The Tycoon (TV series)

The Tycoon is a 32-episode American sitcom television series broadcast by ABC. It starred Walter Brennan as the fictitious businessman Walter Andrews, similar to his birth name of Walter Andrew Brennan. As chairman of the board of the Thunder Corporation that he founded but no longer actively runs, Brennan plays an eccentric and cantankerous millionaire with a common touch who helps promising persons in need. The series aired with new episodes at 9 pm. Eastern time Tuesday from September 15, 1964, until April 27, 1965. It continued in reruns until September 7, 1965.

This article is about the 1964–1965 television series. For the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, see The Last Tycoon. For other uses, see Tycoon (disambiguation).
The Tycoon
Brennan and Van Williams from the 1964 premiere episode
Created byCharles Isaacs
StarringWalter Brennan
Jerome Cowan
Van Williams
George Lindsey
ComposerLes Baxter
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes32
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companyDanny Thomas Productions (filmed at Desilu)
DistributorCBS Television Distribution
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatColor
Original releaseSeptember 15, 1964 (1964-09-15) –
April 27, 1965 (1965-04-27)
Walter Brennan
Notes
1 Brennan's second network series The Tycoon on ABC failed to attract the audience needed to survive in the 1964–1965 season though the quality of the program was never in question.

(2) Brennan followed his role as the rustic Grandpa Amos McCoy from ABC's The Real McCoys with businessman Walter Andrews, the retired chairman of the board still meddling in company business but acting often as a philanthropist.

(3) The first episode of The Tycoon was entitled "Horatio Alger Again", a reference to the "rags-to-riches" short story writer Horatio Alger.

The Tycoon, produced by Danny Thomas and Aaron Spelling, had a good time slot, having preceded the new nighttime soap opera Peyton Place (Top 20) and David Janssen’s returning The Fugitive (Top 10) on ABC.[1]

Jerome Cowan played Herbert Wilson, a by-the-book "bean counter" who decried Brennan's questionable expenditure of company resources. Van Williams played young executive Pat Burns. George Lindsey appeared in a few episodes of The Tycoon as Tom Keane.[2]

The Tycoon and its lead-in McHale's Navy starring Ernest Borgnine, were scheduled opposite The Red Skelton Show on CBS and Robert Vaughn’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E.mystery series on NBC. In the 1965–1966 season, ABC replaced The Tycoon with a new Warner Bros. show O.K. Crackerby! about the supposedly richest man in the world, and that venture also flopped against the strong competition for the time slot.[3]

