The Ed Wynn Show (1958 TV series)

Premise

John Beamer, played by Ed Wynn, is a retired taxidermist and widower who shares a large, old house in a small college town with his two granddaughters. The older girl, Laurie (Jacklyn O'Donnell), studies at the local college, while her younger sister Midge (Sherry Alberoni) is still in school.

Their mother has passed away, and their father is employed overseas. Publicity for the show called Beamer a "wily old widower with a genius for solving other people's problems." The only other regular cast member is his friend and attorney, Ernest Hinshaw (Herb Vigran). Recurring roles include Pauline (Myrna Fahey), a college pal of Laurie, and Mrs. Creavy (Jesslyn Fax), a nosy neighbor.

Production

The first public notice of the series came in May 1958, when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge approved contracts between Thalia-Keethwyn and the minor actors Jacklyn O'Donnell and Sherri Alberoni. The pilot episode was made shortly after those approvals. While showing the pilot to prospective buyers, representatives were asked whether Ed Wynn was too old to risk in the lead; a previously secured affidavit of the 72-year-old Wynn's insurability answered that concern.

NBC picked up the show for Thursday evenings the next month. By mid-July the premise and starting date were released. Primary sponsor Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company handled its Chesterfield cigarette commercials through McCann Erickson; co-sponsor Bulova Watch Company bought remaining commercial time for the fall. Ben Feiner, Jr. produced for Screen Gems.

Filming of episodes beyond the pilot began August 4, 1958, using 35 mm film with Westrex magnetic sound recording. IMDb reports 16 episodes but lists only 15; it is not known if the discrepancy involves the pilot episode, whose title is also unknown. Contemporary newspaper accounts listed only 14 episodes in television schedules, and episode #5 may never have been broadcast.

Reaction

Reviews after the debut agreed that the show's concept prevented Ed Wynn from displaying much of his talent, with the writing a larger problem. Barbara Delatiner in Newsday wrote that the opener gave Wynn little opportunity to act and very little comedy. William Ewald in his UPI syndicated column praised Wynn's performance as "warm and professional" but called the show "a formula comedy complete with contrived situations and ha-ha-ha soundtrack".

Harry Harris in The Philadelphia Inquirer found Wynn ingratiating but some dialogue and plot "almost indigestibly 'folksy'". After two episodes, Les Wedman in The Province wrote that Wynn was fun to watch but the storyline appeared likely to remain thin, and the dialogue was not as funny as the canned laughter suggested. Ed Wynn defended the show in an interview with Steven H. Scheuer, saying people called it corny but that it was not for sophisticated New York or Hollywood; it was a clean show with heart.

Broadcast history

The first episode aired Thursday, September 25, 1958, at 8 pm, replacing You Bet Your Life (which moved to 10 pm Thursday). It was bracketed by Tic-Tac-Dough at 7:30 pm and Twenty-One at 8:30 pm, the latter moved from Mondays. By early November a columnist reported that a cigarette sponsor was considering dropping the show for a new Jack Webb series. The last episode aired January 1, 1959; a week later Steve Canyon moved from Saturdays to replace it in the Thursday 8 pm slot.