The Sandy Duncan Show
Encyclopedia
Funny Face and The Sandy Duncan Show are two sitcoms
aired by CBS
starring Sandy Duncan
as part of its 1971
and 1972 fall lineups
, respectively. Both series were created and produced by Carl Kleinschmitt.
, Illinois
majoring in education and making ends meet by working part-time as an actress in TV commercials for the Prescott Advertising
Agency. In the pilot for the series, the supporting cast included Nita Talbot
as Maggie Prescott, Sandy's modeling agent and best friend, and Frank Aletter
as Dick, a photographer for the agency, who also happened to be Maggie's ex-husband. After screening the pilot, CBS picked up the show for the 1971 fall season, however the network requested there be some changes made in terms of cast and format. As a result, the character of Sandy Stockton, instead, became a student teacher who supported her education through professional acting and modeling. Talbot and Aletter were dropped from the cast and replaced by Valorie Armstrong
as Sandy's best friend and neighbor Alice McRaven (Armstrong and Duncan in real-life are close friends) and Henry Beckman
and Kathleen Freeman
as Pat and Kate Harwell, Sandy's friends and landlords. Beckman, in fact, had been featured in the pilot as a telephone repairman. The show was a part of the CBS 1971 Saturday night lineup which included All in the Family
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
. Despite ranking #8 in the Nielsen ratings
for the 1971-72 season, it was canceled less than three months after its premiere, because Duncan had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor behind her left eye. At that time, only 12 episodes had been filmed so, in order to complete the first 13-episode cycle, the pilot was dusted off and finally shown as the last show of the series on December 11, 1971. CBS returned the Sandy Stockton character and Miss Duncan the next season in The Sandy Duncan Show.
firm of Quinn & Cohen, where her supervisor was one of the partners, Bert Quinn (Tom Bosley
), the other partner was Leonard Cohen (Alfie Wise). Two of her neighbors, Kay Fox (Marian Mercer
) and Alex Lembeck (M. Emmet Walsh
) were also close friends. Motorcycle police officer Alex constantly worried about Sandy's status as a single woman living alone, which he saw as being inherently dangerous; and as such, appointed himself as her chaperone/protector. Sandy had a very sweet and slightly naive nature and was prone to try to help anyone whom she felt needed help, including total strangers, so Alex's fears were not totally misplaced.
The Sandy Duncan Show attracted a much smaller audience than Funny Face on Sunday nights, typically the time of the largest television viewing audience in the U.S. It had to compete with ABC's The F.B.I.
and the NBC Mystery Movie
. It was also canceled at midseason, with the last episode airing on New Year's Eve 1972.
However, in The Sandy Duncan Show's opening, most of the pictures of a baby Sandy were eliminated, as there was now a second verse of the song, and that second verse was sung whilst showing Sandy on her bus trip from Taylorville to Los Angeles (which was actually footage of Duncan from her 1971 Paramount film 'Star Spangled Girl
'). In Funny Face, the theme song "The Kind of Girl She Is" was sung by Jack Jones
and later on in The Sandy Duncan Show, a more up-tempo version of the theme was sung by an unknown group of men and women. The theme was written by Alan Bergman
, Marilyn Bergman
and Dave Grusin
.
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...
aired by 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...
starring Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
as part of its 1971
1971-72 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three United States television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1971. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football. This season would be the first time the prime time schedule would be shortened to...
and 1972 fall lineups
1972-73 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three United States television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1972. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
, respectively. Both series were created and produced by Carl Kleinschmitt.
Funny Face
In Funny Face, Sandy Stockton is a young UCLA student from TaylorvilleTaylorville, Illinois
Taylorville is a city in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,246 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Christian County.-Geography:Taylorville is located at ....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
majoring in education and making ends meet by working part-time as an actress in TV commercials for the Prescott Advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
Agency. In the pilot for the series, the supporting cast included Nita Talbot
Nita Talbot
Nita Talbot is an American actress. Talbot was a leading lady who spent the first decade or so of her career playing "slick chicks" and sharp-witted career girls, but is perhaps best known for her role as Marya, the White Russian spy in the 1960s sitcom, Hogan's Heroes, as well as Sheila Fine in...
as Maggie Prescott, Sandy's modeling agent and best friend, and Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter was an American stage, film, and television actor.During the 1950s Aletter appeared on Broadway in Bells Are Ringing, Time Limit, and Wish You Were Here. He soon moved on to a prolific television career, appearing as a guest on numerous shows between 1956 and 1988.Aletter starred in...
