The Good Guys
Encyclopedia
The Good Guys is an American sitcom
which aired on CBS
from September 25, 1968 to January 23, 1970. 42 color episodes were filmed in all. As with The Governor & J.J.
and Get Smart
, it was produced by Talent Associates and CBS Productions. CBS Television Studios also owns the rights to this program as well.
), the driver of a customized 1930s touring car turned taxi
, and his childhood friend Bert Gramus, played by Herb Edelman
, owner of a local diner and neighborhood hangout called "Bert's Place", which Butterworth advertised on the taxi's fender-mount spare tire covers. Plots usually revolved around "get rich quick" schemes that invariably backfired. In the second season, Rufus became a partner with Bert in the diner, which moved to a beach location. Other characters included Bert's schoolteacher wife, Claudia and diner regulars Mr. Bender, Hal Dawson and truck driver Big Tom (played by Alan Hale, Jr.
).
Never a huge hit with fans, The Good Guys failed to finish in the Nielsen
Top 30 and was canceled after its second season.
. A 1/25-scale model kit was manufactured by MPC Corporation
and examples are highly collectible today.
The first few episodes of the first season, unlike most other sitcoms by this time, were taped before a live studio audience, with an accompanying laugh track
to sweeten the laughs. Eventually, however, due to production changes, the rest of the episodes of the first and second season had just a laugh track.
considered showing episodes of the show in 1998 but opted instead to air episodes of another "lost" sitcom that was also produced by Talent Associates, He and She.
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 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...
from September 25, 1968 to January 23, 1970. 42 color episodes were filmed in all. As with The Governor & J.J.
The Governor & J.J.
The Governor & J.J. is a television series that ran from 1969 to 1970 on CBS in the United States and in Canada, where it ran on CBC. Selected episodes were rerun by CBS during the summer of 1972. It was produced by Talent Associates and CBS Productions...
and Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
, it was produced by Talent Associates and CBS Productions. CBS Television Studios also owns the rights to this program as well.
Synopsis
The show centers around Rufus Butterworth (Bob DenverBob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
), the driver of a customized 1930s touring car turned taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
, and his childhood friend Bert Gramus, played by Herb Edelman
Herb Edelman
Herbert "Herb" Edelman was an American actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his television work. One of his best remembered roles was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of Dorothy Zbornak on the long-running situation comedy, The Golden Girls...
, owner of a local diner and neighborhood hangout called "Bert's Place", which Butterworth advertised on the taxi's fender-mount spare tire covers. Plots usually revolved around "get rich quick" schemes that invariably backfired. In the second season, Rufus became a partner with Bert in the diner, which moved to a beach location. Other characters included Bert's schoolteacher wife, Claudia and diner regulars Mr. Bender, Hal Dawson and truck driver Big Tom (played by Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
).
Never a huge hit with fans, The Good Guys failed to finish in the Nielsen
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
Top 30 and was canceled after its second season.
Production notes
Rufus' taxi was created by George BarrisGeorge Barris (auto customizer)
George Barris is a designer of custom cars.-Early history:George and his brother Sam were born in Chicago in the 1920s. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Roseville, California as children to live with relatives. Both were good students, interested in drama, music, and design...
. A 1/25-scale model kit was manufactured by MPC Corporation
MPC Corporation
MPC Corporation was a United States computer-hardware company based in Nampa, Idaho, USA, best known for providing desktops, notebooks, servers and services to customers in the federal, state and local government, education, small and medium business, and consumer markets...
and examples are highly collectible today.
The first few episodes of the first season, unlike most other sitcoms by this time, were taped before a live studio audience, with an accompanying laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
to sweeten the laughs. Eventually, however, due to production changes, the rest of the episodes of the first and second season had just a laugh track.
Syndication
The Good Guys has never been shown in reruns in the United States. In his autobiography, Gilligan, Maynard and Me, Bob Denver related that poor-quality prints of the show were shown for a time in South America. TV LandTV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
considered showing episodes of the show in 1998 but opted instead to air episodes of another "lost" sitcom that was also produced by Talent Associates, He and She.