Charlie Farrell Show, The

1 9 5 6 (USA)
12 x 30 minute episodes

Charlie Farrell had previously portrayed Vern Albright, Gale Storm’s dad, on My Little Margie.

On The Charlie Farrell Show – which debuted on CBS on 2 July 1956 – Charlie portrayed himself and the goings-on were semiautobiographical, with scripts based upon real events.

Both on the show and in real life, Charlie owned and managed the Racquet Club on Racquet Club Drive in Palm Springs, California. It was also noted in several episodes that he was a retired film star.

A couple of fictional members of his family were employed at the Racquet Club: Charles Winninger played Charlie’s hard-working dad and young Jeff Silver played Charlie’s nephew, Rodney, who was always attempting to get a raise.

Other characters were Charlie’s girlfriend Doris Mayfield (Noreen Nash and then Anna Lee); housekeeper Mrs Papernow (Kathryn Card); club director Sherman Hall (Richard Deacon), and the very French head chef Pierre (Leon Askin).

This show served as a summer replacement for I Love Lucy in 1956.

For a summer series consisting of only 12 episodes (the final episode aired on 24 September 1956), it had an impressive life in reruns. The show was seen on NBC primetime during the summer of 1957 and again on CBS primetime during the summer of 1960.

Charlie Farrell
Charles Farrell
Doris Mayfield
Noreen Nash
Anna Lee
Dad Farrell
Charles Winninger
Mrs Papernow
Kathryn Card
Rodney 
Jeffrey Silver
Sherman Hall
Richard Deacon
Pierre 
Leon Askin