The Brian Keith Show

The Brian Keith Show
Also known as The Little People
Genre Sitcom
Starring Brian Keith
Shelley Fabares
Michael Gray
Nancy Kulp
Roger Bowen
Moe Keale
Victoria Young
Theme music composer Jerry Fielding
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 48
Production
Executive producer(s) Garry Marshall
Producer(s) Bruce Johnson
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 22–24 minutes
Production company(s) Miguel Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Audio format Monaural
Original run September 15, 1972 (1972-09-15) – March 29, 1974 (1974-03-29)

The Brian Keith Show (originally titled The Little People) is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974. The series stars Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares.

Contents

Synopsis

Keith plays Dr. Sean Jamison, a pediatrician living running a free clinic for children in Hawaii. Shelley Fabares stars as his daughter who also works as pediatrician alongside her father.[1] The first season supporting cast included Stephen Hague as Alfred Landis and Sean Tyler Hall as Stewart, two neighborhood youngsters. Victoria Young played Nurse Puni. Michael Gray appeared the first season as Ronnie Collins, a student doctor, and Moe Keale played Officer O'Shaughnessy.

In the fall of 1973 with the renaming of the series to The Brian Keith Show, Gray, Hague, and Hall left the cast. Nancy Kulp and Roger Bowen joined the series in the roles of wealthy landlady, Mrs. Millard Gruber, and the allergist, Dr. Spencer Chaffee.[2]

Guest stars included Edward Binns, Victor Buono, Christopher Connelly, Jackie Coogan, Jack Elam, Nina Foch, Dawn Lyn, Pat Morita, Douglas Mossman, Merlin Olsen (as himself), Dick Van Patten, Reta Shaw (as Miss Gormley), Ronnie Schell, Robert Sterling, Dub Taylor, and David Wayne (as Uncle Timothy Jamison).[1]

Production notes

Bruce Johnson was the producer of the series, a Warner Brothers Production was filmed at an estate at the foot of Diamond Head in Honolulu, Hawaii. Several episodes were directed by Earl Bellamy. Some episodes were written by Garry Marshall about the time that he was launching Happy Days on ABC.[1]

In its first season, the series aired on Fridays following the top 10 hit Sanford and Son. It was broadcast at 8:30 p.m. opposite CBS's The Sonny and Cher Show and ABC's The Partridge Family. In the second season, it aired at 9:30 p.m. Friday opposite CBS Friday Night Movies and ABC's short-lived sitcom Adam's Rib.[3] After its cancellation in March 1974, reruns of The Brian Keith Show continued from April 5 to August 30, 1974.

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Brian Keith Show (1973-1974), or The Little People (1972-1973)". Classic Television Archives. http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Stage/2950/US/Comedy/BrianKeithShow_LittlePeople.htm. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  2. ^ Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1997, p. 484
  3. ^ McNeil, Total Television, appendix

External links