The New Bob Cummings Show
The New Bob Cummings Show is an American sitcom which was broadcast by CBS during the 1961–62 television season. The series was originally titled The Bob Cummings Show when it first appeared on the CBS schedule on October 5, 1961; however, this led to confusion between this program and series stars Bob Cummings' earlier 1955 series, also called The Bob Cummings Show; thus, the title The New Bob Cummings Show was officially adopted beginning with the December 28 episode.
| The New Bob Cummings Show | |
|---|---|
 Bob Cummings and Roberta Shore | |
| Also known as | The Bob Cummings Show |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Roland Kibbee |
| Written by | Jerry Adelman Roscoe J. Armbuster Jr Mel Diamond Lee Erwin Robert Fisher Austin Kalish Sheldon Keller Howard Leeds Alan Lipscott Milt Rosen Sheldon Stark |
| Directed by | Earl Bellamy John English Don Weis |
| Starring | Bob Cummings Roberta Shore Murvyn Vye |
| Composer(s) | Stanley Wilson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Revue Studios |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 5, 1961 – March 1, 1962 |
Synopsis
The New Bob Cummings Show began two years after production had ended on Cummings' previous, successful sitcom The Bob Cummings Show, which, when the newer program began its run, was still being rerun on ABC's daytime schedule under the title Love That Bob, which it was to retain through many years in syndication.
The new program, like its predecessor, took advantage of Cummings' real-life interests; once again, the character he played, Bob Carson, was a pilot. Carson owned two planes, a conventional, twin-engine plane which he used for long trips, and the Aerocar, which, as its name implied, was a vehicle which could be alternately flown or, with its wing detached, driven on highways as an automobile, which he used for short hops near his California base.
In addition to his activities as a charter pilot, Carson was an amateur detective, a fact which provided the basis for the plots of most of the episodes. In contrast to Cummings earlier program, which had several co-stars, the only recurring roles in The New Bob Cummings Show other than Cummings' own were that of "Lionel", Carson's bodyguard, played by Murvyn Vye, and "Hank", the tomboyish-yet-precocious teenage daughter of the owner of the airstrip where Carson's planes were based, played by Roberta Shore.
Production
When The Bob Cummings Show ended, Cummings said he was not keen to do comedy for his next series. However The New Bob Cummings Show was very much in the same vein as the first one.
The show was announced in April 1961. The network said Cummings' character would do anything that was not "illegal, immoral or underpaid".[1]
It was filmed by Revue Productions and sponsored by the Kellogg Company and Brown & William Tobacco. The show replaced Angel on the network line up.[1]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Executive Sweet" | Don Weis | RKibbee, RJArmbusterJr | October 5, 1961 | |
| 2 | "Very Warm for Mayan" | Don Weis | RKibbee, SStark, MDiamond | October 12, 1961 | |
| 3 | "Vive La Credit Card" | Don Weis | RKibbee, HLeeds | October 19, 1961 | |
| 4 | "The Ox-Tail Incident" | John English | RKibbee, RJArmbusterJr | October 26, 1961 | |
| 5 | "Roamin' Holiday" | Don Weis | RKibbee, ALipscott, RFisher | November 2, 1961 | |
| 6 | "Who Chopped Down the Cherokee" | Don Weis | RKibbee, JAdelman, LErwin, MDiamond | November 9, 1961 | |
| Bob tries to convince some Native Americans to give up land for a missile base. | |||||
| 7 | "Always On Tuesday" | Earl Bellamy | RKibbee, HLeeds | November 16, 1961 | |
| 8 | "Re: Fifi" | Earl Bellamy | RKibbee, SKeller, MDiamond | November 23, 1961 | |
| 9 | "The Guns of Abalone" | Earl Bellamy | RKibbee, AKalish, MRosen, MDiamond | November 30, 1961 | |
| 10 | "Lavender's Hale" | TBA | RKibbee | December 7, 1961 | |
| 11 | "The Saga of Twangy McCoombs" | TBA | RKibbee | December 14, 1961 | |
| 12 | "National Satin" | TBA | RKibbee | December 21, 1961 | |
| 13 | "La Dolce Roma" | TBA | RKibbee | December 28, 1961 | |
| 14 | "The Unretouchables" | TBA | RKibbee | January 4, 1962 | |
| 15 | "Swiss Family Gogerty" | Don Weis | RKibbee | January 11, 1962 | |
| 16 | "The Turbulent Thirties" | TBA | RKibbee | January 18, 1962 | |
| 17 | "U.N. The Night and the Music" | TBA | RKibbee | January 25, 1962 | |
| 18 | "A Cuppa Cawfee, a Sangwich, and Youse" | TBA | RKibbee | February 1, 1962 | |
| 19 | "My Son, The Voodoo Doctor" | TBA | RKibbee | February 8, 1962 | |
| 20 | "Operation Cake Lift" | TBA | RKibbee | February 15, 1962 | |
| 21 | "North by Southeast" | TBA | RKibbee | February 22, 1962 | |
| 22 | "Fasten Your Money Belt" | TBA | RKibbee | March 1, 1962 | |
Reception
The show aired on Thursday nights opposite two popular shows, The Real McCoys on ABC and Dr. Kildare on NBC.
The New York Times said "the style but not the setting is about the same as his past series... Fast talk, pretty girls and breezy comedy are still the main ingredients. It's bright, quick, inconsequential and inoffensive."[2]
Cancellation
Two months after the show debuted in October the title was changed to The New Bob Cummings Show. Ratings did not improve and the show was cancelled in January.[3] The last episode aired on March 1, 1962. It was replaced by Oh, Those Bells!.[4]
References
- V. A. (Apr 3, 1961). "CUMMINGS PLANS TV COMEDY SHOW". New York Times. ProQuest 115382120.
- R.F.S. (Oct 6, 1961). "Bob cummings show". New York Times. ProQuest 115244338.
- V. A. (Jan 28, 1962). "NEWS OF TV-RADIO". New York Times. ProQuest 115932042.
- V. A. (Feb 5, 1962). "SLAPSTICK SERIES PLANNED BY C.B.S.". New York Times. ProQuest 115966739.