The Pride of the Family
Encyclopedia
The Pride of the Family was a half-hour situation comedy
starring Paul Hartman
, Fay Wray
, Natalie Wood
, and Robert Hyatt, which aired for forty episodes on ABC
in the 1953
–1954
season.
Hartman portrays Albie Morrison, the father and error-prone head of the household, about whom most of the episodes are centered. Albie works in the advertising section of his local newspaper
, and he often has new ideas that go awry in the workplace as well as failed handyman activities at home. Wray, remembered in particularly from her role in the horror film King Kong
, plays Albie's wife, Catherine. Natalie Wood is the 15-year-old daughter, Ann, and "Bobby" Hyatt (1939–2007) is the 14-year-old son, Junior Morrison. Larry J. Blake
appeared fourteen times in the role of "Frank".
Hartman's Albie Morrison lacks the good judgment and wisdom exercised by the fictitious insurance agent James Anderson, Sr., the role of Robert Young
on the long-running Father Knows Best
, which premiered the following season on CBS
. Billboard
described Hartman's lead role as "average"; indeed the series attempted to present the "average family."
Guest stars included Tol Avery
, Barbara Billingsley, Douglas Fowley
, Frank Ferguson
(five times as Murdock), Lyle Talbot
, Steven Terrell (five times as Tom), and Joey D. Vieira
(six episodes as Hollis).
The Pride of the Family aired at 9 p.m. EST on Fridays. It followed ABC's The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
anthology series and preceded the short-lived, The Comeback Story
, a reality show hosted by George Jessel
and Arlene Francis
. It was slated opposite The Big Story
on NBC
and Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
on CBS.The series also aired in limited rebroadcasts in June and July 1955 on CBS.
The Revue production, now NBCUniversal Television Group, was filmed at Republic Studios in North Hollywood, California
.
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...
starring Paul Hartman
Paul Hartman
Paul Hartman was an American dancer, stage performer and television character actor.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, Hartman, like Fred Astaire, began performing as a dancer with his sister...
, Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
, Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
, and Robert Hyatt, which aired for forty episodes 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...
in the 1953
1953 in television
The year 1953 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1953.-Events:*January 19 – 68% of all US television sets were tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth to little Ricky....
–1954
1954 in television
The year 1954 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.-Events:*January 1 – NBC broadcasts the Rose Parade in NTSC color on 21 stations.*January 3 – RAI launched in Italy....
season.
Hartman portrays Albie Morrison, the father and error-prone head of the household, about whom most of the episodes are centered. Albie works in the advertising section of his local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, and he often has new ideas that go awry in the workplace as well as failed handyman activities at home. Wray, remembered in particularly from her role in the horror film King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, plays Albie's wife, Catherine. Natalie Wood is the 15-year-old daughter, Ann, and "Bobby" Hyatt (1939–2007) is the 14-year-old son, Junior Morrison. Larry J. Blake
Larry J. Blake
Larry J. Blake was an American actor from Brooklyn, New York City. In 1947 he starred in the film Backlash.Blake was also among the stars of 1953-1954 ABC situation comedy, The Pride of the Family, appearing in the role of Frank. Fay Wray played Catherine Morrison, and Paul Hartman played her...
appeared fourteen times in the role of "Frank".
Hartman's Albie Morrison lacks the good judgment and wisdom exercised by the fictitious insurance agent James Anderson, Sr., the role of Robert Young
Robert Young (actor)
Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father...
on the long-running Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
, which premiered the following season 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...
. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described Hartman's lead role as "average"; indeed the series attempted to present the "average family."
Guest stars included Tol Avery
Tol Avery
Tol Avery was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974...
, Barbara Billingsley, Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley
Douglas Fowley was an American movie and television actor.Fowley was born Daniel Vincent Fowley in The Bronx, New York. The 5'11" actor is probably best remembered for his role as the movie director Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain . The actor appeared in over 240 films and later in dozens of...
, Frank Ferguson
Frank Ferguson
Frank Ferguson was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. Perhaps his best known role was as the ranch handyman, Gus Broeberg, on the CBS television series, My Friend Flicka, based on a novel of the same name...
(five times as Murdock), Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot , born Lisle Henderson, was an American actor on stage and screen, best known for his long career in movies from 1931 to 1960 and for his frequent appearances on TV in the 1950s and '60s, including his decade-long role as Joe Randolph on television's The Adventures of Ozzie and...
, Steven Terrell (five times as Tom), and Joey D. Vieira
Joey D. Vieira
Joey D. Vieira is an American film and television actor. He began as a child actor using the professional name Donald Keeler as chubby, beanie-wearing farm boy, Sylvester "Porky" Brockway in the first several seasons of TV's Lassie...
(six episodes as Hollis).
The Pride of the Family aired at 9 p.m. EST on Fridays. It followed ABC's The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
anthology series and preceded the short-lived, The Comeback Story
The Comeback Story
The Comeback Story is a half-hour drama reality show which aired on ABC from October 2, 1953 to February 5, 1954, in which celebrities explain how they overcame physical disabilities or other kinds of adverse fortunes in their lives.-Production history:...
, a reality show hosted by George Jessel
George Jessel (actor)
George Albert Jessel was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies...
and Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis was an American actress, radio talk show host, and game show panelist...
. It was slated opposite The Big Story
The Big Story
The Big Story, which debuted in 2000, was an American news/talk television program on the Fox News Channel, hosted by John Gibson and Heather Nauert weekdays. It was taken off in March 2008, replaced with America's Election Headquarters, an hour of news related to the 2008 United States...
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...
and Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...
on CBS.The series also aired in limited rebroadcasts in June and July 1955 on CBS.
The Revue production, now NBCUniversal Television Group, was filmed at Republic Studios in North Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.