(NBC, 1957–1959)
Cast: Peter Lawford (Nick Charles), Phyllis Kirk (Nora Charles), Nita Talbot (Blondie Collins), Jack Albertson (Lieutenant Harry Evans), Stafford Repp (Lieutenant Ralph Raine).
Basis: A beautiful wife (Nora) who believes she is an amateur sleuth helps her former detective husband (Nick Charles) solve crimes.
Nicholas “Nick” Charles
Address: An apartment on Waverly Place in New York’s Greenwich Village (in second-season episodes, they appear to live in a brownstone).
Telephone Number: Regent 4-4598.
Place of Birth: England.
Former Occupation: Private detective (owner of Nicholas Charles—Private Investigations).
Current Profession: Mystery editor for an unnamed publishing house in Manhattan.
Car License Plate: NICK 1.
Nora’s Pet Names for Nick: Nickie; but when he eyes other girls, it’s Nicholas!
Character: Smartly dressed, suave (has a roving eye for the ladies despite the fact that he is married). Fell in love with Nora at first sight; bought her a dog (Asta) to impress her when she continually ignored his attempts to date her. They married in 1950 and stayed at the Ambassador Hotel (room 3-C) on their honeymoon (locale not stated).
Nick had retired to find a more peaceful life but constantly finds that a dream when Nora constantly stumbles on crimes and involves him in her efforts to solve them. He uses what he calls “The Laundry List” method to solve crimes (Nick relates the facts; Nora writes them down). If someone takes a shot at Nick, he falls down so as not to disappoint the shooter—“it also prevents them from taking another shot.” Nick reads the New York Chronicle and hates to have his sleep disrupted. He works first with Homicide Detective Ralph Raine, then Harry Evans, of the New York Police Department.
Nora Charles
Place of Birth: San Francisco.
Maiden Name: Nora Clairdon (heir to the Clairdon business empire).
Pet Dog: Asta (wirehaired terrier).
Dress Size: 8.
Bra Size: 32-A.
Charity Affiliations: Junior Matron’s Breakfast Club, the Junior Guild.
Nick’s Pet Name for Nora: Tiger.
Character: Always fashionably dressed and the bell of the ball at charity functions, Nora believes her intuition is better than Nick’s experience when it comes to solving crimes (she also never thinks in emergencies—“I only have hunches”). Nora is overly protective of their dog Asta. She babies him and considers him “their child” (she gave the male dog a girl’s name based on her Uncle Harry’s theory that a sissy name will make a man out of a boy). When Asta wants to go for a walk, he most often brings his leash to Nick. While Nick accepts Nora’s affection for Asta, he sometimes regrets her creation of “Asta Day” (on the 28th of each year [month not mentioned], she and Nick celebrate the day Asta brought them together).
Blondie Collins
Character: A small-time, gorgeous blonde con artist who has been arrested by Nick on several occasions (she usually serves time at the Elmsville Prison for Women). She dislikes her given name of Beatrice Dean and feels that her alias makes her more criminal-like. While Nora dislikes Blondie (as she arouses her jealous streak when Blondie “makes goo-goo eyes at Nick” and perhaps also because she is somewhat bustier [36-D bra] and more of a flirt), she accepts her as Nick’s friend (but can’t wait until she is again arrested for some petty crime and out of their lives). She calls Nick “Nickie Lover” and “Nickie Darling” and Nora “That Woman” because she feels Nora “is trying to horn in on me and Nickie.” Nora can sense when trouble (Blondie) is coming—“I can feel it in my bones.” Blondie attributes her larcenous life to being the victim of a broken home—“I had no mother to guide me.”
(CBS, 1950; ABC, 1951–1952; NBC, 1951, 1954–1955; DuMont, 1953–1954)
Cast: Frankie Thomas Jr. (Tom Corbett), Al Markim (Astro), Jan Merlin (Roger Manning), Margaret Garland, Patricia Ferris (Dr. Joan Dale), Jackie Grimes (T. J. Thistle), Ben Stone (Major “Blastoff” Connell), Edward Bryce (Steve Strong).
Basis: Solar Guards of the 24th century battle evil as they protect the colonized planets of the Solar Alliance (Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus).
Tom Corbett
Character: Assigned to training on the rocket ship Polaris. Although he appeared to be a cadet at Space Academy, he acted more like an official (giving orders, charting flights, and booking space maneuvers). Tom is quick-thinking, assertive, and popular with fellow cadets. Early episodes find Tom as a storyteller. He is seated in an office and welcomes viewers to relate an adventure he shared with fellow cadets (mostly Roger and Astro). A flashback sequence follows with Tom returning at its conclusion to relate a moral and signing off with “So long for now and spaceman’s luck to all of you.”
