Sally (Tv Series)

Actress Joan Caulfield played the lead role in the short-live situation comedy Sally,

Sally is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from September 15, 1957 to March 30, 1958. The series is the first filmed television series produced by CBS Paramount Studios.^[1]

Synopsis[edit]

The program features Beatrice Joan Caulfield (1922-1991) as the lead character, Sally Truesdale, the young traveling companion of an elderly widow, Myrtle Banford, played by Marion Lorne (1883-1968). In the story line, Myrtle is the co-owner of Banford and Bleacher Department Store, at which Sally becomes a sales clerk when their worldwide tour ends. In 1958, Lorne was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series." ^[1]

After a mid-season format change, comedian Gale Gordon (1906-1995) joined the cast as Bascomb Bleacher, Sr., the store manager. Others added to the cast were Arte Johnson (1929-2019), later of NBC’s Laugh-In comedy, as Bascomb, Jr., and singer Johnny Desmond (1919-1985) as Jim Kimball.^[1]

Guest stars include Barry Gordon (as 8-year-old Humberto),^[2] Francis Lederer, Maudie ." In another segment, Sally and Mrs. Banford are in Germany and at the height of the Cold War become suspicious of a man that they fear could be a Soviet spy. In another segment, Sally hires a gigolo as a birthday surprise for Banford in an attempt to make her feel young again. The escort keeps returning, and Sally learns that his real interest is she, not Mrs. Banford. In another segment, Sally tries to encourage Bascomb, Jr., not to go to Tibet to become a monk because he is too shy to tell his girlfriend of his intentions.^[1]

Another episode employs the theme music adopted the following season by ABC’s sitcom, The Donna Reed Show. In another segment, Sally poses as actress Judy Holliday to endorse a type of bubble bath sold by Banford and Bleacher's. In the series finale, the store employees plan a variety show for an orphanage.^[1]

Sally aired at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday opposite the first season of ABC’s western series, Maverick. CBS aired alternating episodes of The Jack Benny Program and Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe in the same time slot.^[3]

References[edit]