Life with Elizabeth is an American television sitcom starring Betty White as Elizabeth and Del Moore as her husband Alvin; Jack Narz is the on-camera announcer and narrator. The series aired in syndication from October 7, 1953, to September 1, 1955. The show was the first of many sitcoms for Betty White across the decades and was based on sketches involving the Elizabeth character that she had performed on her earlier talk show Hollywood on Television.
| Life with Elizabeth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | George Tibbles Betty White Don Fedderson |
| Written by | Milt Kahn George Tibbles |
| Directed by | Duke Goldstone |
| Starring | Betty White Del Moore |
| Narrated by | Jack Narz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Betty White Don Fedderson Cal Reed George Tibbles |
| Cinematography | Mack Stengler |
| Editor | Robert Oberbeck |
| Running time | 24–25 minutes |
| Production companies | Bandy Productions Don Fedderson |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | October 7, 1953 – September 1, 1955 |
The low-budget comedy was produced by and filmed at Los Angeles TV station KLAC-TV (now KCOP-TV) where White and Moore were on the staff (the series was originally a live production on KLAC-TV in 1951).[1] White received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work on this series.[2]
Premise edit
Elizabeth and Alvin are an ordinary suburban couple, but inevitably get into predicaments. In the end, Alvin, in variable degrees of frustration, would say, "I shall leave you at this point, Elizabeth," and would walk out of sight. The announcer would ask, "Elizabeth, aren't you ashamed?" She would slowly nod, but then, with a slightly devilish grin, would vigorously shake her head to indicate she was not.
The series was divided into three eight- to ten-minute comic shorts — referred to as "incidents". Sometimes an entire incident might just consist of the two main characters talking to each other. The minimal theme music was played by a solo harpist who was partially visible on the opening title screen.
Production edit
The series was created by George Tibbles who also served as a writer. The series was produced by Bandy Productions, a production company formed by Betty White and George Tibbles, in association with executive producer Don Fedderson.[3]
Nina Bara appeared in several episodes.[4]
Cancellation edit
After 65 episodes, the series' production company, Guild Films, chose to cancel the series. While the series was still popular with audiences, Guild Films decided that too many new episodes of Life with Elizabeth would oversaturate secondary markets, thus making the series less profitable in second-run syndication.[5]
Episodes edit
| 1 | Moosie in the Kitchen; Jungle in the Living Room; Underhills for Dinner |
| 2 | Balance Check Book; Late for a Party; Piano Tuner |
| 3 | Bad Mood; First Kiss; Ex-Flame |
| 4 | Ping Pong; Leaking Roof; Vacuum Cleaner Salesman |
| 5 | The Psychic; Car Repair for Dummies; Bird Bath |
| 6 |
Oak Tree; TV Repair; Drive-In |
| 7 | Mam's Letter; Lodge Dinner; Richard Gets Fired |
| 8 | Nursery Rhymes; First Business Trip; Lake Allergies |
| 9 | Learning to Drive; Day They Moved In; Alvin Asks Boss Home |
| 10 | Car is Stolen; Fence Needs Painting; Real Estate Deal |
| 11 | Bonus Check; House Cleaning; Richard's Moustache |
| 12 | Black Eye; Momma for Breakfast; Missing Receptionist |
| 13 | Article On Carpentry; Hypnotism; Home Movies |
| 14 | Mam's Visit; Bicycle Picnic; Nosey Neighborhood |
| 15 | Photographer; Of the Honeymoon; Numb, Deaf and Blind |
| 16 | Phone Calls to Work; Girl Scout Trip; Census Taker |
| 17 | Collection Agency; Monster With Green Eyes; Good Neighbor Policy |
| 18 | Detective Stories; Writing a Speech; Moosie on the Patio |
| 19 | Scared Silly; Neighborhood Slingshot; Elmer's Garage |
| 20 | Everything Goes Wrong; Tenderhearted With Animals; Babysitting Eddie Miller |
Broadcast and syndication edit
The series was exported to Australia during the late 1950s.[6] Life with Elizabeth aired in syndication on America One, on the HOT (History of Television) Network in New York (WKOB 42.4) & Dallas (K31GL 31.3), and on Lost TV[7] and The Decades Binge on the Decades Network.[citation needed]
On September 11, 1998, Betty White, Jack Narz and Peter Michael Goetz as Alvin participated in a restaging of Life with Elizabeth for 13 at 50, a two-hour retrospective of KCOP-TV's 50th anniversary co-hosted by news anchors Tawny Little and Alan Frio. The segment was filmed in front of a live studio audience, with Betty White playing her original role.[8][9]
Home media edit
Because the show was formatted as separate eight-minute sketches, a number of used 16mm prints of the films were cut into individual segments and sold on the "home movies" market by the Superior Bulk Film Co. of Chicago, a mail-order movie equipment dealer, in the late 1960s and 1970s.[citation needed] Since the series entered the public domain, it has been released in volumes of budget DVD releases.
References edit
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows - 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books (New York). p. 791. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ Newcomb, Horace, ed. (2001). Encyclopedia of television: A-C, Volume 1 (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 2533. ISBN 1-579-58411-X.
- ^ White, Betty (2010). Here We Go Again: My Life In Television. Simon and Schuster. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-1-451-61426-8.
- ^ "Space Girl 'Tonga' to Appear At White-Barne Grand Opening". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. Vol. LXI, no. 67. San Bernardino, California. 17 November 1954. p. 8.
- ^ Tucker, David C. (2007). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-786-48732-5.
- ^ "Monday Television". The Age. December 5, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "5 fast facts about 'Life with Elizabeth'". Decades.com. January 2, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Linan, Steven (September 6, 1998). "CBS gets its goal with an NFL return; how the 'Apes' got Heston; the year's best MTV videos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Betty White - LIFE WITH ELIZABETH Revisited (1998, KCOP-TV 50th Anniversary Special). jacksonupperco. Retrieved September 22, 2022 – via YouTube.
External links edit
- Life with Elizabeth at IMDb
- Life with Elizabeth is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
