Inexperienced and desperately in need of money, Harvey Box (Gale Gordon) and his brother Gilmore (Bob Sweeney) pool their resources and purchase a photography studio in San Francisco.
Older brother Harvey was somewhat blustery and overbearing but was a good man at heart whose bark was worse than his bite.
“Gilly” was a shy, naive, and inoffensive soul who seemed to let his older brother run things.
Both of them had girlfriends whose personalities were well matched to their men. The strong-willed Dr Margaret Kleeb (Ann Morriss) was Harvey’s girl and the quiet Marilee Dorf (Nancy Hadley) was with Gilly.
Other regular characters included Marilee’s father, Carl (Oliver Blake); Harvey and Gilly’s retired sea captain father, Sam (Howard McNear); their married sister, Hazel (Mary Lansing) and her husband Lester (Rodney Bell); and Harvey’s bowling chum, Roscoe Blinder (David Orrick).
Stories related their misadventures as they attempted to succeed in the business world.
A running theme in episodes of this show was competition between the Box brothers.
In “Gilly’s Birthday,” Harvey blew off his brother’s birthday party for a championship bowling meet, and in “Little Theater Group,” Harvey was expecting a role in an upcoming local Shakespearean production, but it was Gilmore who got the role of Romeo (Harvey was merely put in charge of painting the scenery).
In “Gilly’s Investment,” Gilmore tried to show the Box family that he had as good a head for business as his brother, Harvey.
However, Gilmore invested in, of all things, a dead whale.
The CBS series debuted on 2 October 1956 and ran until 7 September 1958. It also aired in some regions as The Box Brothers.
Harvey Box
Gale Gordon Gilmore Box
Bob Sweeney Marilee Dorf
Nancy Hadley Carl Dorf
Oliver Blake Dr Margaret Kleeb
Ann Morriss Sam Box
Howard McNear Hazel
Mary Lansing Lester
Rodney Bell Roscoe Blinder
David Orrick Barrington Steele
Robin Hughes Barbara
Barbara Billingsley