Astro
Character: The alien member of Tom’s crew. He was born to Terron parents on Venus during its early colonization years; he is considered Venusian by his colleagues. He is an engineer and responsible for overseeing the rocket motors on the power deck of the Polaris. He has a quick temper and frequently acts without thinking first. He is often picked on by Cadet Roger Manning, and the conflict between the two often causes trouble for Tom.
Roger Manning
Character: A practical joke player who is also a wise guy, sarcastic, and constantly causing trouble for Tom and his crew (why he was not expelled is a mystery). While Roger did work on the radar bridge (near the nose of the Polaris), he also believed he was better than everyone else and always boasted of his own accomplishments while demeaning those of his colleagues. Despite his faults, in times of emergency he became helpful but always gave into temptation to belittle others. When Roger became annoyed with someone, he would utter, “Blow it out your jets”; when something didn’t go his way, he would say, “Aw shucks.” In final-season episodes, Roger (assigned to Space Academy on Mars) was replaced by T. J. Thistle, a cadet with a chip on his shoulder (he believed his shorter height prevented him from achieving success).
Dr. Joan Dale
Character: The only female presence at Space Academy. She is not depicted as a “femme fatale” (a beautiful girl always in need of help). She is intelligent and capable of defending herself in any adverse situation (being the early 1950s, she is one of the first role models for girls in the viewing audience). She teaches at Space Academy (science courses) and is also an inventor and researcher. She invented the Academy’s rocket-powered space suits, rocket fuel, and the Hyper Drive (which allows rocket cruisers to reach nearby stars). While Joan may sound like she is all work, she was not. She had a human side and often worried about her superior, Captain Steve Strong, and Tom and his crew when they were assigned a dangerous mission. Joan was attired in a calf-length dress that was based on the military-style dress uniform worn by the male cadets.
Other Characters
Commander Arkwright (Carter Blake) is the stern principal of Space Academy. Cadet Eric Rattison (Frank Sutton) headed the crew of the rocket ship Vega. Major Caldwell (Ben Stone), called “Blastoff” by cadets, is the roughest, toughest, and meanest teacher at Space Academy. Rex Marshall played Lieutenant Saunders in commercials for the show’s longtime sponsor Kellogg’s cereals (it was also sponsored by Kraft Foods and Red Goose Shoes).
Program Information
It is the year 2350 when the series begins, and the Solar Guards are attached to a training school called Space Academy, U.S.A. War, as we think of it, no longer exists, and guns have been outlawed. Men no longer wear suits (their everyday clothes are one-piece outfits), and women wear short skirts. Navigators have been replaced by Astrogators, and engineers have been replaced by Nucleonics Officers. Cadets use tele-receivers for visual communication with Space Academy, and visual exploration is accomplished through the Strato-Screen. The Paralo-Ray (which causes temporary paralysis) is the most commonly used weapon.
Not only has space travel been accomplished, but science has also advanced greatly. Blood pills heal the deepest wounds. Personal telephones are worn on the belt and are capable of calling anyone on any planet. Light sticks (tubes that contain a material that shines constantly) provide light (like a flashlight), while a special paint that absorbs light during the day illuminates rooms at night. Schoolwork has also advanced greatly: the Study Machine allows one to absorb knowledge while sleeping. Phone numbers, however, haven’t changed; they reflect the 1950s (a 1950 episode gave the phone number Andover 3-7800 as a means by which futuristic kids could order the Study Machine).
While not readily explained, women are not permitted to be Solar Guards. Space Academy enlists only men of high school and college age as cadets. Women can train as Auxiliary Cadets to assist Solar Guards in times of emergency. Space Week is a tradition at the Academy wherein various spaceship crews (each of which consists of three members) vie for top honors by competing in space races. The Academy’s Electro-Scope (an electronic telescope) permits cadets to view the vast regions of outer space without leaving the academy. The Servo Unit automatically oversees academy spaceships (which include the Polaris, the Falcon, the Orion, and the Ceres). There is also the Rocket Graveyard, an eerie sight on a distant, uncharted planet where the remnants of lost rocket ships have accumulated over the past 200 years.
Jackson Beck announces the program’s most recognizable opening: “Space Academy, U.S.A., in the world beyond tomorrow. Here the space cadets train for duty on distant planets. In roaring rockets they blast through the millions of miles from Earth to far-flung stars and brave the dangers of cosmic frontiers, protecting the liberties of the planets, safeguarding the cause of universal peace in the conquest of space.”
(CBS, 1953–1955)
Cast: Leo G. Carroll (Cosmo Topper), Robert Sterling (George Kerby), Anne Jeffreys (Marian Kerby), Lee Patrick (Henrietta Topper).
