Bringing Up Buddy
Encyclopedia
Bringing Up Buddy is a 39-episode situation comedy
television series which aired on CBS
during the 1960–1961 season. In the story line, Frank Aletter
, a native of Queens, New York, plays the orphan
ed Buddy Flower, a bachelor
stockbroker, who is reared by his overprotective and meticulous aunt
s, Violet Flower and Iris Flower, played by Enid Markey
(1896–1981) and Doro Merande
(1892–1975), respectively. The program debuted on October 10, 1960, and finished its original episodes on June 28, 1961. Bringing Up Buddy was created by Joe Connelly
and Bob Mosher
, who also developed Leave It to Beaver
(CBS and then ABC
) and Ichabod and Me
, starring George Chandler
and Robert Sterling
(CBS).
Aletter was married from 1958-1974 to Miss America
of 1955, Lee Meriwether
, who guest starred in the April 17, 1961, episode as nurse Gloria Arnold. The aunts insist that Buddy see the attractive young and single nurse for a checkup that he does not need. The two were then married to each other in real life.
Among guest stars was Edgar Buchanan
, best known for his role as the eccentric Texas
justice of the peace
Roy Bean
and as Uncle Joe Carson in CBS's Petticoat Junction
. In the episode Buchanan posed as a big-game hunter, but most of his adventures were figments of his vivid imagination. On April 10, 1961, the aunts arrange a date for Buddy's friend "Fennimore Cooper" played by Jimmy Hawkins
, better known for his role as Scotty on ABC's The Donna Reed Show
and as the five-year-old Tommy Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life
. However, the aunts become concerned when a men's magazine
is found in Fennimore's room. In the episode which aired on May 8, 1961, the aunts again pressure Buddy, who plays a 34-year-old character, to marry, and then a woman leaves an unattended baby in the back seat of their convertible. In the episode "Auntie's Cake", Joyce Meadows
guest stars as Wilella Grant. In the penultimate episode entitled "Buddy and the Teenager", the character agrees to teach a course at a junior college
, only to find that a student played by Cheryl Holdridge
develops a crush on him.
The program is also remembered for its original theme song by George Tibbles
, who also was a screenwriter for ABC
's (later CBS) My Three Sons
starring Fred MacMurray
.
The program aired at 8:30 pm Eastern on Mondays between Pete and Gladys
starring Harry Morgan
and Cara Williams
and The Danny Thomas Show
. Its competition was the new detective
series Surfside 6
set in Miami
on ABC and Dale Robertson
's Tales of Wells Fargo
Western
series on NBC
. In the following season, CBS returned Robert Young
to the 8:30 Monday time slot in his Window on Main Street
nostalgia
comedy, which also failed to develop an audience.
Irene Ryan
, who would be cast in 1962 as "Granny" Clampett on CBS's blockbuster The Beverly Hillbillies
, starred in two episodes of Bringing Up Buddy in the role of Cynthia Boyle. In 1964. Aletter co-starred as the husband of the fictional character played by Cara Williams on her own CBS series The Cara Williams Show.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
television series which aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
during the 1960–1961 season. In the story line, Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter was an American stage, film, and television actor.During the 1950s Aletter appeared on Broadway in Bells Are Ringing, Time Limit, and Wish You Were Here. He soon moved on to a prolific television career, appearing as a guest on numerous shows between 1956 and 1988.Aletter starred in...
, a native of Queens, New York, plays the orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed Buddy Flower, a bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
stockbroker, who is reared by his overprotective and meticulous aunt
Aunt
An aunt is a person who is the sister or sister-in-law of a parent. A man with an equivalent relationship is an uncle, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece....
s, Violet Flower and Iris Flower, played by Enid Markey
Enid Markey
Enid Markey was an American actress of stage, film and television. She originated the role of Jane in films, playing the character twice - in 1918 .Her first film role was in The Fortunes of War...
(1896–1981) and Doro Merande
Doro Merande
Doro Merande was an American actress who appeared in Hollywood films, onstage and on television. A well-regarded character actress, she frequently portrayed "sour, witchy old women"...
(1892–1975), respectively. The program debuted on October 10, 1960, and finished its original episodes on June 28, 1961. Bringing Up Buddy was created by Joe Connelly
Joe Connelly (producer)
Joe Connelly was a television and radio scriptwriter born in New York City. He was best known for his work on Amos and Andy, Meet Mr...
and Bob Mosher
Bob Mosher
Robert "Bob" Mosher was a television and radio scriptwriter born in Auburn, New York. He was best known for his work on Amos and Andy, Meet Mr. McNutley, Leave It To Beaver, Ichabod and Me, Bringing Up Buddy, and The Munsters, along with his co-writer Joe Connelly who is buried in Culver City's...
