Date with the Angels
Encyclopedia
Date with the Angels is an American sitcom
that aired on ABC
from May 10, 1957 to January 29, 1958. The series, which stars Betty White
and Bill Williams
, began as a late season replacement for The Ray Anthony Show
for the same sponsor, Chrysler
's Plymouth
division. Tom Kennedy was the show's announcer and spokesman for Plymouth.
husband Gus Angel who get themselves and their friends and neighbors into various comedic
situations. Besides Betty White and Bill Williams, the series also featured for several episodes Richard Deacon
, Richard Reeves, Maudie Prickett and Burt Mustin
.
Among the series' guest stars were Nancy Kulp
, Madge Blake
, Joan Vohs, Chuck Connors
, Reta Shaw
, Dave Willock
, Sid Melton
, Russell Hicks, Hugh O'Brian
, Hanley Stafford, and Williard Waterman.
Date with the Angels was loosely based on the Elmer Rice play Dream Girl, and the series was originally intended to revolve heavily around Vicki's daydreaming tendencies, with more than half of a typical episode dedicated to fantasy sequences. However, the sponsor was not pleased with the fantasy elements and successfully exerted pressure to have them eliminated. "Without our dream sequences," White later said, "our show flattened out and became just one more run-of-the-mill domestic comedy[...]I can honestly say that was the only time I have ever wanted to get out of a show."
The series produced 33 filmed episodes before it was canceled in late January 1958 in favor of a live comedy-variety series, The Betty White 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...
that aired on 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...
from May 10, 1957 to January 29, 1958. The series, which stars Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
and Bill Williams
Bill Williams (actor)
Bill Williams was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early 1950 television show The Adventures of Kit Carson.-Career:...
, began as a late season replacement for The Ray Anthony Show
Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor.- Biography :...
for the same sponsor, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
's Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
division. Tom Kennedy was the show's announcer and spokesman for Plymouth.
Synopsis
The series revolves around newly married Vicki Angel and her insurance salesmanInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
husband Gus Angel who get themselves and their friends and neighbors into various comedic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
situations. Besides Betty White and Bill Williams, the series also featured for several episodes Richard Deacon
Richard Deacon (actor)
Richard Deacon , born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor.-Career:The bald and usually bespectacled character actor often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Show as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel...
, Richard Reeves, Maudie Prickett and Burt Mustin
Burt Mustin
Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to W. I. and Sadie Mustin, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College , earning his degree in civil engineering...
.
Among the series' guest stars were Nancy Kulp
Nancy Kulp
Nancy Jane Kulp was an American character actress best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the popular television series The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
, Madge Blake
Madge Blake
Madge Blake was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Aunt Harriet Cooper on ABC's Batman TV series of the 1960s.-Early life:...
, Joan Vohs, Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
, Reta Shaw
Reta Shaw
Reta Shaw was an American character actress known for playing authoritative women, housekeepers, and domineering wives, especially on television...
, Dave Willock
Dave Willock
Dave Willock was an American character actor. Willock appeared in 181 films and television shows from 1939 to 1989. He is probably most familiar to modern audiences from his performance as Baby Jane Hudson's father in the opening scenes of the cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?...
, Sid Melton
Sid Melton
Sid Melton was an American actor known for his roles as incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom Green Acres and as Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, in Make Room for Daddy and its spin-offs.Born as Sidney Meltzer in Brooklyn, New York, he was the brother of screenwriter...
, Russell Hicks, Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
, Hanley Stafford, and Williard Waterman.
Date with the Angels was loosely based on the Elmer Rice play Dream Girl, and the series was originally intended to revolve heavily around Vicki's daydreaming tendencies, with more than half of a typical episode dedicated to fantasy sequences. However, the sponsor was not pleased with the fantasy elements and successfully exerted pressure to have them eliminated. "Without our dream sequences," White later said, "our show flattened out and became just one more run-of-the-mill domestic comedy[...]I can honestly say that was the only time I have ever wanted to get out of a show."
The series produced 33 filmed episodes before it was canceled in late January 1958 in favor of a live comedy-variety series, The Betty White Show.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Betty White Betty White Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and... |
Vickie Angel |
| Bill Williams Bill Williams (actor) Bill Williams was an American television and film actor. He is best known for his starring role in the early 1950 television show The Adventures of Kit Carson.-Career:... |
Gus Angel |
| Jimmy Boyd Jimmy Boyd Jimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".-Early years:... |
Wheeler |
| Richard Reeves Richard Reeves (actor) Richard Reeves was an American actor best known for playing henchmen and thugs. He appeared in many television series, particularly those based on comic books, and his height and build made him suitable for roles involving muscle.-External links:... |
Mr. Murphy |
| Maudie Prickett | Mrs. Cassie Murphy |
| Richard Deacon Richard Deacon (actor) Richard Deacon , born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor.-Career:The bald and usually bespectacled character actor often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Show as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel... |
Roger Finley |
| Burt Mustin Burt Mustin Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to W. I. and Sadie Mustin, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College , earning his degree in civil engineering... |
Mr. Finley |
| Tom Kennedy | Announcer |
| Roy Engel | George Clemson |
| Natalie Masters | Wilma Clemson |
| Lillian Bronson | Mrs. Drake |
| Gage Clarke | Dr. Gordon |
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Vicki Goes to a Party" | May 10, 1957 |
| 2 | "Mother by Proxy" | May 17, 1957 |
| 3 | "High Fever" | May 24, 1957 |
| 4 | "The Wheel" | May 31, 1957 |
| 5 | "The Tree in the Driveway" | June 7, 1957 |
| 6 | "The Feud" | June 14, 1957 |
| 7 | "Shall We Dance?" | June 21, 1957 |
| 8 | "Little White Lies" | June 28, 1957 |
| 9 | "The Blue Tie" | July 12, 1957 |
| 10 | "Heartburn" | July 19, 1957 |
| 11 | "The Surprise" | July 26, 1957 |
| 12 | "Pike's Pique" | August 2, 1957 |
| 13 | "Return of the Wheel" | September 2, 1957 |
| 14 | "The Gorilla" | September 13, 1957 |
| 15 | "Everybody's Baby" | September 20, 1957 |
| 16 | "Catered Party" | September 27, 1957 |
| 17 | "The Convention" | October 4, 1957 |
| 18 | "Night School" | October 11, 1957 |
| 19 | "Star Struck" | October 25, 1957 |
| 20 | "Diane" | November 1, 1957 |
| 21 | "Nobody's Father" | November 8, 1957 |
| 22 | "No-Risk Policy" | November 15, 1957 |
| 23 | "The Burglar" | November 22, 1957 |
| 24 | "The Chateau" | November 29, 1957 |
| 25 | "Chip Off the Old Block" | December 6, 1957 |
| 26 | "The Christmas Show" | December 13, 1957 |
| 27 | "Cousin Herbie" | December 20, 1957 |
| 28 | "A Day at the Track" | December 27, 1957 |
| 29 | "Wheeler at the Cabin" | January 1, 1958 |
| 30 | "The Train" | January 8, 1958 |
| 31 | "Double Trouble" | January 15, 1958 |
| 32 | "Francis Goes to School" | January 22, 1958 |
| 33 | "What an Opportunity" | January 29, 1958 |