Basis: A droll banker (Cosmo Topper) finds his life changed when he becomes haunted by the ghosts of George and Marian Kerby, the former owners of the house in which he now lives.
Cosmo Topper
Wife: Henrietta.
Address: 101 Yardley Avenue in New York (635 Yardley in the pilot; the address is later given as 101 Maple Drive).
Occupation: Bank vice president (said to be with the following banks: National Security Bank, City Bank, Gotham Trust Company, and City Trust and Savings Bank).
Place of Birth: Boston.
Date of Birth: October 5, 1898.
Education: Lindfield High School, Boston University.
First Girlfriend: Harriet Miller.
Bank Account Balance: $3,500.27.
Favorite Restaurant: Club 22.
Car License Plate: 2K 6308.
Invention: The Seven Cent Dime (a coin to battle inflation: “If an increase in the price of sugar causes a nickel candy bar to cost a dime, the maker can use my new dime and only raise the price to seven cents”).
Nickname: Called “Topper Darling” by Marian; “Old Man” by George.
Character: Always dressed in a suit and tie, Topper is also henpecked and finds his life plagued by the ghosts of George and Marian Kerby, who appear and talk only to him. He “inherited” his ghosts when he purchased the former Kerby home (Henrietta felt a change was needed from living in an apartment and convinced Cosmo to invest in a house). The house was listed at $27,000, but when the real estate agent tried to cheat Topper (saying it was worth $28,000), George and Marian stepped in and made the home look like it was falling apart, and the agent was happy to unload it for $16,000.
Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as the ghosts of Marian and George Kerby haunt Cosmo Tooper, played by Leo G. Carroll. © CBS CBS/Photofest
Henrietta Topper
Place of Birth: Boston.
Education: Boston University.
Age: “A gentleman doesn’t ask that of a lady” (she appears to be in her early 50s).
Character: Henrietta, whom Cosmo met at college, appears to be a woman from a wealthy family and accustomed to the high-society life. She is a member of the Ladies Drama Committee and married Cosmo despite the fact that her parents felt he was not good enough for her (not from a wealthy family). She and Cosmo love each other, but of late (when they moved into the Kerby home), Henrietta feels that Cosmo is overworked, as he imagines seeing three ghosts, although she too witnesses strange happenings (like the front door opening and closing by itself when it is actually George and Marian exiting and entering the house).
George and Marian Kerby
Character: George is a former playboy (apparently wealthy) who met a young socialite (Marian) at a party and fell in love at first sight. They married shortly after (in 1948) and purchased their first home in 1949. In 1953, on the occasion of their fifth wedding anniversary, George surprised Marian with a trip to Switzerland. While skiing, “fifty miles from nowhere,” Marian’s ski broke. While contemplating what to do, a drunken St. Bernard (with a supply of bourbon attached to his collar) came to rescue them. However, before anything could be done, an avalanche killed all three of them. George and Marian, however, have much more living to do and return as ghosts—and decide to take up residence in their former home. It was when Cosmo began measuring the floor for a new carpet that Marian decided to reveal herself—by displaying first her shapely legs and then the rest of her alluring figure. George then materialized, and Cosmo became their haunt—not to scare him but, as Marian says, to “bring some fun into his dull life.” Their antics do bring excitement into his life—but Topper’s attempts to deal with the unusual occurrences (ghostly happenings) make him appear a bit unstable to others as he tries to explain them.
George and Marian are not Topper’s only problems—the St. Bernard that also perished in the avalanche has returned as a ghost as well. Marian has named the dog Neil because of his resemblance to George’s cousin. Neil is a boozer, and, as Marian says, “Neil is crazy about bones and beer. By ten a.m. he has had four martinis, two old-fashioneds and a can of beer.” George and Marian are lively ghosts and survive (able to show themselves) through their supply of ectoplasm—which becomes depleted if they materialize and dematerialize too often in one day. When alive, George and Marian were the toasts of the town; they partied day and night and never had a worry. Dinner to them was inviting themselves to someone else’s home (even though Marian is an excellent cook). They were, in a way, reckless, as they never gave a thought to really settling down or even starting a family. They were young and in love, and having fun was the only thing that mattered. Now that they are ghosts, they are attempting to live their former life through Topper—but changing him into a swinger is their biggest challenge.
Other Characters
Humphrey Schuyler (Thurston Hall) is Topper’s boss, the bank president (for all listed). He is rather uptight and appears all business (although he relaxes by raising chickens on his upstate New York farm; Hildegarde is his prize-winning hen). Vilma (who appeared in the pilot but without a credit) was the Toppers’ first maid. She was replaced by Katie (Kathleen Freeman), a maid from the Abba Agency, then by Maggie (Edna Skinner).
