The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – CBS

NOTE: This series was a spin-off of the the radio series of the same name which was broadcast until 1955. In previous incarnations the radio series had been known by the titles “The Canada Dry Ginger Ale Program” (1932-1933), “The Chevrolet Program” (1933-1934), “The General Tire Revue” (1934), “The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny” (1934-1942), “The Grape Nuts Flakes Program Starring Jack Benny” (1942-1944), and “The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny” beginning in 1944.

Theme song: “Love in Bloom” by Ralph Rainger, and lyrics (not used in the theme music) by Leo Robin.

• 001. Premiere Show – 10/28/1950
  • Anheuser-Busch and Ken Murray’s program give up their time slot for the premiere episode of The Jack Benny Show presented by Lucky Strike. A bus arrives in New York City and Jack Benny (himself) is obviously on it as indicated by the man hanging his violin out the window. The Sportsmen Quartet (themselves) sing There’s No Business Like Show Business. Jack addresses the audience and introduces the first episode of his new show. He says that his radio fans have been asking him to get into television, which will bring him to New York from Beverly Hills. He says the show will be on once every eight weeks. He explains that he’s not really stingy, but rather it is a character he has played on the radio, although he admits that he’s staying in a dump in the city. The TV technician (Mel Blanc) comes onto the stage during his monologue to direct the lights and camera on how to make Jack look okay for the audience. He also says hello to his aunt. He then introduces his radio announcer Don Wilson (himself), who has been with Jack for seventeen of his nineteen years in radio. Don tells Jack that some of their jokes from radio won’t work on TV, for instance Jack’s jokes about Don’s weight won’t work now that the audience has seen him. Don does a commercial for Lucky Strike while Jack holds up the pack of cigarettes for him. Jack then starts to tell Don about how he planned for his first show, flashing back to his house in Beverly Hills, where his valet Rochester Van Jones (Eddie Anderson) sings the song My Blue Heaven as he dances and cleans he house. He then talks to his girlfriend Susie and they arrange their date for the evening. Rochester tells her that Mr. Benny is down at CBS negotiating his contract for his first TV show. When Jack gets home, his parrot Polly tells him to count the fruit, and Jack finds out that Rochester ate a banana. Jack’s friend Mr. Kitzel (Artie Auerbach) to wish Jack well with his show and trip to New York. When Kitzel asks Jack for a cigarette, Jack reveals a cigarette machine in his house. He has his housekeeper Mrs. Higgins use one of the Bendix pay washing machines to do his laundry. Jack then decides to get Dinah Shore (herself) as his first guest star. He calls her up to discuss it but doesn’t care for the price of $5000 she quotes him for her appearance. However, she sings the song I’m Yours over the phone. Jack returns to the stage and thanks Anheuser-Busch and Ken Murray (himself) for letting him have his time slot. Ken comes onto the stage to give Jack his well-wishes for the new show. Dinah Shore comes onto the stage and sings Tess’s Torch Song. Jack asks if he can accompany her with his violin, but she declines. After she finishes the song, Jack comes back on the stage and asks her to go out with him. The pair then duet the song I Ought to Know More About You. The Sportsmen Quartet join her to insert some lyrics for Lucky Strike. Jack then plays Love in Bloom on his violin, causing the audience to file out. 45 minutes. 7/28/23

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SEASON 1

Created by William Cosby Jr. Ed.D.

Theme music written by Stu Gardner, Bill Cosby, and Dawnn Lewis, and performed by Phoebe Snow

This series is a spinoff of “The Cosby Show”

• 001. Reconcilable Differences – 9/24/1987
  • New York-born Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) has finished her first year at Virginia’s Hillman College, and is moving from the Freshman dorm into the nicer Gilbert Hall dorm. Meandering around the lobby is self-proclaimed ladies’ man Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), who is purporting to be part of the Dorm Orientation Committee in order to secure dates, until he is thrown out by the dorm director Stevie Rallen (Loretta Devine). She runs into her acquaintance, the rich and snobby Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), who tells her that the roommate to whom she’s been assigned is a 26-year-old divorcee named Jaleesa Vinson (Dawnn Lewis). When Denise meets her, she seems to say all of the wrong things about Jaleesa’s situation. It is also obvious that she is very organized, while Denise tends to be a slob. Denise quickly begins to feel that they won’t be a good match and tries to convince Stevie to give her another roommate. The only available roommate is Whitley, so she convinces Denise to try to put some good energy out there and get along. However, when Jaleesa realizes that Denise went behind her back, she becomes even angrier, so Denise decides to move in with Whitley. This quickly goes sour as well when Whitley is particular about everything in the room, and then attempts to steal a guy named Chip St. Charles (Don Reed) who they meet at the local hangout The Pit. When Whitley insists on playing the sound of crickets on her stereo all night, Denise goes to the lobby to sleep. Jaleesa finds her there, and the two reconcile with each admitting that they could have tried harder. Amir Jamal Williams is Stevie’s little boy J.T.  Adrienne Kapuki Jones makes her first of 22 uncredited appearances as the Double Dutch Girl. NOTE: This episode was filmed after the second episode – the original pilot – in order to add some further background to the characters. 1/23/21

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SEASON 1 – Fox

Created by Ron Leavitt and Arthur Silver

This series is a spinoff of “Married…with Children” via the backdoor pilot episode “Top of the Heap”

Theme song: “Puttin’ on the Ritz” written by Irving Berlin, performed by Kenny Yarbrough

