(CBS, ABC, 1957–1962)
Cast: John Forsythe (Bentley Gregg), Noreen Corcoran (Kelly Gregg), Sammee Tong (Peter Tong).
Basis: Bachelor attorney Bentley Gregg struggles to rearrange his swinging lifestyle when he becomes the guardian of his 13-year-old niece Kelly after her parents are killed in an automobile accident. The Greggs are cared for by Bentley’s houseboy, Peter.
Address: 20006 Tower Road; later 1163 Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.
Phone Number: Crestview 6-4599.
Family Dog: Jasper.
Bentley Gregg
Occupation: Private-practice corporate attorney.
Business Address: Canyon Road (later given as Office 106 in the Crescent Building on Crescent Drive in downtown Los Angeles).
Education: California State University, Harvard Law School.
Quirk: Likes to wear brown suits, especially in the courtroom (although he says he is also partial to the color blue).
Character: Suave and sophisticated ladies’ man with a compulsion to date only the most beautiful girls in town. Golf and tennis are his favorite sports, and he is known for his smooth, romantic conversations with women (Kelly calls him “the greatest general in the romancing department”). Bentley claims that it was in grammar school when he realized “that girls weren’t soft boys” and became “the Romeo of grade school” (he became a teenage ladies’ man in high school, and by the time he reached college, he had become an expert on women). While he likes to have a beautiful woman by his side, he fears marriage (“The toughest thing about being a bachelor is remaining one”).
Bentley’s Secretaries: J. D. Thompson played his first secretary, Vickie, in the pilot. She was replaced first by Alice Backus (as Vickie), Shirley Mitchell and then Jane Nigh (as Kitty Devereaux), Sue Anne Langdon (as Kitty Marsh), and finally Sally Mansfield as Connie.
Kelly Gregg
Age: 13 when the series begins.
Background: The daughter of Bentley’s brother and wife (names not given). This is contradicted in a later episode when Bentley states that he never had a brother (thus making Kelly his sister’s child). It also contradicts the original pilot film (New Girl in His Life), wherein Kelly has the last name of Green (being the daughter of Bentley’s sister and brother-in-law).
Education: Beverly Hills High School (cheerleader; writer of the advice column “Dear Kelly” for the school newspaper; math is her favorite subject), California State College.
After-School Hangout: Bill’s Malt Shop (later the Campus Snack Bar).
Dress Size: 8.
Character: Charming and always smartly dressed (never experienced the tomboy phase). Pink is her favorite color. For one so young, she is well versed on the opposite sex (watching her Uncle Bentley “operate” has made her choosy about boys, and she is looking to date ones who have been cast in the shadow of her uncle).
Jobs: At 15, Kelly worked as a door-to-door salesgirl selling Disolv-O (a spot remover that damaged clothing) to supplement her weekly allowance of $8. She was the manager of a high school band called the Rockets and a member of the Lucky 13 Club and the Pathfinders Troop. She also worked briefly for her uncle as his secretary. In an attempt to make money, Kelly, Peter, and her friend Howard Meechim formed “Meechim, Gregg and Tong,” a catering business they ran from her home (dinners were $3 a plate). With Jack Benny being her favorite comedian (she has a picture of him on her bedroom wall next to Tab Hunter), she became president of the Beverly Hills chapter of the Jack Benny Fan Club.
Hopes: Kelly had aspirations first to be a journalist and then a lawyer. She also modeled briefly for Brodney Bieber Originals when she envisioned herself becoming a model.
Love Interest: ABC episodes find Kelly falling in love with Warren Dawson (Aaron Kincaid), the young lawyer who joins Bentley’s practice.
Friends: Ginger (Bernadette Withers) and Howard Meechim (Jimmy Boyd). Ginger is first introduced as Ginger Farrell (1957–1958) with Catherine McLeod playing her widowed mother, Louise. Whit Bissell and Florence MacMichael next played her parents, Bert and Amy Loomis (1958–1961), with Del Moore and Evelyn Scott as her parents, Cal and Adelaide Mitchell, in the final season. As for Howard, only his older sister, Elaine, was introduced (Joan Vohs). Both Howard and Ginger attend the same schools as Kelly, with Howard as Kelly’s on-and-off-again boyfriend. Howard mentions that he grew up “with a lot of sisters” and that his father didn’t pay much attention to him. He looks upon Bentley as his father—no matter how much trouble he causes him.
