The Bill Dana Show
The Bill Dana Show was an American comedy series starring Bill Dana and Jonathan Harris. The plot follows the daily lifestyle of Latin American José Jiménez, as a bellhop in a New York City hotel.
| The Bill Dana Show | |
|---|---|
 Dana as José Jiménez, 1964. | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Danny Thomas |
| Written by | Jack Elinson Charles Stewart Garry Marshall Jerry Belson Ray Singer Dick Chevillat Howard Ostroff |
| Directed by | Sheldon Leonard Coby Ruskin Danny Thomas Stanley Z. Cherry Al Lewis Theodore J. Flicker Howard Morris Jerry Paris Jay Sandrich |
| Starring | Bill Dana Jonathan Harris Gary Crosby (1963-'64) Maggie Peterson (1964-'65) Don Adams |
| Theme music composer | Earle Hagen |
| Opening theme | "Jose's Theme" |
| Composer(s) | Irving Szathmary |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sheldon Leonard |
| Producer(s) | Howard Leeds (season 1) Jack Elinson (season 2) |
| Production location(s) | Desilu Studios |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Production company(s) | Amigo Productions |
| Distributor | SFM Media Service Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | monaural |
| Original release | September 22, 1963 – January 17, 1965 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Make Room for Daddy |
The series was a spin-off from Make Room for Daddy, which showed the character of José as an elevator operator before he became a bellhop.
Synopsis
The hotel was practically José's entire world; he lived in special bachelor headquarters provided for hotel employees, ate in the hotel kitchen, and had social contact only with employees and guests of the hotel. In his goodhearted naivete, he saw only the good in the people around him. His biggest problems were his fellow bellhop Eddie (Gary Crosby), who was constantly trying to get José to wise up; the less-than-understanding hotel manager Mr. Phillips (Jonathan Harris, who would soon play Dr. Smith on Lost in Space) and the bumbling hotel detective Byron Glick (Don Adams, in a predecessor to the character he would play on Get Smart). In the second season, Maggie Peterson played Susie, a waitress in the hotel's coffee shop.[1]
Walter Mitty-like dream sequences were occasionally used to extricate José from the hotel environment.
Dana did a cameo as José Jiménez on an episode of Batman. He introduces himself to Batman and Robin by saying "My name- José Jiménez". This episode was titled "The Yegg Foes in Gotham" and originally aired on ABC on October 20, 1966. It was the last time Dana played José Jiménez.
Series run
The series, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, premiered on September 22, 1963 and ran for a season-and-a-half, before its run ended on January 17, 1965 (the following week, it was replaced by Branded).
Awards
The Bill Dana Show received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Comedy at the 16th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1964.[2]
Episode list
Season 1
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "You Got to Have Heart" (pilot) | September 22, 1963 |
| 1-2 | "The Hypnotist" | September 29, 1963 |
| 1-3 | "Jose, the Playboy" | October 6, 1963 |
| 1-4 | "Jose, the Opera Singer" | October 13, 1963 |
| 1-5 | "Jose, the Stockholder" | October 27, 1963 |
| 1-6 | "The Bank Hold-Up" | November 3, 1963 |
| 1-7 | "Honeymoon Suite" | November 10, 1963 |
| 1-8 | "Jose, the Agent" | November 17, 1963 |
| 1-9 | "The Poker Game" | December 1, 1963 |
| 1-10 | "Mr. Phillips' Watch" | December 8, 1963 |
| 1-11 | "Beauty and the Baby" | December 29, 1963 |
| 1-12 | "The Brat" | January 5, 1964 |
| 1-13 | "Jose's Dream Girl" | January 12, 1964 |
| 1-14 | "A Tip for Uncle Sam" | January 19, 1964 |
| 1-15 | "The Masquerade Party" | January 26, 1964 |
| 1-16 | "Jose's Four Amigos" | February 2, 1964 |
| 1-17 | "Eddie Gets Fired" | February 9, 1964 |
| 1-18 | "Speak for Yourself, Jose" | February 16, 1964 |
| 1-19 | "Jose, the Manager" | February 23, 1964 |
| 1-20 | "The Party in Suite 15" | March 1, 1964 |
| 1-21 | "Jose, the Matchmaker" | March 15, 1964 |
| 1-22 | "Jose's Hot Dog Caper" | March 22, 1964 |
| 1-23 | "The Hiring of Jose" | April 5, 1964 |
| 1-24 | "The Astronaut" | April 12, 1964 |
| 1-25 | "Master of Disguise" | April 19, 1964 |
| 1-26 | "Jose Resigns" | April 26, 1964 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | "Blood from Two Turnips" | September 20, 1964 |
| 2-2 | "Danny Thomas, I Love You" | September 27, 1964 |
| 2-3 | "Laughing Gas" | October 4, 1964 |
| 2-4 | "The Essay" | October 11, 1964 |
| 2-5 | "What Elephant?" | October 25, 1964 |
| 2-6 | "Jose on the Ledge" | November 1, 1964 |
| 2-7 | "Jose, the Flower Thief" | November 8, 1964 |
| 2-8 | "Jose's Inheritance" | November 15, 1964 |
| 2-9 | "The Suggestion Box" | November 22, 1964 |
| 2-10 | "We'll Get You for This" | December 6, 1964 |
| 2-11 | "Phillips, the Lover" | December 13, 1964 |
| 2-12 | "Tonsils for Two" | December 20, 1964 |
| 2-13 | "Glick, the Strongman" | December 27, 1964 |
| 2-14 | "Beauty and the Bellhop" | January 3, 1965 |
| 2-15 | "Jose, the Old Man" | January 10, 1965 |
| 2-16 | "The Court Jester" | January 17, 1965 |
See also
References
- http://ctva.biz/US/Comedy/BillDanaShow.htm
- "The Bill Dana Show Emmy nominations". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Bill Dana Show. |