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The Dennis O'Keefe Show

  • TV Series
  • 1959–19601959–1960
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
31
YOUR RATING
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)
  • Comedy
Hal Towne is a Los Angeles widower with a bright ten-year-old son to raise (aided by a stern housekeeper). He writes a syndicated column, "All Around Towne," which brings him into contact wi... Read allHal Towne is a Los Angeles widower with a bright ten-year-old son to raise (aided by a stern housekeeper). He writes a syndicated column, "All Around Towne," which brings him into contact with numerous competitors for the favors of his publicity-agent girlfriend.Hal Towne is a Los Angeles widower with a bright ten-year-old son to raise (aided by a stern housekeeper). He writes a syndicated column, "All Around Towne," which brings him into contact with numerous competitors for the favors of his publicity-agent girlfriend.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
31
YOUR RATING
  • Creator
    • John Fenton Murray(chief writer)
  • Stars
    • Dennis O'Keefe
    • Hope Emerson
    • Rickey Kelman
Top credits
  • Creator
    • John Fenton Murray(chief writer)
  • Stars
    • Dennis O'Keefe
    • Hope Emerson
    • Rickey Kelman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes32

    Browse episodes
    1 Season

    Photos6

    The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)
    The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)
    The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)
    The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)
    The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dennis O'Keefe
    Dennis O'Keefe
    • Hal Towneas Hal Towne
    32 episodes32 eps • 1959–1960
    Hope Emerson
    Hope Emerson
    • Amelia 'Sarge' Sargentas Amelia 'Sarge' Sargent
    32 episodes32 eps • 1959–1960
    Rickey Kelman
    Rickey Kelman
    • Randy Towneas Randy Towne
    32 episodes32 eps • 1959–1960
    Eloise Hardt
    • Karen Hadleyas Karen Hadley
    32 episodes32 eps • 1959–1960
    Eddie Ryder
    • Eliotas Eliot
    32 episodes32 eps • 1959–1960
    Sydney Smith
    Sydney Smith
    • Conrad Morlandas Conrad Morland
    4 episodes4 eps • 1960
    Jerome Cowan
    Jerome Cowan
    • Ed Hollisteras Ed Hollister
    2 episodes2 eps • 1960
    Tom Nolan
    Tom Nolan
    • Irving Gallopas Irving Gallop…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1960
    Tony Miller
    • Cpl. Myronas Cpl. Myron…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1959–1960
    Dick Foran
    Dick Foran
    • Majoras Major
    1 episode1 ep • 1959
    Nancy Kulp
    Nancy Kulp
    • Miss Mansfieldas Miss Mansfield
    1 episode1 ep • 1959
    Patricia Blair
    Patricia Blair
    • Gretchen Clayhippleas Gretchen Clayhipple
    1 episode1 ep • 1960
    Zasu Pitts
    Zasu Pitts
    • Loretta Kimballas Loretta Kimball
    1 episode1 ep • 1960
    Rebecca Welles
    Rebecca Welles
    • Paula Hamiltonas Paula Hamilton
    1 episode1 ep • 1960
    Jean Byron
    Jean Byron
    • Miss Diffendorfas Miss Diffendorf
    1 episode1 ep • 1959
    Herb Vigran
    Herb Vigran
    • Harry - the Waiteras Harry - the Waiter
    1 episode1 ep • 1959
    Noel Drayton
    Noel Drayton
    • Lord Haverstockas Lord Haverstock
    1 episode1 ep • 1960
    Joe Flynn
    Joe Flynn
    • Dr. Loomisas Dr. Loomis
    1 episode1 ep • 1959
    • Creator
      • John Fenton Murray(chief writer)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Hal Towne is a Los Angeles widower with a bright ten-year-old son to raise (aided by a stern housekeeper). He writes a syndicated column, "All Around Towne," which brings him into contact with numerous competitors for the favors of his publicity-agent girlfriend. —Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
    • widower
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    Amusing sitcom tailored for an old Hollywood hand
    As a fan of Dennis O'Keefe from his varied Hollywood movies (HI DIDDLE DIDDLE, THE FIGHTING SEABEES, T-MEN, etc.), I was curious to see his short-lived sitcom and recently picked up a low-cost public domain DVD with four random episodes of the show: "It's Only Money" (#11, Dec. 1, 1959); "The Regency Club" (#26, April 5, 1960); "Dimples" (#27, April 12, 1960); and "June Thursday" (#32, May 10, 1960). All four episodes amused me and I found O'Keefe's character, Hal Towne, a Broadway gossip columnist ("All Around Towne"), well suited to the kind of light leading man embodied by O'Keefe. Towne's also a single dad with a young son, Randy (Ricky Kelman), and a no-nonsense live-in housekeeper nicknamed "Sarge" (Hope Emerson). Add his press agent love interest (Eloise Hardt) and his harried assistant (Eddie Ryder) and you've got a five-character regular cast that was more than sufficient for the plots conjured up for these episodes. In each of them, Towne's vanity generally gets the best of him, to the point where you wonder how he gets any work done and why his dyspeptic employer (glimpsed in one episode) keeps paying him.

