EMMYS 1964: The Dick Van Dyke Show (season 3)

NETWORK: CBS

Let us return to Wednesday nights on CBS for the second consecutive Outstanding Program in the Field of Comedy Emmy for The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series is now in its third season at the height of its popularity. What had already been a great show took some more chances in the third year to explore some more contemporary themes and issues.

The series opened with another flashback episode, this time to the day Richie was brought home from the hospital. A typical sitcom trope now, Rob comes to believe that their baby has been switched with someone else's at the hospital. Similar to the episode of Full House where Jesse doesn't know which twin is which, Rob resorts to taking a footprint of the baby and comparing it with the hospital records. After the Petries receive a gift meant for the other family (the hospital had frequently gotten their rooms confused), Rob arranges a meeting with the other couple to return it and, he believes, to swap babies. Boy, is he surprised when it is revealed the other couple is black! It's a great laugh moment and shows he was just being paranoid (though it's worth pointing out that, depending on a number of factors, African American babies can look a lot lighter at birth). Not only is this a hilarious resolution to the story, but a subtle statement about civil rights in the country. In 1963, the American South is still segregated and white characters on television don't interact with black ones as equals quite so frequently. It is also worth considering that the entire story hinges on both couples being in nearby rooms at the hospital. So although the integration in the episode exists predominantly for a gag, its presence serves as an unobtrusive message of tolerance.

Exploration of marital issues also goes further in season three, this time broadening to characters beyond Rob and Laura. In "The Lady and the Tiger and the Lawyer," a nice unmarried neighbor moves in next door and so Rob and Laura each try to set him up with someone. The story takes an unexpected turn at the end when the man, though he enjoyed both dates, decides not to pursue a relationship with either of them, not because there's anything wrong with either of them, but because he has a history of spousal abuse and is in therapy to deal with his anger issues. He isn't ready for another relationship, realizing he needs to work on himself first. What began as sitcom hijinks of "which girl will win out?" ends on a sobering and mature discussion of divorce and domestic violence, while allowing him not to seem like a monster but a self-aware man who doesn't want to hurt anyone else. It's a surprising but excellent episode.

Similarly, there's an episode where Rob begins to suspect that his neighbor Jerry is stepping out on his wife with another woman. This as it is would be a bit of a mature subject for a TV sitcom, but as the story unfolds we find that the other woman is not a mistress but a psychologist who was recommending a marriage counselor for Jerry because he and Millie have been having problems. The audience is led to believe initially that the marriage is in trouble because Jerry's being a cad, but in the end it's just that marriage is hard and he's being proactive by finding someone to help them. This is the first sitcom episode I'm aware of to suggest marital counseling. And it seems to work because Jerry and Millie stay together.

It's not all serious, though. There's a typical sitcom plot where Rob and Jerry go in together on buying a boat, much to the chagrin of their wives, and strain on their friendship. In another, Rob fears he is going bald (to which I relate), which leads to some fun scenes with Mel Cooley, since he too is bald. Laura has her own little secret exposed when she finally reveals to Rob that she's been lying about their age the whole time and she was only 17 when they got married. This leads to the first of several two-part episodes this season where they worry their marriage may not be technically legal (another sitcom trope), and run off to get remarried.

Another two-part story gives us another fascinating look behind the scenes of the comedy world. Sally is a guest on a late night talk show (think Johnny Carson), and Buddy and Rob lose a day's work helping her write material for it. That one appearance turns into a return appearance, and soon they are losing work writing their own show, a situation that worsens when Sally is offered a sort of permanent fixture role on the talk show, leaving her to abandon writing duties for The Alan Brady Show. Things get even more uncomfortable when Laura takes a job as their secretary/stenographer of sorts to help them in Sally's absence. Rob finds it difficult to work alongside his wife, and ultimately Laura exhausts herself trying to hold that part-time job and maintain all of her regular household work to keep Rob happy.

The art world is lampooned in a few different episodes. "October Eve" finds Laura unwittingly being painted nude and the painting being displayed in a gallery. In "The Masterpiece", Rob accidentally spends an absurd amount of money on a painting. When it is discovered it's painted over something else, they strip away some of it to see what's underneath: a version of American Gothic with smiling figures. They consult an art dealer to see if it's worth anything, only to learn that the painting on top which they destroyed was actually painted by Frank Sinatra under a pseudonym, but is now ruined. That same episode contains one of my favorite bits, where Laura allows herself to buy one thing at the auction, and she chooses some bizarre sculpture that no one is able to identify or explain. They just call it "a thing", and she knows immediately that she wants it until she gets it home and doesn't know what to do with it.

