It's a Great Life (TV series)

It's a Great Life (also known in syndicated reruns as The Bachelors)[1] is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC September 7, 1954 - June 3, 1956.[2][3]

It's a Great Life
Also known asThe Bachelors
GenreSitcom
Created byDick Chevillat
Ray Singer
Written byDick Chevillat
Leonard Gershe
Directed byChristian Nyby
StarringFrances Bavier
James Dunn
William Bishop
Michael O'Shea
Barbara Bates
Theme music composerDavid Rose
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyRaydic Corporation
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 7, 1954 (1954-09-07) –
June 3, 1956 (1956-06-03)

Overview

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Two men who had recently been discharged from military service (Denny and Steve) lodged at the home of Amy Morgan, whose daughter (Kathy) and uncle (Earl) lived with her. Episodes typically dealt with the two men's adapting to new jobs and civilian life and with Earl's attempts to get them involved in schemes to make money.[2] Mr. Russell was a neighbor.[4]

Cast

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Frances Bavier, six years before being cast as Aunt Bee[note 1] in CBS's The Andy Griffith Show, played a somewhat similar role as Mrs. Amy Morgan, the owner of a boarding house.[5][6] Other characters and the actors who portrayed them were

Production

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Dick Chevillat and Ray Singer produced and wrote the program.[4] It was initially broadcast on Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. In September 1955 it was moved to Sundays from 7 to 7:30 p.m. E. T.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Some sources cite Frances Bavier's The Andy Griffith Show screen name from 1960-1970 as "Beatrice (Bea) Taylor."

References

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  1. ^ "It's a Great Life Episodes". tvguide.com. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  3. ^ Tucker, David C. (2010). Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television: Thirty Sitcoms That Faded Off Screen. McFarland & Company. pp. 80–86. ISBN 978-0-7864-4466-3. Excerpt available at Google Books.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 415. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  5. ^ Tucker, p. 82. Excerpt available at Google Books.
  6. ^ "Comedy Time". TVParty.com. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
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