    In "It's Only Money," a rash of counterfeit bills circulating in the neighborhood propels Towne to investigate on his own, harassing a shifty neighbor two doors down, while ignoring the nice old couple next door, whose counterfeiting press is cleverly disguised amidst regular household items. In "The Regency Club," the attentions of a manipulative society woman with an ulterior motive go to Towne's head and he starts dressing up and making new lifestyle demands on Randy and Sarge. In "Dimples," a grandmother on Towne's floor intercepts a mash note sent by Randy to her granddaughter and thinks the elder Towne meant it for her and, flattered by the attention, reacts accordingly. It's pretty funny and Zasu Pitts, a onetime silent star who plays the grandmother, is an old hand at this kind of comedy. One of the kids makes a comment about older men and younger women that would never make it into a sitcom today.

    In "June Thursday," Towne decides to show off how influential he is by pushing the career of Gretchen Clayhipple (Patricia Blair), an aspiring actress working as a Cigarette Girl at his club, except that he gives her a new name--dubbing her "June Thursday" in his column—without bothering to tell her! A rival columnist (Jerome Cowan) smells hoax and demands to meet Miss Thursday, an arrangement that proves difficult when the girl heads back to her rural hometown in frustration, prompting a trip to hillbilly country by Towne and his assistant, Elliot. The backwoods stereotypes are poured on thickly as Towne attempts to communicate with the actress's family, a bunch of Li'l Abner/Hatfield-and-McCoy-types who shoot at "revenooers" without a second's hesitation. Yet, in "The Regency Club," the ultra-rich are portrayed with equally outlandish stereotypes, with one Lord Haverstock continually peppering Towne with questions, comments and reprimands in a thick, unintelligible upper-class British patois. It's all pretty ridiculous, but is played with such flair by O'Keefe and the supporting players that I couldn't help smiling throughout. I enjoyed watching the normally unflappable O'Keefe flail about.

    Eloise Hardt deserves note for playing the press agent, Karen Hadley. She's a mature and attractive professional who's smart and clever and often comes up with the solution to Towne's dilemmas. That Towne takes her interest in him for granted and throws himself after whatever female character passes through the landscape shows what a fool he is.

    The IMDb synopsis describes O'Keefe's character as a "Los Angeles widower," even though it's pretty clear from the episodes I saw that Towne lives and works in New York. In "June Thursday," he compliments the budding actress on her recent performance in an Off-Broadway show and assures her she'll be on Broadway very soon. This dialogue would make no sense in a Los Angeles setting. The old-money social elite depicted in "The Regency Club" doesn't quite exist like that in new-money L.A. Also, the animated opening credits definitely portray a New York street setting and O'Keefe and his son and housekeeper live in what is obviously a Manhattan high-rise apartment.

    Dennis O'Keefe was one of those all-purpose leading men who specialized in light comedy (HI DIDDLE DIDDLE, BREWSTER'S MILLIONS), but could also be found in film noir (RAW DEAL, T-MEN), war movies (THE FIGHTING SEABEES), westerns (PASSAGE WEST), crime (CHICAGO SYNDICATE), horror (THE LEOPARD MAN), musicals (SENSATIONS OF 1945), and globe-trotting adventure (DRUMS OF TAHITI). He started out as a bit player in 1930 and worked steadily for a decade before becoming a leading man, mostly in lower-budgeted studio pictures. He got better parts after the war, but after 1955 most of his work was in television. This show marked his last leading role. He died at the age of 60 in 1968, largely forgotten by then.
    helpful•3
    0
    • BrianDanaCamp
    • Nov 11, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 22, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Cypress Productions
      • United Artists Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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