Peter Tong
Occupation: Houseboy. He calls Bentley “Mr. Gregg” and Kelly “Niece Kelly.”
Expertise: Gourmet cook (has dinner ready each evening at 7:00).
Education: Attends night school to improve his knowledge of America. It is not clearly stated, but it appears that Peter was born in China but grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Catchphrase: “Walla Ballou.”
Character: Feels like part of the family and helps Bentley raise Kelly. He mutters in Chinese when he gets upset, is a member of the Purple Dragons Lodge, and is very fond of a woman named Suzie—who works at the local supermarket (which Peter frequents often to see her). Peter has a knack for falling for (and losing money in) get-rich-quick schemes. His favorite TV series is Bart Bellamy, M.D., and his most treasured possessions are his recipes.
Peter’s Relatives: Victor Sen Yung as Cousin Charlie, “The Beatnik of the family” (as Peter calls him). He is a schemer and supposedly owns a laundry (although he is always in need of money and finds Peter an easy mark to scam for it). Cherylene Lee as Blossom Lee, Peter’s niece; Beulah Quo as Peter’s Aunt Rose; Beal Wong as Peter’s Grandpa Ling, a 70-year-old who knows only two words of English—“Hello, Joe” and “Nice”; and Alan Jung as Peter’s Cousin Lee.
Note: The pilot film, New Girl in His Life, aired on G.E. Theater, and the series’ original title was proposed as Uncle Bentley.
(CBS, 1950–1953)
Cast: Ethel Waters, Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers (Beulah), William Post Jr., David Bruce (Harry Henderson), Ginger Jones, Jane Frazee (Alice Henderson), Clifford Sales, Stuffy Singer (Donny Henderson), Percy “Bud” Harris, Dooley Wilson, Ernest Whitman (Bill Jackson), Butterfly McQueen, Ruby Dandridge (Oriole).
Basis: The house at 213 Lake Street is home to Harry Henderson; his wife, Alice; their son, Donnie; and Beulah, an African American maid who, despite the problems she has, solves those of the family she considers her own.
Beulah is a member of the Ladies Auxiliary Sewing Circle and is looking for a husband (“I’m in the market for a husband,” she says, “but they don’t sell husbands in markets”). She is a cook, maid, laundress, and housekeeper (as she considers herself). And can she dance? “When I hear the beat right, I just take off.” She calls Harry “Mr. Harry” and Alice “Miss Alice.”
Harry, a lawyer with the firm of Henderson and Associates, collects stamps, enjoys playing golf on Saturday, and has a prize rosebush in the front garden. In college, Harry claims he was quite the ladies’ man and was called “Hot Lips Harry.” He also attempted to make extra money by raising chinchillas. Alice, who has aspirations of becoming an actress, is a member of the local bridge club and head of the local recycling program. She was popular in college and mentions that the boys referred to her as “a trim little craft” (while the term is not explained, it most likely refers to the sexy lines of a ship or car, as they are referred to as “she”).
Harry and Alice met in high school, dated, and bonded at their first prom together (a reference is not made that they attended the same college). Ever since their marriage, George has longed for a portable barbecue, and Alice shops at Potter’s Department Store. Alice is very proud of how she and Beulah care for the house—so much so that Flash magazine chose the Henderson’s as “The Typical American Family.”
Donnie, who enjoys hiking and catching frogs, races his soapbox racer, the “Fire Streak,” down the 36th Street hill. He was born in 1942, is captain of his football team, and is a Junior Fire Fighter, and a sandwich is the only thing Beulah knows that will cure Donnie when he is sad.
Beulah’s boyfriend, Bill Jackson, owns Jackson’s Fix-It-Shop and eats at Slippery Joe’s Diner (when he isn’t mooching a meal in Beulah’s kitchen). He and Beulah appear to be close, but Bill is the not marrying kind, and Beulah’s endless efforts to make him see that she would make the perfect wife are also a part of the series. Seeing that Beulah is a great cook, Bill suggests that they go in business together, and they attempt to run a diner (by converting a former streetcar) and calling it “The Ding Dong Diner.”
Oriole, Beulah’s scatterbrained girlfriend, “knows everything about nothing,” and, as Beulah says, “She is as simple as she looks” (as Oriole speaks without thinking first and when she has something to say, she is usually the only one who knows what she said). The series is also known as The Beulah Show.
