Margie (TV series)
Margie is an American television sitcom starring Cynthia Pepper that was broadcast on ABC from October 12, 1961 to April 12, 1962 in the 9:30 Eastern Thursday time slot, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series was adapted from the 1946 film of the same name starring Jeanne Crain, which was adapted from short stories created by Ruth McKenney.
| Margie | |
|---|---|
 Cynthia Pepper as Margie. | |
| Based on | 1946 film of the same name |
| Developed by | Hal Goodman Larry Klein |
| Starring | Cynthia Pepper Penny Parker Dave Willock Wesley Tackitt Tommy Ivo |
| Theme music composer | Con Conrad J. Russell Robinson Benny Davis |
| Composer(s) | Warren Barker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Hal Goodman Larry Klein |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black and white |
| Original release | October 12, 1961 – April 12, 1962 |
Plot
The show is set in a small New England town in the Roaring Twenties. The character Margie Clayton, played by the then 21-year-old Pepper, attends Madison High School and lives with her parents Harvey Clayton (Dave Willock) and Nora Clayton (Wesley Marie Tackitt). Also in the home are her brother Cornell Clayton, portrayed first by Johnny Bangert and then by Billy Hummert, and her aunt Phoebe, played in four episodes by Hollis Irving. Margie's best friend Maybelle Jackson, was played by Penney Parker. Her boyfriends Haywood Botts and Johnny Green were played by Tommy Ivo and Richard Gering, respectively. Jimmy Hawkins, originally a child actor also appeared in the series.[1]
In the first episode "The Vamp", Margie's aunt gives her advice on how to attract boys, much as Maybelle appears to be doing. Other episodes include "County Fair" on October 19, "Margie, the Matchmaker" on November 16, "The Jazz Band" on November 30, "Whatever Mama Wants" on March 15, "Friendship is for Friends" on March 22, "Margie, the Gossip Columnist" on March 29, and the final episode, "The Professional Man" on April 12. In that segment, Margie meets a new boy at the dentist's office and waits for him to ask her to the big dance.[2]
History
Margie is unique in that it featured cues from silent movies which remind viewers to "Please pay attention" or "The plot thickens" during critical times. The show features raccoon coats, open-top jalopies, music of the 1920s (see Jazz Age), and references to flappers. Margie was the big break for Cynthia Pepper. Thereafter, Pepper starred as Corporal Midge Riley in Elvis Presley's 1964 film Kissin' Cousins.[2]
Margie had a favorable time slot, following My Three Sons and preceding The Untouchables. Its direct competition was NBC's comedy Hazel. On CBS, Margie faced competition for the first thirteen weeks from James Franciscus's adventure-drama series The Investigators. Margie failed to draw the audience to proceed to a second season.[3] The half-hour vacated by Margie was filled by thirteen new episodes of ABC's James Whitmore crime drama, The Law and Mr. Jones, which had aired thirty-two segments on Fridays during the 1960–1961 season.
Margie replaced Soupy Sales's program on Friday nights on ABC in early 1962. Years later, Pepper and Sales met and became good friends. Pepper, who was featured on the cover of TV Guide magazine in December 1961, still makes public appearances but has rarely appeared on television since 1972.[4]
Cast
- Cynthia Pepper as Margie Clayton
- Dave Willock as Harvey Clayton
- Wesley Marie Tackitt as Nora Clayton
- Tommy Ivo as Haywood Botts
- Penney Parker as Maybelle Jackson
- Richard Gering as Johnny Green
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Vamp" | Jack Sher | TBA | October 12, 1961 |
| 2 | "County Fair" | Don Richardson | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | October 19, 1961 |
| 3 | "The Big Move" | Don Richardson | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | October 26, 1961 |
| 4 | "Pity the Poor Working Girl" | Gene Reynolds | Benedict Freedman | November 2, 1961 |
| 5 | "The Initiation" | Don Richardson | Ralph Goodman | November 9, 1961 |
| 6 | "The Matchmaker" | Don Richardson | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | November 16, 1961 |
| 7 | "The Jazz Band" | Jack Donohue | Robert Van Scoyk | November 30, 1961 |
| 8 | "By the Sea" | Don Richardson | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | December 7, 1961 |
| 9 | "Hail the Conquered Hero" | Rod Amateau | John Bradford & Ray Brenner | December 14, 1961 |
| 10 | "The New Dress" | Don Richardson | Ralph Goodman | December 21, 1961 |
| 11 | "Riches to Rags" | Don Richardson | Ralph Goodman | December 28, 1961 |
| 12 | "Margie Flies the Coop" | Jack Donohue | Benedict Freeman | January 4, 1962 |
| 13 | "Burning Kisses" | Jack Donohue | John Bradford & Ray Brenner | January 11, 1962 |
| 14 | "Madame President" | Don Richardson | Larry Rhine & Milton Pascal | January 18, 1962 |
| 15 | "False Alarm" | Jack Donohue | Barbara Hammer | January 25, 1962 |
| 16 | "Flaming Youth" | James Sheldon | Mel Tolkin & Leo Rifkin | February 1, 1962 |
| 17 | "A Lesson in Teaching" | Don Richardson | Benedict Freedman | February 8, 1962 |
| 18 | "Lady of the House" | Don Richardson | John Bradford & Ray Brenner | February 15, 1962 |
| 19 | "The Dangerous Age" | TBA | TBA | February 22, 1962 |
| 20 | "A Woman Scorned" | Don Richardson | Arnold Horwitt | March 1, 1962 |
| 21 | "Margie, the Jinx" | Gene Reynolds | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | March 8, 1962 |
| 22 | "Whatever Mama Wants" | Don Richardson | Laurence Marks | March 15, 1962 |
| 23 | "Friendship is for Friends" | Don Richardson | Benedict Freedman | March 22, 1962 |
| 24 | "Margie, the Gossip Columnist" | Don Richardson | Alan Woods | March 29, 1962 |
| 25 | "The Wolf of Wall Street" | Gene Reynolds | Arnold Horwitt | April 5, 1962 |
| 26 | "The Professional Man" | Don Richardson | Alan Lipscott & Robert Fisher | April 12, 1962 |
See also
- 1961-62 United States network television schedule
References
- Cast of Margie
- Episode listings for Margie
- 1961–1962 United States network television schedule, Thursday
- Cynthia Pepper Official Website Archived 2008-05-05 at the Wayback Machine