| The Tony Randall Show | |
|---|---|
From left:Tony Randall, Rachel Roberts, and Barney Martin, 1976. |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Tom Patchett Jay Tarses |
| Written by | Gary David Goldberg Hugh Wilson Ken Levine David Isaacs Patricia Jones Tom Patchett Donald Reiker Jay Tarses Michael Zinberg |
| Directed by | Tony Mordente |
| Starring | Tony Randall Barney Martin Rachel Roberts Allyn Ann McLerie Penny Peyser Hans Conried Devon Scott |
| Composer(s) | Patrick Williams |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tom Patchett Jay Tarses |
| Producer(s) | Hugh Wilson Gary David Goldberg Michael Zinberg |
| Running time | 30 mins. (approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC (1976-1977) CBS (1977-1978) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 23, 1976 – March 25, 1978 |
The Tony Randall Show is an American television sitcom that debuted on September 23, 1976 and aired on ABC during its first season and on CBS for its second and final season.
Contents |
The series starred Tony Randall as Walter Franklin, a middle-aged widowed judge, and took place in Philadelphia. The show followed the reserved Franklin dealing with being a single parent, raising his teenage daughter (Devon Scott) and preteen son (Brad Savage). At times he also had to play surrogate parent to his daffy English housekeeper (Rachel Roberts), whose inedible cooking was a frequent source of humor. At work, Judge Franklin had to contend with his dour and proper secretary, Miss Reubner (Allyn Ann McLerie), and his court reporter, Jack Terwilliger (Barney Martin), as well as presiding over court cases. Actor Zane Lasky played the recurring role of Mario Lanza, a nerdy, overbearing assistant whom Judge Franklin despised, but who kept getting rehired by Miss Reubner. Other recurring roles were played by Michael Keaton (the third film role of his career), Annette O'Toole, and Michael Durrell. In the show's second season, Devon Scott was replaced by Penny Peyser, and Hans Conried joined the cast as Walter's irascible father.
The show was produced by MTM Enterprises and aired for one season on ABC. For its second season, the series moved to CBS where it aired for one more season before being canceled. Writer/producer Gary David Goldberg discusses behind-the-scenes stories in his autobiography, Sit, Ubu, Sit.
The series has been seen in syndication, but was never officially released on VHS or DVD.
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Golden Globes | Nominated | Best TV Actor - Musical/Comedy | Tony Randall |