Bill Harris is a widower who owns the Harris Music Publishing Company in Los Angeles, California.[1][2][3] A longtime music publisher and a lover of old-fashioned, melodious music, he hates the rock and roll music that has become popular during the latter half of the 1950s and rejects most of the popular songs submitted to him.[2][3] As a result, his company is nearly bankrupt, and stress over its financial problems is affecting his health.[1][2][3] Bill′s daughter, Pat Baker, wants to keep an eye on him as well as save the family business by convincing Bill that he is wrong about rock and roll and should publish it, so she maneuvers him into taking her on as a partner in the company.[2][3] She then tries to sign rock and roll musicians with the company and get Bill to publish their music.[3]
Bill shares an apartment with Pat, her husband Steve Baker, who is a lawyer, and their daughters Susan and Jennie.[1][2][3] Steve is more progressive than Bill and constantly irritates him, and Susan has to mediate the frequent disputes between them.[2] At the publishing company, Sophie is the secretary and Stubby Wilson is the firm′s song promoter.[1][2][3] Stubby performs most of the songs submitted to the firm and is prone to reminiscing about the "good old days" in the music publishing business.[2]
Late in 1959, the Bakers hire a Chinese woman, Han Cho-Yee. as their housekeeper, and a Chinese songwriter, Jimmy Chang, falls in love with her.[3] Jimmy faces the challenge of dealing with Han′s father, Mr. Cho-Yee, a strict man who has set up an arranged marriage to someone else for Han.[3]
Love and Marriage premiered on NBC on September 21, 1959.[1][2] It lasted only half a season, and only 18 episodes were broadcast, the last of them on January 25, 1960. Another eight episodes never aired. The show was broadcast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays throughout its run.[1][2]
NOTE: Episode lists for Love and Marriage place the episode "The Baby Sitter" on January 11, 1960, and the episode "Jealousy" among the show′s unaired episodes.[5] At least one contemporary newspaper listing indicates that "The Baby Sitter" was broadcast on January 11, 1960.[21] However, at least three contemporary newspaper listings indicate that "Jealousy" aired on January 11, 1960.[22][23][24]
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
1
"House of Harris"
Unknown
Unknown
September 21, 1959 (1959-09-21)
Feeling that Bill's business and health are failing, Pat takes his affairs in hand.
2
"The Stockholders"
Unknown
Unknown
September 28, 1959 (1959-09-28)
Bill takes on a new composer at the Harris Music Publishing Company, and it nearly ruins the firm when the composer refuses to write music, claiming that his estranged wife and her lawyers take almost everything he earns from him.
Pat has to see a barbershop quartet contest, interfering with the celebration of her wedding anniversary — and she finds that her time-consuming interest in Bill's company is threatening her marriage. Guest stars: The Mellomen
4
"Stubby Picks a Winner"
Unknown
Unknown
October 12, 1959 (1959-10-12)
After Stubby gives an unemployed composer a loan, the composer repays him by giving him a song. Stubby thinks the song will be a hit — and comes up with a scheme to get it published. Guest stars: Herb Vigran and Ray Walker.
5
"Child of Capricorn"
Unknown
Unknown
October 19, 1959 (1959-10-19)
An unconventional songwriter from the hills throws the household into an uproar.
6
"Guest Artist"
Unknown
Unknown
October 26, 1959 (1959-10-26)
Bill schemes to get Pat out of his business and back into her home. Guest star: Sonny Burke.
7
"Sophie's Engagement"
Unknown
Unknown
November 2, 1959 (1959-11-02)
Sophie delights her fellow employees when she announces her engagement, and as a wedding gift for the couple, Bill agrees to publish a song that her fiancé wrote.
8
"The Big Hit"
Unknown
Unknown
November 9, 1959 (1959-11-09)
After Stubby rearranges a song Steve wrote and Sophie sings it on television, it becomes a big hit.
9
"Jordan Catalogue"
Unknown
Unknown
November 16, 1959 (1959-11-16)
Bill goes back to courting an old flame in an effort to gain a renewal of a collection of hit songs.
10
"Chip Off The Old Block"
Unknown
Unknown
November 23, 1959 (1959-11-23)
The members of the Vaudeville Club talk Bill into presenting a benefit show featuring children.
11
"Bill Moves Out"
Unknown
Unknown
November 30, 1959 (1959-11-30)
After several minor disagreements, Bill and Steve have a serious argument, prompting Bill to decide to move out of the apartment and live by himself.
12
"The New Housekeeper"
Unknown
Unknown
December 14, 1959 (1959-12-14)
Bill and Steve argue over the cleanliness of the apartment, how best to keep it clean, and domestic help.
13
"The Baby"
Bob Sweeney
Unknown
December 21, 1959 (1959-12-21)
The birth of a baby puts the household into turmoil — and when Bill holds a jam session in the apartment, the noise upsets Steve, who demands that the music stop.
14
"Hans Get Discovered"
Unknown
Unknown
December 28, 1959 (1959-12-28)
When Han's precocious 11-year old son and Bill appear as co-contestants on a question-and-answer television program about classical music, the boy demonstrates a tremendous amount of knowledge of the subject, and the positive publicity that follows swells his ego.
15
"Steve's Song"
Bob Sweeney
Unknown
January 4, 1960 (1960-01-04)
Bill arranges a birthday surprise for Steve that makes Steve "go Hollywood" and consider quitting his law practice.
16
"The Baby Sitter (see note)"
Unknown
Unknown
January 11, 1960 (1960-01-11) or UNAIRED (see note)
Bill is dissatisfied with children minding his granddaughter and winds up babysitting her himself.
17
"Jennie's Song"
Unknown
Unknown
January 18, 1960 (1960-01-18)
Bill tries to help his granddaughter write a song for a first-grade competition, but his effort backfires.
18
"Stubby's Big Chance"
Unknown
Unknown
January 25, 1960 (1960-01-25)
Bill hires a hotshot youngster and forces Stubby to resign and improve himself — but Stubby nonetheless refuses to accept a better job from a rival publisher out of loyalty to Bill, and Pat and Steve come up with a scheme to reunite Bill and Stubby.
January 11, 1960 (1960-01-11) or UNAIRED (see note)
Pat decides to see if Steve will be jealous if she has a date with Caesar Romero. Unknown to her, Steve finds out and cooks up a counterplot with Caesar and Bill. Guest star: Cesar Romero.
22
"Tax Man"
Norman Abbott
TBD
UNAIRED
23
"A Slight Case of Cyrano"
TBD
TBD
UNAIRED
Alternative title "A Slight Touch of Cyrano."
24
"The School Problem"
Norman Abbott
TBD
UNAIRED
25
"The Girl from Hong Kong"
Norman Abbott
TBD
UNAIRED
26
"Regards to Broadway"
Norman Abbott
TBD
UNAIRED
Alternative title "Give My Regards to Broadway."
References
^ abcdefMcNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, ISBN0 14 02 4916 8, p. 492.
^ abcdefghijBrooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Sixth Edition), New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN0-345-39736-3, p. 612.