Madge Blake appeared as Alice’s mother, and Ruth Robinson played Harry’s mother.
Note: Based on the 1945–1946 CBS radio series The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, wherein a white man (Marlin Hurt) played Beulah, the black maid to white businessman Marlin Hurt (Himself). The series was revised by ABC in 1947 as Beulah with a white man (Bob Corley) playing Beulah. When CBS picked up the series (1947–1952) as The New Beulah Show, Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, and Amanda Randolph played the title role.
(Syndicated, 1951)
Cast: Virginia Grey (Blanche Bickerson), Lew Parker (John Bickerson), Lois Austin (Clara Gollup), Sam Lee (Barney Gollup), William Pullem (Dr. Hersey).
Basis: A peek into the lives of a seemingly happily married couple (Blanche and John) who thrive on arguing.
Blanche and John Bickerson live at Apartment 22 at 123 Englewood Drive, and John says, “We should have been married by the Secretary of War, not a justice of the peace,” after celebrating his eight-year wedding anniversary. Blanche is the typical housewife struggling to make ends meet on what little money John earns as a vacuum cleaner salesman for Household Appliances. John and Blanche share their humble little home with a cat (Nature Boy) and an unnamed gold fish and canary and also have one thing in common: they love to bicker about everything and anything.
John always appears to be in need of money (as he says, “I’m so broke that I pick fights with Indians [referring to a scalping] because I can’t afford a haircut,” “I sew sleeves on Blanche’s old drawers and wear them for sweaters,” and “I cut down Blanche’s old girdles to make suspenders”). Blanche claims that “John doesn’t act human until he has his morning coffee and is the only man in town who eats duck eggs and reindeer milk” (where Blanche acquires such “delicacies” is not revealed).
If something around the apartment breaks down and needs fixing, John refuses to replace it or send it to a repair shop—“I’d rather fix it myself than give some crook two bucks to do what I can do.” To be honest, John tries, but, as Blanche says, “We have an electric orange juice squeezer that John hooked up to the vacuum cleaner to replace the burned-out motor. It now sucks up the orange juice and spits the pits in your face.”
Sleeping with John is also a challenge for Blanche. John is a chronic snorer and is so loud that the neighbors often call to complain. “It’s like sleeping with a one man band. . . . Now I know what it is like to sleep at Cape Canaveral,” Blanche says.
John’s only pride and joy appears to be the one bedroom slipper he has. Blanche and her sister, Clara, bought a raffle ticket and won a pair of slippers. They split the prize, and John wound up with the right slipper. John keeps the slipper under his pillow—“It’s the only slipper I have and I have to protect it with my life.”
When it comes to Blanche’s cooking, John doesn’t hate it, he just doesn’t understand it (for example, deviled pancakes, two-foot-long rhubarb pies, powdered frog legs, and possum broth). While Blanche has an explanation for the rhubarb pies (“I couldn’t find a shorter rhubarb), John can’t also explain why Blanche gets “dizzy spells every five minutes that last a half hour.” Since Blanche often has little spare money to spend, she borrows it from the money John saves for his life insurance policy (she tells the company to pay the premium “by deducting what they will pay her when John drops dead”).
Clara, Blanche’s older sister, is married to Barney and lives next door at 121 Englewood Drive. Clara, like Blanche, is struggling to make ends meet on what little money Barney wins at gambling. He hangs out at the United Nations Pool Hall and has installed a doorbell that plays the opening trumpet song that signals the start of a horse race.
Dr. Hersey is “the quack,” as John calls him, who treats the various illnesses the Bickersons encounter. His greatest challenge is to solve John’s chronic snoring. He has thus far prescribed two aspirins and a jigger of bourbon every night. John is six months behind on the aspirin and two years ahead on the bourbon.
Blanche and John keep what little money they have in the sugar bowl in the kitchen (which also contains what could be the very first conceived notion of a refrigerator, what was then called an icebox—a monstrosity with six doors). Murphy’s Bar and Grill is John’s favorite hangout. Prior to their cat Nature Boy, John and Blanche had a pet feline called Joy Boy (according to John, the cat committed suicide after he caught him in the liquor cabinet—“The cat got caught in a ball of string and hung himself”).
