Margie (TV series)

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Not to be confused with 1952-1955 CBS and NBC sitcom called My Little Margie starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell.

Margie
Format	sitcom
Starring	Cynthia Pepper Penny Parker Dave Willock Wesley Tackitt Tommy Ivo
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	Black and white
Original run	October 12, 1961 – April 12, 1962
External links
IMDb profile

Margie is a situation comedy starring Cynthia Pepper that was broadcast on ABC from September 1, 1961 to April 12, 1962 in the 9:30 Eastern Thursday time slot.

1 Plot
2 History
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Plot

The character Margie, played by the then 21-year-old Pepper, attends Madison High School and lives with her parents, Harvey Clayton (Dave Willock) and Nora Clayton (Wesley Marie Tackitt). Also in the home are her brother Cornell Clayton, portrayed first by Johnny Bangert and then by Billy Hummert, and her aunt, Phoebe, played in four episodes by Hollis Irving. Margie's best friend, Maybelle Jackson, was played by Penny Parker. Her boyfriends, Haywood Botts and Johnny Green, are played by Tommy Ivo and Richard Gering, respectively.^[1]

In the first episode, "The Vamp", Margie's aunt gives her advice on how to attract boys, much as Maybelle appears to be doing. Other episodes include "County Fair" on October 19, "Margie, the Matchmaker" on November 16, "The Jazz Band" on November 30, "Whatever Mama Wants" on March 15, "Friendship is for Friends" on March 22, "Margie, the Gossip Columnist" on March 29, and the final episode, "The Professional Man" on April 12. In that segment, Margie meets a new boy at the dentist's office and waits for him to ask her to the big dance.^[2]

[edit] History

Margie is unique in that it featured cues from silent movies which remind viewers to "Please pay attention" or "The plot thickens" during critical times. The show features raccoon coats, open-top jalopies, music of the 1920s (see Jazz Age), and references to flappers. Margie was the big break for Cynthia Pepper. Thereafter, Pepper starred as Corporal Midge Riley in Elvis Presley's 1964 film Kissin' Cousins.^[2]

Margie had a favorable time slot, following My Three Sons and preceding The Untouchables. Its direct competition was NBC's comedy Hazel. Margie failed to draw the audience to proceed to a second season.^[3]

Margie replaced Soupy Sales's program in the Thursday time slot on ABC. Years later, Pepper and Sales met and became good friends. Pepper, who graced the cover of TV Guide magazine in December 1961, still makes public appearances but has rarely appeared on television since 1972.^[4]