Joe and Sons
| Joe and Sons | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Peter Baldwin |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | David Shire |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Douglas S. Cramer |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 30 min |
| Production company(s) | Kukoff-Harris Partnership |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | April 18, 1975 – January 13, 1976 |
Joe and Sons is a short-lived television series broadcast on CBS from September 9, 1975 to January 13, 1976. It has 14 episodes, including the pilot.
Premise
The show focused on an Italian-American widower Joe Vitale who lived in Hoboken, New Jersey with his two teenage sons, Mark and Nick. Gus Duzik worked with him as a typical middle-class family worker at the Hoboken Sheet and Tube Company. Estelle was a cocktail waitress who lived in the apartment across the hall who helped Joe with his sons and liked to cook an occasional meal for the family.
Cast
- Joe Vitale - Richard S. Castellano
- Mark Vitale - Barry Miller
- Nick Vitale - Jimmy Baio
- Gus Duzik - Jerry Stiller
- Estelle - Bobbi Jordan
- Aunt Josephine - Florence Stanley
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Joe and Sons" | 18 April 1975 |
| Series pilot: Joe is worried about the mysterious behavior of his older son, who has been coming home late and falling asleep in class. | ||
| 1 | "Mark's Doubt" | 9 September 1975 |
| Blue collar worker Joe Vitale, a widower, has his hands full with two growing sons and an odd assortment of concerned friends, family and neighbors. A theological crisis begins the season, as the older boy declares his doubt in the existence of God. | ||
| 2 | "Nick's Book" | 23 September 1975 |
| Joe is enraged when he discovers that his 12-year-old son's biology book contains an explicit section on sex education. | ||
| 3 | "Joe's Date" | 30 September 1975 |
| The promise of romance has Joe in a fever of anticipation as he prepares for a reunion with the bombshell of his high school class. | ||
| 4 | "Carmela" | 7 October 1975 |
| Joe worries when he learns that Mark is dating the daughter of wild Flora (Dimitra Arliss), a woman who had a dubious reputation in high school. | ||
| 5 | "Joe's Cruise" | 14 October 1975 |
| During a pandemonium-filled morning, Joe must choose between attending an annual boat ride with Gus or chauffeuring his kids around the city. | ||
| 6 | "A Real Lady" | 21 October 1975 |
| Josephine plays matchmaker, arranging a blind date between Joe and a widow who inherited a garbage-truck company from her husband. | ||
| 7 | "Uncle Charlie's Problem" | 4 November 1975 |
| Joe willingly agrees to take Uncle Charlie after the sprightly old codger runs away from a retirement home. | ||
| 8 | "The Desperate Minutes" | 21 November 1975 |
| Gus is suing the city of Hoboken for $2,000,000 for "bodily injuries and mental anguish" he suffered while riding a bus that collided with a car. | ||
| 9 | "Clothes Don't Necessarily Make the Man" | 2 December 1975 |
| Nick claims to be studying ballet for cultural enrichment, but his Aunt Josephine is beginning to worry about her nephew's masculinity. | ||
| 10 | "Pot Luck" | 16 December 1975 |
| A house plant left by Mark's long-haired friend is making Joe nervous; he's sure it's marijuana. | ||
| 11 | "Nick's Problem" | 23 December 1975 |
| Nick, who has taken great pains to hide his bed-wetting from the others, finds himself the object of much concern when his secret is discovered. | ||
| 12 | "Thou Shalt Steal" | 6 January 1976 |
| Gus fears for his life after running out of a crap game without paying up his losses. | ||
| 13 | "Jimmy Flynn's Wake" | 13 January 1976 |
| Joe is trapped into holding a wake at his house for Gus's lately departed friend even though he never even knew the guy. | ||