classic tv show

This show is from Season 1, Episode 36, 'Talent Scout', 6/17/1953.
Thank you Robin_1990 for sharing.

I Married Joan announced itself as "America's favorite comedy show, starring America's queen of comedy, Joan Davis, as Mrs. Joan Stevens", it was based on the fictional life of Judge Bradley Stevens and his whacky wife Joan, "early episodes opened with Judge Stevens in the courtroom relating to the parties involved some similar situation he had endured with his wife" with her usual shenanigans (TV.com). The show was in the same vein as the situational comedy I Love Lucy, both shows were based on quirky and unconventionally beautiful women of the 1950s that got themselves into a sticky situation but resolved it by the end with the help of their husbands (Crazyabouttv.com). This episode in particular, "Talent Scout", begins with the judge conversing with his partner about a swindling "talent seeking" duo who prey on gullible housewives, of course unsuspecting Joan is approached and buys into their kind words and the judge devises a plan to catch the criminals by giving her marked bills and letting Joan make a fool of herself. Needless to say, Joan finds out her husband's involvement and loses all hope of an acting career, yet she finds solace in her husband's arms while he smiles at his zany wife.
During the 1950s those that were considered "Stars" of the time were considered bombshells, like Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe, but Joan Davis was the exception to the rule and received some backlash from her fellow Americans (Crazyabouttv.com). I Love Lucy was a "...pioneer of the multi-camera set-up, and of the most popular sitcoms ever" which was a game changer in the 1950s for the family sit-com, they even confronted real familial things like pregnancy (splitsider.com); NBC was able to use CBS as an example for their show that aired a year later. It was a new age for comedic actresses and it paved the way for I Married Joan to be well received and moved Joan to stardom in the sitcom era.
I Married Joan began on October 15 of 1952 and was broadcasted by NBC-TV in the 8pm timeslot, it ran for 98 episodes while being produced by Joan Davis and James Bank. The half-hour sitcom was sponsored by General Electric Company and Young and Rubicam was the agency involved with the show. It was filmed at the General Studios, Hollywood by Joan Davis Enterprises and was directed by Philip Rapp, with Philip Tanura as the Director of Photography (Broadcasting Telecasting 16). According to the April 6, 1953 Broadcasting Telecasting Magazine the "domestic comedy continued to provoke laughter...because it deals with a universal idea everyone knows and understands. An audience is encouraged to react favorably to a farcical treatment of a familiar situation such as the one which is the backbone of the series" which explains the success of the sitcom and why it was viable during its years. I Love Lucy was aired on Mondays at 9pm, but I Married Joan's same-night competitor was the popular variety show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, both shows were primetime and attracted similar audiences; the second season surged in ratings, but the third and final season was faced with a new competitor on ABC, Disneyland, and that took them into their final season (The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows). Sadly, "...the show ran three short seasons in first-run production before falling victim to weakening ratings and Joan's personal health problems" (emmytvlegends.org).



(tjz/110)

https://archive.org/details/I_Married_Joan

cited:
"I Married Joan." Crazy About TV. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. .

"I Married Joan." TV.com. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. .

"IN REVIEW: I MARRIED JOAN." ProQuest. Broadcasting Telecasting, 6 Apr. 1953. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. .

"I Married Joan." Archive of American Television. Emmy TV Legends. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. .

Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-present. 9th Ed., Completely Rev. and Updated, Ballantine Books Trade Pbk. ed. New York: Ballantine, 2007. Print.

(tjz/110)

Another great episode! Others can be seen at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoanDavisChannel?feature=mhsn

This is actually a good TV episode. Joan is cute. Way better than that overrated peice of crap known as "The Betty Hutton Show".

I give it 4/5. It's a good sitcom.