Mentioned but not seen were Blanche’s mother and Blanche’s sister Hottie (who has 12 children and lives in Idaho). Lew Parker later teamed with Betty Kean and reprised The Bickersons via guest shots on various variety shows.
(Syndicated, 1957)
Cast: Pamela Britton (Blondie Bumstead), Arthur Lake (Dagwood Bumstead), Stuffy Singer (Alexander Bumstead), Ann Barnes (Cookie Bumstead), Florenz Ames (J. C. Dithers), Lela Bliss, Elvia Allman (Cora Dithers), Hal Peary (Herb Woodley), Lois Collier, Hollis Irving (Harriet Woodley).
Basis: A pretty, levelheaded housewife (Blondie) struggles to contend with the problems that arise from her mishap-prone husband (Dagwood).
Blondie Davenport is a young woman (depicted in the comic strip on which the series is based, as a gold digger seeking a rich husband). Dagwood Bumstead is an apprentice architect with the J. C. Dithers Construction Company. Blondie and Dagwood are strangers who meet, coincidentally, on different blind dates set up by friends of theirs. While Dagwood was not too happy with the straight-laced girl he was set up with, he could see that Blondie did not care for the man she was with. While Dagwood is considered a bumbling fool and has difficulty making decisions, his attraction to Blondie changed him (for the instant), and he pursued the girl he fell in love with at first sight. Blondie, however, did not feel the same way, as he was not the rich man she was seeking. But Dagwood’s persistence changed Blondie’s way of thinking, and the two fell in love and decided to marry. They eloped to a town called Sherman Grove and were married by a justice of the peace. (Dagwood has since lost their marriage license. He accidentally grabbed the license when he went on a hunting trip and lost it—but he bagged three ducks.)
It is years later when the series begins, and Blondie and Dagwood live in a house with the street number 4224 and are the parents of Alexander, called “Baby Dumpling,” and Cookie, and six dogs (Daisy, “a purebred mongrel” and her “five children”). Dagwood apparently can’t help being mishap prone, and Blondie and the kids accept that—“We all adore you Dagwood, even if you are dumb at times,” says Blondie. Dagwood becomes nervous over virtually everything but especially when it comes to his boss, Julius Caesar (J. C.) Dithers. When J. C. says “Emergency,” Dagwood answers like a faithful Saint Bernard and drops whatever he is doing to rush to the office. While Dagwood has risen from his apprentice standing, he is now “sort of a vice president—it comes and goes.” When he blunders, it goes, and he is fired, but when his blundering turns out for the best, he is back in J. C.’s good graces and has his job back. Birthday celebrations are something special in the Bumstead home. On Dagwood’s special day, Blondie gets him something she needs for the house or something the kids want (over the years, Dagwood has gotten a washing machine, a dollhouse, a baseball bat and glove, and a sewing machine).
Blondie, so called because of her blonde hair (her actual first name is not mentioned), is very pretty and sensible. While background information is not mentioned for other family members in available episodes, Blondie does have a bit of history. She was born in New York City during the Great Depression. She grew up in a poor family who struggled to provide the best life they could for her under the extreme circumstances. It was most likely Blondie’s hard upbringing that set her on a path to becoming a gold digger in later life. She attended Howard High School and was a good student but never pursued a better education as times improved. She was set on marrying money and pursued that goal, only to be sidetracked by meeting and falling in love with Dagwood. She is a good mother and wife to Dagwood and never shows signs of regret for marrying him.
Dagwood and J. C. are members of the Loyal Order of the Caribou Lodge; J. C. has an antique gun collection that his wife (Cora) feels is a waste of money (he buys his guns at Miller’s Sports Shop). Dagwood is famous for his yell—“Blooooondieeee”—when something goes wrong and he needs her help (as it is most often she who solves his mishap dilemmas).
The series is based on the comic strip by Chic Young, and most people readily associate Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake as the stars of the 1930s and 1940s series of motion pictures as Blondie and Dagwood. In 1952, the first attempt was made to bring the comic strip to television (although it was based more on the radio series of the same title) in an unaired pilot called Blondie that starred Jeff Donnell (Blondie) and Jason Harvey (Dagwood). Two years later, another pilot called Blondie was produced that starred Pamela Britton (Blondie), Hal LeRoy (Dagwood), Stuffy Singer (Alexander), Mimi Gibson (Cookie), Robert Burton (J. C. Dithers), Isabel Withers (Cora Dithers), Robin Raymond (Tootsie Woodley, Blondie’s neighbor), and Lucien Littlefield (Mr. Beasley, the mailman). Herb Woodley, Tootsie’s husband, was mentioned but not seen.
The second and last series appeared in color on CBS in 1968 with Patricia Harty (Blondie), Will Hutchins (Dagwood), Pamelyn Ferdin (Cookie), Peter Robbins (Alexander), Jim Backus (J. C. Dithers), Henny Backus (Cora Dithers), Bobbi Jordan (Tootsie Woodley), and Bryan O’Byrne (Mr. Beasley).
THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW. SEE Love That Bob
(NBC, 1959–1973)
Cast: Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright), Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright), Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), Michael Landon (Little Joe Cartwright).
Basis: A father (Ben Cartwright) and his three sons (Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe) battle to operate and protect their ranch, the Ponderosa, during the 1880s.
Benjamin “Ben” Cartwright
Date of Birth: 1825.
Place of Birth: Jonns Common, Massachusetts.
Typical Dress: A taupe shirt with a brown leather vest and gray pants. He also wore a cream-colored hat and an occasional green scarf.
Original Career: Sailor (third officer on the Wanderer, a ship captained by Morgan Stoddard, the father of the woman he loved, Elizabeth Eloise Stoddard). After several years at sea (beginning when he was age 20), Ben quit to open a chandler’s shop in Boston. At one point, Ben was a major with the 116th Militia, but it is difficult to place because there are no flashback sequences regarding it.
Later Career: Owner of the Ponderosa, a 1,000-square-mile timberland ranch in the Comstock Lode Country in the Nevada Territory near Virginia City. The ranch is named after the large Ponderosa pine trees native to the land. Ben is also the owner of a riverboat (the Dixie, which operates on nearby Lake Tahoe) and has invested in a railroad (the High Sierra Shortline). He was also on the Board of Directors of the Golden State Marine Bank and Trust Company and was head of the Virginia City School Board. The Sierra Freight and Stage Lines deliver mail and freight to Virginia City. The Overland Stage provides passenger service from town to town; the Enterprise is the town newspaper. The Cartwright’s frequent the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City.
First Wife: Elizabeth Stoddard (Geraldine Brooks), the daughter of sea captain Morgan Stoddard. Ben married Elizabeth in 1841, but a year later, after giving birth to Adam, Elizabeth died due to complications from the birth.
Clockwise from upper left: Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, Lorne Greene, and Dan Blocker. NBC/Photofest © NBC
Second Wife: Inger Borgstrom (Inga Swenson). It is 1847, and Ben had given up his chandler business to journey west to begin a new life in California. In St. Joseph, Missouri, Ben befriends Inger, the owner of the general store. They become close when Inger saves the life of five-year-old Adam, who had developed a high fever. Ben and Inger marry a year later, and Inger, believing in Ben’s dream that a better life lies ahead in California, encourages him to continue to follow it. With other pioneers believing as Ben does, Ben becomes the wagon master and takes on the responsibility of bringing settlers to a new land. During the hazardous trek through Nevada, Inger gives birth to a son they name Eric Hoss. Shortly after, during an Indian attack, Inger is killed. Ben abandons his dream forever and settles in Virginia City, Nevada.
Third Wife: Marie DeMarne (Felicia Farr). After having established the Ponderosa, a ranch hand is killed while attempting to save Ben’s life. Ben, feeling obligated to tell his widow, Marie, what has happened, journeys to New Orleans. Ben’s stay is longer than expected, and a love soon develops between him and Marie. They marry in 1856 and return to the Ponderosa ranch. Marie becomes a vital part of Ben’s life, helping design the house in which they live but also presenting him with his third son, Little Joe (in 1857). But, like his prior wives, tragedy strikes when Marie is thrown from her horse and killed. A story-line contradiction arises in a later episode when Joe claims that his mother was named Felicia and that she and Ben met on a business trip.
Hobby: Collecting firearms.
Horse: Buck.
Character: Ben has a strong sense of justice and is well respected throughout the territory. He believes everyone should be paid a fair wage and treats his ranch hands well, offering them $30 a month plus a bunk and meals. He passed away in 1903.
