The Hathaways
Starring: Peggy Cass, Jack Weston, Marcy Grace Canfield, Harvey Lembeck, Barbara Perry
First Aired: October 6, 1961
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown
ABC didn’t get the notice when they commissioned The Hathaways since they were working with children and animals, which is against the rules. It was an odd-ball comedy starring Peggy Cass and Jack Weston as loving parents who lived out in the suburbs, but there was a twist to the story. The children were dressed like chimpanzees. This show, which was sponsored in part by General Mills competitor Ralston Purina, was one of the first sitcoms to feature animals on television and was one of the first to showcase animals on television. Despite the fact that the sitcom was not particularly economically successful, The Hathaways did produce a semi-spinoff in the form of a comic book series depicting the show’s renowned chimps, which was published in 1962. It was a complete and utter fiasco from the start, resulting in a massive financial loss for the network.
The Hathaways
Peck’s Bad Girl
Starring: Wendell Corey, Marsha Hunt, Patty McCormick, Ray Ferrell
First Aired: 1959
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $45,000* per episode with inflation
The major difficulty with Peck’s Bad Girl, which was released in 1959, was that audiences simply didn’t comprehend it. A time when white picket fences and Lucille Ball reigned supreme, parodies were either misunderstood or viewed with disapproval. The concept behind the family sitcom was to take the tales so far afield that it could be used to poke fun at other shows. It was actually a silent film, Peck’s Bad Girl, that was first released in 1918 that inspired the film. Earle Foxe, Corinne Baker, Riley Hatch, Eddie Sturgis, and Edward M. Favor had cameo cameos in the film, which was directed by Earle Foxe. There were also star guests on the CBS broadcast, though it was a less successful venture than the fifty-minute MGM picture in terms of audience response. Many have claimed that viewers at the time may not have realized it was a comedy because it was narrated by little Patty McCormick in the role of Torey Peck. Almost as soon as it was broadcast, the show was pulled from the air, never to be seen again.
Peck’s Bad Girl