The series also had a special Christmas episode, presented almost entirely as an episode of the fictional Alan Brady Show. There's a flashback to explain the premise (which I think was a mistake), but the basic idea is that the writers (Rob, Buddy and Sally) and their families join Alan for a series of sketches and songs for the holidays. Carl Reiner appears again as Alan Brady, his face this time obscured by a Santa Claus beard. The cast perform "I Am a Fine Musician" for the second time, having done so previously last season. Speaking of recurring bits, there was another episode focusing on Rob again being roped into directing the annual community variety show. This episode guest stars character actress Eleanor Audley, whose voice is immediately recognizable to Disney fans: the previous decade she had voiced both Cinderella's wicked stepmother and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.

Other notable guest stars pop up in an episode about old-time radio stars, and feature some faces you might not know, but voices you very well may. One of these is Richard Haydn (playing a character called Edwin Carp here), whose voice I immediately recognized as the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, and whose face you might recall as he would go on to play Max in The Sound of Music. I also recognized guest actor Michael Forest from Star Trek; he doesn't play a Greek god here, but rather an old boyfriend of Laura's who is now a priest.

Not only did The Dick Van Dyke Show win it's second Emmy for Comedy Series, but both Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore won Emmys for their performances, the show won an Emmy for Direction, and another Emmy for writing for the episode "The Plots Thicken". In this story, Rob's father buys a cemetery plot for both Rob and Laura, only for Laura to remind Rob that her father already gave them a plot for their wedding. The argument over who would be laid to rest with who brings out underlying strife and resentments between the in-laws. The writing of the series continued to be strong, headed by Carl Reiner, along with other solid writers including new to the writers' room, Garry Marshall, another television veteran who would go on to create his own sitcom staples, including Happy Days.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the introduction of yet another footstool gag this season. Now Rob might not only tumble over the footstool during the opening or smartly sidestep it, but he sometimes notices, steps to avoid, and then trips on the leg and stumbles anyway.

The third season builds on the successes of the second season, keeping the show funny and fresh, expanding stories across several episodes, going further into the lives of the characters, and also making time to explore relevant cultural issues. Indeed, I could go on about many other standout episodes, but this is meant to be an overview, not an episode guide! The Dick Van Dyke Show continues to be worthwhile viewing in its third season. It was a good year for a show at the top of its game, and a good year for Dick Van Dyke who of course would appear a few months later in Disney's Mary Poppins.

FAVORITE EPISODES: That's My Boy??, Laura's Little Lie, The Alan Brady Show Presents, The Third One From the Left, My Husband is the Best One, My Part-Time Wife, A Nice Friendly Game of Cards, My Neighbor's Husband's Other Life, I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All, Teacher's Petrie

UP NEXT: The Dick Van Dyke Show (it's on a roll!)

EMMYS 1963: The Dick Van Dyke Show (season 2)

NETWORK: CBS
SPONSOR: Joy

Finally we ease out of the variety show format and back to classic sitcom territory, though by way of a character writing for a variety show. After making a splash in a number of guest appearances over the late 1950s, Dick Van Dyke's star rose enough to headline his own series, allowing him to showcase both his versatility has a comic performer and song and dance man, but for the first time on this blog, a sort of normal guy. No longer is he a broad caricature, but a portrait of a loving husband and father, veteran of the army, working in a somewhat unconventional field.



