The Hank McCune Show is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track.[1]
| The Hank McCune Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Directed by | Charles Maxwell |
| Starring | Hank McCune |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Samuel Z. Arkoff Dick Farrell Hank McCune |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | United Television Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 9 – December 2, 1950 |
The series began as a local program in New York in 1949.[2] NBC placed it on its national primetime schedule at the start of the 1950–51 season. It debuted at 7:00pm Eastern Time on September 9 and was cancelled three months later. It was briefly resurrected as a syndicated program in 1953–54,[3] but without a laugh track.[4]
Overview
editThe premise foreshadowed that of The Larry Sanders Show in that it contained a show within a show. Former radio comedian McCune portrayed a television variety show host named after himself, and each week the character managed to blunder his way into a variety of comic predicaments.
The supporting cast included Larry Keating, Charles Maxwell, Frank Nelson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Sara Berner, Tammy Kiper,[5] and Florence Bates.
Production
editUnited Television Productions produced the show,[2] and Harold Schuster was the producer.[6] Mort Lachman and Cy Rose were the writers.[5]
Although ratings "weren't terrible", the sponsor left after the then-minimum 13 weeks of shows.[7]
Syndicated version
editBing Crosby Enterprises produced the syndicated version of The Hank McCune Show. It was distributed by CBS's TV film sales division.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ingram, Billy (2002). TVparty!: Television's Untold Tales. Bonus Books, Inc. p. 17. ISBN 1-56625-184-2.
- ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (November 16, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, Ballantine Books, 2003, p. 502, ISBN 0-345-45542-8
- ^ "Production," Broadcasting Telecasting, p. 37, http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1954/1954-01-04-BC.pdf
- ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 357. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ "Radio and Television: ' Time for Defense,' Produced by Johnson's Department, to Bow on ABC Oct. 25". nnyt. October 6, 1949. p. 62. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Gerard (March 15, 1993). Honey, I'm Home!: Sitcoms: Selling The American Dream. Macmillan. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-312-08810-1. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "CBS Sales Acquires Crosby Video Films". Billboard. July 26, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
External links
edit
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