Our Man Higgins is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1962, to May 17, 1963.
| Our Man Higgins | |
|---|---|
 Stanley Holloway and Regina Groves (1962) | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Paul Harrison |
| Starring | Stanley Holloway Audrey Totter Frank Maxwell Ricky Kelman K.C. Butts Regina Groves |
| Theme music composer | Frank De Vol |
| Composer | Frank DeVol |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Paul Harrison |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | First Company of Writers Screen Gems |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 3, 1962 – May 17, 1963 |
Synopsis
editOur Man Higgins follows the adventures of an English butler who is inherited by a suburban American family, along with a quarter-century-old silver service valued at $50,000. Higgins answers to Duncan and Alice MacRoberts, whose children are Tommy, Dinghy, and Joanie MacRoberts.[1]
It's Higgins, Sir was previously a 13-episode NBC radio comedy series in 1951, created and produced by Paul Harrison, and written by Harrison and Rik Vollaerts. Harry McNaughton read the starring role of Higgins in that series, broadcast on Tuesdays at 9 P.M. (as Bob Hope's summer replacement). [2]
Cast
edit- Stanley Holloway as Higgins[1]
- Regina Groves as Joanie MacRoberts[1]
- Audrey Totter as Alice MacRoberts[1]
- Ricky Kelman as Tommy MacRoberts[1]
- Frank Maxwell as Duncan MacRoberts[1]
- K.C. Butts as Dinghy MacRoberts[1]
Episodes
editThis section needs expansion with: describing more information about the episodes (because it is incomplete). You can help by adding to it. (May 2023) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "It's Higgins, Sir" | Richard Murphy | Richard Murphy | October 3, 1962 |
| 2 | "A Servant of the People" | Unknown | Unknown | October 10, 1962 |
| 3 | "Lady of Leisure" | Unknown | Unknown | October 17, 1962 |
| 4 | "Surprise Party" | Unknown | Unknown | October 24, 1962 |
| 5 | "From the Forest Primeval" | Unknown | Unknown | October 31, 1962 |
| 6 | "The Rules of the Road" | Earl Bellamy | Alvin Sapinsley | November 7, 1962 |
| 7 | "Five Will Get You Ten" | Unknown | Unknown | November 14, 1962 |
| 8 | "Birthday Party" | Unknown | Unknown | November 21, 1962 |
| 9 | "Higgins' Little Helper" | Unknown | Unknown | November 28, 1962 |
| 10 | "Butler Father" | Unknown | Unknown | December 5, 1962 |
| 11 | "Golf Partner" | Unknown | Unknown | December 12, 1962 |
| 12 | "The Three Faces of Higgins" | Unknown | Unknown | December 19, 1962 |
| 13 | "Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan" | Unknown | Unknown | December 26, 1962 |
| 14 | "Manchester Minstrel" | Unknown | Unknown | January 2, 1963 |
| 15 | "The Milkman Cometh" | Unknown | Unknown | January 9, 1963 |
| 16 | "The Broken Statue" | Unknown | Unknown | January 16, 1963 |
| 17 | "A Bunch of Forget-Me-Nots" | Unknown | Unknown | January 23, 1963 |
| 18 | "Prom Girl" | Unknown | Unknown | January 30, 1963 |
| 19 | "The Royal and Ancient Game" | Unknown | Unknown | February 6, 1963 |
| 20 | "My First Friend" | Unknown | Unknown | February 13, 1963 |
| 21 | "The Long, Long Saturday" | Unknown | Unknown | February 20, 1963 |
| 22 | "Higgins' Understudy" | Unknown | Unknown | February 27, 1963 |
| 23 | "Black Thursday" | Unknown | Unknown | March 6, 1963 |
| 24 | "Half a Higgins" | Unknown | Unknown | March 13, 1963 |
| 25 | "Conflict of Interest" | Unknown | Unknown | March 20, 1963 |
| 26 | "Higgins and the Hillbilly" | Unknown | Unknown | March 27, 1963 |
| 27 | "The Reluctant Handicapper" | Unknown | Unknown | April 3, 1963 |
| 28 | "Meet Aunt Sadie" | Unknown | Unknown | April 10, 1963 |
| 29 | "Will the Real Mr. Hargrave Please Stand Up?" | Unknown | Unknown | April 17, 1963 |
| 30 | "Delinquent for a Day" | Unknown | Unknown | April 24, 1963 |
| 31 | "The Education of Harry Barker" | Unknown | Unknown | May 1, 1963 |
| 32 | "Who's on First?" | Unknown | Unknown | May 8, 1963 |
| 33 | "Love is Dandy" | Unknown | Unknown | May 17, 1963 |
| 34 | "The Dance" | Unknown | Unknown | May 24, 1963 |
Guest stars
editScheduling
editOur Man Higgins, co-sponsored by General Motors' Pontiac division and American Tobacco, aired on ABC at 9:30 P.M. Eastern on Wednesdays[3] opposite The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS and the second half of Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall on NBC. Higgins followed another one-year ABC series Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly, Dick York, and Leo G. Carroll, in a television version of the 1944 Bing Crosby film.[4]
Production
editHarrison and Harry Ackerman were the show's producers.[1] Directors included Richard Murphy, and Frank De Vol directed the music.[5] Its 34 episodes were recorded on film and included a laugh track.[3]
Critical response
editA review in the trade publication Variety said that the show "took off slowly" in its premiere episode but showed promise of improvement with better establishment of characters.[5] The review commended Holloway's work but said that the American family need to be made more appealing. It also suggested that the show's language seemed to have "more of a Broadway than a suburban flavor".[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Terrace, Vincent (October 6, 2022). From Radio to Television: Programs That Made the Transition, 1929-2021. McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4766-8836-7. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: It's Higgins Sir
- ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (2 November 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ 1962-1963 American network television schedule
- ^ a b c "Our Man Higgins". Variety. October 10, 1962. p. 33. Retrieved February 24, 2024.