The Dick Van Dyke Show was created by veteran comedy writer Carl Reiner, who based it on his own experiences in writing television. His original pilot starred himself in the title role, but the series was retooled for Van Dyke instead. As a series, it's kind of a return to format of the early 1950s sitcoms with one foot in variety entertainment. Just as Ricky Ricardo was a nightclub performer and Danny Thomas was a working comic actor, The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the character of Rob Petrie, head writer for the fictional comedy/variety series The Alan Brady Show. Similarities to Danny Thomas' show are perhaps not so coincidental, as Thomas serves as a producer on the show as well. Also of note, it was shot at Desilu studios where the three-camera model began. Like other classic sitcoms, The Dick Van Dyke Show lives in that happy medium between relatable domestic life and the minor thrill of a peak backstage at how Hollywood works. But rather than focus on the performer, Carl Reiner wisely shifts focus to the unsung heroes of the medium, the writers. No more are we in the realm where Red Skelton would joke about firing a writer when the joke doesn't land. Now the writer is the central character, and Reiner clearly has lifted story ideas from real life experience. What happens when writers aren't getting along? Or when you are just stuck for an idea? Or that worst thing to happen in comedy writing, the threat of having plagiarized a joke? What's it like when the guest celebrity is actually a heel in real life? Joining Rob are his writer friends, Sally and Buddy. Cleverly, just as would be their actual role, they mainly serve to punch up the show with jokes. But it's not just that. There are interesting undercurrents like Sally feeling like her femininity is overlooked by the male work environment, and she starts to resent being called "fella".

One of the more contentions things in comedy writing in recent years has been the scandal of "stolen jokes" and whether certain comedians have plagiarized material. Reiner makes clear this was a problem even in 1963, when Petrie inadvertently steals material for a sketch from another show and the trouble that creates. It was interesting watching this episode now, and remembering how difficult issues of ownership and copyright are in the realm of writing, especially comedy.

On the domestic side of things, Rob has a wife and son, as well as friendly neighbors next door who make frequent appearances. We get some good old-fashioned "father knows best" kinds of stories, as well as "having a misunderstanding with the wife" stories. Gracing our sets as Rob's wife, Laura is Mary Tyler Moore in her big break. Moore is radiant in this series, and the perfect match for Van Dyke's charisma. She is the queen of comedic histrionic crying. Laura is not Lucy Ricardo. She's a former dancer, and a bit more of a modern domestic woman, but is prone to overreacting. Moore is endearing and charming and capable of standing up to Rob when he's being an idiot. Their marriage has its problems, but their relationship is great. In the second season, we get to see the crazy circumstances of their wedding.

The opening titles of the series are classic. Rob arrives home to his loving wife, turns to greet his visiting friends, and tumbles over an unseen footstool. Toward the end of the season, the show plays with our expectations with Rob sidestepping the stool instead. The first time this happens is a lot of fun. Like Simpsons couch gags or X-Files taglines, it becomes a bit of bonus fun to see what might happen with the fall this episode. About midway through season two, they also started putting the episode titles onscreen at the end of the opening.

This was my first full-episode exposure to The Dick Van Dyke Show, though of course I had been aware of it from Nick at Nite and seen little bits. But until now, I had never watched a whole show, and now after having gotten through a whole season, I'm a fan. It's clear that Carl Reiner's experience informs the writing, and the best episodes are written by him. He also appears as Alan Brady, Rob's boss, but always seen from behind and his face isn't revealed, very similar to Wilson on Home Improvement. One of the things that's been enjoyable about reviewing these old sitcoms is seeing how much groundwork later shows of the '80s and '90s were indebted to. I started to realize how much Full House follows similar tropes, for example, of peppering in musical performances.

But just as it's got similarities to the '50s shows that preceded it, The Dick Van Dyke Show is a series of the '60s and you can tell how society is slowly shifting. We're still in the Kennedy years, and married couples still sleep in separate beds, but women are wearing pants more frequently, humor is changing a little, and they even slip in a few mild curse words! The series is also commenting on the world of its day, and not just variety shows. An entire episode, "It May Look Like a Walnut," was a parody of creepy science-fiction films, the type gaining popularity in the late 1950s and early '60s. It's a fun episode, though the gag about Rob losing his thumbs was rather spoiled for me when certain shots clearly showed thumbs still there. But how was he to turn doorknobs without them? I guess we can let it slide because it's all a dream in the end, but it's a shame that the writing is a little smarter than the final execution. A great gag in the episode though is an alien who "looks like Danny Thomas" played by Thomas himself.

Another hilarious episode involved Rob suddenly having an allergic reaction in Laura's presence. She is convinced by a recent magazine article that this proves he's subconsciously mad at her. While Rob tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, Laura grows increasingly hysterical. The episode smartly strings out the mystery for the audience to figure out without revealing too much too early to give it away. Not only a fun jab at pop psychology, it also showcases Van Dyke's comedic sneezing. Van Dyke also plays a good comedy drunk in an episode where he is hypnotized to think he's completely hammered whenever he hears a bell. There are also a good number of episodes focusing on the humor of marital squabbles, like discovering a secret checking account, or that terrible moment when you ask your wife what's wrong and she just says, "You know what you did."

