Husbands, Wives & Lovers
Husbands, Wives & Lovers is an American television sitcom that aired for only one season on CBS in 1978.
| Husbands, Wives & Lovers | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Hal Dresner Joan Rivers |
| Directed by | James Burrows Marc Daniels Alan Myerson Bill Persky |
| Theme music composer | Ken Welch Mitzie Welch |
| Composers | Jack Elliott Allyn Ferguson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Hal Dresner Edgar Rosenberg |
| Producer | Don Van Atta |
| Editor | Marco Zappia |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | March 10 – June 30, 1978 |
Created by Joan Rivers, this program focused on the relationships of five suburban couples living in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California.
Development
The show originated as a pilot Husbands & Wives, which aired on July 18, 1977. It was written by Joan Rivers and Hal Dresner, and directed by Bill Persky, and garnered 18.3 million viewers. When the pilot was developed into a series, it was now filmed instead of taped. Stephen Perlman, Lynne Marie Stewart and Jesse Welles replaced Alex Rocco, Suzanne Zenor and Linda Miller in the roles of Murray, Joy and Helene respectively, the "Bells" were changed to the Bellinis, the "Cutlers" to the Willises and "Rita Bell" became Rita DeLatorre (with Lennie and Rita living together instead of being married).[1]
Cast and characters
- Cynthia Harris as Paula Zuckerman
- Stephen Pearlman as Murray Zuckerman, Paula's husband, a traveling pharmaceutical salesman
- Lynne Marie Stewart as Joy Bellini
- Eddie Barth as Harry Bellini, Joy's husband, a blue-collar self-made man who owns a fleet of garbage trucks
- Ron Rifkin as Ron Willis, a dentist who is separating from his wife
- Jesse Welles as Helene Willis, Ron's wife
- Charles Siebert as Dixon Carter Fielding, corporate lawyer who is representing Ron and Helene in their divorce proceedings
- Claudette Nevins as Courtney Fielding, Dixon's materialistic wife
- Mark Lonow as Lennie Bellini, Harry's brother who runs a jeans boutique
- Randee Heller as Rita DeLatorre, Lennie's lover, who co-runs the boutique
Episode list
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ron and Helene Separate" | Marc Daniels | Harry Cauley | March 10, 1978 | 15.2 |
| 2 | "Ron Moves In and Helene Steps Out" | Alan Myerson | Stephen Black & Henry Stern | March 17, 1978 | 16.7 |
| 3 | "Ron Is Accused" | Marc Daniels | Steve Kreinberg & Andy Guerdat | March 24, 1978 | 13.3 |
| 4 | "Everybody Is Looking for a Little Action" | Mark Daniels | Hal Dresner | April 7, 1978 | 14.2 |
| 5 | "The Women Strike" | Jim Burrows | Joan A. Gil | April 21, 1978 | 12.3 |
| 6 | "Dixon and Courtney Adopt" | Alan Myerson | Katherine Reback | April 28, 1978 | 12.0 |
| 7 | "Murray Gets Sacked and Paula Gets Hired" | Jim Burrows | Ron Bloomberg | June 9, 1978 | 9.9 |
| 8 | "Predictions Come True" | Marc Daniels | Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg | June 16, 1978 | 10.3 |
| 9 | "Women Write Stories and the Men Buy a Horse" | Jim Burrows | Martin Donovan | June 23, 1978 | 9.3 |
| 10 | "Six Characters Flunk a Sex Quiz and Go Somewhere to Do Something About It" | Alan Myerson | Howard Ostroff | June 30, 1978 | 11.9 |
References
- Bruce B. Morris, Prime Time Network Serials: Episode Guides, Casts and Credits for 37 Continuing Television Dramas, 1964-1993, McFarland and Company, 1997.