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Horatio Alger Again"TBATBASeptember 15, 1964 (1964-09-15)
Walter sets up a challenge to prove his success is not a fluke by moving to another town, starting a new business and becoming rich again.
2"Shotgun Meyer"TBATBASeptember 22, 1964 (1964-09-22)
Walter has his eyes on a nice piece of property that would be used as a new industrial site. The problem is the owner, a grape grower, doesn't want to sell.
3"Walter Gets Fired"TBATBASeptember 29, 1964 (1964-09-29)
Walter finds himself on both sides of the bargaining table in a management-union affair.
4"The Great Race"TBATBAOctober 6, 1964 (1964-10-06)
Walter and his best friend are old rivals, and since each believes that their classic car is best, the two decide to race them.
5"The Patient"TBATBAOctober 13, 1964 (1964-10-13)
Walter, trying to bypass hospital rules when he goes in for a checkup, is outsmarted.
6"Top Ten"TBATBAOctober 20, 1964 (1964-10-20)
Walter and Pat go to Midwest Tech to recruit a student from the top 10—and come back with number 11.
7"Inside Job"TBATBAOctober 27, 1964 (1964-10-27)
Walter does a quick shift when an electric eye invented by Pat adversely affects old friends.
8"Mr. Fix-It"TBATBANovember 10, 1964 (1964-11-10)
Walter is told he can't work in the company machine shop, but he still manages to indulge his love for tinkering.
9"East Meets West"TBATBANovember 17, 1964 (1964-11-17)
It's a Mexican standoff when Walter and Wilson pit their talents against a Japanese manufacturer.
10"Boy Genius"TBATBANovember 24, 1964 (1964-11-24)
Investigating a customer complaint, Walter finds it comes from a young man with a very high IQ.
11"Toys in the Pentagon"TBATBADecember 1, 1964 (1964-12-01)
A new toy rocket launcher interests the U.S. Navy for important reasons.
12"Talent Scout"TBATBADecember 8, 1964 (1964-12-08)
Walter sees an opportunity for an old friend to make a show business comeback. Andy Clyde, who played George McMichael on The Real McCoys, is cast in this episode as Skippy Draper.
13"Harvey Brinkerhoff, Who Needs You"TBATBADecember 15, 1964 (1964-12-15)
Walter gives a job to the son of an old friend and finds that it was a big mistake.
14"Baby Tycoon"TBATBADecember 22, 1964 (1964-12-22)
Walter finds himself in the middle of a proxy fight—with 3,000 valuable shares controlled by his infant grandson.
15"No Place Like Home"TBATBADecember 29, 1964 (1964-12-29)
Walter is talked into a vacation and finds himself working harder than ever.
16"The Honorable Dr. Adams"TBATBAJanuary 5, 1965 (1965-01-05)
Walter's associates arrange for him to get an honorary college degree—at first against his wishes.
17"Thunder Bowl"TBATBAJanuary 12, 1965 (1965-01-12)
Walter and Wilson try to outsmart each other with the company's bowling championship at stake.
18"Muscles Don't Retire"TBATBAJanuary 19, 1965 (1965-01-19)
Walter investigates a senior citizen community and makes some startling discoveries.
19"Romance, Incorporated"TBATBAJanuary 26, 1965 (1965-01-26)
Walter stages a whirlwind campaign to sweep a widow off her feet.
20"South of the Border"TBATBAFebruary 2, 1965 (1965-02-02)
Walter and Pat visit Latin America and learn some interesting facts about retirement.
21"Tom's Trouble in Transistorland"TBATBAFebruary 9, 1965 (1965-02-09)
Walter enlists her granddaughter's husband in a Thunder Corp. experiment.
22"Pat's Retirement"TBATBAFebruary 16, 1965 (1965-02-16)
Walter teaches Pat a less in the disadvantages of idleness.
23"A Dog's Life"TBATBAFebruary 23, 1965 (1965-02-23)
Walter asks Thunder engineers to design a walking harness for a dog.
24"Johnny on the Spot"TBATBAMarch 2, 1965 (1965-03-02)
Walter and Pat are inadvertently involved with a robbery during a routine demonstration of a new television camera.
25"Cloak and Dagger"TBATBAMarch 9, 1965 (1965-03-09)
Walter and his staff find themselves in trouble when they discover somebody in the company is giving away top secret company plans.
26"Walter on a Pedestal"TBATBAMarch 16, 1965 (1965-03-16)
The town asks permission to erect a statue of Walter Andrews—and then Walter finds out why.
27"Dangster Andrews"TBATBAMarch 23, 1965 (1965-03-23)
Walter becomes involved in the affairs of a drag racer, and when he's obliged to drive a racer, sets a new world record.
28"It's All Relative"TBATBAMarch 30, 1965 (1965-03-30)
A nest of nepotism is uncovered when Walter gets his granddaughter a job with Thunder Corp.
29"Kitchen Caper"TBATBAApril 6, 1965 (1965-04-06)
Walter has to decide which of his associates gets a new free kitchen—with each one's wife interested in the prize.
30"Mr. Wilson in Retirement Land"TBATBAApril 13, 1965 (1965-04-13)
Walter reassigns a job from Wilson to younger engineers.
31"A Slight Case of Merger"TBATBAApril 20, 1965 (1965-04-20)
Walter saves his housekeeper as well as his company from some bad deals.
32"Honest Man"TBATBAApril 27, 1965 (1965-04-27)
A pang of conscience sends Walter in search of a man he fears he wronged 50 years ago.

References
  1. 1964–1965 American network television schedule
  2. Van Williams at Brian's Drive-In Theater
  3. Television in 1964 / 1964–1965 TV season
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