There were a lot of episodes I enjoyed and it would be difficult to name or describe too many of them. I quite liked learning the backstory of Rob and Laura's ill-fated wedding day in "The Attempted Marriage." Both Moore and Van Dyke are at the top of their game, and Reiner's script is very smart. It also plays to the strengths of television, with a flashback structure. This also helps break up the typical sitcom monotony of the show existing mainly on two sets. When the season ended, they took the next month to show four flashback episodes from the first two years in rerun that documented Rob and Laura's first meeting through the birth of their son.

It is easy to see why The Dick Van Dyke Show was an Emmy favorite. It's got all the usual ingredients of classic sitcoms, with a dash of novelty and perfect casting. I quite enjoyed watching it and look forward to future episodes to come. Interesting note though for anyone seeking it out on DVD: the DVD set I obtained put a season 3 episodes at the end of the season 2 set and left it off the season 3 set. A mild annoyance, but worth pointing out. I still haven't seen any of season 1 and am tempted to watch them. But no time to look back, we only look forward in this project!

FAVORITE EPISODES: The Two Faces of Rob; The Attempted Marriage; My Husband is Not a Drunk; What's in a Middle Name; Gesundheit, Darling; It May Look Like a Walnut;, My Husband is a Check-Grabber; When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen

Up Next: The Dick Van Dyke Show (again!)

EMMYS 1962: The Bob Newhart Show

NETWORK: NBC

You may have read the title and thought, "That's incorrect! You mean 1972. The Bob Newhart Show was a staple of the 1970s." And on the one hand, you would be right. However, you may be entirely unaware that ten years before Bob Newhart's seminal television sitcom, he had a short-lived variety show also called The Bob Newhart Show. I was just as surprised as you are.

Bob Newhart was an accountant-turned-comedian who did stand-up in the early 1960s. His style was generally low-key, presenting humorous scenarios where he often played imaginary conversations with another party, usually over the phone. His comedy frequently took a satiric look at modern American life, television, and politics. At the time, one of his best-known bits involved a contemporary Madison Avenue image consultant type coaching Abraham Lincoln through the Gettysburg Address.

Newhart made a few appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show as he made his name in comedy, as well as other variety shows, which culminated in the release of his 1960 comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart. He wanted to call it The Best New Comedian Since Attila the Hun, but the record label used that instead as a subtitle. This 30-minute record, including the Abe Lincoln bit, was a huge success. Huge for comedy records and huge in general. It won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Bob Newhart's comedy stylings beat out musicians like Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald and other pop favorites of the early 1960s for the best album. And his follow-up record, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, won for best comedy album.

So with his star on the rise, naturally NBC snagged him for a television series. The Bob Newhart Show ran only one season, from 1961-1962 on Wednesday nights. Like other comedy variety shows of the day, the format was generally an opening monologue from Bob, then a sketch or two and maybe a musical act. There would also be celebrity guest appearances. And as with the success of his first record, the series would go on to win the Emmy Award for the Field of Humor that year.

But after that first season, Bob Newhart decided to call it quits. He wasn't happy in the television medium at the time, particularly because the schedule put a demand on the writing. He felt that if they went into another season, it would be too difficult to have top material for monologues and the comedy would suffer. He preferred honing his material for college crowds in the stand-up scene. The way he tells it now, he "pulled a Dave Chapelle," citing the contemporary comedian who also walked away from a highly successful series.

Despite being so short-lived, the original Bob Newhart Show not only won the Emmy, but a Peabody Award as well. And so it is surprising that very little seems to be known about the series, and indeed, this was the first series in this project that I was unable to find even one full episode of. Previously, I've been stuck with scattered episodes for a few series, but even for The Art Carney Special there were a few on the internet. All I was able to uncover was a single internet video featuring about ten minutes of an episode with guest Fess Parker.



There are a number of his stand-up appearances on other shows of the era, and many episodes he did of The Dean Martin Show a few years later. But for some reason, his own series is just a mystery.
It's a real shame that I can't give a proper review to the show, and that it isn't available somewhere, especially considering the name that Bob Newhart remains even today. That this award-winning series should fade into obscurity is a real tragedy. I did listen to The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart and a couple of his others from this period to get a feel for his comedy and for what the show might have been like. But it's really not the same as getting to see even one full episode in living color as it first aired. If anyone out there is reading this who could help dust off this television curiosity, please do!

