The Debbie Reynolds Show

The Debbie Reynolds Show is an American sitcom which aired on the NBC television network during the 1969–70 television season. The series was produced by Filmways.

The Debbie Reynolds Show
GenreSitcom
Created byJess Oppenheimer
Directed byEzra Stone
StarringDebbie Reynolds
Don Chastain
Tom Bosley
Patricia Smith
Opening theme"With a Little Love (Just a Little Love)"
ComposersJack Marshall
Tony Romeo
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
ProducerJess Oppenheimer
Running time2224 minutes
Production companyFilmways Television
DistributorMGM Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 16, 1969 (1969-09-16) 
April 14, 1970 (1970-04-14)

Synopsis

Debbie Reynolds portrayed Debbie Thompson, a housewife married to Jim, a successful sportswriter for the Los Angeles Sun. Jim was portrayed by actor Don Chastain; his boss was played by longtime television actor Tom Bosley. Reynolds' attempts to amuse herself were regarded as being reminiscent of those of Lucille Ball on Here's Lucy.

Creator/producer Jess Oppenheimer was the original producer and co-creator of I Love Lucy. The show also employed Bob Carroll Jr., and Madelyn Davis, two longtime Lucy writers.

NBC was selling advertising time for cigarette commercials against Reynolds' wishes. After Reynolds threatened to quit the show, American Brands (formerly known as American Tobacco) withdrew sponsorship. To make up for NBC's lost ad revenue, Reynolds agreed to give back to the network their guarantee of a second year of airing the program, as well as an NBC-backed film in which she would have starred, and her ownership in a subsequent NBC-produced series.[1][2]

Cast

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"That's Debbie"Ezra StoneJess OppenheimerSeptember 16, 1969 (1969-09-16)
2"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Debbie"TBATBASeptember 23, 1969 (1969-09-23)
3"In the Soup"Ezra StoneTBASeptember 30, 1969 (1969-09-30)
4"Married Men Can Always Get"TBATBAOctober 7, 1969 (1969-10-07)
5"A Present for Jim"Ezra StoneTBAOctober 14, 1969 (1969-10-14)
6"The Bodyguard"TBATBAOctober 21, 1969 (1969-10-21)
7"The Paper Butterfly"TBATBAOctober 28, 1969 (1969-10-28)
8"To and From Russia with Love: Part 1"TBAJoseph Bonaduce & Ann MarcusNovember 4, 1969 (1969-11-04)
9"To and From Russia with Love: Part 2"TBAJoseph Bonaduce & Ann MarcusNovember 11, 1969 (1969-11-11)
10"You Bet Your Wife"TBAJoseph Bonaduce & Ann MarcusNovember 25, 1969 (1969-11-25)
11"The Swinging Singles"TBATBADecember 2, 1969 (1969-12-02)
12"Diamonds Are a Girl's Worst Friend"TBATBADecember 9, 1969 (1969-12-09)
13"Casanova's Kitten"TBATBADecember 16, 1969 (1969-12-16)
14"Guru-vy"Ezra StoneJoseph Bonaduce & Ann MarcusDecember 23, 1969 (1969-12-23)
15"You Shouldn't Be in Pictures"TBAJoseph Bonaduce & Ann MarcusDecember 30, 1969 (1969-12-30)
16"The Games (Married) People Play"TBATBAJanuary 6, 1970 (1970-01-06)
17"Hurry for Our Side"TBATBAJanuary 13, 1970 (1970-01-13)
18"Advice and Dissent"TBATBAJanuary 20, 1970 (1970-01-20)
19"Nothing but the Truth"TBATBAFebruary 3, 1970 (1970-02-03)
20"Mission Improbable"TBATBAFebruary 10, 1970 (1970-02-10)
21"How to Succeed in the Stock Market Without Really Trying"TBATBAFebruary 24, 1970 (1970-02-24)
22"Those Dangerous Years"TBATBAMarch 3, 1970 (1970-03-03)
23"Debbie Gets Jim Fired"TBATBAMarch 10, 1970 (1970-03-10)
24"Debbie's Return"TBATBAMarch 17, 1970 (1970-03-17)
25"The Producer"TBATBAMarch 24, 1970 (1970-03-24)
26"Where There's a Will, There's No Way"TBATBAApril 14, 1970 (1970-04-14)

Monty Python's Flying Circus spoofed the series in a sketch primarily written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman entitled "The Attila the Hun Show". It pokes fun at The Debbie Reynolds Show (the opening title sequence in particular, which the Pythons closely caricatured), as well as American comedy in general.

References

  1. TV Guide, January 31, 1970, "Debbie Said Yes", (p.18).
  2. Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide (p. 34). McFarland & Co.


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