(ABC, 1950–1955)
Cast: Stu Erwin (Himself), June Erwin (Herself), Ann Todd, Merry Anders (Joyce Erwin), Sheila James (Jackie Erwin), Willie Best (Willie).
Basis: Life with a mishap-prone high school teacher (Stu Erwin); his wife, June; and their daughters, Joyce and Jackie, who live at 413 Medvale Avenue in the town of Hamilton.
Stu and June Erwin
Stu and June have been married 19 years when the series begins. Stu, a former English teacher at Alexander Hamilton High School (always called Hamilton High), is now its principal. He is a member of the University Club (where he goes for peace and relaxation). Stuart, called Stu, and June were students at Hamilton High when they first met. They dated through high school, and after Stu acquired his teaching certificate, he and June eloped in 1931 (“We were young and romantic and it was spring,” Stu says). On their honeymoon, June made golden-crust fried chicken—a tradition she still observes once a year (when they were dating, Stu was addicted to June’s guava jelly sandwiches). Four years later, they became the parents of Joyce (in 1935), and in 1941, their second daughter, Jacqueline (called Jackie) was born.
Stu is a rather laid-back principal, and although he is faced with only minor problems from students, he manages to solve them without much difficulty—it is solving problems at home that proves more difficult. At his time in high school, Stu was active in sports (captain of the Hamilton High football team) and, while not the best student, did keep up his grades. June, more academically inclined than Stu, was a member of the school’s literary club and debate team. Although she and Stu married rather abruptly, June did hold a job as a secretary before giving it up to raise a family. As part of his duties as principal, Stu substitutes when necessary and has established a civics night class (which he teaches) for adults. Stu mentioned that he studied Latin and also taught it for a short time. June, who pays $2 for a pair of nylon stockings, is a member of the Women’s Club (which sends packages to CARE once a month) and has the family’s clothes cleaned at Ling Ying’s Laundry. Stu, who enjoys playing golf, reads a newspaper called the Daily Star, and his car license plate is IT 2N 514; June reads a magazine called Woman’s Home Companion. Stu and June were stars of sorts when they were chosen by a producer to play bit parts in a movie called High School Life.
Joyce and Jackie Erwin
Joyce and Jackie share a bedroom. Joyce first attends Hamilton High School (where she was a cheerleader for the football team), then State College (in 1954, when Merry Anders took over the role). Joe’s Ice Cream Parlor is her after-school hangout. She is very pretty and is described as “The Perfect Lady” (but, as Joyce says, “I wasn’t always. I was a tomboy and got into fights with boys. I was the terror of the neighborhood. It all changed when I fell in love. I was eleven. His name was Freddy. All I remember about him is that he had big ears”). Joyce wears a perfume called Divine Scent. Her allowance is first 50 cents, then $1 a week, and an undisclosed amount when she began college. Her favorite dinner is fried chicken and candied yams. Biff’s Ice Cream Parlor is her favorite after-school hangout.
Jackie first attended Hamilton Elementary School, then Hamilton High (1954). She receives an allowance of 50 cents a week, collects stamps, and is a tomboy. She also collects “bugs, bottles and butterflies.” “There are a lot of nice little girls for her to play with,” says June, “but she doesn’t want to.” Stu wishes she would change her ways—“But she just won’t,” he says. Jackie has off-camera fights with boys—“Mostly sticking up for Joyce,” she says, “when they tease her about mooning over boys.” Jackie has a pet frog named Elmer (“He’s trained. He can do somersaults and everything”). Her bedtime is 9:00 p.m., and she became a cowgirl for a short period of time when TV stars Dale Evans (The Roy Rogers Show) and Gale Davis (Annie Oakley) became her heroines. Freshly made strawberry jam is her favorite dessert, and she likes eating dinner in the kitchen—“It’s closer to second helpings.” Jackie is president of the Secret Six Club and also developed a fascination with wrestling programs on TV.
In high school, Jackie joined the boys’ basketball team when the coach discovered she was “a natural-born sharpshooter” (while Jackie did have the ability to sink every shot, she actually joined to be near a fellow student named Glen [Dwayne Hickman]). Five years later, Sheila James and Dwayne Hickman would become famous as Zelda Gilroy and Dobie Gillis on the CBS series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
Other Characters
Willie is a Baptist and was born in North Carolina. He works both as the school’s custodian and for Stu as a handyman. Drexel Potter (Martin Milner) is Joyce’s boyfriend (also a student at Hamilton High). They appeared together on The TV Amateur Hour in an elopement skit written by Drexel.
Note: The program is also known as Life with the Erwins, The Stu Erwin Show, and The New Stu Erwin Show.