamie Farr), are very frightened of Marr.

The series was intended as a comeback vehicle for Ann Sothern, whose last regular role had been as the voice of My Mother the Car. She played a street flower vendor in the pilot and was meant to be a mediator between McCray and Marr. However, CBS wrote her out of the actual series.

The series was shown opposite the top rated The Brady Bunch and thus received low ratings. It was cancelled by CBS after only three months on the air.

Episodes

Episode #	Episode title	Original airdate
1-1	"Tender Loving Kindness"	September 17, 1971
1-2	"Nick's Sister"	September 24, 1971
1-3	"Mr. Suave"	October 1, 1971
1-4	"The Alderman"	October 8, 1971
1-5	"The Big Grab"	October 15, 1971
1-6	"A Horse of Another Color"	October 22, 1971
1-7	"Linc Minds the Baby"	October 29, 1971
1-8	"The Big Kisser"	November 5, 1971
1-9	"The Spy"	November 12, 1971
1-10	"Billy the Kid"	November 19, 1971
1-11	"The Auction"	November 26, 1971
1-12	"Annie Get Your Cue"	December 3, 1971
1-13	"The Rivalry"	December 10, 1971

References

• Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows

External links

• The Chicago Teddy Bears at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chicago Teddy Bears at TV.com