The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 126 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC. Its title is also seen as The Gale Storm Show: Oh, Susanna.[1]
| The Gale Storm Show | |
|---|---|
 James Fairfax, Gale Storm, and ZaSu Pitts (1956) | |
| Also known as | Oh, Susanna |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Lee Karson |
| Starring | Gale Storm ZaSu Pitts Roy Roberts James Fairfax |
| Composer(s) | Leon Klatzkin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 126 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Hal Roach |
| Producer(s) | Hal Roach, Jr. Lou Derman Alex Gottlieb |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hal Roach Studios Independent Television Corporation |
| Distributor | Independent Television Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS (1956–1959) ABC (1959–1960) |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 29, 1956 – September 22, 1960 |
The Gale Storm Show was produced initially by Hal Roach Studios. The Roach company later sold the program to Independent Television Corporation.[2]
The series was aired under the title Oh, Susanna in syndication.[2]
Synopsis
The series is based on a cruise director, Susanna Pomeroy (Storm), on a ship traveling around the world. A cast of regular characters inhabits the ship and new situations are created as the ship moors in ports. Unlike her previous role on My Little Margie, Storm's character emits a shrill, two-fingered whistle to get people's attention. On her previous show, she would make a Trilling sound when in trouble.
The series finished at #16 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1957–1958 season.[3]
Main characters
- Gale Storm as Susanna Pomeroy[2]
- ZaSu Pitts as Elvira Nugent[2]
- Roy Roberts as Captain Huxley[1]
- James Fairfax as Cedric[1]
Notable guest stars
- Pat Boone
- Francis De Sales
- William Frawley
- Lorne Greene
- Ron Hagerthy as Sergeant Rickie Hayland in "Wedding at Sea" (1959)
- Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr.
- Boris Karloff
- Peggy Knudsen
- Doug McClure
- Patrick McVey as Reid in "Girls! Girls! Girls!" (1957)
- Robby the Robot
- Frank Wilcox
- Robert Warwick
Award nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series | ZaSu Pitts |
References
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- Tucker, David C. (2012). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. pp. 150–153. ISBN 9780786487325. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1950's". www.classictvhits.com.