Anyway, at least moving forward I know that series will be easier to obtain, as we head firmly into the sitcom era, leaving variety mostly behind us.

FAVORITE EPISODES: N/A (sadly)
UP NEXT: The Dick Van Dyke Show

EMMYS 1961: The Jack Benny Program (season 11)

NETWORK: CBS
SPONSORS: Lipton tea, State Farm insurance

Jack Benny, violinist/comedian among the most popular entertainers of the time, finally made the jump to a weekly schedule for his television series in 1960 and won the Emmy for the second time. As I mentioned earlier, Jack's show was mostly a variety show, but with the odd side-episodes and ideas that were more of a sitcom format. By this point in the run of the series, the more sitcom side was far more frequent in the episodes, so that makes it clear why this series won in the Comedy Series rather than Variety Series category. There was even one episode devoted entirely to just the older variety format, and it sort of sticks out. That episode, by the way, was the television debut of Ann-Margaret. But the rest of the time a good portion of the show would be taken up with some long-form skit or parody, even if keeping to the old formula of Jack introducing the show with a monologue in front of a curtain. And often there would be a musical number, usually performed by Dennis Day.

But for much of the season, there would be whole episodes devoted to just Jack Benny in his daily life, with his friends and his black manservant, Rochester. The Jack Benny Program had ultimately meshed the original variety format with the sitcom format pioneered by I Love Lucy. In one episode, Jack even "leaves" his show to go take care of urgent business, and that story takes up the rest of the episode. In a way, one could see programs like this as precursors to Seinfeld, which originated as showing the life of an entertainer implying where he gets the material for his actual shows. And I never thought of it before, but the format of Jack opening and closing the shows in front of the curtain may be paid homage to by the structure of the '90s Nickelodeon series Kenan and Kel.

As I mentioned above, Jack Benny finally took the television show weekly this season and with new sponsors. Like other series of the time, many stories were adapted from episodes of his radio program. He now devoted more time to the television version, and did so with gusto and a plethora of guest stars. The season premiere featured George Burns, Tony Curtis, and Mike Wallace, among others. That first show was a great one, because the entire story revolved around Jack taking the show weekly and advertising it. It was a smart way to make a funny show and remind the audience that they could tune in next week. It was a half-hour of self promotion! But it was also an opportunity to parody the work of Mike Wallace. Remember, this was back before 60 Minutes. At the time, Mike Wallace did a series of interviews on a local New York show called Night Beat. From there, he got some nationally televised Mike Wallace interviews. So now, here's this up and coming journalistic icon, and Jack Benny comes along and has a parody interview with him (framed as a nightmare). It's a fun, topical episode.

Another hilarious celebrity appearance is that of Jimmy Stewart in a story where Stewart's mail keeps getting delivered to Jack's house by mistake, and the end up at the same concert. 

But as long as we're on the subject of guest stars, I would be remiss if I didn't hail the comedic talents of Jack's regular associates, especially in this season Mel Blanc. You know Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices. He is well known for voicing many Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Barney Rubble. He makes a number of memorable appearances this season, some taken directly from radio bits. Perhaps most memorable is as a sales clerk at Christmas who has to keep wrapping and unwrapping a wallet he sold to Benny. In another episode, he shows off his voice talents doing horses, dogs, etc.



A great use of the television medium is in the story "Jack Goes to the Vault" where Jack Benny takes some government folks to tour his personal vault to see his security system. This show features elaborate set design of an underground cavern with moving walls, crocodiles, giant doors, a drawbridge, and more. It's very impressive for the time, especially considering it was all just a one-time gag.

Once again, I had a difficult time tracking down episodes and was only able to watch roughly two thirds of the season. But what I saw was a lot of fun, with verbal humor, visual humor, and music. I think this season was better than season 9. I really got a feel for Jack Benny's persona and why his comedy was so popular. It was also interesting as a snapshot of the period, particularly with the frequent jokes about the L.A. smog. While still a variety show at its core, I think The Jack Benny Program, particularly in these later years, is a worthy piece of sitcom history as well. Certainly, it deserves its accolades for comedy.

