Jamie (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Jamie is a sitcom television series, created by David Susskind
's Talent Associates
, that was telecast live
in the United States of America by ABC-TV
from October 5, 1953, until October 4, 1954. The series was the result of the success of the pilot, an episode of the ABC Album/Plymouth Playhouse entitled Jamie, which aired on April 26, 1953. The pilot cast would return for the series, except that of Eva Marie Saint
who would be replaced by Kathleen Nolan
.
Star of the show was 11 year-old Brandon De Wilde
, whose rising fame had catapulted him to national prominence in a period of 3 years. Debuting on Broadway
in The Member of the Wedding
in 1950, he followed with the film version in 1952. He then received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his 1953 portrayal of the young Joey Starrett in George Stevens
' film Shane, his most memorable role.
Jamie was to be aired live and there was some publicity at the time about the problems of a youngster, however gifted, being so deeply involved in the pressures of a weekly series. De Wilde's parents had obtained a contract that allowed him to drop out of the series on short notice if he wanted to, or if his parents felt it was impairing his emotional growth.
Jamie ran through the 1953-54 season on ABC, but then 2 episodes into its second season it was abrubtly cancelled. ABC was having trouble with one of the show's sponsors over what was described as "mundane" business matters, having nothing to do with De Wilde's age issue.
Although not available on home media, the series pilot and several episodes are known to have survived.
on ABC in the 7:30 pm Monday timeslot and starred Brandon De Wilde, as Jamie, a 7 year-old whose parents had recently died and found himself with no place to unpack his suitcase. Moved from relative to relative, he finally arrives at the home of Aunt Laurie. There he takes on the persona of a modern day Tom Sawyer
. He immediately bonds with Grandpa, another forgotten soul, and they share in a number of "adventures" together.
Episodes of the series contained plot lines ranging from Jamies' disapproval over having to wear spectacles, to running away to the circus, to visiting a rich aunt in Boston, to having his birthday go by forgotten.
Combining both comedy and drama elements, many of the show's plot lines centered on Jamie's and Grandpa's friendship sharing the experiences of growing up and growing old together.
Numerous scenes in the series take place on Aunt Laurie's back porch, where many of the day's problems are discussed and solved.
and is titled "Whistle Stop". It is derived from "The Grandma Moses Suite", the score of the 1950 Oscar®-nominated documentary film about the celebrated and gifted painter Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses
. It is also known as "Movement II" of the Suite. A tune highlighted by flute, oboe and horn, it renders itself to both youth and age. First copyright on April 1, 1952 and renewed on January 4, 1980. "Grandma Moses Suite" has been released on CD by DRG Records.
process. Videotape
was not introduced until 1956. The pilot of Jamie and four episodes, including the final, October 4, 1954, airing, are available for viewing at The Paley Center For Media (formerly The Museum Of Television & Radio) in New York City and in Beverly Hills, California.
David Susskind
David Susskind was a producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a pioneer TV talk show host.-Personal:...
's Talent Associates
Talent Associates
Talent Associates, Ltd. , was a production company headed by David Susskind, later joined by Daniel Melnick, Leonard Stern and Ron Gilbert.-Origins:...
, that was telecast live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
in the United States of America by ABC-TV
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 October 5, 1953, until October 4, 1954. The series was the result of the success of the pilot, an episode of the ABC Album/Plymouth Playhouse entitled Jamie, which aired on April 26, 1953. The pilot cast would return for the series, except that of Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
who would be replaced by Kathleen Nolan
Kathleen Nolan
Kathleen Nolan is an American actress. She is sometimes confused with actress Jeanette Nolan. From 1957 to 1962, she played the role of Kate McCoy, a housewife in her late twenties, in the Walter Brennan series The Real McCoys....
.
Star of the show was 11 year-old Brandon De Wilde
Brandon De Wilde
Andre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
, whose rising fame had catapulted him to national prominence in a period of 3 years. Debuting on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete—though she interrupted the work for a few months to write the short novel The Ballad of the Sad Cafe....
in 1950, he followed with the film version in 1952. He then received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his 1953 portrayal of the young Joey Starrett in George Stevens
George Stevens
George Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Among his most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank , nominated for Best Director, Giant , winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane , Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun , winner of Oscar for Best...
