Car 54, Where Are You?

Car 54, Where Are You?
Opening title sequence
Also known as	Car 54
Genre	Sitcom police comedy
Created by	Nat Hiken
Directed by	Al De Caprio Nat Hiken Stanley Prager
Starring	Joe E. Ross Fred Gwynne
Theme music composer	Nat Hiken John Strauss
Opening theme	"Car 54, Where Are You?"
Composer	John Strauss
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	60 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Nat Hiken Billy Friedberg
Cinematography	J. Burgi Contner George Stoetzel
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Eupolis Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 17, 1961 (1961-09-17) – April 14, 1963 (1963-04-14)

Car 54, Where Are You? is an American

The series had a rotating group of directors, including Al De Caprio, Stanley Prager, and series creator Nat Hiken. Filming was done both on location^[1] and at Biograph Studios in the Bronx.^[2]

Synopsis

The series follows the adventures of

Much of the series is set in the station house, with commanding officer Captain Block (Paul Reed) ordering his men to answer neighborhood police calls or investigate baffling cases that have stymied the force at large. Toody and Muldoon often blunder into these cases, encountering the criminals accidentally and proceeding on a wrong assumption. By sheer perseverance, inadvertence, and luck, Toody and Muldoon bring each case to a successful conclusion.

Cast

• Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody
• Fred Gwynne as Officer Francis Muldoon
• Beatrice Pons as Lucille Toody
• Al Lewis as Officer Leo Schnauser     
• Charlotte Rae as Sylvia Schnauser
• Hank Garrett as Officer Ed Nicholson
• Paul Reed as Capt. Paul Block
• Bruce Kirby as Officer Kissel
• Jimmy Little as Sgt. Jim McBride
• Joe Warren as Officer Steinmetz
• Nipsey Russell as Officer Anderson
• Ossie Davis as Officer Omar Anderson
• Frederick O'Neal as Officer Wallace
• Jim Gormley as Officer Nelson
• Albert Henderson as Officer Dennis O'Hara
• Ruth Masters as Mrs. Muldoon, Francis's mother
• Patricia Bright as Mrs. Claire Block
• Martha Greenhouse as Rose, Lucille's sister
• Nathaniel Frey as Sergeant Abrams
• Jerome Guardino as Officer Antonnucci

Episode list

Production

Many of the scripts were written by Nat Hiken, who won an "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy"

Hiken had previously produced The Phil Silvers Show in New York; it was a military comedy with Silvers (as Sgt. Bilko) and his gang of comical soldiers. Hiken recruited many of the Bilko alumni for this new series. Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne had featured roles on the Bilko show, and Beatrice Pons was hired to reprise her old role of Ross's wife. Other veterans from the Bilko show were Paul Reed, Al Lewis, Charlotte Rae, Jimmy Little, Jack Healy, Frederick O'Neal, Martha Greenhouse, Bob Hastings, Billy Sands, and Gerald Hiken.

Some supporting players on Car 54 were so well received that they were brought back for additional episodes. Molly Picon played Mrs. Bronson, an enterprising matron who made life miserable for city authorities but always adhered strictly to the law, forcing her whims to be accommodated. Larry Storch played Charlie, the town drunk, whose constant scrapes with the police compelled Toody and Muldoon to rehabilitate him. Gene Baylos was the hapless Benny the Bookie, whose attempts at swearing off gambling always involved Toody and Muldoon. Carl Ballantine appeared as Al, Toody's imperious brother-in-law, who commanded instant obedience from his wife, Rose (Martha Greenhouse).

Cars

So that they would not be mistaken for actual police cars during location filming, the cars used for the series were painted red and white, which appeared as the proper shade of gray on black-and-white film to replicate NYPD cars of that era, which were black and green, with a white roof and trunk.

Three cars were used as the title vehicle during the series: a 1961 Plymouth Belvedere during most of the first season, followed by a 1962, and later a 1963, Plymouth Savoy.^{[citation needed]}

Theme song

The theme song's lyrics were written by series creator, writer, and occasional director, Nat Hiken, with music by John Strauss.^[3]

Several New York-based celebrities, including Hugh Downs, Mitch Miller, Jan Murray, and Sugar Ray Robinson, appeared as themselves. Among others cast in various episodes are:

Primetime Emmy Awards

Car 54, Where Are You? was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, earning one.

1961–1962 (presented May 22, 1962)

• Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken – Won
• Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor – Nominated (Winner: The Bob Newhart Show)
• Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken, Tony Webster, Terry Ryan – Nominated (Winner: Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show)

1962–1963 (presented May 26, 1963)

• Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken – Nominated (Winner: Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show)

Syndication

Car 54, Where Are You? first entered into syndication in January 1964. It began airing on the cable channel

1994 film

Car 54, Where Are You? was made into a 1994 film, shot mainly in Toronto, starring John C. McGinley as Muldoon, David Johansen as Toody, and Rosie O'Donnell as Toody's wife Lucille. Though made in 1990, it was not released until 1994 due to the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures.^[5] Original cast members Al Lewis and Nipsey Russell appeared in the film, which underperformed both critically and commercially upon release.

Home media

In the early 1990s,

The show's theme song is parodied as “Mario, Where Are You?” in an Atari commercial for Mario Bros.^[8]

In the 1966 film Munster, Go Home! Herman Munster (also played by Fred Gwynne) starts calling for police agencies, eventually yelling, “Car 54, where are you?”

See also

• List of television shows filmed in New York City

References

Notes

Further reading

• Car 54, Where Are You?, by Martin Grams, Jr. (2009). Albany: BearManor Media.
  ISBN 1-59393-340-1
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Car 54, Where Are You?.

• Car 54, Where Are You? at
  IMDb
• A Tribute to Nat Hiken's Car 54 Where Are You?