The New Bob Cummings Show

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The New Bob Cummings Show
Stanley Wilson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companyRevue Studios
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseOctober 5, 1961 (1961-10-05) –
March 1, 1962 (1962-03-01)

The New Bob Cummings Show is an American

Bob Cummings's earlier 1955 series, also called The Bob Cummings Show
; thus, the title The New Bob Cummings Show was officially adopted beginning with the December 28 episode.

Synopsis

The New Bob Cummings Show began two years after production had ended on Cummings's previous, successful sitcom

syndication
.

The new program, like its predecessor, took advantage of Cummings's real-life interests; once again, the character he played, Bob Carson, was a

pilot. Carson owned two planes, a conventional, twin-engine plane which he used for long trips, and the Aerocar, which, as its name implied, was a vehicle which could be alternately flown or, with its wing detached, driven on highways as an automobile, which he used for short hops near his California
base.

In addition to his activities as a charter pilot, Carson was an amateur detective, a fact which provided the basis for the plots of most of the episodes. In contrast to Cummings earlier program, which had several co-stars, the only recurring roles in The New Bob Cummings Show other than Cummings's own were that of "Lionel", Carson's bodyguard, played by Murvyn Vye, and "Hank", the tomboyish-yet-precocious teenage daughter of the owner of the airstrip where Carson's planes were based, played by Roberta Shore.

Production

When The Bob Cummings Show ended, Cummings said he was not keen to do comedy for his next series. However The New Bob Cummings Show was very much in the same vein as the first one.

The show was announced in April 1961. The network said Cummings's character would do anything that was not "illegal, immoral or underpaid".[1]

It was filmed by Revue Productions and sponsored by the Kellogg Company and Brown & William Tobacco. The show replaced Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre on the network line up.[1]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Executive Sweet"Don WeisMel Diamond & Henry SharpOctober 5, 1961 (1961-10-05)
2"Very Warm for Mayan"Don WeisSheldon Stark & Mel DiamondOctober 12, 1961 (1961-10-12)
3"Vive La Credit Card"Don WeisHoward LeedsOctober 19, 1961 (1961-10-19)
4"The Ox-Tail Incident"John EnglishRoscoe J. Armbuster Jr.October 26, 1961 (1961-10-26)
5"Roamin' Holiday"Don WeisAlan Lipscott & Bob FisherNovember 2, 1961 (1961-11-02)
6"Who Chopped Down the Cherokee"Don WeisJerry Adelman, Lee Erwin, & Mel DiamondNovember 9, 1961 (1961-11-09)
Bob tries to convince some Native Americans to give up land for a missile base.
7"Always On Tuesday"Earl BellamyHoward LeedsNovember 16, 1961 (1961-11-16)
8"Re: Fifi"Earl BellamySheldon Keller & Mel DiamondNovember 23, 1961 (1961-11-23)
9"The Guns of Abalone"Earl BellamyAustin Kalish, Milt Rosen, & Mel DiamondNovember 30, 1961 (1961-11-30)
10"Lavender's Hale"David Orrick McDearmonJoel Rapp & Sam LockeDecember 7, 1961 (1961-12-07)
11"The Saga of Twangy McCoombs"Don WeisMannie Manheim, Arthur Marx & Mel DiamondDecember 14, 1961 (1961-12-14)
12"National Satin"David Orrick McDearmonGlenn Wheaton, Elroy Schwartz, & Mel DiamondDecember 21, 1961 (1961-12-21)
13"La Dolce Roma"Earl BellamyLee Karson & Ron BishopDecember 28, 1961 (1961-12-28)
14"The Unretouchables"UnknownUnknownJanuary 4, 1962 (1962-01-04)
15"Swiss Family Gogerty"Eddie RubinMel Diamond & Austin KalishJanuary 11, 1962 (1962-01-11)
16"The Turbulent Thirties"Don WeisAustin Kalish & Mel DiamondJanuary 18, 1962 (1962-01-18)
17"U.N. The Night and the Music"Eddie RubinHoward Leeds & Mel DiamondJanuary 25, 1962 (1962-01-25)
18"A Cuppa Cawfee, a Sangwich, and Youse"UnknownUnknownFebruary 1, 1962 (1962-02-01)
19"My Son, The Voodoo Doctor"Eddie RubinT : Mel Diamond & Austin Kalish
S/T : Peter Bourne, Mel Diamond, & Austin Kalish
February 8, 1962 (1962-02-08)
20"Operation Cake Lift"Eddie RubinSol Stein, Glenn Wolfe, & Mel DiamondFebruary 15, 1962 (1962-02-15)
21"North by Southeast"David Orrick McDearmonSteve Fisher & Mel DiamondFebruary 22, 1962 (1962-02-22)
22"Fasten Your Money Belt"Herschel DaughertyRonald KibbeeMarch 1, 1962 (1962-03-01)

Reception

The show aired on Thursday nights opposite two popular shows, The Real McCoys on ABC and Dr. Kildare on NBC.

The New York Times said "the style but not the setting is about the same as his past series... Fast talk, pretty girls and breezy comedy are still the main ingredients. It's bright, quick, inconsequential and inoffensive."[2]

Cancellation

Two months after the show debuted in October the title was changed to The New Bob Cummings Show. Ratings did not improve and the show was cancelled in January.[3] The last episode aired on March 1, 1962. It was replaced by Oh! Those Bells.[4]

References

External links