The Sunset de Ville is an apartment complex at 4820 Highland in Los Angeles that is owned by George Burns, a former vaudeville, movie, radio and television star turned landlord.
George lives in Apartment 104 and is the only one who is aware of the viewing audience. He speaks directly to them, relates monologues and sings whenever the occasion allows (much as he did on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show).
George practices singing five or six hours a day – just in case vaudeville ever made a comeback. He was originally just a tenant in the complex and had to buy the building in order to sing: “I have it in the tenants’ leases that they cannot evict the landlord”.
George’s favourite tenants are Wendy (Connie Stevens) and Jeff (Ron Harper) Conway, a married couple who live in Apartment 217.
Wendy is an airline stewardess and Jeff is a pilot for TGA (Trans Globe Airlines). When Wendy was first assigned to his flight she spent 20 minutes trying to fasten his seat belt before he could explain he was the pilot.
“Having Wendy help you”, George says, “is like being lost in the desert for four days and then having someone give you a glass of sand”.
Wendy and Jeff have been married for one year when the series begins. Wendy is blonde, beautiful and totally scatterbrained.
She celebrates everything – such as the day she met Jeff, the day she first put sugar in Jeff’s coffee, and March 23, “the day nothing happened”.
Living across the hall from the Conways in Apartment 219 is Danny Adams (James T. Callahan), Jeff’s co-pilot.
Danny is a ladies’ man and can’t go 24 hours without a woman. He has a little black book – and a red one called ‘The Red Star Edition’.
The kindly but befuddled Mr Bundy (J. Pat O’Malley) is George’s janitor who lives in the basement; Bob Hunter (playing himself) is George’s piano player.
A young Raquel Welch guest-starred as Lila in the episode titled “Wendy Sails in the Sunset.”
The ABC series aired on Monday nights at 9:00 pm where it faced stiff competition from The Lucy Show on CBS and The Andy Williams Show on NBC. Sponsors included Ed Producto.
George Burns
Himself
Wendy Conway
Connie Stevens
Jeff Conway
Ron Harper
Danny Adams
James T. Callahan
Mr Bundy
J. Pat O’Malley Bob Hunter Himself Catherine
Robyn Grace Laura
Erin O’Donnell Mr Norton
Bartlett Robinson Mrs Norton
Jane Moran Aunt Harriet
Sheila Bromley
