My Sister Eileen (TV series)

My Sister Eileen is an American situation comedy broadcast during the 1960–1961 television season. It depicts the lives of two sisters, one a writer and the other an actress, who move to New York City to further their careers.

My Sister Eileen
GenreSituation comedy
StarringElaine Stritch
Shirley Bonne
Jack Weston
Theme music composerEarle Hagen
ComposerHerbert W. Spencer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
ProducerDick Wesson
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companyScreen Gems
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseOctober 5, 1960 (1960-10-05) –
April 12, 1961 (1961-04-12)
Clockwise from left: Stubby Kaye, Shirley Bonne, and Elaine Stritch in My Sister Eileen in 1960.

Premise

My Sister Eileen focuses on Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, sisters from Ohio who moved to New York City to pursue their respective careers. Ruth, the more serious and more sensible of the two, aspires to be a writer, while the younger and more attractive Eileen dreams of achieving success as an actress. The two women find an apartment in a Greenwich Village brownstone owned by Mr. Appopoplous and befriend reporter Chick Adams. Ruth accepts a job with publisher D. X. Beaumont and becomes close with her co-worker Bertha. However, the better part of her time is spent supervising Eileen, who has a tendency to fall for every con artist and potential boyfriend who crosses her path while her agent Marty Scott struggles to find her auditions.

Cast

Production

My Sister Eileen was based on a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney originally published in The New Yorker and then published in book form in 1938, as well as the 1940 play and 1942 and 1955 film adaptations which the stories inspired.

Broadcast history

The pilot for My Sister Eileen aired on May 16, 1960, as an episode of Alcoa-Goodyear Theater entitled "You Should Meet My Sister." Anne Helm portrayed Eileen in this episode.[1]

In addition to the pilot, 26 episodes — all with Shirley Bonne portraying Eileen — were produced for My Sister Eileen′s run as a regular series on CBS. The series premiered on October 5, 1960, and was broadcast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time and Pacific Time throughout its run. It aired opposite Hawaiian Eye on ABC and Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall on NBC.The final new episode aired on April 12, 1961.

Episodes

SOURCES[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
Pilot"You Should Meet My Sister"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 1960 (1960-05-16)
The pilot for the series, broadcast as an episode of Alcoa-Goodyear Theater. Two pretty sisters, Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, move from Ohio to New York City to further their careers, the older sister Ruth as a writer and her younger sister Eileen as an actress. Anne Helm portrayed Eileen in this episode; Shirley Bonne replaced her in the role for the regular series. Guest stars: Henry Corden, Tom Reese, and Pattie Chapman.
1"The Photography Mix-Up"UnknownUnknownOctober 5, 1960 (1960-10-05)
Thanks to a case of mistaken identity, Ruth and Eileen think that they are going to be featured in a fashion magazine, but then discover that it is a cheesecake magazine and that they are expected to pose in the nude.
2"Super Ruth Saves Eileen"UnknownUnknownOctober 12, 1960 (1960-10-12)
Eileen is interviewed by a girl-crazy producer and Ruth dreams of heroically rescuing Eileen from him.
3"Ruth Sells a Story"UnknownUnknownOctober 19, 1960 (1960-10-19)
Ruth gets angry when the editor of a B-grade magazine tries to add the wrong kind of color to a story she wrote.
4"Ruth Becomes a Waitress"UnknownUnknownOctober 26, 1960 (1960-10-26)
Ruth's boss ignores her pleas for a raise, but she embarrasses him into giving her one when Eileen lands a part in a play and she substitutes for Eileen at her waitressing job.
5"The Lease-Breakers"UnknownUnknownNovember 2, 1960 (1960-11-02)
Ruth and Eileen try to break their apartment lease by throwing a wild party.
6"Eileen's Big Chance"UnknownUnknownNovember 9, 1960 (1960-11-09)
Eileen accepts the career advice of an attentive playboy and finally lands a nice part in a new play, but Ruth discovers that he is a notorious "wolf," and the playwright meets an editor who tells him Eileen's role should be rewritten as a much older character.
7"Ruth Welcomes a Hometown Friend"UnknownUnknownNovember 16, 1960 (1960-11-16)
Ruth gets a contract to write an erudite article for Milady Fair magazine, but the arrival of a man she grew up with interrupts her work.
8"Monkey Shines"UnknownUnknownNovember 23, 1960 (1960-11-23)
Ruth and Eileen become the foster parents of a four-year-old chimpanzee.
9"The Perfect Male"UnknownUnknownDecember 7, 1960 (1960-12-07)
When Eileen falls for a self-assured executive who tries to mold her into an "organization woman" who will make the perfect wife, Ruth and a prospective seven-year-old neighbor join forces to scuttle the romance by punching holes in his self-assurance.
10"Three's a Crowd"UnknownUnknownDecember 14, 1960 (1960-12-14)
Ruth's coworker at the Parkview Publishing Company moves in with Ruth and Eileen at their apartment to help pay the rent.
11"Ebenezer Scrooge Appopolus"UnknownUnknownDecember 21, 1960 (1960-12-21)
Annoyed at not being invited to his apartment building's Christmas party, Mr. Appopolus forbids all Christmas festivities in Ruth's and Eileen's building.
12"Eileen and the Intern"UnknownUnknownDecember 28, 1960 (1960-12-28)
Ruth and Eileen involve Marty and Eileen's intern boyfriend in making a home movie based on a script Ruth wrote.
13"Eileen Becomes a Star"UnknownUnknownJanuary 4, 1961 (1961-01-04)
To impress a suitor, Eileen pretends to have a lead role in a play and unwittingly prevents the show's temperamental star from walking out.
14"The Perfect Secretary"UnknownUnknownJanuary 11, 1961 (1961-01-11)
Ruth takes a job as secretary for television producer Charles Alexander in hopes of finding Eileen work as an actress.
15"Ruth's Double Life"UnknownUnknownJanuary 25, 1961 (1961-01-25)
After Ruth takes on extra work by writing for a confession magazine, she tries to hide her new job by doing the writing for it in her diary — but her plan backfires when Bertha finds the diary.
16"Barefoot and Unashamed"UnknownUnknownFebruary 1, 1961 (1961-02-01)
Ruth's boss at the publishing company assigns her to escort one of the firm's top writers — a big, brawling type of man — around town when he visits New York City.
17"Ruth Becomes a Success"UnknownUnknownFebruary 8, 1961 (1961-02-08)
Frankie Avalon gives Ruth her first big break when he becomes interested in doing the television musical she wrote — and he and Eileen sing together. Guest star: Frankie Avalon.
18"Ruth, the Starmaker"UnknownUnknownFebruary 15, 1961 (1961-02-15)
When Eileen becomes discouraged with her unsuccessful acting career and decides to give it up, Ruth dreams up a scheme to entice her to stay in New York City.
19"About Clark Carter"UnknownUnknownFebruary 22, 1961 (1961-02-22)
Eileen's budding romance with a young attorney suffers when a gold-digging siren tries to steal him away.
20"Aunt Harriet's Way"UnknownUnknownMarch 1, 1961 (1961-03-01)
Ruth's and Eileen's Aunt Harriet comes to visit from Columbus, Ohio, and tries to convince Ruth that the way to catch a man is to appear helpless and weak. Guest star: Agnes Moorehead.
21"Ruth's Fella"UnknownUnknownMarch 8, 1961 (1961-03-08)
Ruth has learned that men she has a romantic interest in often lose interest in her when they meet Eileen, so she decides that she must keep her latest love interest, Van Peterson. from meeting Eileen when she invites him to their apartment for a home-cooked dinner. Guest stars: Richard Webb and Allen Jung.
22"Separate Ways"UnknownUnknownMarch 15, 1961 (1961-03-15)
Ruth decides that Eileen is too dependent upon her, so she establishes Eileen in an apartment of her own and the two sisters go their separate ways.
23"The Reformer"UnknownUnknownMarch 22, 1961 (1961-03-22)
Ruth and Eileen ask an officer to help them save a juvenile delinquent from getting in trouble with the law.
24"The Protectors"UnknownUnknownMarch 29, 1961 (1961-03-29)
While Eileen is performing in a show in Boston, Aunt Harriet returns to New York City for another visit and agrees to give a strange man $10,000 to invest for her. Guest star: Agnes Moorehead
25"Marty's Best Friend"UnknownUnknownApril 5, 1961 (1961-04-05)
Marty's friend Frank Marshall keeps belittling Marty in public to make himself look better, and Eileen and Ruth eventually intervene and put Frank in his place.
26"Ruth's Holiday"UnknownUnknownApril 12, 1961 (1961-04-12)
Ruth plans a weekend vacation to go skiing, but fears that Eileen will not be able to take care of herself during her absence. Eileen promises to stay out of trouble while Ruth is away and persuades her to take the trip — but then Eileen sprains her ankle. Guest stars: Kurt Kreuger, George Eldredge, and Paul Barselow.

