The Decorator (TV pilot)

The Decorator is a 1965 television sitcom pilot produced by Aaron Spelling. It stars Academy Award-winning actress Bette Davis as an interior decorator.

History

The pilot was not greenlit and was never broadcast. Davis was upset at the pilot's not selling, Davis biographer Ed Sikov quoting Mart Crowley about the pilot: "She was very disappointed that The Decorator didn't go. No, not disappointed—hurt. Very hurt." ^[1]

Plot

Liz (Davis) is an interior decorator whose career is hitting the rocks, partly because of her own careless behavior—she sleeps till noon and is terribly picky in choosing her clients, rendering her financially broke. Liz gets well-deserved knocks from her sarcastic assistant, Viola (Mary Wickes), who arranges a meeting for Liz with Judge Connors (Ed Begley), a wealthy man from Oklahoma. Liz accepts his offer, and she immediately moves in his house and begins to redecorate it.

The Decorator was to be a new kind of sitcom. With Spelling's backing, the series was to have a different guest star each week to act as Davis' client.

Cast

• Bette Davis as Liz
• Mary Wickes as Viola
• Ed Begley as Judge Connors

Availability

The Decorator was not sold to a network, and therefore it has never been made officially available. Recently, however, the entire pilot has appeared (in three parts) on YouTube.

References