FAVORITE EPISODES: Nightbeat Takeoff, Jack Goes to a Concert, Christmas Show, Jack Goes to the Vault, Main Street Shelter

UP NEXT: The Bob Newhart Show

EMMYS 1960: The Art Carney Special

NETWORK: NBC
SPONSORS: DELCO batteries and AC spark plugs

This is the weirdest thing to happen in this category so far. We've already seen the Emmys have confusion about classifying variety shows and sitcoms and gone through years where they awarded single programs over full seasons, etc. Things took yet another bizarre turn for the 1959-1960 season when they cut a bunch of categories and limited things to "Outstanding Program in the Field of Humor," and Drama and Variety. While The Jack Benny Program took the statue for writing the second year in a row, the series award went to a strange series that wasn't even consistently a comedy. That wording "the field of humor" is very telling.

Art Carney was a character actor probably best known for playing Ed Norton opposite Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners. But now a new decade was around the corner and it almost seems as if Carney was trying to make a name for himself as more than one character, as an entertainer and as a serious actor, at least that's the impression that I get watching the resulting Art Carney Special. Alternately titled The Art Carney Show, this was barely a series. Instead, it was a series of 10 programs starring Carney that aired on usually a monthly basis from 1959 to 1961 (the last aired almost a year after the previous 9). They were broadcast on NBC and were a sort of anthology, with no real uniting element apart from starring Carney. The series generally ran an hour long, but I've read that some went for 90 minutes.

It was not a straight comedy series, and certainly not a sitcom. Some programs were more dramatic. For example, the second episode was a production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town starring Carney as the Stage Manager. Other episodes were self-contained little teleplays very much of the sort you'd see in the Golden Age of Television from other anthology drama series. While whimsical and humorous at times, they were not strictly comedies. Still other programs were more comedic, sketch-driven variety formats taking a satirical look at contemporary life. All this is to say The Art Carney Show was a strange and unique moment in television history.

Unfortunately, its uniqueness also means obscurity, making it extremely difficult to locate and view. Short of setting up a screening at a museum or the Paley Center, I was at the mercy of whatever was uploaded to YouTube, and that was very little. I was able to view two full episodes, "The Man in the Dog Suit" and "Full Moon Over Brooklyn". Both had comedic elements and would be classified as humor in the academic sense, but were rather removed from typical television comedy I'd seen to that point. It's curious watching characters give jokey banter that in normal series would get laughs but with no laugh track. "The Man in the Dog Suit" has some typical repartee moments but they feel strange on television just lying there without laughs. This does not mean they aren't funny, but that the tone is different. And for the most part the story is of a different tone altogether from that sort of typical television banter.

"The Man in the Dog Suit" is a story about the struggles of conformity and becoming a cog in a machine that you don't respect. Carney plays a banker up for a promotion he's not sure he wants, trapped in a life he never asked for. One night he attends a costume party and is stuck wearing a dog suit, but finds as the dog he can loosen up and be someone else. But after the party, he keeps wanting to return to the dog suit, with destructive results. It's a fascinating little play, with a great cast including Celeste Holm and Orson Bean. But the humor is more of a deep satire on social conventions, and the second half becomes more dramatic than its set-up. We are in an entirely different sophisticated brand of humor.

"Full Moon Over Brooklyn" is a bit more whimsical, though with no less of a satiric edge. It's a sort of fable about a man who works for a railroad company running cargo on barges. A shipment from a traveling circus comes in, including a woman with her live bear. But when the bear appears to be dead, the man is trapped ferrying between ports because neither side will accept the shipment lest they be charged for damaging the cargo. The bear is of course played by a man in a bear suit, and this becomes rather ridiculous late in the show when the bear turns out to have just been hibernating and wakes up.

Both are much more like little plays and while there's certainly a degree of humor present, neither would easily be thought of as comedy. How then did this strange little infrequently broadcast series win the Emmy award? Because in addition to these stories, there were some early episodes which were apparently much more in a more traditional sketch comedy box. Often for Emmy voting, and I assume it was true back then too, series are being based on only a few submitted episodes. It is therefore very likely that the Emmy voters based the award on some of these earlier shows, such as "Very Important People". I was again unfortunately unable to find a full broadcast of this program, but what has survived to the internet is a clip of a parody sketch of the popular game show What's My Line? Here, Dick Van Dyke guests stars, and it's a fun little parody; a spot-on take on the typical tropes of the series. If earlier broadcasts were more of this type, it's Emmy award is less of a mystery. You can watch the clip below.

