In the late 1950's ,Danny Thomas, celebrated night club performer,virtuoso story-teller,protean TV producer, and selfless philanthropist, was America's favorite family man and network television's King of Situation Comedy.
Thomas, who was born Amos Jacobs in Deerfield,MI,faced and overcame two great challenges in Prime Time Television History: His Emmy-winning series, MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, was one of the very first hit shows on the struggling ABC-TV network, running from 1953 to 1957.
Next,when the show ,rechristened as THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW, defected to CBS-TV in 1958, it moved into the time slot vacated by mega-hit,I LOVE LUCY, and continued to dominate the CBS Monday schedule.
The series was a Monday night tradition until Thomas took it off the air in the 1964 television season.Along the way it spawned many, enduring sitcom spinoffs, including THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, GOMER PYLE U.S.M.C., THE JOEY BISHOP SHOW & THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW.
With visionary producing partner,Sheldon Leonard, Thomas was one of network television's most prolific producers of the 1960's.Their company, T&L PRODUCTIONS, helmed Bill Cosby & Robert Culp's landmark, NBC-TV, action series I SPY.
THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW was a comic confection that was alternately sweet and tart, but which always offered a moral lesson born of good natured tumult. It is , in my humble opinion, the true progenitor of THE COSBY SHOW.
Here, from FOXEEMA YOU TUBE site, is a classic 1958 episode, with CBS superstar Jack Benny guest starring.Enjoy!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment