The Ann Sothern Show

The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, who had previously starred in Private Secretary, which also aired on CBS from 1953 to 1957.

The Ann Sothern Show
Cast members Ann Sothern and Jacques Scott in a publicity shot
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf
Starring	Ann Sothern Don Porter Ann Tyrrell Ernest Truex Reta Shaw Jacques Scott Jack Mullaney Ken Berry Jesse White
Theme music composer	Bonnie Lake Ann Sothern
Opening theme	"Katy"
Composers	Gordon Zahler Leith Stevens
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	93^[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Desi Arnaz
Producer	Arthur Hoffe
Cinematography	Robert Pittack
Running time	24 mins.
Production companies	Anso Productions Desilu Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06) – March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30)

Sothern portrayed the character Katy O'Connor, the assistant manager of the upscale New York City hotel The Bartley House. Co-stars for the series included Ann Tyrrell, Don Porter and Jesse White who had also co-starred with her in Private Secretary.

Synopsis

Sothern starred as Katy O'Connor, the assistant manager of a New York City hotel: The Bartley House. Katy frequently deals with the hotel's eccentric guests, alongside either her secretary and best friend/roommate Olive Smith (Ann Tyrrell), or her boss, Jason McCauley (Ernest Truex), who is frequently bullied by his wife Flora (Reta Shaw). Katy was also an advanced character for her time, in that she was a woman who had a position of authority. In this position, she oversaw many male employees, including lovestruck bellboy Johnny Wallace (Jack Mullaney) and suave French room clerk Paul Monteney (Jacques Scott). Storylines typically revolve around the personal lives of the staff and guests of the Bartley House. The setting of a hotel gave the series a chance to introduce a plentiful number of guest stars, often playing guests of the hotel.

Midway through its first season, the series underwent a retooling to improve ratings. The McCauleys are transferred to a Bartley House branch in Calcutta, and Katy is given a new boss, James Devery (Don Porter). Whereas Katy and McCauley had a strictly professional relationship seen on an equal level, Katy and Devery's relationship is much more complex. Devery often asserts his authority over Katy, and the two frequently go toe-to-toe with one another over various things. A romantic undertone to the relationship becomes apparent by the final season, and was addressed shortly before the series was cancelled. Due to the retooling, the characters of Johnny Wallace and Paul Monteney also begin to be limited. Jacques Scott was written out after the end of the first season; Jack Mullaney was initially retained for season two, but also written out after the first few episodes.

The Ann Sothern Show had strong ties to Sothern's previous CBS sitcom Private Secretary, which had ended a year before the debut of The Ann Sothern Show. Sothern's characters of Susie MacNamara and Katy O'Connor were similar, though O'Connor held a position of authority MacNamara did not have. Tyrrell had portrayed the character of Violet "Vi" Praskins, who was nearly identical to her character of Olive Smith. Porter's character of James Devery was also similar to his role of talent agent Peter Sands. Jesse White had a recurring role on both series, playing the antagonist to the central characters.

Cast

Actor	Character	Season
		1	2	3
Ann Sothern	Katy O'Connor	Main
Ernest Truex	Jason McCauley	Main^[2]
Ann Tyrrell	Olive Smith	Main
Reta Shaw	Flora McCauley	Also starring
Jacques Scott	Paul Monteney	Also starring
Jack Mullaney	Johnny Wallace	Also starring	Recurring
Don Porter	James Devery	Main^[3]	Main

• Ann Sothern as Kathleen "Katy" O'Connor: the witty, perceptive assistant manager at The Bartley House, an upscale hotel in New York City. She frequently deals with the various situations that arise from the eccentric customers, or her boss (initially Mr. McCauley, later Mr. Devery). Katy is a spinster, but takes some pride in that fact. Throughout the series, a potential romance between Katy and Mr. Devery lingered; it is finally touched upon in what became the series finale, ending on a cliffhanger ultimately never answered.
• Ann Tyrrell as Olive Smith: Katy's secretary and roommate. Olive is a bit scatter-brained and naive, often deferring important decisions to Katy. Nonetheless, she means the best, and is a loyal friend to Katy. Also a spinster, Olive is a romantic often relegated to unrequited crushes such as Paul. In the third season, Olive begins dating – and later marries – dentist Dr. Delbert Gray.
• Don Porter as James Arlington Devery: Katy's second boss, who is the manager of The Bartley House. Devery is a younger manager than McCauley, and is a much more stern, stubborn manager than he is. Devery tends to get carried away with new ideas, and frequently finds himself at odds against Katy. In what turned out to be the series finale, Devery realizes he is in love with Katy, and impulsively proposes to her; Katy kisses him back, but leaves her answer on an unanswered cliffhanger.

