Norby (TV series) – Wikipedia

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American TV series or program

Norby
Genre Sitcom
Created by David Swift
Starring David Wayne
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Producer David Swift
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 minutes
Original network NBC
Original release January 5 (1955-01-05) –
April 6, 1955 (1955-04-06)

Norby is an American situation comedy series that aired on NBC from January 5 to April 6, 1955.[1] The first television series filmed in color,[2] it was created by David Swift and lasted one season and 13 episodes.

Premise[edit]

Pearson Norby is the vice president in charge of small loans at a small-town bank in Pearl River, New York.[3] At the bank, he works with Mr. Rudge, another vice president and efficiency expert, and Wahleen Johnson, the telephone operator. Some sources claim the bank is run by an unnamed Bank President,[citation needed] while others identify Mrs. Maude Endles as its president.[4] Norby lives in Pearl River with his wife Helen, daughter Diane, and son Hank.[4] Bobo and Maureen live next door to the Norbys.[4]

Production[edit]

Norby was created by writer David Swift. The series was filmed in color, with exterior shots filmed on location in Pearl River, New York.[1] Other filming was done at 20th Century Movietone Studios in New York City, with no laugh track.[5]Eastman Kodak was the sponsor (that company’s first venture into TV sponsorship).[1] Kodak also made the film used for the series.[6] The lack of availability of affiliates for the program’s time slot “was probably the chief factor behind its early cancellation”.[1] Swift was the producer, and he directed some episodes, with Richard Whorf and Rogers Brackett directing others. Writers included George Kirgo, James Lee, Harvey Orkin, David Rayfiel, and Paul West.[5] John Graham and Max Allentuck were associate producers.[7]

Broadcast history[edit]

Norby aired at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout its 13-episode run.[4] It was replaced by Kodak Request Performance, a film series that included plays from Ford Theatre and from Top Plays of 1955.[8]

Critical reception[edit]

Critic Jack Gould, in a review of the first episode of Norby in The New York Times, described the program as being “off to an extremely wobbly start”.[6] He wrote that the show made the title character too much like fathers in other TV situation comedies and that situations in the episode strained plausibility. His most positive comments regarded the quality of the episode’s color, which he said also resulted in an improved picture on black-and-white TV sets.[6]

A review of the same episode in the trade publication Broadcasting said that the program avoided “much of the nonsense that clutters too many of the series’ family contemporaries on TV”.[7] If other episodes followed that trend, the review sais, “viewers are in for solid, warm entertainment”.[7]

Episodes[edit]

Source [9][10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 607. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ Spigel, Lynn; Mann, Denise (1992). Private Screenings: Television and the Female Consumer. U of Minnesota Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-8166-2053-1. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  3. ^ TV Guide. “Norby Cast and Details”. TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  4. ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim, and Earl Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Ninth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4, p. 996.
  5. ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (November 2, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Gould, Jack (January 7, 1955). “Television in Review: ‘ Norby’ Off to Wobbly Start on N. B. C.”. The New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c “Norby” (PDF). Broadcasting. January 10, 1955. p. 12. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  8. ^ “Kodak to Relace ‘Norby’“ (PDF). Broadcasting. April 4, 1955. p. 52. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Norby (television listing), The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon), March 9, 1955, Page 22 Accessed 4 January 2022
  10. ^ Norby (television listing), Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), March 9, 1955, Page 16 Accessed 4 January 2022

External links[edit]