One innovation I did want to mention about the series is the advent of color. Not all of the available footage from the series is in color, but at least some of the later shows were originally broacast by NBC in color. This is the first appearance of color television broadcasting in this little walk through TV history. And you can see that NBC really went out of their way to make it worthwhile in the early days. "Full Moon Over Brooklyn" with its circus elements and slightly whimsical story has a lot of color throughout. Purples, blues, and greens pop off the screen in an effort to show the contrast you get with color. This approach to color would really continue throughout the 1960s, and it's part of why series like Star Trek look the way that they do.

The Art Carney Show was a weird little showcase for Art Carney and on one hand it's a strange footnote in this parade of monumental television comedy. We've had big entertainers like Red Skelton, Jack Benny, and Danny Thomas, and landmark sitcoms like I Love Lucy. Where did this weird little anthology series come from? People often think about the 1960s really beginning with the assassination of President Kennedy. But as I watched these shows today, I could feel in microcosm the kind of attitude shift from the 1950s to the 1960s. Here's Art Carney, lovable goof of the 1950s now selling himself as a different actor. Here's a sharper, more sardonic comedy beyond just having a few laughs. Here are stories about societal ennui, and dissatisfaction with authorities who want to control your life. Things feel a little more adult. Celeste Holm even says "damn" at one point. In "Full Moon Over Brooklyn," the bear is named Igor the Inevitable. When asked why he's named that, we are told it was because "nothing is as frightening as the inevitable." That sentiment seems a great summation of what was to come in the new decade.

FAVORITE EPISODE: The Man in the Dog Suit (though admittedly this was from a very small sample size)
UP NEXT: The Jack Benny Program (again!)

EMMYS 1959: The Jack Benny Program (season 9)

NETWORK: CBS
SPONSOR: Lucky Strike

The popular American comic entertainer Jack Benny was a staple of radio for decades before supplementing his radio program with a television version in the 1950s, bringing along his regular recurring cast and announcer Don Wilson. A sort of comedy/variety series, it was finally awarded Best Comedy Series for its ninth season, as well as a win for writing for the episode with Ernie Kovacs.

The Jack Benny Program on television is a strange entity in that for years it was not a regular series. Jack had an infrequent schedule due to his many other commitments, and in the early days there were only a few shows produced. By the late 1950s, the series was aired every other week, alternating time slots with *Bachelor Father* or some other series. Thus, there were only 15 episodes this season in an era where most half-hour series regularly ran twice that. It must have been strange to only get to see the show every other week. But I suppose for regular radio listeners, the change wouldn't be so bad, and there were only three television networks anyway.

Also like most television programs of the day, the show was sponsored by big tobacco, this time Lucky Strike. So there were of course commercials and jingles for the sponsor. Jack often refers to it as "The Lucky Strike Program" on air. There was an episode where Jack was trying to shmooze his sponsors because it was time to renew the contract and he feared they would drop him. The episode ends with Benny signed for another year, though in reality sponsorship would change the following year to Lux soap.

Unfortunately, as with some previous series in this project, it was very difficult to easily procure episodes and I could not obtain a full season to watch. This is one of those series where select episodes circulate or segments or sketches are excerpted, but finding full episodes is difficult, and from a specific year even trickier. Ultimately, I was only able to view 6 of the 15 episodes to review here.

Due to the minimal sampling, it was difficult to get a handle on what exactly the format of the show was. It follows some of the variety show template, but sometimes has sitcom elements thrown in. Of the episodes I saw, it wasn't always clear that there was a consistent format at all. To sum it up, I'd say the show was Jack Benny, and sought to entertain you however he wanted that week. There was often (but not always) the general set-up of a monologue in front of a curtain, a celebrity guest star, some comedy sketches and possibly a musical performance. Sometimes the whole show was live, but sometimes sketches were filmed segments. For one show, Benny and his cast put on a parody of the movie Gaslight (called "Autolight"). But then at other times episodes would play out as kind of meta-narratives taking a sitcom-style approach to the backstage world of Jack Benny before or after the show. One such episode is all framed as the rehearsal day before broadcast. Jack is worked up over interactions he's had with a strange person, and Oscar Levant advises he sees someone about it. The person in question is played by character actor Frank Nelson, who you might immediately recognize if you heard him say, "Yeeees?" This is one of those voices and personas that if you've seen enough comedy from this era, or comedy that references it, is immediately recognizable. And it's still funny.