Tyrrell and Porter were both series regulars on Private Secretary, playing the roles of Vi Praskins and Peter Sands. Unlike Tyrrell, Porter was not initially carried over to The Ann Sothern Show, but was introduced after a midseason retooling of the cast.

Semi-regulars

 

Ann Sothern and Ernest Truex (1958)

• Ernest Truex as Jason McCauley: Katy's first boss, the manager of The Bartley House. McCauley is a timid, elderly man, who is more focused on keeping the guests of The Bartley House satisfied. In episode twenty-four ("Katy's New Boss"), McCauley is transferred to The Bartley House in Calcutta, India.
• Reta Shaw as Flora McCauley: the wife of Mr. McCauley. Flora is a woman of high standards, who is portrayed as an overbearing, domineering wife who frequently bullies her husband. She is a music lover and patron. She accompanies her husband when he is transferred.
• Jack Mullaney as Johnny Wallace: a bellboy at The Bartley House. Johnny is a college student, who is working at the hotel to pay for his classes. He has an unrequited crush on Katy, who usually ignores it. Mullaney was the only one of the first season semi-regulars to appear in season two, though he is written out after the first couple of season two episodes to be replaced by Woody Hamilton.
• Jacques Scott as Paul Monteney: a room clerk at The Bartley House. He is a suave Frenchman. Though he survived the series' retooling midway through the first season, Scott was written out after the end of the first season.

Recurring

• Jack Wagner as Alfred, a desk clerk at The Bartley House. (seasons 1–2)
• Jesse White as Oscar Pudney, a scheming and dishonest newsstand owner who is the nemesis of Katy and Mr. Devery. White was previously a semi-regular on Private Secretary. (seasons 2–3)
• Jimmy Fields as Richy Gordon, a child prodigy playing the piano, who helps support his widowed mother and three sisters by delivering newspapers. (seasons 2–3)
• Ken Berry as Woody Hamilton, a young bellhop. Berry's role replaced that of Jack Mullaney's character Johnny. (seasons 2–3)
• Louis Nye as Dr. Delbert Gray, a dentist who becomes Olive's boyfriend and eventual husband. (season 3)
• Gladys Hurlbut as Mrs. Gray, Delbert's overbearing mother who dislikes Olive. (season 3)

Notable guest stars

 

Ann Sothern with guest star Barry Gordon (1958)

Some of the notable guests stars of The Ann Sothern Show included:

• Jack Albertson as Mr. Dooley ("The Witness" and "Billy")
• Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo ("The Lucy Story")
• Frances Bavier as Mrs. Wallace ("Johnny Moves Up")
• Constance Bennett as Guinevere Fleming ("Always April")
• Joe E. Brown as Mitchell Carson ("Olive's Dream Man")
• Harry Cheshire as Justice of the Peace ("The Elopment")
• Jackie Coogan as Barney Dunaway ("Surprise, Surprise" and "Wedding March")
• Gladys Cooper as Dutchess ("The Countess of Bartley")
• Jeff Donnell as Helen ("The Girls")
• Kathleen Freeman as Miss Bennett ("A New Lease on Life")
• Eva Gabor as Elsa Kotchka ("The Royal Visit")
• Barry Gordon as Donald ("Governess for a Day" and "The Thanksgiving Show")
• Don Grady as Eddie ("The Thanksgiving Show")
• Joel Grey as Billy Wilton ("Billy")
• Charles Herbert as David Travis ("Slightly Married")
• Marty Ingels as Erskine Wild ("Always April")
• Van Johnson as Terry Tyler, a television writer who does research at The Bartley ("Loving Arms")
• Cecil Kellaway as Sean O'Connor, Katy's dishonest uncle ("Hurrah for the Irish" and "The O'Connors Stick Together")
• Guy Madison ("Katy and the Cowboy")
• Jayne Meadows as Liza Vincent ("Top Executive")
• Sid Melton as Tompkins ("Johnny Moves Up")
• Sal Mineo as Nicky Silvero ("The Sal Mineo Story")
• Howard McNear as Jack Lambert ("A New Lease on Life") and Mr. Bixby ("The Dog Who Came to Dinner" and "A Touch of Larceny")
• Janis Paige as Edith ("The Girls")
• Alice Pearce as Ethel ("Operation Pudney") and Lahona St Cyr ("The Beginning")
• Stefanie Powers as Mary Ann ("Mr. Big Shot")
• Cesar Romero as Bernardo Diaz ("Hasta Luego")
• Olan Soule as Johnson ("Katy's New Boss" and "Katy Goes Through Channels")
• Connie Stevens ("The Bridal Suite")
• Lyle Talbot as Eddie ("Katy's Investment Club")
• Mary Treen as Mary Conway ("One for the Books")
• Lurene Tuttle as Bertha Schyler ("The Widow")
• Estelle Winwood as Mrs. Parker ("One for the Books")

 

Guest star Lucille Ball with Ann Sothern (1959)

Crossover with The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour

The second-season premiere featured a crossover between The Ann Sothern Show and The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour (then titled The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show). In the episode "The Lucy Story", Katy is greeted by her old friend Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball), who has checked into The Bartley House after an argument with Ricky (Desi Arnaz).^[1] Lucy attempts to play matchmaker for Katy and Mr. Devery, but ultimately spreads chaos through her scheme, which backfires on her.

Ball was the only cast member to appear in the episode, with Ricky being mentioned as having gone on vacation with Charlie Snyder; at the time of filming, Arnaz and Ball were on the verge of a divorce. Ball and Sothern had been close friends since the beginning of their careers in the 1930s. In 1957, Sothern had guest starred on the premiere of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ("Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana") as her Private Secretary character, Susie MacNamara, who was also a friend of Lucy Ricardo.

Production

Development

A film actress for many years, Sothern moved to television with the CBS sitcom Private Secretary in 1953. During the series' fifth season, Sothern discovered her business manager had embezzled money from her, and she owed back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service as a result. Following the season's end, Sothern discovered Private Secretary producer Jack Chertok had sold the series rights to Metromedia without her permission and sued him.^[2] Although CBS had renewed the series for a sixth season, Sothern departed the series due to the lawsuit, which was eventually settled out of court. However, she reprised her character of Susie McNamara on the first episode of The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show in November 1957, co-starring with her friend Lucille Ball.

Following the success of the special, and wanting more control over her project, Sothern established her own production company Anso Productions, to develop a new series with Desilu Productions, owned by Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz. Ball and Arnaz enlisted their writers, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, to develop a series for Sothern with producer Arthur Hoffe. Hoffe kept rejecting Schiller and Weiskopf's pitches, before they eventually went to Arnaz directly with the idea to center Sothern as a career woman managing a hotel. The duo also oversaw the first few episodes before returning to the Ball specials.^[3] Sothern enlisted her Private Secretary co-star Ann Tyrrell to co-star with her in her new series, and added Ernest Truex in place of Private Secretary co-star Don Porter. After General Foods agreed to sponsor the first season, CBS picked up The Ann Sothern Show in May 1958.^[4]

Production

 

Guest star Joe E. Brown and Ann Tyrrell (1960)

The series was filmed at Desilu Studios though not in front of a live studio audience like most other Desilu sitcoms of the era. Sothern reportedly did not like to perform comedy in front of an audience, and thus, a laugh track was used throughout the show's run. Some episodes featured a disclaimer during the end credits reading "Audience Reaction Technically Produced".^[5] Sothern and her sister, Bonnie Lake, wrote the series' theme song "Katy".^[6]

The series initially premiered to satisfactory ratings and an earned a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Show. Although Variety described the series as representing "moderate or nervous hits" in February 1959, it was also noted that the series was among the top-rated non-Western series.^[7] However, ratings began to decline and Sothern was reportedly dissatisfied that Ernest Truex's character was garnering more attention. On January 27, 1959, United Press International correspondent William Ewald reported in his column that Truex would depart the series.^[8] A few weeks later, on February 3, Ewald reported that Don Porter, Sothern's former Private Secretary co-star, would replace Truex.^[9] Ratings for the series improved, prompting CBS to renew the series for a second season.^[10]

Jack Mullaney and Jacques Scott were also dropped from the cast at the beginning of the second season, and Private Secretary alum Jesse White joined the series in a recurring role towards the end of the season. The second season also did well enough for CBS to renew the series for a third season.

