Margie (TV series)

Margie is an American television sitcom starring Cynthia Pepper that was broadcast on ABC from October 12, 1961 to April 12, 1962 in the 9:30 Eastern Thursday time slot, sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series was adapted from the 1946 film of the same name starring Jeanne Crain, which was adapted from short stories created by Ruth McKenney.

Margie
Cynthia Pepper as Margie.
Based on	1946 film of the same name
Developed by	Hal Goodman Larry Klein
Starring	Cynthia Pepper Penny Parker Dave Willock Wesley Tackitt Tommy Ivo
Theme music composer	Con Conrad J. Russel Robinson Benny Davis
Composer	Warren Barker
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Producers	Hal Goodman Larry Klein
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	20th Century Fox Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	Black and white
Original release	October 12, 1961 – April 12, 1962

Plot

The show is set in a small New England town in the Roaring Twenties. The character Margie Clayton, played by the then 21-year-old Pepper, attends Madison High School and lives with her parents Harvey Clayton (Dave Willock) and Nora Clayton (Wesley Marie Tackitt). Also in the home are her brother Cornell Clayton, portrayed first by Johnny Bangert and then by Billy Hummert, and her aunt Phoebe, played in four episodes by Hollis Irving. Margie's best friend Maybelle Jackson, was played by Penny Parker. Her boyfriends Haywood Botts and Johnny Green were played by Tommy Ivo and Richard Gering, respectively. Jimmy Hawkins, originally a child actor also appeared in the series.[1]

In the first episode "The Vamp", Margie's aunt gives her advice on how to attract boys, much as Maybelle appears to be doing. Other episodes include "County Fair" on October 19, "Margie, the Matchmaker" on November 16, "The Jazz Band" on November 30, "Whatever Mama Wants" on March 15, "Friendship is for Friends" on March 22, "Margie, the Gossip Columnist" on March 29, and the final episode, "The Professional Man" on April 12. In that segment, Margie meets a new boy at the dentist's office and waits for him to ask her to the big dance.[2]

History

Margie is unique in that it featured cues from silent movies which remind viewers to "Please pay attention" or "The plot thickens" during critical times. The show features raccoon coats, open-top jalopies, music of the 1920s (see Jazz Age), and references to flappers. Margie was the big break for Cynthia Pepper. Thereafter, Pepper starred as Corporal Midge Riley in Elvis Presley's 1964 film Kissin' Cousins.[2]

Margie had a favorable time slot, following My Three Sons and preceding The Untouchables. Its direct competition was NBC's comedy Hazel. On CBS, Margie faced competition for the first thirteen weeks from James Franciscus's adventure-drama series The Investigators. Margie failed to draw the audience to proceed to a second season.[3] The half-hour vacated by Margie was filled by thirteen new episodes of ABC's James Whitmore crime drama, The Law and Mr. Jones, which had aired thirty-two segments on Fridays during the 1960–1961 season.

Margie replaced Soupy Sales's program on Friday nights on ABC in early 1962. Years later, Pepper and Sales met and became good friends. Pepper, who was featured on the cover of TV Guide magazine in December 1961, still makes public appearances but has rarely appeared on television since 1972.[4]

Cast

• Cynthia Pepper as Margie Clayton
• Dave Willock as Harvey Clayton
• Wesley Marie Tackitt as Nora Clayton
• Tommy Ivo as Haywood Botts
• Penney Parker as Maybelle Jackson
• Richard Gering as Johnny Green

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"The Vamp"	Jack Sher	Hal Goodman & Larry Klein	October 12, 1961
2	"County Fair"	Don Richardson	Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler	October 19, 1961
3	"The Big Move"	Don Richardson	Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler	October 26, 1961
4	"Pity the Poor Working Girl"	Gene Reynolds	Benedict Freedman	November 2, 1961
5	"The Initiation"	Don Richardson	Ralph Goodman	November 9, 1961
6	"The Matchmaker"	Don Richardson	Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler	November 16, 1961
7	"The Jazz Band"	Jack Donohue	Robert Van Scoyk	November 30, 1961
8	"By the Sea"	Don Richardson	Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler	December 7, 1961
9	"Hail the Conquered Hero"	Rod Amateau	John Bradford & Ray Brenner	December 14, 1961
10	"The New Dress"	Don Richardson	Ralph Goodman	December 21, 1961
11	"Riches to Rags"	Don Richardson	Ralph Goodman	December 28, 1961
12	"Margie Flies the Coop"	Jack Donohue	Benedict Freeman	January 4, 1962
13	"Burning Kisses"	Jack Donohue	John Bradford & Ray Brenner	January 11, 1962
14	"Madame President"	Don Richardson	Larry Rhine & Milton Pascal	January 18, 1962
15	"False Alarm"	Jack Donohue	Barbara Hammer	January 25, 1962
16	"Flaming Youth"	James Sheldon	Mel Tolkin & Leo Rifkin	February 1, 1962
17	"A Lesson in Teaching"	Don Richardson	Benedict Freedman	February 8, 1962
18	"Lady of the House"	Don Richardson	John Bradford & Ray Brenner	February 15, 1962
19	"The Dangerous Age"	TBA	TBA	February 22, 1962
20	"A Woman Scorned"	Don Richardson	Arnold Horwitt	March 1, 1962
21	"Margie, the Jinx"	Gene Reynolds	Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler	March 8, 1962
22	"Whatever Mama Wants"	Don Richardson	Laurence Marks	March 15, 1962
23	"Friendship is for Friends"	Don Richardson	Benedict Freedman	March 22, 1962
24	"Margie, the Gossip Columnist"	Don Richardson	Alan Woods	March 29, 1962
25	"The Wolf of Wall Street"	Gene Reynolds	Arnold Horwitt	April 5, 1962
26	"The Professional Man"	Don Richardson	Alan Lipscott & Robert Fisher	April 12, 1962

See also

• 1961-62 United States network television schedule

References

1. Cast of Margie
2. Episode listings for Margie
3. 1961–1962 United States network television schedule, Thursday
4. Cynthia Pepper Official Website Archived 2008-05-05 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Margie at IMDb