Sally (1957 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Sally is an American situation comedy
which aired on NBC
from September 15, 1957 to March 30, 1958. The series is the first filmed television series produced by Paramount Studios
.
as the lead character, Sally Truesdale, the young traveling companion of an elderly widow, Myrtle Banford, played by Marion Lorne
. In the story line, Myrtle is the co-owner of Banford and Bleacher Department Store, where Sally becomes a sales clerk when their worldwide tour ends.
After a mid-season format change, comedian Gale Gordon
joined the cast as Bascomb Bleacher, Sr., the store manager. Others added to the cast were Arte Johnson
, later of NBC
’s Laugh-In comedy, as Bascomb, Jr., and singer Johnny Desmond
as Jim Kimball.
Guest stars include Barry Gordon
(as 8-year-old Humberto), Francis Lederer
, Maudie Prickett
, and Hope Summers
. One episode is set on the island of Capri
, where Sally is on tour with Mrs. Banford and meets a handsome count with the reputation as "the world's greatest lover". In another segment, Sally and Mrs. Banford are in Germany
and at the height of the Cold War
become suspicious of a man that they fear could be a Soviet
spy. In another segment, Sally hires a gigolo
as a birthday surprise for Banford in an attempt to make her feel young again. The escort keeps returning, and Sally learns that his real interest is her, not Mrs. Banford. In another segment, Sally tries to encourage Bascomb, Jr., not to go to Tibet
to become a monk
because he is too shy to tell his girlfriend of his intentions.
Another episode employs the theme music adopted the following season by ABC
’s sitcom, The Donna Reed Show
. In another segment, Sally poses as actress Judy Holliday
to endorse a type of bubble bath
sold by Banford and Bleacher's. In the series finale, the store employees plan a variety show
for an orphanage
.
Sally aired at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday opposite the first season of ABC’s western
series, Maverick
. CBS aired alternating episodes of The Jack Benny Program
and Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe
in the same time slot.
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...
which 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...
from September 15, 1957 to March 30, 1958. The series is the first filmed television series produced by Paramount Studios
CBS Paramount Television
CBS Television Studios is an American television production/distribution company that was formed on January 17, 2006 by CBS Corporation merging Paramount Television and CBS Productions...
.
Synopsis
The program features Joan CaulfieldJoan Caulfield
Joan Caulfield was an American actress and former fashion model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures....
as the lead character, Sally Truesdale, the young traveling companion of an elderly widow, Myrtle Banford, played by Marion Lorne
Marion Lorne
Marion Lorne MacDougall was an American actress. After a career in theatre in New York and London, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life, played small roles in films and television...
. In the story line, Myrtle is the co-owner of Banford and Bleacher Department Store, where Sally becomes a sales clerk when their worldwide tour ends.
After a mid-season format change, comedian Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
joined the cast as Bascomb Bleacher, Sr., the store manager. Others added to the cast were Arte Johnson
Arte Johnson
Arthur Stanton Eric "Arte" Johnson is an American comic actor. Johnson was a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His best-remembered "character" was that of a German soldier with the catchphrase: "Verrrry interesting, but...['stupid', 'not very funny', and other variations]".-Early life:Johnson...
, later of 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...
’s Laugh-In comedy, as Bascomb, Jr., and singer Johnny Desmond
Johnny Desmond
Johnny Desmond , born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone, was a popular American singer.-Early years:...
as Jim Kimball.
Guest stars include Barry Gordon
Barry Gordon
Barry Gordon is an American film, television and voice actor and political talk show host and producer. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995.-Biography:...
(as 8-year-old Humberto), Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
, Maudie Prickett
Maudie Prickett
Maudie Prickett was an American film and television character actress.Born in Portland, Oregon, Prickett often portrayed maids, busybodies, spinsters, and nosy neighbors...
, and Hope Summers
Hope Summers
Hope Summers was an American character actress known for her work on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, portraying Clara Edwards.-Career:...
. One episode is set on the island of Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
, where Sally is on tour with Mrs. Banford and meets a handsome count with the reputation as "the world's greatest lover". In another segment, Sally and Mrs. Banford are in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and at the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
become suspicious of a man that they fear could be a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
spy. In another segment, Sally hires a gigolo
Gigolo
Gigolo may refer to:* A male prostitute, escort, or dancer, who offers services to women* Gigolo , a 2006 single by Helena Paparizou* Gigolo , a 2003 single by Nick Cannon...
as a birthday surprise for Banford in an attempt to make her feel young again. The escort keeps returning, and Sally learns that his real interest is her, not Mrs. Banford. In another segment, Sally tries to encourage Bascomb, Jr., not to go to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to become a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
because he is too shy to tell his girlfriend of his intentions.
Another episode employs the theme music adopted the following season by 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 sitcom, 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...
. In another segment, Sally poses as actress Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
to endorse a type of bubble bath
Bubble bath
The term bubble bath can be used to describe aerated or carbonated baths, or to describe bathing with a layer of surfactant foam on the surface of the water and consequently also the surfactant product used to produce the foam....
sold by Banford and Bleacher's. In the series finale, the store employees plan a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
for an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
.
Sally aired at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday opposite the first season of ABC’s 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, Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
. CBS aired alternating episodes of The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
and Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe
John Forsythe
John Forsythe was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the crime drama Charlie's...
in the same time slot.
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Nominated | Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series | Marion Lorne |