At the beginning of the third season, CBS moved The Ann Sothern Show from its timeslot on Mondays at 9:30 pm EST (immediately following The Danny Thomas Show) to Thursdays at 9:30 pm EST.^[11] The move put the series in direct competition with the highly popular top 10 hit The Untouchables, and ratings declined as a result. On February 15, 1961, CBS announced that The Ann Sothern Show had been cancelled.^[12]

Attempted spin-offs

During The Ann Sothern Show's third season, two episodes aired which were intended to be spin-offs. The series would have been produced by Sothern's company Anso Productions, but were not picked up by any network.

The first backdoor pilot, "Always April", aired on February 23, 1961, and starred Constance Bennett, John Emery and Susan Silo. In the episode, Bennett portrayed Guinevere Fleming, a former actress who had retired along with her actor husband David Fleming (Emery) to Vermont. Much to their chagrin, their daughter April (Silo) longs to be an actress and runs away from boarding school to the Bartley House. April meets Katy O'Connor, who convinces her to tell her parents of her plans.^[5] The second proposed spin-off episode was "Pandora", which aired on March 16, 1961. The episode featured Pat Carroll as Pandora, a young, slightly eccentric country girl who traveled to Los Angeles on the advice of her mother. Katy O'Connor hires her as a secretary for handsome Hollywood actor Anthony Bardot (Guy Mitchell).^[13]

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired		Rank	Rating
			First aired	Last aired
1	35		October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06)	June 15, 1959 (1959-06-15)	#22	11.87^[14]
2	32		October 5, 1959 (1959-10-05)	May 23, 1960 (1960-05-23)	#24	11.07^[15]
3	26		October 6, 1960 (1960-10-06)	March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30)	—	—

Season 1 (1958–59)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"The Bridal Suite"	Oscar Rudolph	Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf	October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06)
2	2	"Six Wives Plus Two"	Sidney Miller	Bob Ross	October 13, 1958 (1958-10-13)
3	3	"Love Comes to Olive"	Paul Harrison	Phil Davis	October 20, 1958 (1958-10-20)
Olive's infatuation on Paul the desk clerk has caused her to act strange, and worries Katy even more. Katy's attempts to help Paul cause Olive to believe that Katy is after him as well. The two friends and roommates to fight.
4	4	"Governess for a Day"	Unknown	Unknown	October 29, 1958 (1958-10-29)
5	5	"The Masquerade Ball"	Sidney Miller	Bob Ross	November 3, 1958 (1958-11-03)
6	6	"A New Lease on Life"	Sidney Miller	Barbara Avedon & Henry Sharp	November 10, 1958 (1958-11-10)
Katy and Olive celebrate "Roommate Day", the anniversary of their moving in together as roommates. However, the dynamics of their friendship are tested when Johnny reveals that he is writing his psychology paper on Katy's more dominant personality over Olive.
7	7	"The Countess of Bartley"	Paul Harrison	Barbara Avedon & Henry Sharp	November 17, 1958 (1958-11-17)
When a dutchess (Gladys Cooper) stays at the hotel, she attaches herself to Katy - to the point that she interrupts her date at the opera. However, she goes too far when she "appoints" Katy to be engaged to her nephew Count Ferdinand (Alan Marshal). Katy is determined to break the engagement - even if it means taking Ferdinand for a night out on the town.
8	8	"The Thanksgiving Show"	Unknown	Unknown	November 24, 1958 (1958-11-24)
9	9	"Say It with Music"	Sidney Miller	Phil Davis	December 1, 1958 (1958-12-01)
10	10	"The Big Gamble"	Paul Harrison	Dick Chevillat & Ray Singer	December 8, 1958 (1958-12-08)
While Mr. McCauley is away to Miami on a business trip, Katy rents out his room to a guest (Sylvia Field) when the hotel is full. However, she finds her choice has threatened the reputation of the hotel when the guest runs illegal gambling games out of the room.
11	11	"It's a Dog Life"	Unknown	Unknown	December 15, 1958 (1958-12-15)
12	12	"The Boss's Son"	Sidney Miller	Mel Diamond & John Kohn	December 22, 1958 (1958-12-22)
When the son of The Bartley House's owner visits, the entire staff is on edge. Katy manages to charm the playboy, but is uninterested. When he decides to settle down and stay around the hotel for awhile, she has to fend off his increasing advances. However, her schemes to get him disinterested backfire – and result in a short-lived engagement to him.
13	13	"East Side Story"	Abby Berlin	Phil Davis	December 29, 1958 (1958-12-29)
14	14	"Johnny Moves Up"	Unknown	Unknown	January 5, 1959 (1959-01-05)
15	15	"Give It Back to the Indians"	Unknown	Unknown	January 12, 1959 (1959-01-12)
16	16	"Three Loves Has Katy"	Sidney Miller	Tom Seller	January 19, 1959 (1959-01-19)
17	17	"Five Year Itch"	Abby Berlin	Mel Diamond & John Kohn	January 26, 1959 (1959-01-26)
18	18	"Hurrah for the Irish"	James V. Kern	Phil Davis	February 2, 1959 (1959-02-02)
19	19	"The O'Connors Stick Together"	James V. Kern	Phil Davis	February 9, 1959 (1959-02-09)
20	20	"The High Cost of Living"	Unknown	Unknown	February 16, 1959 (1959-02-16)
21	21	"Two on the Aisle"	Unknown	Unknown	February 23, 1959 (1959-02-23)
22	22	"The Stand-In Heiress"	Abby Berlin	Phil Davis and Prescott Chaplin	March 2, 1959 (1959-03-02)
23	23	"Katy's Big Surprise"	Unknown	Unknown	March 9, 1959 (1959-03-09)
24	24	"Katy's New Boss"	Abby Berlin	Unknown	March 16, 1959 (1959-03-16)
25	25	"The Road to Health"	Unknown	Unknown	March 23, 1959 (1959-03-23)
26	26	"The Engagement Ring"	Abby Berlin	Phil Davis	March 30, 1959 (1959-03-30)
27	27	"Katy's Investment Club"	Abby Berlin	Mel Diamond & John Kohn	April 13, 1959 (1959-04-13)
28	28	"The Square Peg"	James V. Kern	Phil Davis	April 20, 1959 (1959-04-20)
When Mr. Devery orders all employees to take an "aptitude test" to determine they are fit for employment at the Bartley House, the employees go into a panic. However, Katy is forced to fire a Hungarian waiter who is popular among the employees and guests. When she discovers Mr. Devery himself failed the test, Katy battles against him to reinstate the waiter — and for himself to stay at the Bartley.
29	29	"Geisha Girl"	Abby Berlin	Louella MacFarlane & Arthur Phillips	April 27, 1959 (1959-04-27)
When Katy struggles to juggle her regular duties on top of Mr. Devery's meaningless chores, she decides to find him a servant. However, the only one qualified enough to do it (i.e. in the pay range) is the cousin of a Japanese flower shop owner, who turns out to the surprise of Katy and Mr. Devery to be a Geisha named Michiko. Katy soon becomes jealous when Mr. Devery begins giving her duties to Michiko, and schemes to get Mr. Devery to let go Michiko.
30	30	"The Ugly Bonnet"	Unknown	Phil Davis	May 4, 1959 (1959-05-04)
31	31	"The Raise"	Unknown	Unknown	May 11, 1959 (1959-05-11)
32	32	"Springtime for Katy"	Abby Berlin	Arthur Phillips & Leo Solomon	May 18, 1959 (1959-05-18)
Mad after being called "one of the boys" by Mr. Devery, Katy attempts to make him see her as a woman by being seen with Randy Rand (Patrick O'Neal), an actor with a playboy reputation who is staying at the hotel. But the issue gets out of hand when Randy genuinely does like her, and Olive takes things a little too far, causing Mr. Devery to believe they're getting married.
33	33	"Katy Goes Through Channels"	Unknown	Unknown	June 1, 1959 (1959-06-01)
34	34	"A Promotion for Johnny"	Unknown	Phil Davis	June 8, 1959 (1959-06-08)
35	35	"Baby at the Bartley House"	Unknown	Unknown	June 15, 1959 (1959-06-15)

