Pete and Gladys

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Pete and Gladys is kind of a middling affair, but it definitely has its fans and it ran for two full years . . . so . . . why are we not discussing this show under its own heading in the 1960s Shows section?

[lencoo12]

Originally Posted by 70s show watcher

i seen a few eps too i agree its i very funny show with some laugh out loud moments

The main problem with the show was that Gladys had
been built up for 5 seasons (but never seen) as an unattractive,
out-of-control, brainless, untidy monster on DECEMBER BRIDE. When
they cast Cara Williams as Gladys, she was NONE of those things.
She was a pretty, smart, and mostly obedient wife.
I think it was a major letdown to the audience, and a missed
opportunity.

[Bob's TV Treasures]

Gladys should never have been seen. Much like Maris on FRASIER,
Gladys was funniest on DECEMBER BRIDE when we didn't see but only
HEARD about her.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...it was where the show was scheduled [Mondays, 8pm(et), right after "TO TELL THE TRUTH"]. "PETE AND GLADYS" managed to hold its own against ABC's "THE CHEYENNE SHOW" {"CHEYENNE", alternating every other week with "BRONCO"} in its first season. In season two, it was paired with Robert Young's new series, 'WINDOW ON MAIN STREET". Unfortunately, viewers didn't want to see Young as anyone other than "Jim Anderson"- and "FATHER KNOWS BEST" repeats were on Wednesday nights, after "THE ALVIN SHOW", that season. The "new" Young virtually pulled the ratings for "PETE & GLADYS" down with him- enough for CBS to swap "FKB" with 'WINDOW"'s time slots in mid-season...but the damage had already been done.

And there was another possible reason- Lucille Ball agreed to return to the network the following fall in "THE LUCY SHOW". And I'm sure James T. Aubrey, president and chief programmer of CBS, who had been touting Cara as "the next Lucille Ball", correctly figured, 'Why should I be promoting a Lucy imitation when I've got the real one on next fall's schedule?'. He did bring Cara back as the star of her own sitcom for the 1964-'65 season...which collapsed from mediocre ratings and Aubrey's downfall from CBS (his old friend, Keefe Brasselle, produced "THE CARA WILLIAMS SHOW" and two others personally approved by Aubrey, without formal pilot films...and they tanked as well, leading towards an investigation as to how close Aubrey and Brasselle's personal arrangements to produce those shows were- that's another story).

[comedyfreak]

I really liked Pete and Gladys. I know Lucy wanted Bob Carroll Jr and Madelyn Pugh to write for her new show and said the gave the best stories to that other Red head referring to Cara Williams.

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Lucy said that to Bob Weiskopf and Bob Schiller. (The other) Bob and Madelyn weren't associated with Pete and Galadys.

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

I really liked Pete and Gladys. I know Lucy wanted Bob Carroll Jr and Madelyn Pugh to write for her new show and said the gave the best stories to that other Red head referring to Cara Williams.

I have fond memories of "Pete and Gladys". I saw it in it's original network primetime run and it's daytime repeats. I always thought it was a Desilu production like "December Bride", but when I got my DVDs of P&G a few years ago, I was suprised to find that it was filmed at Paramount (Well before the Desilu merger) and that Desilu had nothing whatsoever to do with this series. It was a CBS owned and produced show all the way, like "The Twilight Zone" and "Perry Mason".

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by Leslie Eckhardt

I have fond memories of "Pete and Gladys". I saw it in it's original network primetime run and it's daytime repeats. I always thought it was a Desilu production like "December Bride", but when I got my DVDs of P&G a few years ago, I was suprised to find that it was filmed at Paramount (Well before the Desilu merger) and that Desilu had nothing whatsoever to do with this series. It was a CBS owned and produced show all the way, like "The Twilight Zone" and "Perry Mason".

A little-known fact about "Pete and Gladys" is that it was last shown on CBS in April 1967, a substitute for "Search For Tomorrow" pre-empted by the infamous AFTRA strike of that year. "P&G" never appeared on Chicago television after that time.

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by Penny Lane

"Pete and Gladys" was a spin-off of "December Bride" Pete Porter, played by Harry Morgan was the neighbor on December Bride. He was married to Gladys, played by Cara Williams, who was never seen until "Pete and Gladys" debuted. Anybody remember? I remember watching both shows when I was little. So it is all rather vague!

[This message has been edited by NEWHART FAN (edited 10-20-2001).]

R.I.P. Harry Morgan. Harry Morgan, the popular star of Dragnet and MASH died yesterday at the age of 96. Featured in many films, beginning in 1942, he bacame popular on television as Pete Porter, a wisecracking supporting part in the 1954-59 CBS sitcom December Bride. From 1959-62 he starred as Pete in one of TV's first spin-offs, Pete and Gladys. A co-starring role on Dragnet was the prelude to his most famous role, that of Col. Potter on the hit series MASH. Farewell Mr. Morgan, your dry humor will be missed.

[cablejockey]

I loved watching him for years on tv. He brought a lot of entertainment to the world. RIP Harry Morgan.

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by Bob's TV Treasures

The main problem with the show was that Gladys had
been built up for 5 seasons (but never seen) as an unattractive,
out-of-control, brainless, untidy monster on DECEMBER BRIDE. When
they cast Cara Williams as Gladys, she was NONE of those things.
She was a pretty, smart, and mostly obedient wife.
I think it was a major letdown to the audience, and a missed
opportunity.

Pete and Gladys was a show I liked very much when I was a kid. Cara Williams was very funny in a Lucy kind of way (which was the main complaint about the series.) She and Harry Morgan played well together and there were many laugh-out-loud moments here. The show ran for 72 episodes over 2 seasons and was part of CBS's morning lineup in reruns for two seasons, (1962-64) before disappearing from Chicago TV screens. In 2008 I managed to get a 5 disc set of DVD-Rs with 18 episodes of Pete and Gladys as well as 2 eps of December Bride.