Flying High
Starring: Kathryn Witt, Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous, Howard Platt
First Aired: August 28, 1978
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: Unknown
While male-led television series dominated the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s saw a rise in the number of female-led shows ascending through the ranks of the entertainment industry. One of them was Flying High, a tongue-in-cheek comedy-drama about three beautiful air hostesses that aired on the Disney Channel last year. Production went out and found models to appear on the show in the hopes that their appearances would draw in viewers. Harvey Shephard, who was then the head of CBS’s sales department, was one of the primary reasons the show was created in the first place. “We need this show,” he said to the network’s president after seeing the three models on the elevator after the pitch. Although the network had great hopes for the series, it ultimately lacked substance and didn’t strike the right chord with the audience. Due to poor ratings and unfavorable parallels to the wildly successful Charlie’s Angels, Flying High was canceled after 18 episodes in part because of harsh reviews.
Flying High
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