' film Shane, his most memorable role.
Jamie was to be aired live and there was some publicity at the time about the problems of a youngster, however gifted, being so deeply involved in the pressures of a weekly series. De Wilde's parents had obtained a contract that allowed him to drop out of the series on short notice if he wanted to, or if his parents felt it was impairing his emotional growth.
Jamie ran through the 1953-54 season on ABC, but then 2 episodes into its second season it was abrubtly cancelled. ABC was having trouble with one of the show's sponsors over what was described as "mundane" business matters, having nothing to do with De Wilde's age issue.
Although not available on home media, the series pilot and several episodes are known to have survived.
Synopsis
Jamie aired live in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
on ABC in the 7:30 pm Monday timeslot and starred Brandon De Wilde, as Jamie, a 7 year-old whose parents had recently died and found himself with no place to unpack his suitcase. Moved from relative to relative, he finally arrives at the home of Aunt Laurie. There he takes on the persona of a modern day Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer
Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom...
. He immediately bonds with Grandpa, another forgotten soul, and they share in a number of "adventures" together.
Episodes of the series contained plot lines ranging from Jamies' disapproval over having to wear spectacles, to running away to the circus, to visiting a rich aunt in Boston, to having his birthday go by forgotten.
Combining both comedy and drama elements, many of the show's plot lines centered on Jamie's and Grandpa's friendship sharing the experiences of growing up and growing old together.
Numerous scenes in the series take place on Aunt Laurie's back porch, where many of the day's problems are discussed and solved.
Cast
- Brandon De WildeBrandon De WildeAndre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
portrayed Jamison "Jamie" Francis McHummer, a likeable 7 year-old orphan who had been shunted from one uncaring relative to another, until he landed in Aunt Laurie's household. - Ernest TruexErnest TruexErnest Truex was an American actor of stage and film.-Career:...
as Grandpa McHummer, a kindred spirit played by the 63 year-old character actorCharacter actorA character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, who was similarly ignored by his kin. - Polly Rowles as Aunt Laurie, a widow and matron of the household. There she runs a catering business.
- Kathleen NolanKathleen NolanKathleen Nolan is an American actress. She is sometimes confused with actress Jeanette Nolan. From 1957 to 1962, she played the role of Kate McCoy, a housewife in her late twenties, in the Walter Brennan series The Real McCoys....
(as Kathy Nolan) as Liz, Jamie's teenage cousin. - Alice PearceAlice PearceAlicia “Alice” Pearce was an American actress. Brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of On the Town , Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films, before being cast as Gladys Kravitz in Bewitched in 1964...
as Annie, Aunt Laurie's helper in the catering business. Pearce was later best known as the nosy Gladys KravitzGladys KravitzGladys Kravitz is a fictional character on the American situation comedy Bewitched . Portrayed by Alice Pearce from the show's premiere in 1964 until Pearce's death in 1966 and then by Sandra Gould from 1966 until her last appearance in 1971, Gladys Kravitz is an across-the-street neighbor of the...
in BewitchedBewitchedBewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
.
Theme song
The main theme for Jamie was composed by Hugh Martin, Jr.Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...
and is titled "Whistle Stop". It is derived from "The Grandma Moses Suite", the score of the 1950 Oscar®-nominated documentary film about the celebrated and gifted painter Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses
Grandma Moses
Anna Mary Robertson Moses , better known as "Grandma Moses", was a renowned American folk artist. She is often cited as an example of an individual successfully beginning a career in the arts at an advanced age. Although her family and friends called her either "Mother Moses" or "Grandma Moses,"...
. It is also known as "Movement II" of the Suite. A tune highlighted by flute, oboe and horn, it renders itself to both youth and age. First copyright on April 1, 1952 and renewed on January 4, 1980. "Grandma Moses Suite" has been released on CD by DRG Records.
Home media
Jamie has never been available on home media. Of the pilot and 22 episodes of Jamie broadcast live, at least some are known to have survived on film by the KinescopeKinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
process. Videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
was not introduced until 1956. The pilot of Jamie and four episodes, including the final, October 4, 1954, airing, are available for viewing at The Paley Center For Media (formerly The Museum Of Television & Radio) in New York City and in Beverly Hills, California.