The Mickey Rooney Show is an American television situation comedy that was broadcast on NBC from August 28, 1954, to June 4, 1955. It was also shown with the title Hey Mulligan.[1]
Premise and characters
The show centers around Mickey Mulligan, who works as a page for the IBC television network[2] and takes drama lessons because he wants to become a performer. Mulligan's parents are Joe (a policeman) and Nell (a former burlesque queen). Pat Harding is Mulligan's girlfriend, and Freddie is his friend. Program director Mr. Brown is Mulligan's boss, and Mr. Swift is his drama coach.[1]
A hint of the main character's situation appears in the opening of each episode. An off-screen voice's yelling, "Hey Mulligan", causes him to "drop a huge pile of scripts, spill the contents of the office water cooler, or trip on a skateboard."[3]
Cast
- Mickey Mulligan-Mickey Rooney[4]
- Joe Mulligan-Regis Toomey[4]
- Nell Mulligan-Claire Carleton[4]
- Pat Harding-Carla Balenda[4]
- Mr. Brown-John Hubbard[4]
- Freddie-Joey Forman[4]
- Mr. Swift-Alan Mowbray[4]
Production
The Mickey Rooney Show was created by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine.[1] Rooney and Maurice Duke were executive producers. Leslie Martinson and Quine were among the directors. Harry Clork, Duke, Edwards, Benedict Freedman, Sumner Long, John Fenton Murray, and Quine were among the writers. Van Alexander provided the music.[2]
Thirty-six episodes were filmed in black-and-white with a "sweetened laugh track".[2]
Broadcast on Saturdays from 8 to 8:30 p.m.,[4] the program's competition included The Jackie Gleason Show.[3]: 132 Green Giant and Pillsbury were among the program's sponsors.[2] Although the ratings were low, Pillsbury executives initially wanted NBC to provide a better time slot in return for continued sponsorship. The series ended, however, after Rooney insulted the company's president and the Pillsbury family at a corporate anniversary celebration.[5]
Syndication and home video
In the 1980s, reruns of The Mickey Rooney Show were shown on the CBN cable service. Timeless Video sold a box set containing 30 episodes of the program.[2]
References
- ^ a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 547. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ a b c d e Leszczak, Bob (November 8, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-7864-9305-0. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Tucker, David C. (April 19, 2010). Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television: Thirty Sitcoms That Faded Off Screen. McFarland. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7864-5582-9. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 660. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ^ Irvin, Richard (October 28, 2022). Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s. McFarland. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-4766-8996-8. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
External links