The Governor and JJ - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Duster76 · 07-15-2022, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biffbronson

Here are the covers of the 3 comic books published by Western (Gold Key). I have a copy of the first one.

Attachment 277531 Attachment 277532

Attachment 277533

This series interests me because Julie Sommars was at the apex of her beauty around that time.

Talk about a niche market. This must have been aimed primarily at the promotional market. Maybe the network would buy a couple of hundred copies and hand them out to advertisers. How many kids would collect something like this? It looks like only three were produced.

Duster76 · 07-16-2022, 12:03 AM

This series has an interesting history to say the least. It was not a hit the first season, it was scheduled at 9:30 Tuesdays behind the perennial hit The Red Skelton Show. The Skelton Show ranked number 7, so this time the obvious did not happen, the landmark Skelton Show was cancelled and The Governor and JJ was renewed. For the 70-71 season the series was moved to Wednesday at 8:30, the series in front of it was Storefront Lawyers which leaned urban and young, the series running after The Governor and JJ were mega hits Medical Center and Hawaii Five-0. The show failed to find an audience (and as it turned out neither did Storefront Lawyers) getting bounced at midseason. The replacement series moving from Tuesday night was To Rome With Love. This move was made to make way for a series named All in the Family, and the rest as they say is history.

I think the biggest problem this series had was the sense that it was a little too full of itself. It was nice it just wasn't funny and seemed to have a very high opinion of itself. At least that's the way it came across.

biffbronson · 04-29-2023, 12:19 PM

It's been stated that Dell one-shot comic books based on movies and TV shows back in the 1950s and very early 1960s had an advantage over other comic book series, in that continuing series from other publishers had the previous issue's unsold copies removed from the stands (with usually just the top portion of the front cover sent in as proof) once the new issue arrived -- but the one-shots were permitted to linger on newsstands. Something like The Real McCoys may not have had the appeal of Superman, but copies of the former hung around longer at drug stores, etc.

Anyway, by the mid-'60s and onward, both Dell and the new Gold Key comics continued featuring licensed properties of practically all TV sitcoms, westerns, dramas, etc. -- Burke's Law, Rango, The Lucy Show, Lancer, you name it. However, since they were not using the former Dell one-shot strategy, it seemed to have been a "more-of-the-same" licensing approach - likely without the sales advantage previously enjoyed.

It's important to remember that newsstand sales of comic books remained strong on into the early 1970s. In the mid-1960s, DC was printing a half-million copies of a given issue of G.I. Combat. Those numbers today would be absolutely staggering -- especially for a non-superhero title...!

Coffeecup · 10-12-2023, 08:17 PM

I hadn't seen Julie for a long time and then she popped up on Andy Griffith's Matlock. Glad you had a career boost.

biffbronson · 10-13-2023, 06:06 AM

Ms. Sommars I believe is now best-known for her role on Matlock as Julie March. The Governor and JJ has been largely forgotten, I think it's fair to say, being so long ago and short-lived.

07-16-2022, 12:03 AM	#17
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,639	This series has an interesting history to say the least. It was not a hit the first season, it was scheduled at 9:30 Tuesdays behind the perennial hit The Red Skelton Show. The Skelton Show ranked number 7, so this time the obvious did not happen, the landmark Skelton Show was cancelled and The Governor and JJ was renewed. For the 70-71 season the series was moved to Wednesday at 8:30, the series in front of it was Storefront Lawyers which leaned urban and young, the series running after The Governor and JJ were mega hits Medical Center and Hawaii Five-0. The show failed to find an audience (and as it turned out neither did Storefront Lawyers) getting bounced at midseason. The replacement series moving from Tuesday night was To Rome With Love. This move was made to make way for a series named All in the Family, and the rest as they say is history. I think the biggest problem this series had was the sense that it was a little too full of itself. It was nice it just wasn't funny and seemed to have a very high opinion of itself. At least that's the way it came across.

04-29-2023, 12:19 PM	#18
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,266	It's been stated that Dell one-shot comic books based on movies and TV shows back in the 1950s and very early 1960s had an advantage over other comic book series, in that continuing series from other publishers had the previous issue's unsold copies removed from the stands (with usually just the top portion of the front cover sent in as proof) once the new issue arrived -- but the one-shots were permitted to linger on newsstands. Something like The Real McCoys may not have had the appeal of Superman, but copies of the former hung around longer at drug stores, etc. Anyway, by the mid-'60s and onward, both Dell and the new Gold Key comics continued featuring licensed properties of practically all TV sitcoms, westerns, dramas, etc. -- Burke's Law, Rango, The Lucy Show, Lancer, you name it. However, since they were not using the former Dell one-shot strategy, it seemed to have been a "more-of-the-same" licensing approach - likely without the sales advantage previously enjoyed. It's important to remember that newsstand sales of comic books remained strong on into the early 1970s. In the mid-1960s, DC was printing a half-million copies of a given issue of G.I. Combat. Those numbers today would be absolutely staggering -- especially for a non-superhero title...!

10-12-2023, 08:17 PM	#19
Coffeecup coffeecup. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 17, 2003 Location: snoozeville Posts: 3,176	I hadn't seen Julie for a long time and then she popped up on Andy Griffith's Matlock. Glad you had a career boost.

10-13-2023, 06:06 AM	#20
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,266	Ms. Sommars I believe is now best-known for her role on Matlock as Julie March. The Governor and JJ has been largely forgotten, I think it's fair to say, being so long ago and short-lived.