Our Man Higgins

For the Lee Morgan composition, see Cornbread (album).
Our Man Higgins
Stanley Holloway and Regina Groves (1962)
GenreSitcom
Created byPaul Harrison
StarringStanley Holloway
Audrey Totter
Frank Maxwell
Ricky Kelman
K.C. Butts
Regina Groves
Theme music composerFrank De Vol
ComposerFrank DeVol
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes34
Production
ProducerPaul Harrison
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesFirst Company of Writers
Screen Gems
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseOctober 3, 1962 (1962-10-03) –
May 17, 1963 (1963-05-17)

Our Man Higgins is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1962, to May 17, 1963.

Synopsis

Our 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

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"It's Higgins, Sir"Richard MurphyRichard MurphyOctober 3, 1962 (1962-10-03)
2"A Servant of the People"UnknownUnknownOctober 10, 1962 (1962-10-10)
3"Lady of Leisure"UnknownUnknownOctober 17, 1962 (1962-10-17)
4"Surprise Party"UnknownUnknownOctober 24, 1962 (1962-10-24)
5"From the Forest Primeval"UnknownUnknownOctober 31, 1962 (1962-10-31)
6"The Rules of the Road"Earl BellamyAlvin SapinsleyNovember 7, 1962 (1962-11-07)
7"Five Will Get You Ten"UnknownUnknownNovember 14, 1962 (1962-11-14)
8"Birthday Party"UnknownUnknownNovember 21, 1962 (1962-11-21)
9"Higgins' Little Helper"UnknownUnknownNovember 28, 1962 (1962-11-28)
10"Butler Father"UnknownUnknownDecember 5, 1962 (1962-12-05)
11"Golf Partner"UnknownUnknownDecember 12, 1962 (1962-12-12)
12"The Three Faces of Higgins"UnknownUnknownDecember 19, 1962 (1962-12-19)
13"Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan"UnknownUnknownDecember 26, 1962 (1962-12-26)
14"Manchester Minstrel"UnknownUnknownJanuary 2, 1963 (1963-01-02)
15"The Milkman Cometh"UnknownUnknownJanuary 9, 1963 (1963-01-09)
16"The Broken Statue"UnknownUnknownJanuary 16, 1963 (1963-01-16)
17"A Bunch of Forget-Me-Nots"UnknownUnknownJanuary 23, 1963 (1963-01-23)
18"Prom Girl"UnknownUnknownJanuary 30, 1963 (1963-01-30)
19"The Royal and Ancient Game"UnknownUnknownFebruary 6, 1963 (1963-02-06)
20"My First Friend"UnknownUnknownFebruary 13, 1963 (1963-02-13)
21"The Long, Long Saturday"UnknownUnknownFebruary 20, 1963 (1963-02-20)
22"Higgins' Understudy"UnknownUnknownFebruary 27, 1963 (1963-02-27)
23"Black Thursday"UnknownUnknownMarch 6, 1963 (1963-03-06)
24"Half a Higgins"UnknownUnknownMarch 13, 1963 (1963-03-13)
25"Conflict of Interest"UnknownUnknownMarch 20, 1963 (1963-03-20)
26"Higgins and the Hillbilly"UnknownUnknownMarch 27, 1963 (1963-03-27)
27"The Reluctant Handicapper"UnknownUnknownApril 3, 1963 (1963-04-03)
28"Meet Aunt Sadie"UnknownUnknownApril 10, 1963 (1963-04-10)
29"Will the Real Mr. Hargrave Please Stand Up?"UnknownUnknownApril 17, 1963 (1963-04-17)
30"Delinquent for a Day"UnknownUnknownApril 24, 1963 (1963-04-24)
31"The Education of Harry Barker"UnknownUnknownMay 1, 1963 (1963-05-01)
32"Who's on First?"UnknownUnknownMay 8, 1963 (1963-05-08)
33"Love is Dandy"UnknownUnknownMay 17, 1963 (1963-05-17)
34"The Dance"UnknownUnknownMay 24, 1963 (1963-05-24)

Guest stars

Scheduling

Our 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

Harrison 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

A 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: It's Higgins Sir
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 1962-1963 American network television schedule
  5. ^ a b c "Our Man Higgins". Variety. October 10, 1962. p. 33. Retrieved February 24, 2024.