Relatives: Guy Madison as Ben’s nephew, Will Cartwright; Bruce Yarnell as Ben’s Cousin, Muley Jones; and Mitch Vogel as Ben’s adopted son, Jamie.
Adam Cartwright
Mother: Elizabeth Stoddard (Ben’s first wife).
Date of Birth: 1842.
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts.
Middle Name: Milton (reflects Ben’s favorite writer, John Milton).
Typical Dress: A black shirt, pants, and hat and occasionally a yellow trail coat.
Abilities: Fast on the draw; good business sense; considered by Ben as having good “horse sense, (ability to select the right horses), better than anyone else in the territory.”
Horse: Sport.
Relaxation: Enjoys reading, singing, dancing, and playing the guitar.
Romantic Interests: Ruth and Laura. Ruth left Adam to help an Indian tribe save their people. Laura Dayton was a widow with a young girl who, although in love with Adam, became attracted to Adam’s cousin Will and ran off with him.
Character: Adam is well educated and the most sensitive of the three Cartwright brothers. He had architectural knowledge and was said to have built the house in which he and his family lived (contradicting what was said about Ben’s third wife, Marie, who was said to have designed the house). In 1965, Pernell Roberts chose to leave the series to better establish himself as an actor onstage and in films. As Adam grew older, he became disillusioned with the West and left the Ponderosa to further his education (in New York and then abroad). It was in England while studying architecture that he married and had a son (Adam Cartwright Jr.). It was also said that Adam left to go to sea (somewhat following in his father’s footsteps).
Hoss Cartwright
Real Name: Eric Cartwright (nicknamed Hoss by his Swedish mother, Inger. Although Inger lived only long enough to see Hoss as in infant, she knew he would become a big, friendly man, and Hoss reflects that image).
Date of Birth: 1848.
Place of Birth: Nevada.
Mother: Inger Borgstrom.
Height: 6 feet, 4 inches tall.
Weight: 270 pounds.
Catchphrase: “Dabdunit” (which he says when he gets upset or angry).
Typical Dress: A white shirt, brown pants, and brown suede vest with his trademark white 10-gallon hat.
Temporary Jobs: Sheriff of Virginia City, Nevada, and Trouble, California.
Favorite Activity: Eating (he felt he would perish without meals prepared by the ranch cook, Hop Sing [Victor Sen Yung]). He did, however, dislike cheese.
Horse: Chub.
Character: Hoss was a big man with a powerful punch and a big, friendly smile. He was feared for his strength but had a heart of gold and often gave of himself to help others. He had a habit of bringing home hopeless cases and trying to reform them. Spring was a bad time for Hoss, as he would come down with severe case of what Ben called “Spring Fever Clumsiness” (which Ben “cured” with a mixture of molasses and sulfur). Because of his size, Hoss handled all the heavy chores around the ranch. Hoss was also sensitive and shy around women. He lost his life in 1881 while attempting to save a woman from drowning.
Little Joe Cartwright
Full Name: Joseph “Joe” Francis Cartwright, and the youngest of Ben’s sons.
Date of Birth: 1857.
Place of Birth: Nevada.
Nickname: Little Joe. Early in the series, Joe claims he was called “Little Joe because Hoss is so big.” Later, he says, “that’s what I get for being the youngest member of the family.”
Mother: Marie DeMarne.
Height: 5 feet, 4¾ inches.
Typical Dress: A gray shirt with tan pants and hat and a green corduroy jacket.
Horse: Cochise.
Romantic Interest: Alice (played by Bonnie Bedelia). Little Joe and Alice married, but Alice later died in a fire.
Character: Little Joe has jet-black hair and was as handsome as his older brother Adam. He was the only left-handed Cartwright and also had an eye for the ladies but was short-tempered and too fast to use his fists (which often got him into trouble). He was fond of horses, enjoyed playing practical jokes, and often attempted to make money through harebrained schemes. He had a half brother on his mother’s side named Clay Stoddard. In the 1988 TV movie Bonanza: The Next Generation, it is learned that Little Joe married a woman named Annabelle and that they had a son named Benjamin “Benji” Cartwright. During the Spanish-American War, Little Joe became a member of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. He was listed as missing in action in 1899 and was presumed killed.
