What a Dummy
| What a Dummy | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Situation comedy |
| Directed by |
Scott Redman Jerry Ross |
| Starring |
Annabel Armour Kaye Ballard Stephen Dorff David Doty Janna Michaels Joshua Rudoy |
| Voices of | Loren Freeman |
| Composer(s) | Bill Fulton |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndicated |
| Original run | September 29, 1990 – May 25, 1991 |
What a Dummy is a syndicated television sitcom that lasted for one season in 1990. The premise of the show was that the Brannigan family of Secaucus, New Jersey was getting advice from a talking, thinking ventriloquist’s dummy named Buzz (voiced by Loren Freeman), who had been locked in a trunk for fifty years before being discovered by the family. Kaye Ballard played the family’s next-door neighbor, Mrs. Treva Travalony.
Episode list
| Nº | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "What a Dummy" | September 29, 1990 |
| When Ed Brannigan's great uncle passes away, they discover a steamer trunk full of old props left over from the days when his Uncle Jackie had a traveling ventriloquist show, including Buzz, the dummy. Only this dummy talks and isn't too happy about being left in a trunk for 50 years. | ||
| 2 | "My Hero" | October 6, 1990 |
| After Cory saves Tucker's life, that life then becomes slavery when Tucker must do anything and everything Cory wants. | ||
| 3 | "The Contractor from Hell" | October 13, 1990 |
| In Ed's attempt to save money, Lucky Ernesto is hired to fix a plumbing problem. Unfortunately, this was not a smart move and Ed ends up having to take Lucky to court. | ||
| 4 | "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" | October 20, 1990 |
| In order to attract the eye and affections of a young lady, Tucker takes on the persona of his sensitive brother and tries to act like Cory would act if he were in the same situation. | ||
| 5 | "The Champ" | October 27, 1990 |
| Tucker is suffering from feelings of low self worth, so Ed tries to help by offering him a position at the restaurant while Cory nurses a broken heart. | ||
| 6 | "Good Neighbor Brannigan" | November 3, 1990 |
| Trying to be the nice and friendly neighbors, the Brannigans invite their next door neighbors out to dinner, only to find that they are a couple of strange birds. | ||
| 7 | "Car Wars" | November 10, 1990 |
| Tucker's mom, Polly, covers for him by taking the blame after the young man wrecks his dad's cherry Mustang. | ||
| 8 | "Grandpa Lou" | November 17, 1990 |
| 9 | "What I Did for Love" | November 24, 1990 |
| 10 | "The Substitute" | December 1, 1990 |
| 11 | "Unmarried... with Children" | December 8, 1990 |
| 12 | "Bringing Up Baby" | January 26, 1991 |
| 13 | "Buzz Is Loaded" | February 2, 1991 |
| 14 | "Fear Itself" | February 9, 1991 |
| 15 | "The Babysitter" | February 16, 1991 |
| 16 | "Tucker's on the Air" | February 23, 1991 |
| 17 | "Mr. Grumbacher's Talent Show" | March 2, 1991 |
| 18 | "My Imaginary Friend" | March 9, 1991 |
| 19 | "The Vacation That Never Was" | March 16, 1991 |
| 20 | "Buzz for Sale" | April 27, 1991 |
| 21 | "The Nudge Who Came to Dinner" | May 4, 1991 |
| 22 | "Treasure of the Sierra Secaucus" | May 11, 1991 |
| 23 | "Knock on Wood" | May 18, 1991 |
| 24 | "Toys Aren't Us" | May 25, 1991 |
International airings
The series also aired in Germany, as Der Familienschreck, Spanish countries as Vaya muñeco, and Italy as L’amico di legno.