| Private Benjamin | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Directed by | William Asher Charles Beaumont Gabrielle Beaumont Alan Bergmann Bruce Bilson Alan Cooke William P. D'Angelo Marc Daniels Herbert Kenwith Leslie H. Martinson Tony Mordente Howard Morris Alan Myerson Bob Sweeney |
| Starring | Lorna Patterson Eileen Brennan Wendie Jo Sperber Hal Williams |
| Theme music composer | Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Davis |
| Opening theme | "Judy's Theme" |
| Composer(s) | Barry De Vorzon Dennis McCarthy George Tipton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nick Arnold Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Davis Leonard B. Kaufman Don Reo |
| Producer(s) | Judith D. Allison Hank Bradford Bob Illes Arnold Kane Linda Morris Vic Rauseo Elliot Schick James R. Stein |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | April 6, 1981 – January 10, 1983 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Private Benjamin |
Private Benjamin is an American sitcom based on the movie of the same name. The show aired on CBS from April 6, 1981, to January 10, 1983. Eileen Brennan, who reprised her role from the film, won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for her work on the series.
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Like the movie, the series is about a spoiled young socialite named Judy Benjamin adjusting to life in the army. She's popular among her fellow enlisted personnel, but not with her superiors. Most of the humor in the series is derived from Benjamin and her friends' attempts to evade the watchful eye of their sergeant.
Although some of the actors from the film play the same characters on the TV show, (notably Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams, in their roles of Captain Doreen Lewis and Sgt. L.C. Ross respectively) the title role is acted by Lorna Patterson instead of Goldie Hawn.
While the series was initially shot on film and featured many outdoor scenes, later episodes were more like a standard sitcom, shot on video on soundstages and complete with a laugh track.
In the fall of 1982, Robert Mandan joined the cast as Colonel Lawrence Fielding, the pompous head of the camp. In late 1982, Eileen Brennan was struck by a car and Polly Holliday was brought in as Captain Amanda Allen, intended as a temporary replacement for Brennan's Captain Lewis character, but the show was cancelled shortly thereafter.
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Lorna Patterson | Pvt. Judy Benjamin |
| Eileen Brennan | Cpt. Doreen Lewis |
| Joyce Little | Pvt. Rayleen White |
| Robert Mandan | Col. Lawrence Fielding |
| Ann Ryerson | Pvt. Carol Winter |
| Wendie Jo Sperber | Pvt. Stacy Kouchalakas |
| Lucy Webb | Pvt. Luanne Hubble |
| Hal Williams | Sgt. Ted Ross |
| Lisa Raggio | Pvt. Gianelli |
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin to the Rescue | April 6, 1981 |
| 2 | Jungle Swamp Survival | April 13, 1981 |
| 3 | Party | April 20, 1981 |
| 4 | Captain's Helper | April 27, 1981 |
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Judy's in the Driver's Seat | October 12, 1981 |
| 6 | Judy Got Her Gun | October 19, 1981 |
| 7 | So Long, Sergeant Ross | October 26, 1981 |
| 8 | Give Me Liberty (Part 1) | November 2, 1981 |
| 9 | Give Me Liberty (Part 2) | November 9, 1981 |
| 10 | For the Love of Judy | November 16, 1981 |
| 11 | Bye, Bye Benjamin | November 30, 1981 |
| 12 | Undercover Judy | December 7, 1981 |
| 13 | Gone With the Jeep | December 21, 1981 |
| 14 | A Bath for Benjamin | December 28, 1981 |
| 15 | Man on the Floor | January 4, 1982 |
| 16 | Not for Men Only | January 18, 1982 |
| 17 | Moments to Remember | January 25, 1982 |
| 18 | I Wonder Who's Blackballing Her Now? | February 1, 1982 |
| 19 | Are You Sure Mike Wallace Started Like This? | February 8, 1982 |
| 20 | Beauty and the Brass | February 15, 1982 |
| 21 | When It's Hot, It's Hot | March 1, 1982 |
| 22 | Reds and Blues | March 15, 1982 |
| 23 | Profiles in Courage | April 5, 1982 |
| 24 | S*M*A*S*H | April 12, 1982 |
| 25 | Me, Me, Me | April 19, 1982 |
| 26 | Real World | April 26, 1982 |
| No. | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Astro-Chimp | September 27, 1982 |
| 28 | Judy's Army | October 4, 1982 |
| 29 | You Ought to be in Pictures | October 11, 1982 |
| 30 | Ross Versus the Robot | October 18, 1982 |
| 31 | Chariots of Ire | November 1, 1982 |
| 32 | The Triangle | November 8, 1982 |
| 33 | Fielding's Crisis | November 15, 1982 |
| 34 | Be All That You Can Be | November 22, 1982 |
| 35 | The Talent Show | November 29, 1982 |
| 36 | Tank's Soldier | December 13, 1982 |
| 37 | Sacred Land | December 27, 1982 |
| 38 | Take My Mother, Please | January 3, 1983 |
| 39 | Judy's Cousin | January 10, 1983 |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Emmy Award | Won | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan |
| 1982 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1983 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1982 | Golden Globe Award | Nominated | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy |
|
| Won | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Eileen Brennan | ||
| 1983 | Nominated | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Eileen Brennan | |
| 1982 | People's Choice Awards | Won | Favorite New TV Comedy Program |
|