Aside from I Spy, Sheldon Leonard didn't have much luck creating hit series at NBC. All of his sitcoms ended up lasting a season or less.
His last American-produced entry for NBC, My World.....And Welcome To It, was given the lead-off spot in NBC's Monday lineup in 1969, leading into the 2nd year series, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Problem was, My World was slotted opposite the first half of Gunsmoke. Enough said.
William Windom (ex-The Farmer's Daughter) top-lined as John Monroe, who had appeared in a number of books by James Thurber, upon whom the show was based. DePatie-Freleng provided the animation for the opening sequences and some bumpers. Monroe was a cartoonist prone to Walter Mitty-like fantasies, Mitty being one of Thurber's best known creations, which hampered Monroe's personal & professional lives. Joan Hotchkis & Lisa Gerritsen co-starred. Humorist Henry Morgan (ex-I've Got a Secret) appeared periodically as a friend of Monroe's, who was based on another humorist, Robert Benchley.
Never saw the show, so we'll forego the rating again. Here, though, is a sample episode.
Leonard would land one last series at NBC, the British-produced From a Bird's Eye View, the first of his two collaborations with England's ITC, the next season, and that would be it.
May I be allowed a possibly impertinent observation:
ReplyDeleteWhy exactly do you write up so many shows that you never actually saw?
I happen to remember seeing My World in its original NBC run (I was just out of high school at the time), and enjoying it immensely. That it was paired off with Laugh-In made access easier in my family (Gunsmoke drew a bye this year).
As it stands, your research ought to have disclosed that both the series and Bill Windom won Emmy Awards for that season, which made the early cancellation all the more stinging (for the record, My World was what would nowadays be called a "bubble show" - basically a loss-leader to Gunsmoke, but way ahead of whatever was on ABC. I think that My World lost its spot when NBC suddenly made a deal with Red Skelton, who'd just been dropped by CBS).
In any event, there are gray-market DVDs available of My World (I've got a set myself).
I left out the fact that despite the cancellation, "My World" won two of the three Emmys for which it was nominated. I am at work, and, during a lull, I will occasionally post something to pass the time.
ReplyDeleteAs for why I post shows that I've never or barely seen, it's mostly for the folks who have, such as yourself, Mike.