The Duke (TV series)

1954 American TV series or program

The Duke

Genre| Comedy
Written by| Charles Issacs
Jack Elinson[1]
Starring| Paul Gilbert
Phyllis Coates
Allen Jenkins
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 13
Production
Producer| Bill Harmon[1]
Running time| 24 mins.
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| July 2 (1954-07-02) –
September 3, 1954 (1954-09-03)

The Duke is an American comedy series that aired on NBC from July 2 to September 3, 1954. The series was broadcast live[2] on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[3]

## Synopsis

[edit]

Duke London a/k/a Duke Zenlee[4] was a professional boxer who was also an accomplished painter. Through his artwork he met Rudy Cromwell, who offered to teach him to live a more cultured life.[5] Duke left the boxing ring and opened a nightclub called The Duke's, but both his former promoter and trainer kept trying to persuade him to make a prize-fighting comeback.[2]

## Cast

[edit]

* Paul Gilbert as Duke London[6]
* Allen Jenkins as Johnny, Duke's former trainer[6]
* Phyllis Coates as Gloria, his girlfriend[6]
* Rudy Cromwell as Claude Stroud, Duke's business partner[6]
* Sheldon Leonard as Sam Marco, Duke's former fight promoter

## Critical response

[edit]

A review in The New York Times said that The Duke "trudges along with log-grade comedy and some silly situations".[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Joe Cullinane, Radio-TV Notes, The Boston Globe, July 1, 1954, page 35
2. ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (November 2, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 41–. ISBN 9780786468126. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
3. ^ a b "Television in Review: Mediocrity Comes to Fore as Summer Lethargy Wilts the Airwaves". The New York Times. July 21, 1954. p. 24. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
4. ^ Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2nd edition, page 290, McFarland, Inc., 2014
5. ^ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present (first edition), page 174, Ballantine, 1979
6. ^ a b c d McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 241\. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.

## External links

[edit]

* The Duke at IMDb

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