Many Happy Returns (TV series)

Many Happy Returns is an American sitcom that ran on CBS for twenty-six episodes, from September 21, 1964 to April 12, 1965, under the sponsorship of General Foods.

Many Happy Returns
Created byParke Levy
StarringJohn McGiver
Elinor Donahue
Mark Goddard
Elena Verdugo
Mickey Manners
Theme music composerDavid Rose
Parke Levy
Composer(s)Pete Rugolo
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Producer(s)Parke Levy
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Lindabob Productions
MGM Television
Release
Original networkCBS
Picture formatBlack and White
Original releaseSeptember 21, 1964 –
April 12, 1965

Cast

The show stars character actor John McGiver. Known for his emphatic, precise, dogmatic bearing and firm command of the English language, McGiver played the part of a widower, Walter Burnley, the manager of the complaints department at the fictitious Krockmeyer's Department Store in Los Angeles.[1]

Elinor Donahue played McGiver's daughter, Joan Randall. Mark Goddard played Joan's husband, Bob Randall.[2] The Randalls' daughter, Laurie, was played by Andrea Sacino. Elena Verdugo (Marcus Welby, M.D.) played complaint department employee Lynn Hall.

Others on the series were Richard Collier as Harry Price, Jesslyn Fax as Wilma Fritter, and Mickey Manners as Joe Foley, all cast as store employees. Character actress Doris Packer played the role of Cornelia. Russell Collins was cast as Burnley's demanding, often unreasonable boss, Owen Sharp.[3]

Episodes

The program was directed by Gene Reynolds, who later went on to work on several episodes of M*A*S*H. Episode titles of Many Happy Returns include:[4]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Many Happy Returns"Sherman MarksParke Levy & Norman PaulSeptember 21, 1964 (1964-09-21)
2"Walter Meets the Machine"TBATBASeptember 28, 1964 (1964-09-28)
3"It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog"TBATBAOctober 5, 1964 (1964-10-05)
4"Bye, Bye Cupid"TBATBAOctober 12, 1964 (1964-10-12)
5"Burnley at the Bridge"TBATBAOctober 19, 1964 (1964-10-19)
6"Joe's Place"TBATBAOctober 26, 1964 (1964-10-26)
7"The Best Seller"TBATBANovember 9, 1964 (1964-11-09)
8"Mother Burnley's Chickens"TBATBANovember 16, 1964 (1964-11-16)
9"Krockmeyer on Avon"TBATBANovember 23, 1964 (1964-11-23)
10"East is West"TBATBANovember 30, 1964 (1964-11-30)
11"The House Divided"Theodore J. FlickerStory by: Sidney Green & Harvey Helm,
Teleplay by: Sid Dorfman & Parke Levy		December 7, 1964 (1964-12-07)
12"The Fashion Show"TBATBADecember 14, 1964 (1964-12-14)
13"The Shoplifter"TBATBADecember 21, 1964 (1964-12-21)
14"The Surprise Visit"TBATBADecember 28, 1964 (1964-12-28)
15"Taming of the Beast"TBATBAJanuary 4, 1965 (1965-01-04)
16"No Nose is Good Nose"TBATBAJanuary 11, 1965 (1965-01-11)
17"Foster Father of the Bride"TBATBAJanuary 18, 1965 (1965-01-18)
18"The Diamond"TBATBAJanuary 25, 1965 (1965-01-25)
19"Three on a Honeymoon"TBATBAFebruary 1, 1965 (1965-02-01)
20"Pop Goes the Easel"TBATBAFebruary 8, 1965 (1965-02-08)
21"The Krockmeyer Caper"TBATBAFebruary 15, 1965 (1965-02-15)
22"Big White Lie"TBATBAMarch 8, 1965 (1965-03-08)
23"Idol Threats"TBATBAMarch 22, 1965 (1965-03-22)
24"A Date for Walter"TBATBAMarch 29, 1965 (1965-03-29)
25"The Woodsman"Gene ReynoldsEarl BarretApril 5, 1965 (1965-04-05)
26"It's a Gift"Stanley Z. CherryAlbert E. Lewin & Burt StylerApril 12, 1965 (1965-04-12)

History

Many Happy Returns was technically the successor to The Danny Thomas Show (for the same sponsor), which stopped production in 1964 after eleven years on the air, first on ABC, then on CBS. It aired at 9:30 Eastern on Mondays opposite the short-lived sitcom The Bing Crosby Show on ABC and The Andy Williams Show, alternating weekly with The Jonathan Winters Show, on the NBC schedule. Many Happy Returns theoretically benefited from having followed The Lucy Show on CBS. It preceded the drama Slattery's People.[5]

See also
  • 1964-65 United States network television schedule

References
  1. Many Happy Returns - TV.com
  2. Mark Goddard (I)
  3. "Many Happy Returns" (1964) - Full cast and crew
  4. Many Happy Returns - TV.com
  5. 1964-1965 United States network schedule, Monday
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