Life with Father (TV series)

Life with Father is an American television sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1955. It starred Leon Ames as Clarence Day Sr. and Lurene Tuttle as his wife Lavinia. It began broadcasting in color in 1954,[1] and was the first live color TV series for network television originating in Hollywood.[2]

Life with Father
Title screen
GenreDrama
Based onLife with Father by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Directed byFletcher Markle
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerFletcher Markle
Production companyCBS Productions
Release
Original networkCBS
Original release1953 (1953) –
1955 (1955)

It was based on the long-running Broadway play of the same name, which had been adapted into a 1947 film, based on New Yorker articles and books by Clarence Day reminiscing about his family in late-19th century New York City.

Background

Life with Father debuted on Broadway in 1939 and ran for 3224 performances over eight years, making it the longest-running nonmusical play in Broadway history,[3] and the longest-running play of any kind between 1947 and 1972.[4] The Broadway production earned $5.8 million playing to 2.1 million people, and in addition to the Broadway production it was a popular regional theater presentation. While the show was playing on Broadway, 11 touring companies performed in 214 cities, earning $5 million from audiences of 3.7 million people.[5]

Production

The half-hour show premiered on the CBS television network on November 22, 1953.[6] It was broadcast live from CBS Television City studios in Hollywood. The producer was Fletcher Markle, who produced the Studio One live anthology series. Katherine B. Day, widow of Clarence Day, was editorial advisor, as were Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, authors of the Broadway production. Ames and Tuttle were selected as the leads after 100 auditions and 30 on-camera tests, and 200 auditions were conducted to select the supporting cast. Pat Hitchcock, daughter of the director Alfred Hitchcock, appeared in the premiere as Nora, the maid; Dorothy Bernard recreated her Broadway performance as Margaret, the family cook.[7]

Cast

Premiere episode:[8][7]

Replacement cast:[2]

  • Steven Terrell as Clarence Day Jr.
  • B.G. Norman as Whitney
  • Freddy Ridgeway as Whitney
  • Malcolm Cassell as John
  • Marion Ross as Nora

Reception

Newsday columnist Jo Coppola harshly criticized the television adaptation, saying "Even when the industry gets its hands on superior material, the end result is rotten." She called the script "inept, implausible and routine," and said that Ames character emerges as a "rude, bumbling and arrogant man" and lacking in the original production's warmth and humor.[9] New York Times reviewer Jack Gould called the premiere episode a "tawdry and pedestrian Hollywood farce in the worst video tradition," and described the title character as a "monstrous caricature of the original."[10]

Mary Cremmen, the Boston Globe television columnist, observed that the Ames' first performances "exaggerated the raving, explosive aspects of the Father far more than we ever recalled seeing on stage," but that his characterization had "mellowed considerably" by the December 27, 1953 program.[11] Gould expressed similar views in a February 1954 review, saying that the show has "retrieved itself splendidly" and praised Ames' performance, saying "there is now the warmth and characterization vital to faithful interpretation of the Clarence Day Jr. stories."[12]

A Times review of the 1954 season premiere criticized the writing, but called the series "one of the more sensible shows about family life."[13]

References
  1. Adams, Val (11 August 1954). "Television in Review". The New York Times. p. 33.
  2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (24 June 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 791. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1.
  3. Lawsom, Mark (2014-10-31). "Life With Father: the long-lost daddy of Broadway". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  4. Phillips, McCandlish (1972-06-18). "Fiddler, 3,225 Performances Old, Tops Long‐Run List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  5. Schildcrout, Jordan (4 September 2019). In the Long Run: A Cultural History of Broadway's Hit Plays. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-56039-2.
  6. "Life With Father Premiere Set For November 22". The Times-Mail. 31 October 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "'Life With Father' Making Bow". The Baltimore Sun. 15 November 1953. p. 90. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Ames, Walter (22 November 1953). "CBS Remodels Back to 1880s on Scenes For Life With Father". The Los Angeles Times. p. 111. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Coppola, Jo (30 November 1953). "Life With Father—Ugh!". Newsday (Nassau Edition). p. 65. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Gould, Jack (1953-11-25). "Television in Review; ' Life With Father' Gets Formula Treatment – C. B. S. Version Lacks Warmth, Humanity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  11. Cremmens, Mary (28 December 1953). "Holiday Season Brings Fine Shows". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Gould, Jack (1954-02-24). "Television in Review; Father Day Play, Steve Allen, Gail Davis and Tex Antoine in Focus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  13. "Television in Review; Life With Father' Has Debut for Season". The New York Times. 1954-08-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
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