| The Bob Cummings Show | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Love That Bob |
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Paul Henning |
| Directed by | Rod Amateau Bob Cummings Fred DeCordova |
| Starring | Robert Cummings Rosemary DeCamp Ann B. Davis Dwayne Hickman |
| Narrated by | Bill Baldwin (announcer) |
| Theme music composer | Frank Stanton Del Sharbutt Richard Uhl |
| Opening theme | "A Romantic Guy, I" |
| Ending theme | same |
| Composer(s) | Lou Kosloff |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 173 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | George Burns |
| Producer(s) | Paul Henning |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Laurel Productions McCadden Productions Henning Corporation |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC (1955) CBS (1955–1957) NBC (1957–1959) |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | January 2, 1955 – September 15, 1959 |
The Bob Cummings Show (also known as Love That Bob) is an American sitcom starring Robert "Bob" Cummings which was produced from January 2, 1955 to September 15, 1959, and originally sponsored by R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes. The Bob Cummings Show was the first series ever to debut as a midseason replacement.
The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for two full seasons on CBS, and returned to NBC for its final two seasons. The program was later rerun in the daytime hours on ABC and then syndicated under the title Love That Bob.
Contents |
The series stars Cummings as a dashing young Hollywood photographer, Air Force reserve officer, and ladies' man, Bob Collins. The character's interest in aviation and photography mirrored Cummings' own in real life, with his character's name the same as the role he played in the film You Came Along (1945). The series also stars Rosemary DeCamp.
The Bob Cummings Show was important in the development of several careers. Its creator, producer and head writer was Paul Henning, later producer of major 1960s hits such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres. Regulars in the show included Ann B. Davis, who twice won Emmy Awards for playing Schultzy. Henning apparently remembered cast members Nancy Kulp and Joi Lansing favorably, as both had roles on The Beverly Hillbillies, Miss Kulp as Miss Hathaway (secretary to banker Milburn Drysdale – a character similar to the one she appeared as (Pamela Livingston) on Cummings' show) – and Miss Lansing as Gladys.
Perhaps the biggest career boost was received by young Dwayne Hickman, a student at Loyola University in Los Angeles, who appeared as Bob's nephew and became a favorite with young women in the audience. After The Bob Cummings Show ended, he was cast as the lead in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
This program represented the height of Cummings' television career. Although he made many further appearances as a guest star and again starred in two other series in the early 1960s, The (New) Bob Cummings Show and My Living Doll, he never again achieved the success on television that he had with The Bob Cummings Show.
Reruns with the title Love that Bob appeared on the CBN Cable Network in the mid-1980s, and the show remains in syndication on smaller stations and networks today.