The Double Life of Henry Phyfe

The Double Life of Henry Phyfe is a 17-episode American sitcom broadcast on ABC from January 13 to September 1, 1966, and starring Red Buttons.

The Double Life of Henry Phyfe
GenreSitcom
Created byLuther Davis
StarringRed Buttons
Fred Clark
Parley Baer
Zeme North
Theme music composerVic Mizzy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes17
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesLuther Davis Productions
Filmways Television
DistributorMGM Television
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseJanuary 13 
May 5, 1966 (1966-05-05)

Plot

Henry Phyfe (Buttons) was a mild-mannered accountant, until circumstances forced the American Counter Intelligence Service (CIS) to recruit him to impersonate a foreign agent named U-31, who had been killed in an automobile accident. The agent looked just like Phyfe, but the two men's personalities were drastically different. That severe contrast laid the groundwork for many of the episodes.

Phyfe's girlfriend, Judy Kimball, her mother Florence and his boss at the accounting firm, Mr. Hamble, were all unaware of Henry's secret life, with Gerald Hannahan, the regional director of the agency the lone person to know the secret. The characters of the girlfriend and mother-in-law were phased out halfway through the abbreviated run.

Cast

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Phyfe and a Filly"TBATBAJanuary 13, 1966 (1966-01-13)
2"Phyfe on a Ferry"TBATBAJanuary 20, 1966 (1966-01-20)
3"Whatever Happened to Yesterday?"Leslie H. MartinsonBen StarrJanuary 27, 1966 (1966-01-27)
4"Phyfe and the Models"TBATBAFebruary 3, 1966 (1966-02-03)
5"The Reluctant Lover"TBATBAFebruary 10, 1966 (1966-02-10)
6"Phyfe's First Felony"TBATBAFebruary 17, 1966 (1966-02-17)
7"The Unfriendly Persuasion"Leslie H. MartinsonStory by: Charles Marion & Monroe Manning
Teleplay by: Phil Leslie and William Raynor & Myles Wilder
February 24, 1966 (1966-02-24)
8"Phyfe and the Code Book"TBATBAMarch 3, 1966 (1966-03-03)
9"The Old Flame"TBATBAMarch 10, 1966 (1966-03-10)
10"Operation Henry Phyfe"TBATBAMarch 17, 1966 (1966-03-17)
11"Visit to Washington"TBATBAMarch 24, 1966 (1966-03-24)
12"Phyfe Takes a Wife"TBATBAMarch 31, 1966 (1966-03-31)
13"Jail Bird Phyfe"Howard MorrisSloan Nibley & Bill LutzApril 7, 1966 (1966-04-07)
14"Spend a Million Phyfe"TBATBAApril 14, 1966 (1966-04-14)
15"A Shot in the Dark"TBATBAApril 21, 1966 (1966-04-21)
16"Phyfe Goes Skiing"TBATBAApril 28, 1966 (1966-04-28)
17"Will the Real U-31 Try to Stand Up?"TBATBAMay 5, 1966 (1966-05-05)

Overview

Buttons noted that, unlike Agent Maxwell Smart in NBC's new hit Get Smart, his character was shy, used no gadgets in his work, and was an impostor, not an actual agent. Phyfe's CIS boss was played by veteran character actor Fred Clark, who bore a superficial physical resemblance to Smart's "Chief" played by Edward Platt.

The show marked Buttons' return to weekly television after his variety show had ended a three-year run in 1955. During the interim, Buttons found roles in 15 different motion pictures, including an Academy Award-winning performance in the 1957 Marlon Brando film, Sayonara.

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