Season 2 (1959–60)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
36	1	"The Lucy Story"	James V. Kern	Leonard Gershe	October 5, 1959 (1959-10-05)
Katy's old friend Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) checks into The Bartley House after a fight with Ricky, and is appalled to find Katy happy with her life unmarried. Lucy attempts to make Katy jealous by creating an affair with Mr. Devery. After overhearing Katy insult him behind his back, Mr. Devery begins taking the affair seriously, and brings Katy and Lucy to try and out scheme each other.
37	2	"Katy and the Cowboy"	Unknown	Terry Ryan and Robert Van Scoyk	October 12, 1959 (1959-10-12)
38	3	"Katy and Olive's Nervous Break-up"	Unknown	Unknown	October 19, 1959 (1959-10-19)
39	4	"Domestic Katy"	Abby Berlin	Unknown	October 26, 1959 (1959-10-26)
40	5	"The Sal Mineo Story"	Unknown	Unknown	November 2, 1959 (1959-11-02)
41	6	"The Big Pay-Off"	Abby Berlin	Barbara Avedon & Henry Sharp	November 16, 1959 (1959-11-16)
42	7	"Old Buddy Boy"	James V. Kern	Story by : George O'Hanlon Teleplay by : Bill Manhoff & George O'Hanlon	November 23, 1959 (1959-11-23)
43	8	"Queen for a Night"	Unknown	Unknown	November 30, 1959 (1959-11-30)
44	9	"Katy and the New Girl"	Unknown	Terry Ryan and Robert Van Scoyk	December 7, 1959 (1959-12-07)
45	10	"The Tender Trap"	Unknown	Terry Ryan and Robert Van Scoyk	December 14, 1959 (1959-12-14)
46	11	"Top Executive"	Unknown	Unknown	December 21, 1959 (1959-12-21)
47	12	"Katy Mismanages"	Unknown	Unknown	December 28, 1959 (1959-12-28)
48	13	"The Woman Behind the Throne"	Unknown	Unknown	January 4, 1960 (1960-01-04)
49	14	"Slightly Married"	James V. Kern	Richard De Roy & Danny Simon	January 11, 1960 (1960-01-11)
When a young boy (Charles Herbert) comes to the hotel alone, Katy and Mr. Devery argue whether to report him to the police. Katy learns that he is a Canadian boy who was to meet his American adoptive parents, but they never showed up. While the authorities search for the parents, Katy lies and tells the social worker that she is married so she and Olive can watch him. Things get complicated when both the social worker and Mr. Devery unexpectedly visit.
50	15	"Devery's White Elephant"	Abby Berlin	Unknown	January 18, 1960 (1960-01-18)
51	16	"Katy's New Career"	Unknown	Unknown	January 25, 1960 (1960-01-25)
52	17	"The Witness"	Unknown	Unknown	February 1, 1960 (1960-02-01)
53	18	"The Dog Who Came to Dinner"	Unknown	Unknown	February 8, 1960 (1960-02-08)
54	19	"Olive's Dream Man"	James V. Kern	Barbara Avedon & Henry Sharp	February 15, 1960 (1960-02-15)
55	20	"A Touch of Larceny"	James V. Kern	Bill Manhoff	February 22, 1960 (1960-02-22)
56	21	"Common Cents"	James V. Kern	Unknown	February 29, 1960 (1960-02-29)
57	22	"The Freeloader"	Abby Berlin	Bob Fisher & Alan Lipscott	March 14, 1960 (1960-03-14)
58	23	"Billy"	James V. Kern	Irving Elinson and Fred S. Fox	March 21, 1960 (1960-03-21)
59	24	"I Can Get It for You Wholesale"	Unknown	Unknown	March 28, 1960 (1960-03-28)
60	25	"Katy Meets Danger"	Abby Berlin	George O'Hanlon	April 4, 1960 (1960-04-04)
61	26	"The Roman Hatter"	Abby Berlin	Leonard Gershe & Ashe King	April 11, 1960 (1960-04-11)
62	27	"Surprise, Surprise"	James V. Kern	George O'Hanlon	April 18, 1960 (1960-04-18)
63	28	"One for the Books"	James V. Kern	Arthur Hoffe & Ashe King	April 25, 1960 (1960-04-25)
64	29	"Doubting Devery"	Abby Berlin	Nancy Clark	May 2, 1960 (1960-05-02)
65	30	"Boy Genius"	Unknown	Unknown	May 9, 1960 (1960-05-09)
66	31	"Wedding March"	Unknown	Unknown	May 16, 1960 (1960-05-16)
67	32	"Angels"	James V. Kern	Nancy Clark	May 23, 1960 (1960-05-23)

