Sally (1957 TV series)

Sally is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from September 15, 1957, to March 30, 1958, under the alternate sponsorship of Chemstrand Corporation and Royal McBee. The series is the first filmed television series produced by Paramount Studios.[1]

Sally
Joan Caulfield as Sally Truesdale and Marion Lorne as Myrtle Banford in Sally
GenreSitcom
Created byWilliam Asher
Phil Shuken
Written byAlan Lipscott
Robert Fisher
Bob O'Brien
Irving Elinson
Directed byWilliam Asher
StarringJoan Caulfield
Marion Lorne
Gale Gordon
Arte Johnson
Johnny Desmond
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
Production
Producer(s)Frank Ross
CinematographyGeorge T. Clemens
Running time22–24 minutes
Production company(s)Caulross Productions
Paramount Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 15, 1957 (1957-09-15) –
March 30, 1958 (1958-03-30)

Synopsis

The program features Joan Caulfield as the lead character, Sally Truesdale, the young traveling companion of an elderly widow, Myrtle Banford, played by Marion Lorne. In the story line, Myrtle is the co-owner of Banford and Bleacher Department Store, where Sally becomes a sales clerk when their worldwide tour ends.[1]

After a mid-season format change, comedian Gale Gordon joined the cast as Bascomb Bleacher, Sr., the store manager. Others added to the cast were Arte Johnson, later of NBC’s Laugh-In comedy, as Bascomb, Jr., and singer Johnny Desmond as Jim Kimball.[1]

Guest stars include Barry Gordon (as 8-year-old Humberto),[2] Francis Lederer, Maudie Prickett, and Hope Summers. One episode is set on the island of Capri, where Sally is on tour with Mrs. Banford and meets a handsome count with the reputation as "the world's greatest lover". In another segment, Sally and Mrs. Banford are in Germany and at the height of the Cold War become suspicious of a man that they fear could be a Soviet spy. In another segment, Sally hires a gigolo as a birthday surprise for Banford in an attempt to make her feel young again. The escort keeps returning, and Sally learns that his real interest is her, not Mrs. Banford. In another segment, Sally tries to encourage Bascomb, Jr., not to go to Tibet to become a monk because he is too shy to tell his girlfriend of his intentions.[1]

Another episode employs the theme music adopted the following season by ABC’s sitcom, The Donna Reed Show. In another segment, Sally poses as actress Judy Holliday to endorse a type of bubble bath sold by Banford and Bleacher's. In the series finale, the store employees plan a variety show for an orphanage.[1]

Sally aired at 7:30 pm. Eastern on Sunday opposite the first season of ABC's western series, Maverick. CBS aired alternating episodes of The Jack Benny Program and Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe in the same time slot.[3]

Award nominations
Year Award Result Category Recipient
1958Emmy AwardNominatedBest Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy SeriesMarion Lorne

References
  1. "Sally". Classic TV Archives. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  2. "Barry Gordon". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  3. Alex McNeil, Total Television, 1997, appendix
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