The Betty White Show (1977 TV series)

The Betty White Show is an American television series which aired on CBS from September 12, 1977, to January 9, 1978. Fourteen episodes were broadcast. The series was produced by MTM Enterprises. This program should not be confused with two earlier television programs that had the same title—a daytime talk show that ran on NBC from February 8, 1954, to December 31, 1954, and a prime-time comedy variety show that ran on ABC from February 5, 1958, to April 30, 1958.[1]

For the 1952 television series of the same name, see The Betty White Show (1952 TV series).

The Betty White Show
Betty White (center) with John Hillerman and Georgia Engel, 1977
Created byEd. Weinberger
Stan Daniels
Developed byDavid Lloyd
Directed byJames Burrows
Harvey Medlinsky
Noam Pitlik
Doug Rogers
StarringBetty White
John Hillerman
Georgia Engel
ComposerDick DeBenedictis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes14
Production
Executive producersStan Daniels
Ed. Weinberger
ProducersBob Ellison
Dale McRaven
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companyMTM Enterprises
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 12, 1977 (1977-09-12) –
January 2, 1978 (1978-01-02)

Synopsis

Joyce Whitman (Betty White), a middle-aged actress, lands the lead in a police series titled Undercover Woman, a parody of Police Woman. Joyce is thrilled with the show, but less pleased to learn that the director is John Elliot (John Hillerman), her ex-husband, whom she unfondly refers to as "old pickle puss." He responds in kind, supplying his star with an oversized male double named Hugo (Charles Cyphers), a sexy, much younger onscreen sidekick (Caren Kaye), and dialogue not nearly as sharp as her tongue. Also on hand are Mitzi Maloney (Georgia Engel), Joyce's best friend; co-star actor Fletcher Huff (Barney Phillips); and network penny-pincher Doug Porterfield (Alex Henteloff).

Reception

The series was scheduled opposite Monday Night Football and The NBC Monday Movie and failed to generate viewers. The show was canceled after 14 episodes.[2] Nick at Nite and TV Land briefly broadcast reruns of the show during the 1990s.

The series aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 1985.

Cast
  • Betty White as Joyce Whitman, a sharp-tongued actress
  • John Hillerman as John Elliot, Joyce's ex-husband and director of her show
  • Georgia Engel as Mitzi Maloney, Joyce's naive best friend/roommate

Recurring

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Undercover Police Woman"Bill PerskyDavid LloydSeptember 12, 1977 (1977-09-12)
2"Mitzi's Cousin"Doug RogersBob EllisonSeptember 19, 1977 (1977-09-19)
Mitzi convinces Joyce to let Wilma (Janis Paige), her recently divorced cousin, to stay with them while she visits Los Angeles, but Wilma ends up falling for John and soon wants to move to Los Angeles.
3"Make Yourself at Home...Steal Something"James BurrowsEarl PomerantzSeptember 26, 1977 (1977-09-26)
While Mitzi throws a surprise party for Joyce, her diamond necklace goes missing.
4"Doug Gets Fired"Noam PitlikDavid LloydOctober 3, 1977 (1977-10-03)
5"We're Not Divorced: Part 1"Harvey MedlinskyDavid LloydOctober 10, 1977 (1977-10-10)
Joyce and John are shocked to find during a tax audit that their divorce was never finalized. Meanwhile, Joyce is upset when Tracy writes a script for the show that makes her look bad.
6"We're Not Divorced: Part 2"Harvey MedlinskyDavid LloydOctober 17, 1977 (1977-10-17)
7"Mitzi's Jealousy"Doug RogersDavid LloydOctober 24, 1977 (1977-10-24)
8"Good Night, Sweet Fletch"Burt BrinckerhoffGlen Charles & Les CharlesOctober 31, 1977 (1977-10-31)
9"John's Mother"James BurrowsDale McRavenNovember 7, 1977 (1977-11-07)
John's mother (Elizabeth Kerr) comes to visit her son. Because she does not know about John and Joyce's divorce, they have to pretend to be a happy couple for her.
10"Joyce, The Matchmaker"Jay SandrichDavid LloydNovember 14, 1977 (1977-11-14)
11"Joyce's Wedding"Burt BrinckerhoffBill IdelsonDecember 12, 1977 (1977-12-12)
When Joyce begins dating a race car driver (Philip Carey), John suspects he is using her to break into show business.
12"Fletcher's Decision"Noam PitlikSheldon BullDecember 19, 1977 (1977-12-19)
Joyce and Mitzi have Fletcher and his wife Marian (Florence Halop) as houseguests while their home is being repainted. However, the couple soon overstays their welcome.
13"Play Misty for John"James BurrowsEarl PomerantzJanuary 2, 1978 (1978-01-02)
14"The Stunt Woman"Noam PitlikDavid LloydJanuary 9, 1978 (1978-01-09)
A rumor begins that Undercover Woman may be cancelled, but Joyce initially dismisses it. When Doug discovers the rumor is correct, Joyce throws a party to convince the network heads to save the show. Meanwhile, Hugo is upset that John has hired a stunt woman for Tracy and believes her hiring caused bad luck that got the show cancelled.

References
  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. Penguin Books. p. 90. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. Spadoni, Mike (August 2004). "TV Greats and Unsung Heroes: Betty White". televisionheaven.co.uk. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
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