Thursday, April 21, 2022

What Might've Been: That's Life (1968)

 Not to be confused with the Frank Sinatra song of the same name, ABC's ambitious That's Life was touted as one of the network's key freshman entries of the 1968-9 season. Eight months after its premiere, it was cancelled.

What series creator-executive producer Marvin Marx had intended was to do a different kind of variety show. Having come over from CBS' Jackie Gleason Show, and having been a writer for Gleason dating back to The Honeymooners, Marx structured his show around a storyline involving young newlyweds Bobby & Gloria (Robert Morse & EJ Peaker), with Broadway style musical numbers mixed in. Morse had won a Tony Award for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", and reprised the role in the movie version.

Unfortunately, ABC didn't count on viewers leaving after the 2nd year series, NYPD. NBC had movies, and CBS eventually launched what is now a Sunday franchise, 60 Minutes.

After the series ended, Morse continued with movies (i.e. Disney's "The Boatniks" with Phil Silvers), and expanded to cartoons (Jack Frost) before a career revival landed him on AMC's Mad Men.

Never saw the show, so there's no rating. Gilmore Box posted the intro, posted in memory of Morse, who passed away earlier this week at 90.

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