The Hathaways is a 26-episode[citation needed] situation comedy, which aired on ABC from October 6, 1961,[1] to August 31, 1962,[1][2] or March 30, 1962,[citation needed] starring Peggy Cass and Jack Weston as suburban Los Angeles "parents" to a trio of performing common chimpanzees. Weston portrayed Walter Hathaway, a flabby real estate agent. Cass is his zany bride Elinore, "mother" and booking agent to the Marquis Chimps, named Candy, Charlie, and Enoch. The chimps had earlier appeared on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show, a Jack Benny special in 1959 and several commercials in 1960.[3]
| The Hathaways | |
|---|---|
 From left, Charlie, Enoch, Peggy Cass as Elinore Hathaway, and Candy, 1962 | |
| Starring | Peggy Cass Jack Weston Mary Grace Canfield Harvey Lembeck Barbara Perry |
| Theme music composer | Herbert W. Spencer |
| Composer | Herbert W. Spencer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Robert Sparks |
| Producer | Ezra Stone |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Screen Gems, in association with Gloucester Productions, Inc. |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 6, 1961 – March 30, 1962 |
Others in the cast were Harvey Lembeck as Jerry Roper, the chimps' agent,[1] Barbara Perry as Thelma Brockwood, Mary Grace Canfield as Amanda Allison, and Belle Montrose as Mrs. Harrison.[2]
Ratings for the Screen Gems series[1] were so low that ABC had largely to self-sponsor the program (although the series was sponsored on alternate weeks, throughout most of the season, by Ralston Purina). The writers included Tom Adair and James B. Allardice; story consultants were Hugh Wedlock and Howard Snyder, who co-wrote the premiere episode with Dick Wesson.[citation needed]
The series was broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[2]
Episode list
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Love Thy Neighbor" | Don Taylor | Story by : Dick Wesson Teleplay by : Dick Wesson & Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder | October 6, 1961 | |
|
Walter sells the house next door to a client who can't stand pets. | |||||
| 2 | "Elinor Buys a Hat" | Unknown | Unknown | October 13, 1961 | |
|
Elinor buys a hat and ends up in jail when Charlie pockets her parking ticket. | |||||
| 3 | "Walter Takes a Partner" | Unknown | Unknown | October 20, 1961 | |
|
Walter and Freddie start a synthetic soda pop business. | |||||
| 4 | "Elinore's Guilt" | Unknown | Unknown | October 27, 1961 | |
|
Elinor is stricken with remorse for having left the chimps home with a sitter while she and Walter sojourn at Palm Springs. | |||||
| 5 | "Income Tax Rebate" | Unknown | Unknown | November 3, 1961 | |
|
Walter is requested at the local office of the Internal Revenue Service to discuss deductions claimed on his "dependents". | |||||
| 6 | "Candy's Tonsils" | Unknown | Unknown | November 10, 1961 | |
|
Candy, the baby chimp, faces surgery unless she can be coaxed into taking her medicine. | |||||
| 7 | "Trash Day" | Unknown | Unknown | November 17, 1961 | |
|
Ex-newspaper thief Charlie becomes much too neighborly to Brockwoods, whose papers he's been stealing. | |||||
| 8 | "TV or Not TV" | Richard Kinon | Herbert Finn & John Elliotte | November 24, 1961 | |
|
Elinor and the chimps pinch-hit on Walter's television commercial when he becomes desert-bound. | |||||
| 9 | "The Kids Go to School" | Richard Kinon | Ben Gershman & Leo Solomon | December 1, 1961 | |
|
The chimp classmates prove popular with everyone at the day nursery—with the exception of one shocked mother. | |||||
| 10 | "The Practical Joker" | Unknown | Unknown | December 8, 1961 | |
|
Charlie borrows Elinor's purse, containing club funds, as bait in a sidewalk prank. | |||||
| 11 | "Double Birthday Party" | Unknown | Unknown | December 15, 1961 | |
|
Walter sees himself as a forgotten man on his birthday and sulks. | |||||
| 12 | "The Hathaways Sleep Out" | Unknown | Unknown | December 22, 1961 | |
|
Walter thinks Elinor has run away when she moves the paint-allergic chimps to a motel. | |||||
| 13 | "The Jingle Contest" | Unknown | Unknown | December 29, 1961 | |
|
Walter and Bert base their entry in a jungle contest on a tune that Charlie plays on the piano. | |||||
| 14 | "Waltzing with Walter" | Unknown | Unknown | January 5, 1962 | |
|
Elinor wins dancing lessons for two. | |||||
| 15 | "Foxy Chimp" | Unknown | Unknown | January 12, 1962 | |
|
Elinor takes an ailing chimp from the zoo to recuperate at her house. | |||||
| 16 | "It's in the Cards" | Unknown | Unknown | January 19, 1962 | |
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A neighbor sees something in Charlie's cards and steers Elinor into a visit to Walter's office. | |||||
| 17 | "The Headliners" | Unknown | Unknown | January 26, 1962 | |
|
Walter is supposed to stay home for a business conference while Elinor and the Chimps board a Honolulu-bound plane for a nightclub engagement. | |||||
| 18 | "The Paint Job" | David Butler | Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder | February 2, 1962 | |
|
Elinor campaigns for a new color job on the family "bus". | |||||
| 19 | "Grandma's Lamp" | Unknown | Unknown | February 9, 1962 | |
|
Walter plots to get rid of Elinor's antique horror, a gift from her family. | |||||
| 20 | "Help Wanted" | Unknown | Unknown | February 16, 1962 | |
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Elinor secretly works as a cigarette girl to buy Walter a special surprise. | |||||
| 21 | "Swami Chimp" | Unknown | Unknown | February 23, 1962 | |
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The Hathaways' chimp act is threatened by a mind-reading rival chimp. | |||||
| 22 | "A Man for Amanda" | Unknown | Unknown | March 2, 1962 | |
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About to lose their lovelorn housekeeper Amanda, Walter and Elinor round up some eligible mates. | |||||
| 23 | "Pop Goes the Budget" | Unknown | Unknown | March 9, 1962 | |
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Walter encounters family opposition when he tries to enforce an economy wave. | |||||
| 24 | "Charles Goes to the Races" | Unknown | Unknown | March 16, 1962 | |
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Beanstalk, a race horse, takes a shine to Charlie, and mopes for him on race day. | |||||
| 25 | "Shrewd Trader" | Unknown | Unknown | March 23, 1962 | |
|
The chimps pick up Elinor's knack of swapping and practice it until perfect. | |||||
| 26 | "Elinor's Best Friend" | Unknown | Unknown | March 30, 1962 | |
|
Elinor is elated when a college chum, now a wealthy world traveler, comes to visit. | |||||
Reception
editLatter-day television critics Castleman and Podrazik (1982) have called The Hathaways "possibly the worst series ever to air on network TV", criticizing the production, scripts, acting, the "utterly degrading" premise, and the overall "total worthlessness" of the program.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d 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. 363. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ a b c 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. 429. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ^ TVparty, The Hathaways: http://www.tvparty.com/fall61.html
- ^ Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 147–153. ISBN 0-07-010269-4.