Stanley (1956 TV series)

Stanley is an American situation comedy starring Buddy Hackett, Carol Burnett, and the voice of Paul Lynde. It aired on NBC-TV from September 24, 1956 to March 11, 1957 during the 1956–1957 television season. It was produced by Max Liebman, who previously produced Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows,[1] co-sponsored by American Tobacco (Pall Mall cigarettes) and The Toni Company (Bobbi Home Permanent, Pamper Shampoo).

Not to be confused with Stanley (2001 TV series).
Stanley
GenreSituation comedy
StarringBuddy Hackett
Carol Burnett
Paul Lynde
No. of series1
No. of episodes19
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1956 (1956-09-24) –
March 11, 1957 (1957-03-11)

Plot summary

Stanley revolved around the adventures of the namesake character (Hackett) as the operator of a newsstand in a posh hotel in New York City, the Sussex-Fenton. Burnett played his girlfriend Celia, and Lynde voiced the unseen hotel owner Mr. Fenton, who never appeared on camera but frequently could be heard giving orders to his staff.[2]

In the show's introduction, the following line was recited: "You think you've got troubles. Stanley, he's got troubles!"

Broadcast history

As was the case with several such programs (but a declining number, even at this early stage of network television), Stanley was aired live. The complete run of the series, preserved on kinescope film, is known to exist and the show is available via streaming and has been released on DVD. The program aired on Monday nights at 8:30 pm EST opposite the popular Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on CBS and the long-running The Voice of Firestone on ABC. After 19 weeks of low ratings, Stanley was canceled mid-season and replaced by Tales of Wells Fargo, a western which ran on NBC for the next five and a half years.[3]

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Opera Tickets"September 24, 1956 (1956-09-24)
2"Folk Song Festival"October 1, 1956 (1956-10-01)
3"Army Buddies"October 8, 1956 (1956-10-08)
4"Stanley Gets Jealous"October 22, 1956 (1956-10-22)
5"Clothing Store"October 29, 1956 (1956-10-29)
6"Stanley Gets a Bachelor Apartment"November 5, 1956 (1956-11-05)
7"Stanley and the Blonde Bandit"November 19, 1956 (1956-11-19)
8"The New Stanley"November 26, 1956 (1956-11-26)
9"Celia's Pen Pal"December 3, 1956 (1956-12-03)
10"Stanley's a Lawyer"December 17, 1956 (1956-12-17)
11"Christmas Show"December 24, 1956 (1956-12-24)
12"The New Year's Party"December 31, 1956 (1956-12-31)
13"The Celebrity"January 14, 1957 (1957-01-14)
14"Stanley and Mr. Phillips' Plot"January 21, 1957 (1957-01-21)
15"Married Friends"January 28, 1957 (1957-01-28)
16"The Fight"February 11, 1957 (1957-02-11)
17"Work Follies"February 18, 1957 (1957-02-18)
18"Stanley's Surprise Party"February 24, 1957 (1957-02-24)
19"The Break Up"March 11, 1957 (1957-03-11)

Home media

In the early 2010s, the full 19 episode series was digitally re-mastered and released on a 3-disc DVD set by Stanley Productions, LLC.[4] It is currently also available for download and streaming via Amazon.[5]

Cast

On February 16, 1964, Hackett and Burnett were reunited on CBS-TV's What's My Line? A blind-folded Hackett recognized his former co-star's voice who appeared as that evening's mystery guest. After briefly discussing their short-lived roles on Stanley, Buddy exclaimed "That's the one the Nielsen guy threw off the air for us!" This was a reference to the show's first guest that evening who signed in as "Mr. X". He was actually A.C. Nielsen Jr. who headed Nielsen Media Research.[6]

References
  1. Ess, Ramsey (December 13, 2013). "America Meets Buddy Hackett, Carol Burnett, and Woody Allen with 'Stanley'". New York. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  2. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  3. Adams, Val (December 18, 1956). "STANLEY' TO YIELD FOR TV WESTERN; Comedy Series With Buddy Hackett to Be Replaced by Wells Fargo". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  4. Hacket, Buddy. "Stanley 3-Disc DVD Set".
  5. "Stanley" – via Amazon Prime.
  6. "What's My Line? (Mystery Guest: Carol Burnett)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.


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