The Paul Lynde Show
Encyclopedia
The Paul Lynde Show is an American sitcom
that aired on ABC
. The series stars Paul Lynde
and aired from September 13, 1972 to September 8, 1973.
). It also starred John Calvin as Barbara's husband, Howie, and Jerry Stiller
and Anne Meara
as Howie's parents. Critics perceived the show as derivative of All in the Family
, then television's most-popular primetime program. For his role in the series, Lynde was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe.
on CBS
and the Top 20 hit Adam-12
on NBC, the series garnered low ratings and was canceled after only one season (26 episodes). After the series ended, Lynde continued as center square on The Hollywood Squares until leaving the show in 1979.
in 1962, as a replacement for The Dick Van Dyke Show
, but when that series was saved from cancellation, plans for Howie were discarded.
William Asher
later resurrected the Howie concept for ABC and Screen Gems
as a replacement for Bewitched
. Asher and then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery
were contractually obligated to another season of Bewitched for ABC. Montgomery was not interested in continuing the series (as she and Asher were on the verge of divorcing), and The Paul Lynde Show was created to fulfill the contract. Lynde had appeared numerous times on Bewitched as the "Uncle Arthur" character. Asher designed The Paul Lynde Show to be ABC's counterpart to CBS's All In The Family
; however, The Paul Lynde Show lacked the controversial and topical issues brought up by All In The Family, due to ABC's continued restriction on social issues at the time. This was despite Lynde's rewrite of the show's dialog in an effort to make the series more lively and comedic.
The next season, Asher would cast Lynde as the male lead on his other show, Temperatures Rising
, which lasted until 1974.
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...
. The series stars Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
and aired from September 13, 1972 to September 8, 1973.
Setting
The series starred Lynde as Paul Simms, the father of a family that consisted of his wife Martha (Elizabeth Allen) and daughters Barbara (Jane Actman) and Sally (Pamelyn FerdinPamelyn Ferdin
Pamelyn Ferdin is a former American television and film child actor, active both in live action and as a voice actress in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and has since appeared in several voice acting roles as late as 2009...
). It also starred John Calvin as Barbara's husband, Howie, and Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
and Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
as Howie's parents. Critics perceived the show as derivative of All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, then television's most-popular primetime program. For his role in the series, Lynde was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe.
Cast
- Paul LyndePaul LyndePaul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
- Paul Simms - Elizabeth AllenElizabeth AllenElizabeth Allen, Eliza Allen, Liz Allen or Beth Allen may refer to:*Eliza Allen Houston , first wife of Tennessee governor Sam Houston*Eliza Allen Starr , American artist known for her Catholic art...
- Martha Simms - Jane Actman - Barbara Simms Dickerson
- John Calvin - Howie Dickerson
- Pamelyn FerdinPamelyn FerdinPamelyn Ferdin is a former American television and film child actor, active both in live action and as a voice actress in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and has since appeared in several voice acting roles as late as 2009...
- Sally Simms - James GregoryJames Gregory (actor)James Gregory was an American character actor noted for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate , the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Luger in Barney Miller...
- T.R. Scott - Anne MearaAnne MearaAnne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
- Grace Dickerson - Allison McKay - Alice
- Jerry StillerJerry StillerGerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
- Barney Dickerson - Herb VolandHerb VolandHerb Voland , who also performed under his full name Herbert Voland, was an American actor, best known for his role as General Brandon Clayton on the hit CBS-TV show M*A*S*H from 1972 to 1973.-Career:...
- T.J. McNish
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Howie Comes Home to Roost" | September 13, 1972 |
| 1-2 | "Whiz Kid Sizzles As Quiz Fizzles" | September 20, 1972 |
| 1-3 | "The Landlord" | September 27, 1972 |
| 1-4 | "No Nudes is Good Nudes" | October 4, 1972 |
| 1-5 | "To Commune or Not to Commune" | October 11, 1972 |
| 1-6 | "How to be Unhappy, Though Poor" | October 18, 1972 |
| 1-7 | "Pollution Solution" | October 25, 1972 |
| 1-8 | "To Wed or Not to Wed" | November 1, 1972 |
| 1-9 | "Unsteady Going" | November 8, 1972 |
| 1-10 | "Whose Lib?" | November 22, 1972 |
| 1-11 | "Meet Aunt Charlotte" | November 29, 1972 |
| 1-12 | "An Affair to Forget" | December 6, 1972 |
| 1-13 | "Martha's Last Hurrah" | December 13, 1972 |
| 1-14 | "Paul's Desperate Hour" | December 20, 1972 |
| 1-15 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | December 27, 1972 |
| 1-16 | "The Bare Facts" | January 3, 1973 |
| 1-17 | "Howie's Inheritance" | January 10, 1973 |
| 1-18 | "P.S. I Loathe You" | January 17, 1973 |
| 1-19 | "The Congressman's Son" | January 24, 1973 |
| 1-20 | "Out of Bounds" | January 31, 1973 |
| 1-21 | "Is This Trip Necessary?" | February 7, 1973 |
| 1-22 | "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Mother-in-Law But Were Afraid to" | February 14, 1973 |
| 1-23 | "Back Talk" | February 21, 1973 |
| 1-24 | "Barbara Goes Home to Mother" | February 28, 1973 |
| 1-25 | "Togetherness" | March 7, 1973 |
| 1-26 | "Springtime for Paul" | March 14, 1973 |
Reception
Scheduled opposite the first half of the Top 30 hit The Carol Burnett ShowThe Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
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...
and the Top 20 hit Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
on NBC, the series garnered low ratings and was canceled after only one season (26 episodes). After the series ended, Lynde continued as center square on The Hollywood Squares until leaving the show in 1979.
Production
The show was based on the play Howie, about a lawyer, played by Lynde, whose daughter marries a slacker named Howard, or "Howie". The Lynde character despises him as he is not interested in earning money or traditional pursuits. Howie was later developed for CBSCBS
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...
in 1962, as a replacement for The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
, but when that series was saved from cancellation, plans for Howie were discarded.
William Asher
William Asher
William Asher is an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific early directors in the budding television industry, producing or directing over two dozen of the leading television series.With television in its infancy, he introduced the...
later resurrected the Howie concept for ABC and Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
as a replacement for Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched 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...
. Asher and then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles as Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, as Ellen Harrod in A Case of Rape and as Lizzie Borden in The Legend of Lizzie Borden.-Early life:Born in Los...
were contractually obligated to another season of Bewitched for ABC. Montgomery was not interested in continuing the series (as she and Asher were on the verge of divorcing), and The Paul Lynde Show was created to fulfill the contract. Lynde had appeared numerous times on Bewitched as the "Uncle Arthur" character. Asher designed The Paul Lynde Show to be ABC's counterpart to CBS's All In The Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
; however, The Paul Lynde Show lacked the controversial and topical issues brought up by All In The Family, due to ABC's continued restriction on social issues at the time. This was despite Lynde's rewrite of the show's dialog in an effort to make the series more lively and comedic.
The next season, Asher would cast Lynde as the male lead on his other show, Temperatures Rising
Temperatures Rising
Temperatures Rising is an American television situation comedy that ran from September 12, 1972 to August 29, 1974 on the ABC network.The network had a good deal of faith in the low-rated series, which went through three cast changes, two different formats, and two time slots during its...
, which lasted until 1974.