Note: The four regulars were each considered a star, and to reflect this, their credits were rotated each week in the opening theme to allow for equal billing. Although Bonanza is thought to be the first western series to be broadcast in color, the assumption is wrong, as The Cisco Kid (1951) and Judge Roy Bean (1955) preceded it. An attempt was made to revive the series in a syndicated television movie pilot, Bonanza: The Next Generation (March 16, 1988). John Ireland is Aaron Cartwright, the late Ben’s brother and the new head of the Ponderosa ranch; Barbara Anderson is Annabelle Cartwright, the wife of the late Little Joe; Michael Landon Jr. is Benji Cartwright, Little Joe’s son; and Brian A. Smith is Josh Cartwright, the late Hoss’s illegitimate son.
(Syndicated, 1951–1953)
Cast: Kent Taylor (Boston Blackie), Lois Collier (Mary Wesley), Frank Orth (Inspector Faraday).
Basis: A former safecracker (Boston Blackie) turned private detective uses his knowledge of the underworld to apprehend criminals.
Boston Blackie
Expertise: Opening safes, picking locks, picking pockets, relieving people of money or jewelry.
Address: The Brownstone Apartments at 1103 Hampton Drive in Los Angeles.
Favorite Eatery: Andy’s Luncheonette (also called Andy’s Lunch Room).
Pet Dog: Whitey (has the ability to sense danger and come to Blackie’s aid; he also barks when he hears the word “bone” mentioned).
Character: Described as “friend to those who need a friend, enemy to those who make him an enemy.” Although he claims to be reformed, Blackie follows no set of rules and often resorts to his old ways to accomplish a goal. His attire makes him appear like a hood of the era, he has little respect for anyone (except his girlfriend), and he is quick to use his fists or gun if the situation warrants. He is also a ladies’ man, although he has curtailed this aspect of his life since meeting Mary (after a beating that sent him to the hospital).
Mary Wesley
Occupation: Nurse at Wilshire Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.
Address: 712 Walden Avenue.
Character: A gorgeous young woman who truly loves Blackie but constantly worries about him “because he won’t.” Mary is very independent and rather gutsy for a woman at this time on TV. While she appears very feminine, she can handle herself in a rough situation (mostly when assisting Blackie), and it is not unusual to see her getting punched, bruised, or knocked out. Blackie is very protective of Mary and becomes very jealous if anyone “makes goo goo eyes” at her. “Before you get any ideas,” he would tell an admirer, “Miss Wesley is my girl. Got it!” At times, Mary is not too sure, as she worries about his roving eye for beautiful women (he tells her, “If I didn’t have a roving eye for beauty, I couldn’t appreciate you”).
Inspector Faraday
Position: Homicide Inspector with the Los Angeles Police Department
Character: Not the brightest of inspectors but one who is dedicated to his job. Blackie and police officers are not exactly on the best of terms, but somehow Blackie trusts him, as he can always manipulate him into thinking just the opposite when he resorts to his former trade. While Blackie could be arrested for what he does (never follows the book), he leads Faraday to believe he is helping him rather than the actual truth—he is helping Faraday.
(ABC, 1959–1960)
Cast: Richard Long (Rex Randolph), Andrew Duggan (Cal Calhoun), Van Williams (Kenny Madison), Arlene Howell (Melody Lee Mercer), Nita Talbot (Lusti Weather).
Basis: Case investigations of Rex Randolph and Cal Calhoun, the owners of the New Orleans–based Randolph and Calhoun—Special Services, a private detective agency.
Agency Address: Next to the old Absinthe House, a nightclub on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Telephone Number: Express 7123.
Rex Randolph
Character: An Ivy League man and native to New Orleans, Rex, the son of wealthy business executive parents, was born in New Orleans in December 1927. He loves to cook, and since Rex’s hobby was a part of the show, a book called Recipes from Bourbon Street Beat was released in 1959. Rex will not give up on a case until he uncovers the who, where, and how of a crime. Rex originally ran a company called Randolph and Jelkins—Special Services. When his original partner, Sam Jelkins, disappears while investigating a case in a town called Pelican Point, Rex begins an inquiry. He befriends Police Lieutenant Calhoun (“people call me Cal”), and together they solve the mystery, and Cal decides to relocate to join Rex. “I kissed Pelican Point good-bye,” and the company sign is changed to Randolph and Calhoun.
