Mobile One (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Mobile One was an American television series that aired on the ABC
network from September 12 to December 29, 1975
. The show was a production of Jack Webb
's Mark VII Limited
for Universal Television
.
Unlike most of Mark VII's other productions, Mobile One was not based on the real-life exploits of a police force or governmental agency. The show was set instead in a local television station's electronic news gathering
operation, which at the time was a very new technology. Jackie Cooper
starred as on-screen reporter Peter Campbell, Julie Gregg
played Maggie Spencer, Campbell's producer, and Mark Wheeler played camera operator Doug McKnight. Much of the show was spent covering Campbell and McKnight's travels to the scenes of crimes, accidents, and other newsworthy events in a mobile unit van, thereby resembling Mark VII's Emergency!
(which concurrently aired on NBC
) in an emphasis upon action and adventure.
The show was produced by William Bowers and created by James M. Miller; Cooper directed at least one episode himself. ABC scheduled the show on Friday nights against three highly popular shows, NBC's Sanford and Son
and Chico and the Man
and CBS
' M*A*S*H; the ratings were so poor that the network cancelled Mobile One after only 11 episodes.
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...
network from September 12 to December 29, 1975
1975 in television
The year 1975 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1975.For the American TV schedule, see: 1975-76 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
. The show was a production of Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
's Mark VII Limited
Mark VII Limited
Mark VII Limited was the production company of actor, producer, and director Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 to 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Television; most of them aired on the NBC television network in the U.S....
for Universal Television
Universal Television
Universal Television is the television production arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group, and by extension, the NBC television network...
.
Unlike most of Mark VII's other productions, Mobile One was not based on the real-life exploits of a police force or governmental agency. The show was set instead in a local television station's electronic news gathering
Electronic news gathering
ENG is a broadcasting industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. It can mean anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location...
operation, which at the time was a very new technology. Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...
starred as on-screen reporter Peter Campbell, Julie Gregg
Julie Gregg
Julie Gregg is an American television, film and stage actress. She generally played supporting or guest, but not lead, roles. She is best known for her portrayal of Sandra Corleone in The Godfather...
played Maggie Spencer, Campbell's producer, and Mark Wheeler played camera operator Doug McKnight. Much of the show was spent covering Campbell and McKnight's travels to the scenes of crimes, accidents, and other newsworthy events in a mobile unit van, thereby resembling Mark VII's Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
(which concurrently aired 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 an emphasis upon action and adventure.
The show was produced by William Bowers and created by James M. Miller; Cooper directed at least one episode himself. ABC scheduled the show on Friday nights against three highly popular shows, NBC's Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
and Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man is an American sitcom which ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown , the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano...
and 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...
' M*A*S*H; the ratings were so poor that the network cancelled Mobile One after only 11 episodes.