Season 3 (1960–61)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
68	1	"A Tooth for a Tooth"	James V. Kern	Leonard Gershe	October 6, 1960 (1960-10-06)
Olive's fear of the dentist has kept her from going to the dentist for years, even when she develops a toothache. Katy forces her to go to Dr. Delbert Gray (Louis Nye), and Olive soon begins a relationship with Gray. However, Katy soon finds herself defending the blossoming romance from Gray's mother, who doesn't want her son leaving her anytime soon.
69	2	"Loving Arms"	James V. Kern	Robert Van Scoyk	October 13, 1960 (1960-10-13)
Mr. Devery is furious about a new television program called Loving Arms, which he believes portrays the hotel business in a bad manner. When Katy lets the show's writer Terry Tyler (Van Johnson) do his research at the Bartley House for a retooled show, it makes Devery so furious, he refuses to speak her. To get Devery to change his mind, Katy attempts to have Devery watch the show — but first, his television set needs to be fixed. Sothern's daughter Tisha Sterling cameos, as does Sothern as herself.
70	3	"The Girls"	Richard Whorf	Bob Fisher & Alan Lipscott	October 20, 1960 (1960-10-20)
71	4	"The Pinch-Hitter"	James V. Kern	R.S. Allen	October 27, 1960 (1960-10-27)
72	5	"Olive in Love"	Unknown	Leonard Gershe and Robert Van Scoyk	November 3, 1960 (1960-11-03)
73	6	"Go-Go Gordon"	Richard Whorf	Robert Van Scoyk and Art Baer & Ben Joelson	November 10, 1960 (1960-11-10)
74	7	"Hasta Luego"	Richard Whorf	Leonard Gershe	November 17, 1960 (1960-11-17)
75	8	"The Proposal"	James V. Kern	Barry E. Blitzer	November 24, 1960 (1960-11-24)
76	9	"Secret Admirer"	Richard Whorf	George O'Hanlon & Robert Van Scoyk	December 1, 1960 (1960-12-01)
77	10	"Option Time"	James V. Kern	Robert Van Scoyk and Nancy Clark	December 8, 1960 (1960-12-08)
78	11	"Setting the Date"	James V. Kern	Leonard Gershe	December 15, 1960 (1960-12-15)
79	12	"The Other Woman"	Unknown	Unknown	December 22, 1960 (1960-12-22)
80	13	"The Elopement"	Richard Whorf	Barry E. Blitzer & Robert Van Scoyk	December 29, 1960 (1960-12-29)
81	14	"Operation Pudney"	Richard Whorf	Bob Barbash	January 5, 1961 (1961-01-05)
82	15	"Mr. Big Shot"	Unknown	Unknown	January 19, 1961 (1961-01-19)
83	16	"Toujour L'amour"	Richard Whorf	Leonard Gershe	January 26, 1961 (1961-01-26)
84	17	"The Royal Visit"	James V. Kern	Bob Fisher & Alan Lipscott	February 2, 1961 (1961-02-02)
A princess (Eva Gabor) stays at the Bartley, immediately enchanting Mr. Devery. When the princess asks that Mr. Devery let her keep her dog despite the "No Dogs Allowed" policy, he is only happy to let her. But Katy is not so happy, since she is the one who has to deal with the other guests, who are upset since they don't get special privileges.
85	18	"Just Friends"	Unknown	Robert Van Scoyk, Arthur Phillips, and Ashe King	February 9, 1961 (1961-02-09)
86	19	"The Widow"	James V. Kern	Bob Barbash	February 16, 1961 (1961-02-16)
87	20	"Always April"	Richard Whorf	Robert Van Scoyk	February 23, 1961 (1961-02-23)
A young girl named April runs away from her fancy boarding school, and comes to the Bartley to pursue her dreams of becoming a Broadway actress like her mother (Constance Bennett). And unfortunately, Katy and Mr. Devery are the ones left dealing with girl's parents, former actors who retired to a Vermont farm years ago — and don't want their daughter anywhere near show business.
88	21	"Two's Company"	Richard Whorf	Story by : Danny Simon and Jack Roche Teleplay by : Danny Simon	March 2, 1961 (1961-03-02)
89	22	"Vamp 'Til Ready"	James V. Kern	R.S. Allen	March 9, 1961 (1961-03-09)
90	23	"Pandora"	Richard Whorf	Benedict Freeman & John Fenton Murray	March 16, 1961 (1961-03-16)
91	24	"The Wedding"	Richard Whorf	Leonard Gershe & Robert Van Scoyk	March 23, 1961 (1961-03-23)
92	25	"The Beginning"	Richard Whorf	Robert Van Scoyk	March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30)
After Olive and Delbert return from their honeymoon with happy stories and photos, the pair try to pair a stubborn Katy with Mr. Devery. However, the couple's separate meddling leads to a misunderstanding that causes Katy to believe Mr. Devery plans to replace her, and she quits to leave and "find herself in Rio de Janeiro". Mr. Devery catches her on her flight and confesses his love for her, which she returns by kissing him.
93	26	"The Invitation"	Richard Whorf	Unknown	September 4, 1961 (1961-09-04)^[4]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
1959	Emmy Award	Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series	Ann Sothern	Nominated
1959	Golden Globe Award	Best TV Show	The Ann Sothern Show	Won