I was bummed that I was unable to find the episode where Phil Harris guested. Harris was Benny's former band leader in the early radio days, but to many modern audiences he is more familiar is a voice in many Disney films of the 1960s and '70s, notably Baloo in The Jungle Book.

It's a shame I was unable to see more of this season and really get more of a feel for Benny's comedy, but I liked the smattering that I saw, and it was interesting to see the award get back to a more variety show styled comedy series after being dominated by the sitcom. CBS has been sweeping the category year after year! Will it continue? The Jack Benny Program would win a second Emmy in its 11th season, but before that we come to the 1960 Emmys when things were weird.

FAVORITE EPISODE: Jack Goes to the Doctor
UP NEXT: The Art Carney Special (that is, if I can find it)

EMMYS 1958: The Phil Silvers Show (season 3)

NETWORK: CBS

The Emmys were strange in the mid-1950s. I neglected to get into this in the last post, but for the 1957 awards, series were not split into category by comedy or drama, but by running time. There were nominees for half-hour programs, which were mainly comedies, and The Phil Silvers Show won that category. There was a separate category for hour-long programs, which also went to a comedy series, Caesar's Hour, and a category for best single program, which was mostly episodes of anthology drama shows. For this reason, it's weird from a historical perspective knowing how to categorize these wins. Perhaps I should go back and review Caesar's Hour as well.

For the 10th annual awards the following year, there was again a designated Comedy Series category, and The Phil Silvers Show won for the third year in a row. And despite it being long into the series run, the third year is an extremely important moment in television history, though one that doesn't often get discussed. The third episode of the season was called "Hillbilly Whiz" and it was the story of a new recruit from somewhere down south who had a great pitching arm. Bilko conspires to get him scouted by the pros, and there are cameo appearances by Yogi Berra and other players of the 1957 New York Yankees. And this would be neat in itself, but from a historical perspective, the other guest star is more important. You see, that hillbilly pitcher role was the television debut of Dick Van Dyke.




Dick Van Dyke apparently made such an impression that he returned later in the season playing Bilko's cousin, also a similarly folksy drawling amiable guy. It's clear from his two appearances that he has a kind of comedic personality that lights up the screen, and he plays well off of Phil Silvers. In just a few years, CBS would give Van Dyke his own series and he would become a star.

While Van Dyke's appearances are the main highlights of season 3, they are not the only bright spots. The series has settled into a groove and it knows what stories it tells. There are continued appearances from celebrities of the day. It's funny how some celebrities remain household names and others don't. Last season was the appearance of Ed Sullivan and Bing Crosby, and that still holds today, but it's quaint watching everyone flip out over the appearance of Kay Kendall, when most modern viewers would scratch their heads and say, "Who?"

Some of the stories also start to get a little sillier.  Paparelli spends an episode in drag in order to use a vacation that he won in a contestant, not realizing it was for married couples. Doberman continues to be a source of humor, particularly in "Doberman the Crooner", where it turns out he has a gorgeous Irish tenor voice, but only when he's sick.

One issue I do have is that by season 3 Bilko is made out to be sort of a gambling genius, and this doesn't really hold with earlier depictions of the character. Yes, he consistently gets the better of guys like Ritzik or some of his men, but in the very first episode he had a gambling debt. This heightened confidence in his abilities does lead to a wonderful episode where Colonel Hall finally gets the better of Bilko by scamming him with a professional card manipulator, shattering Bilko's confidence. And that's one of the nicest things about this season, is the effort in a few episodes for Colonel Hall to no longer be just a bumbler but learn from his mistakes and he actually gets the better of Bilko several times. This is a nice reversal, and it pays off for long-time viewers. In another episode, Ritzik learns the secrets of Bilko's scams when he talks in his sleep. It's fun to see the master manipulator get one-upped every now and then.

FAVORITE EPISODES: Hillbilly Whiz, The Big Man Hunt, Bilko Talks in His Sleep, Bilko at Bay, Doberman the Crooner, The Colonel's Reunion, Bilko's Cousin

UP NEXT: The Jack Benny Program