The Tammy Grimes Show is an American sitcom starring Broadway actress Tammy Grimes that aired during the 1966–67 season on the ABC network. In an era in American television where even low-rated shows were usually given 13 weeks on the air to find an audience, The Tammy Grimes Show was one of the few primetime series of the era canceled after only four episodes.
Overview Grimes played Tammy Ward, a spendthrift heiress under the financial thumb of her Uncle Simon (Hiram Sherman). The series also stars Dick Sargent (billed as Richard) as Tammy's uptight twin brother Terrance, with whom she works at their Uncle Simon's bank. Maudie Prickett appeared as Tammy's nosy housekeeper.
Reception Upon its September 8, 1966 premiere, the series received generally negative reviews and failed to find an audience. In an unusual move for a major television network at the time, ABC opted to cancel the series after just four episodes. The Tammy Grimes Show is one of the few primetime series of the era that was canceled after one month as major networks, at the time, generally allowed a series to run a full 13 weeks. Starting from October 6, the show was replaced by The Dating Game.
In a 1967 interview, executive producer William Dozier called the series an "organized disaster". He added, "It was the wrong idea for the wrong person at the wrong time. Movies were not for Mary Martin; television was not for Tammy Grimes."
Production notes The Tammy Grimes Show was created by George Axelrod and executive produced by William Dozier. The series was produced by Richard Whorf and Alex Gottlieb, and filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, Los Angeles.
The theme was written by composer John Williams (credited as "Johnny Williams"), with Lionel Newman. Williams also wrote the incidental music, except for the first episode, which was scored by Warren Barker.
Cast Tammy Grimes as Tamantha "Tammy" Ward Hiram Sherman as Uncle Simon Dick Sargent as Terrence Ward
Episode list ABC aired four episodes of the series. The original pilot episode, written by Axelrod (in which Tammy posed as a "Texas millionaire" to apply for the bank's credit card, sparking a spending spree), was never shown; scenes from it were presented during ABC's "fall preview" presentation at their annual affiliate meeting in the summer of 1966. A fifth episode entitled "The Great Charge Account War" was scheduled to air on October 6, 1966, but ABC pulled the episode from its lineup after it canceled the series in late September 1966. Scripts for 11 additional episodes were written, but were never produced.
Episode # Episode title Writer Director Original airdate Synopsis Guest actors 1 "Officer's Mess" Ralph Goodman Don Taylor September 8, 1966 Tammy gets stuck on a naval ship. Henry Jones, Philip Ober 2 "How to Steal a Girl, Even If It's Only Me" Roland Wolpert Don Taylor September 15, 1966 Tammy supposedly gets kidnapped. Jesse White, Paul Mantee, Monroe Arnold, Richard Bakalyan, Damian O'Flynn 3 "Tammy Takes Las Vegas, or Vice Versa" Thomas Knickerbocker & Al Schwartz Don Taylor September 22, 1966 Tammy tries to win a bundle at the casinos. Max Mellinger 4 "Positively Made In Paris" September 29, 1966 In order to keep her from spending money on clothes, Tammy is exiled to a rural hamlet. Philip Coolidge, Maurice Marsac, Harry Harvey Sr., Cherie Fister, Bryan O'Brynne 5 "George Washington Didn't Sleep Here" Jack Raymond, Sid Morse Never aired To help publicize a friend's hotel, Tammy spreads a rumor claiming the "Marchinoness of Mull" is to be an honored guest. 6 "The Great Charge Account War" Bill O'Hallaren Never produced 7 "The Ski's the Limit" Charles Marion, Irving Cummings Never produced 8 "Give Her Back to the Indians" George F. Slavin, Stanley Adams Never produced 9 "How I Saved the Opera, Or Did I?" Harry Winkler, Hannibal Coons Never produced 10 "Send a Rich Girl to Camp This Summer" Gene Thompson Never produced 11 "Tammy Plays Cupid" Stan Dreben, Howard Merrill Never produced 12 "Diamonds Are a Bird's Best Friend" John Barbour, Whitey Mitchell Never produced 13 "Tamantha Nightingale Rides Again" Al Gordon, Hal Goldman Never produced 14 "A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Studio" Bob Reitman, Don Garey Never produced 15 "It's in the Bag, Dad" Never produced 16 "My Twin Sister" George Axelrod Never produced
References
External links
The Tammy Grimes Show at Television Obscurities