Legacy

While Sothern was known for bringing strong women to screen with Maisie Ravier and Private Secretary, the character of Katy O'Connor was an unusual character in her time. Unlike Susie McNamara in Private Secretary, and other working women of the era, O'Connor held a position of authority in a mostly male-dominated profession. She also was the supervisor of many male staff members. Her position allowed the series to explore the issues women faced in the work force. As such, Katy O'Connor can be seen as a precursor to other working women, such as Mary Richards of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.^[16]

Sponsors and syndication

During its run, The Ann Sothern Show was also sponsored by General Foods Corporation (Tang, Maxwell House coffee), Johnson Wax (Glo-Coat and Pledge), and Post Cereals. Sothern and her cast mates would often appear in commercials for the sponsors' products at the end of the episode. Sothern would then sign off with, "Well, goodnight everybody. Stay happy!".^[5]

The series was previously distributed by Desilu Productions, United Artists Television, and Paramount Television. In a unique situation, Sothern kept the rights to The Ann Sothern Show, even after Desilu was sold to Paramount. In 1980, Sothern and Paramount sold The Ann Sothern Show to Metromedia Producers Corporation.^[17]
20th Television currently holds the rights to the series.^[18]

Cable channel Nick at Nite aired The Ann Sothern Show from 1987 to 1990.

Notes

1.^ Ernest Truex is a main cast member for the first twenty-three episodes. Don Porter joined the cast in the twenty-fourth episode of the first season ("Katy's New Boss").

2.^ "The Invitation" remained unaired in the series run, but premiered in syndication in 1961.

References

1. (Spangler 2003, p. 58)
2. Sterling, Tisha (2016). Why I Failed Charm School: A Memoir by Tisha Sterling. Bookstand Publishing.
3. "Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf Interview Part 4 of 8 - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG". YouTube. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
4. "Scoreboard On TV Fall Plans". Billboard. May 26, 1958. p. 10. ISSN 0006-2510.
5. (Tucker 2007, p. 135)
6. (Schultz 1990, p. 11)
7. Rosen, George (February 11, 1959). "'Rifleman' Lone Entry in Top 10". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
8. William, Ewald (January 27, 1959). "The Channel Swim". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
9. Ewald, William (February 3, 1959). "The Channel Swim". Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
10. (Tucker 2007, p. 136)
11. "New TV Show Set For Ann Sothern". Star-News. July 28, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
12. "Ann Sothern As CBS-TV Casualty". Variety. February 15, 1961. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
13. (Tucker 2007, p. 147)
14. "TV Ratings: 1958-1959". Classic TV Guide. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
15. "TV Ratings: 1959-1960". Classic TV Guide. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
16. Miller, Bill (February 4, 2017). "Opinion | Don't forget those who came before Mary Tyler Moore". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
17. US Copyright Office Document No V1770P297 1980-02-13
18. "WebVoyage".

Sources

• Schultz, Margie (1990). Ann Sothern: A Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-26463-5.
• Spangler, Lynn C. (2003). Television Women from Lucy to Friends: Fifty Years of Sitcoms and Feminism. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-28781-3.
• Tucker, David C. (2007). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-42900-4.

External links

• The Ann Sothern Show at IMDb  
• Sitcoms Online: The Ann Sothern Show
• The Ann Sothern Show at epguides.com