, who also developed Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
(CBS and then ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) and Ichabod and Me
Ichabod and Me
Ichabod and Me is a 36-episode situation comedy series set in a small New England town and starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler. It aired on CBS from September 26, 1961, to June 5, 1962, and was produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, in association with Jack Benny's "JaMco...
, starring George Chandler
George Chandler
George Chandler was an American actor best known for playing the character of "Uncle Petrie" on the television series Lassie...
and Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling, born William Sterling Hart was an American film and television actor.-Early life:...
(CBS).
Aletter was married from 1958-1974 to Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
of 1955, Lee Meriwether
Lee Meriwether
Lee Ann Meriwether is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant. She is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Jones, the crime-solving partner in the long-running 1970s crime drama, Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in...
, who guest starred in the April 17, 1961, episode as nurse Gloria Arnold. The aunts insist that Buddy see the attractive young and single nurse for a checkup that he does not need. The two were then married to each other in real life.
Among guest stars was Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan
Edgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
, best known for his role as the eccentric Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
Roy Bean
Roy Bean
Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. was an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, Judge Roy Bean held court in his saloon along the Rio Grande in a desolate stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert of...
and as Uncle Joe Carson in CBS's Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
. In the episode Buchanan posed as a big-game hunter, but most of his adventures were figments of his vivid imagination. On April 10, 1961, the aunts arrange a date for Buddy's friend "Fennimore Cooper" played by Jimmy Hawkins
Jimmy Hawkins
James F. Hawkins , known as Jimmy Hawkins, and later, Jim Hawkins, is an American actor and film producer whose career began as a child actor to such Hollywood stars as Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, and Donna Reed...
, better known for his role as Scotty on ABC's The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
and as the five-year-old Tommy Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. However, the aunts become concerned when a men's magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
is found in Fennimore's room. In the episode which aired on May 8, 1961, the aunts again pressure Buddy, who plays a 34-year-old character, to marry, and then a woman leaves an unattended baby in the back seat of their convertible. In the episode "Auntie's Cake", Joyce Meadows
Joyce Meadows
Joyce Meadows is a Canadian-American actress. From 1960-1961, she co-starred as Stacy in the syndicated western series Two Faces West with Charles Bateman and Francis De Sales...
guest stars as Wilella Grant. In the penultimate episode entitled "Buddy and the Teenager", the character agrees to teach a course at a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
, only to find that a student played by Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge was an American actress, best known as a cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.-Early life:Holdridge was born Cheryl Lynn Phelps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A...
develops a crush on him.
The program is also remembered for its original theme song by George Tibbles
George Tibbles
George Tibbles was a screenwriter, contributing to TV series such as Leave it to Beaver, Date with the Angels, The Munsters, Alice, Family Affair and Who's the Boss?...
, who also was a screenwriter for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's (later CBS) My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
starring Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
.
The program aired at 8:30 pm Eastern on Mondays between Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys is an American situation comedy broadcast by CBS on Monday night at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960...
starring Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
and Cara Williams
Cara Williams
Cara Williams is an American film and television actress.-Biography:Born as Bernice Kamiat to an Austrian emigrant father and a mother of Romanian descent, she began her screen acting career in 1941, and was initially billed as Bernice Kay...
and The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show
The Danny Thomas Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1953-1957 on ABC and from 1957-1964 on CBS...
. Its competition was the new detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
series Surfside 6
Surfside 6
Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
set in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on ABC and Dale Robertson
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
's Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. In the following season, CBS returned Robert Young
Robert Young (actor)
Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father...
to the 8:30 Monday time slot in his Window on Main Street
Window on Main Street
Window on Main Street is an American comedy-drama series starring Robert Young, which aired on CBS during the 1961-1962 season. The series was created by Roswell Rogers and produced by series star Robert Young.-Synopsis:...
nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
comedy, which also failed to develop an audience.
Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
, who would be cast in 1962 as "Granny" Clampett on CBS's blockbuster The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
, starred in two episodes of Bringing Up Buddy in the role of Cynthia Boyle. In 1964. Aletter co-starred as the husband of the fictional character played by Cara Williams on her own CBS series The Cara Williams Show.