• 001. The Agony and the Agony – 4/14/1991
  • Charlie Verducci (Joseph Bologna) works as a superintendent of a slum apartment in Chicago, and lives in one of the apartments with his son Vinnie (Matt LeBlanc) and his cat Mr. Fluffy. Charlie constantly tries to get out of fixing anything requested by the residents, especially the mouthy Lupe Hernandez (Irene Olga Lopez). One of the neighbor girls, Mona Mullins (Joey Lauren Adams) is only sixteen years old, but is constantly propositioning Vinnie, who tries to avoid her advances since she is underage. Although Charlie his instituted the “Verducci Master Plan” of getting Vinnie married off to a rich woman, Charlie goes after a job as a parking attendant at the Rolling Hills Country Club. However, when he walks into the club, various members from the aerobics group including, Mrs. Epstein (Mary Pat Gleason) and Mrs. Gilbert (Alisha Fontaine) are charmed by him. The manager Alixandra “Alix” Stone (Rita Moreno) wants him to take over as an event coordinator as the current one, Carlo Dupree (Jeff Riley) is working his last day. Charlie comes to the country club to see Vinnie and runs afoul of the short and effeminate security officer Emmet Lefebvre (Leslie Jordan). Charlie tries to hit on Alixandra, but she tells him that he’s the kind of guy who she always falls in love with… but is ultimately bad for her. He nearly gets her to accept a dinner invitation, but then turns him down when she realizes he wants her to cook.  Vinnie is embarrassed when he starts making mistakes including bringing member Frank Clayton (Rod Arrants) some dinner rolls when he wants his Rolls Royce. Vinnie also pours water on the table and a guest when he sees a flambe on fire. Charlie talks Vinnie into going back for the evening 50’s dance, where he meets Fred Epstein (Richard Fancy) and Gil Gilbert (Greg Lewis), who both make fun of him for the water incident. Vinnie also gets a visit from his friend Bud Bundy (David Faustino), who is posing as a pro golfer to impress his girlfriend, Lynette. Mrs. Epstein and Mrs. Gilbert get Vinnie on the dance floor and they and the other ladies all dirty dance with him. Charlie overhears their husbands threatening to beat up Vinnie, so he poses as someone who wants to go after him as well, telling them that he doesn’t care if he is a vicious boxer who has maimed many and has challenged Mike Tyson. They suddenly lose interest in enacting revenge.  Charlie takes another crack at hitting on Alixandra with some tired flattery. All the ladies get Vinny back on the floor to dance La Bamba. Anita Mann is Bee Bee. NOTE: This is the follow-up episode to the backdoor pilot Top of the Heap episode of Married…with Children that aired on 4/7/1991. 1/22/23

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SEASON 1 – TBS

Created by Betsy Thomas

Theme composed by Ed Alton

• 001. Pilot – 11/28/2006
  • Penelope “P.J.” Franklin (Jordana Spiro) is a tomboyish sportswriter working for the Chicago Sun-Times, living in Chicago and covering the Cubs. She narrates the story and relates most of the things going on in her life to sports, especially baseball. P.J. mostly hangs out with her henpecked brother Andy (Jim Gaffigan), along with a group of their other male friends, including Brendan “Brando” Dorff (Reid Scott), a rock and roller working as a radio DJ who is on and off with his girlfriend Wendy, and who used to roommates in college with P.J., Mike Callahan (Jamie Kaler), a ladies’ man who works for the Cubs, and Kenny Bunin (Michael Bunin), a sports memorabilia store owner who struggles with getting dates. P.J. does have one close female friend, Stephanie Layne (Kellee Stewart), who constantly offering advice on dating men. A sportswriter named Bobby Newman (Kyle Howard) from the rival newspaper the Chicago Tribune when he begins covering the Cubs as well. They instantly have a crush on each other, and he begins playing on their softball team. She is thrilled when accepts an invite to play poker with P.J. and the guys at her house, although none of the guys seem to understand why P.J. is going to great lengths to look good, wear makeup, and make appetizers. The other guys keep frustrating her as well, as they pull him away after the game, before she can have any alone time with him. Nevertheless, he waits outside her place and the asks if they can have a drink together. She invites him upstairs, and she quickly gets him into the bedroom. Bobby seems more intent on slowing things down, and is rather turned off by how fast she is moving. He leaves before they sleep together, leaving P.J. rather distraught and confused as to the status of their relationship. Meanwhile, Brando, has again broken up with by his girlfriend Wendy and is forced to move in with P.J, but he gets called back to go to see her for an ’emotional booty call’, and act that will keep him tethered to her, much to P.J.’s concern about his well being. 1/16/22

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SEASON 1 – CBS

Created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music

Opening theme: “Home to Emily” by Lorenzo Music and Henrietta Music

• 001. Fly the Unfriendly Skies – 9/16/1972
  • Dr. Robert Hartley (Bob Newhart) is a psychologist living in a high-rise apartment in Chicago, Illinois with his with his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). Bob is hosting a fear-of-flying workshop and is getting ready to take the group – which includes neurotic Elliot Carlin (Jack Riley), angry Victor Gianelli (Noam Pitlik), and flighty Lillian Bakerman (Florida Friebus) – on a flight to New York. When he asks Emily to join him, Bob finds out that Emily too is afraid of flying. Their next door neighbor Howard Borden (Bill Daily) offers no reassurance. Emily joins the group and attends a meeting where Howard comes to speak but reveals his fear of public speaking. When they finally get on the airplane, Emily ends up chickening out and having the plane turned around. After Bob returns from the trip, Emily breaks down in tears…only to find out that her crying makes Bob laugh. She is forgiven and pleased that Bob is laughing rather than yelling at her. Marcia Wallace is the office receptionist Carol Kester. Peter Bonerz is orthodontist Jerry Robinson, who has his office on the same floor as Bob and has become a friend of Bob’s. Patricia Smith is Emily’s friend Margaret Hoover. Penny Marshall appears as the flight attendant. 1/16/15

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