References
  1. "TV Highlights for Tonight". The Reading Eagle. 1960-05-16. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  2. Classic TV Archive My Sister Eileen Accessed 5 March 2022
  3. The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio), October 12, 1960, p. 28
  4. The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York), October 12, 1960, p. 25
  5. The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania), October 19, 1960, p. 19
  6. The Record(Hackensack, New Jersey), October 22, 1960, p. 50
  7. The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania), October 26, 1960, p. 9
  8. Daily News (New York, New York), October 26, 1960, p. 22
  9. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, November 2, 1960, p. 23.
  10. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, November 9, 1960, p. 13.
  11. The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey), November 9, 1960, p. 100
  12. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, November 16, 1960, p. 21.
  13. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, November 23, 1960, p. 19.
  14. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, December 7, 1960, p. 22.
  15. The Times (San Mateo, California), December 7, 1960, p. 27
  16. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, December 14, 1960, p. 15.
  17. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, December 21, 1960, p. 29.
  18. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, December 28, 1960, p. 9.
  19. El Paso Herald-Post (El Paso, Texas), January 4, 1961, p. 14.
  20. Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona), January 11, 1961, p. 36.
  21. Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), January 11, 1961, p. 18.
  22. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, January 25, 1961, p. 13.
  23. The Times (San Mateo, California), January 25, 1961, p. 24.
  24. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, February 1, 1961, p. 17.
  25. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), February 8, 1961, p. 33.
  26. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, February 8, 1961, p. 16.
  27. Des Moines Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa), February 15, 1961, p. 17.
  28. Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), February 15, 1961, p. 12.
  29. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, February 22, 1961, p. 24.
  30. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, March 1, 1961, p. 20.
  31. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, March 8, 1961, p. 22.
  32. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, March 15, 1961, p. 21.
  33. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, March 22, 1961, p. 23.
  34. "Television Highlights," The Schenectady Gazette, March 29, 1961, p. 19.
  35. Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), March 29, 1961, p. 45.
  • Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present. New York: Ballantine Books 1988. ISBN 0-345-35610-1, pp. 544, 902
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