as Dick, a photographer for the agency, who also happened to be Maggie's ex-husband. After screening the pilot, CBS picked up the show for the 1971 fall season, however the network requested there be some changes made in terms of cast and format. As a result, the character of Sandy Stockton, instead, became a student teacher who supported her education through professional acting and modeling. Talbot and Aletter were dropped from the cast and replaced by Valorie Armstrong
Valorie Armstrong
Valorie Armstrong is an American actress most notably recognized from her role as Perkins family matriarch, Marisa Perkins on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara during 1984-1985. Her other roles include various guest-starring roles on TV shows...
as Sandy's best friend and neighbor Alice McRaven (Armstrong and Duncan in real-life are close friends) and Henry Beckman
Henry Beckman
Henry Beckman was a Canadian stage, film and television actor. He appeared in well over 100 productions in the United States and Canada, including recurring roles as Commander Paul Richards in the 1954 Flash Gordon space opera television series, Bob Mulligan in the ABC sitcom I'm Dickens, He's...
and Kathleen Freeman
Kathleen Freeman
Kathleen Freeman was an American film, television, and stage actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed tart maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors, almost invariably to comic effect.-Early life:Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois...
as Pat and Kate Harwell, Sandy's friends and landlords. Beckman, in fact, had been featured in the pilot as a telephone repairman. The show was a part of the CBS 1971 Saturday night lineup which included 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...
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
. Despite ranking #8 in the Nielsen ratings
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...
for the 1971-72 season, it was canceled less than three months after its premiere, because Duncan had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor behind her left eye. At that time, only 12 episodes had been filmed so, in order to complete the first 13-episode cycle, the pilot was dusted off and finally shown as the last show of the series on December 11, 1971. CBS returned the Sandy Stockton character and Miss Duncan the next season in The Sandy Duncan Show.
The Sandy Duncan Show
In The Sandy Duncan Show, Sandy now worked for the advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
firm of Quinn & Cohen, where her supervisor was one of the partners, Bert Quinn (Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
), the other partner was Leonard Cohen (Alfie Wise). Two of her neighbors, Kay Fox (Marian Mercer
Marian Mercer
Marian Ethel Mercer was an American actress and singer.Born in Akron, Ohio, she graduated from the University of Michigan, then spent several seasons working in summer stock. She made her Broadway debut in the chorus of the short-lived musical, Greenwillow in 1960...
) and Alex Lembeck (M. Emmet Walsh
M. Emmet Walsh
Michael Emmet Walsh is an American actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions.-Life and career:Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Kathrine and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent...
) were also close friends. Motorcycle police officer Alex constantly worried about Sandy's status as a single woman living alone, which he saw as being inherently dangerous; and as such, appointed himself as her chaperone/protector. Sandy had a very sweet and slightly naive nature and was prone to try to help anyone whom she felt needed help, including total strangers, so Alex's fears were not totally misplaced.
The Sandy Duncan Show attracted a much smaller audience than Funny Face on Sunday nights, typically the time of the largest television viewing audience in the U.S. It had to compete with ABC's The F.B.I.
The F.B.I.
The F.B.I. is an American television series that was broadcast on ABC from 1965 to 1974. It was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, and the characters almost always drove Ford vehicles in the series - indeed, this was a key point of Mad magazine's July 1971 satire of the series .-Synopsis:Produced...
and the NBC Mystery Movie
NBC Mystery Movie
The NBC Mystery Movie is the general name of an American television series, produced by Universal Studios, that was broadcast by NBC from 1971-77...
. It was also canceled at midseason, with the last episode airing on New Year's Eve 1972.
Theme song and opening titles
Both Funny Face and The Sandy Duncan Show used the same theme song and opening titles. The opening titles consist of a photo album with pictures of Sandy Stockton as she was growing up from infancy to a young woman (presumably real-life photos of Duncan, used for the montage). Included were pictures of Sandy at various young ages; also pictures of her doing tap and ballet dancing; at various school functions; being a cheerleader for her high school; wearing her cap and gown, and posing by the Taylorville sign saying good bye as she was boarding her bus.However, in The Sandy Duncan Show's opening, most of the pictures of a baby Sandy were eliminated, as there was now a second verse of the song, and that second verse was sung whilst showing Sandy on her bus trip from Taylorville to Los Angeles (which was actually footage of Duncan from her 1971 Paramount film 'Star Spangled Girl
Star Spangled Girl
Star Spangled Girl is a 1971 American romantic comedy film based on the Neil Simon play The Star-Spangled Girl. It stars Tony Roberts, Todd Susman and Sandy Duncan.-Plot:...
'). In Funny Face, the theme song "The Kind of Girl She Is" was sung by Jack Jones
Jack Jones (singer)
John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...
and later on in The Sandy Duncan Show, a more up-tempo version of the theme was sung by an unknown group of men and women. The theme was written by Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.-Life & career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
, Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University...
and Dave Grusin
Dave Grusin
David Grusin is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys...
.