Cal Calhoun
Character: Cal (no other first name given) was born in 1923 and raised in the bayou country where his parents worked as sharecroppers. Cal wanted a life of excitement and joined the police force after graduating from college. He is knowledgeable in many areas but is rather untidy compared to Rex’s neat and orderly ways. Cal believes that clutter is an asset, as it gives him an edge when it comes to investigating a case (as criminals are often untidy and leave clues behind).
Kenneth “Kenny” Madison
Character: The firm’s part-time investigator. He is from an oil-rich Texas family and is attending Tulane University, where he is studying to become a lawyer. While he doesn’t need the money, he works for Rex for the experience he hopes to acquire in apprehending lawbreakers.
Melody Lee Mercer
Character: The firm’s attractive receptionist, secretary, and file clerk. She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and was Miss U.S.A. in the 1958 Miss Universe Pageant. Melody Lee was previously the runner-up as Miss Sazu City in the Miss Mississippi Pageant. She claims she lost “because the judges were northerners.” When Melody Lee took the job, “I knew there would be gunplay and such,” and she “puts up with Rex and Cal and all the violence.” She hopes to one day become a detective and is thrilled when she is asked to do investigative work on a case. She likes to be called Melody Lee and not Melody (“I don’t like it when people leave off part of my name”).
Lusti Weather
Character: A beautiful singer and dancer at the Racquet Club in the French Quarter. She also plays the bongo drums and says, “The bongos keep my torso from becoming more so” (as she likes to wear revealing outfits). She often exposes too much skin and is not only suspended but also “busted by the police,” says Cal. Rex calls her Lusti Love, and she has such colorful, unseen friends as Sunset Strip and Midnight Frenzy. Lusti also has a language all her own (for example, “magnesia” is amnesia, and “hot shot on the rock” is a martini). Lusti also yearns to be a detective and enjoys helping Rex and Cal. It is at this time that Melody Lee becomes extremely jealous—“I’ll show that female Sherlock Holmes who does the detective work around here,” says Melody Lee, who often plunges unthinkingly into a case, only to be rescued by Lusti in the end.
Other Characters
The Baron (Eddie Cole), the leader of the jazz group that plays nightly at the Absinthe House (in the pilot episode, they are seen playing and singing the show’s theme song), and Beauregard O’Hanlon (Kelton Garwood), the painter who runs an art objects business next to the Absinthe House called Beauregard O’Hanlon’s World Renowned Treasure Chest.
(ABC, 1958–1960)
Cast: Ty Hardin (Bronco Layne).
Basis: A spin-off of Cheyenne. Bronco Layne is an ex–Confederate army captain who wanders from town to town fighting injustice in the post–Civil War West.
Bronco was born in Texas (“down around the Old Panhandle,” and “there ain’t a horse that he can’t handle; that’s how he got his name”). His father and grandfather were “rebels,” and Bronco continued in that tradition by serving with the Texas Confederates. His gun, a Colt .45, has an inscription that reads “Courage Is the Freedom of Honor,” and his pocket watch plays the song “Deep in the Heart of Dixie.” Inside the watch, there is a picture of Redemption McNally (played by Kathleen Crowley), the one and only girl Bronco ever loved (they grew up in Texas together). Bronco also has a pet cat, Elmira (who hates chili), that he found abandoned during the Civil War battle of Elmira.
After serving the Confederacy, Bronco returned to his hometown to become business partners with his friend Enrique “Rickie” Cortez (played by Gerald Mohr) in the Layne and Cortez General Store. Since he was a child, Bronco disliked staying in one place for too long and developed a taste for the wanderlust. When the business began to bore him, Bronco left town “to go where the grass may be greener.” He departs without Elmira (whom he gives to Enrique) and without his gold pocket watch (which he gave to the chief of an Indian war party to save his and Enrique’s lives when they crossed Indian territory).
Undercover agent, frontier scout, post office undercover agent, miner, wagon train captain, deputy, and army scout were some of the jobs held by Bronco as he traveled across the West. Although he preferred to avoid trouble, Bronco refused to stand by and see others abused. He was fast with a gun and tough with his fists (as the theme says, “You’ve never seen a twister, mister, till someone gets him riled”).
In the window of the Layne and Cortez Store, there is one very special item: Bronco’s gold watch (which Enrique acquired from a drifter who bought it from that Indian chief). There is also a sign next to the watch: “Will Owner Please Claim.” Bronco never did.