Fay (TV series)

Fay
GenreSitcom
Created bySusan Harris
Directed byAlan Arkin
James Burrows
StarringLee Grant
Joe Silver
Audra Lindley
Margaret Willock
Stewart Moss
Bill Gerber
Norman Alden
Lillian Lehman
Opening theme"Coming into My Own" performed by Jaye P. Morgan
ComposerGeorge Tipton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producerPaul Junger Witt
ProducerJerry Mayer
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesDanny Thomas Productions
Universal Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 4, 1975 (1975-09-04) –
June 2, 1976 (1976-06-02)
Lee Grant in Fay, 1975

Fay is an American sitcom starring Lee Grant as the title character, a divorced woman pursuing a swinging-singles lifestyle in San Francisco. The series aired on NBC from September 1975 to June 1976.[1][2]

Cast

Synopsis

Fay Stewart is a 43-year-old woman in San Francisco who divorces her philandering husband, attorney Jack Stewart, after 25 years of marriage. She takes a job as a secretary in a law firm run by two eccentric attorneys, her boss Danny Messina and his partner Al Cassidy, where she befriends another secretary, Letty Gilmore. She then moves into her own apartment and begins dating, leading the life of a swinging single and getting involved in rather risqué situations. Jack keeps trying to win her back, and her conservative daughter Linda and stuffy son-in-law Elliot disapprove of her new lifestyle. In contrast, her tactless, unhappily married neighbor and friend Lillian lives vicariously through Fay's romantic adventures.[1][2]

Production

Susan Harris created Fay, Paul Junger Witt was its executive producer, and Jerry Mayer was it producer.[1] Episode directors included Alan Arkin and James Burrows. The show was a production of Danny Thomas Productions and Universal Television.

Jaye P. Morgan performed the theme song,[1] "Coming into My Own," composed by George Tipton.

Fay had a notably unsuccessful run.[1] Harris criticized NBC for the show's failure, saying that it had been intended as a sophisticated adult comedy, but the network scheduled it to air at 8:30 p.m. in the middle of the "family viewing hour." The network then had ordered many changes to the show's characterization and dialogue to make it suitable for family viewing, weakening Fay′s intended import.[1] The series is notable for Lee Grant's lashing out at NBC executives on The Tonight Show on October 30, 1975, for the network's poor scheduling and quick cancellation of Fay.[3][4]

At the 28th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1976, Grant was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Fay but lost out to Mary Tyler Moore for Moore's performance in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Broadcast history

Fay first aired on September 4, 1975, and ran for eight episodes at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays before it was pulled from NBC's lineup after the episode of October 23, 1975 (along with The Montefuscos, which aired in the time slot immediately before Fay). It returned for two more episodes on May 12 and June 2, 1976, both on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, for a total of ten episodes.[1][2]

Man Trouble

Four episodes of Fay ("Jack Remarries", "Mr. Wonderful", "Danny Falls In Love", and "Not Another Mother's Day") eventually were re-edited into an overseas theatrical feature, Man Trouble. Man Trouble later was included in a syndicated package of other MCA/Universal "movies" stitched together from episodes of various short-lived television series.

Episodes

Nº Title Directed by: Written by: Air date
1"Fay"Alan ArkinSusan HarrisSeptember 4, 1975 (1975-09-04)
Series pilot: Fay admits to having an affair.
2"Jack Remarries"Alan ArkinSusan HarrisSeptember 11, 1975 (1975-09-11)
Fay's ex-husband Jack is marrying a young stewardess.
3"Mom's Realization"Richard KinonGail ParentSeptember 18, 1975 (1975-09-18)
Fay's mother wants to bring her and Jack back together.
4"Mr. Wonderful"UnknownDick Clair & Jenna McMahonSeptember 25, 1975 (1975-09-25)
Fay's childhood friend (Renée Taylor) is getting married, but her intended begins making passes at Fay.
5"Jack's Heart Attack"UnknownSusan HarrisOctober 2, 1975 (1975-10-02)
Thinking he's dying of a heart attack, Jack confesses to Fay about his cheating ways.
6"Not with My Husband You Don't"James BurrowsS : Jerry Mayer
T : Susan Harris & Sybil Adelman and Jerry Mayer		October 9, 1975 (1975-10-09)
Fay is ecstatic at the prospect of accompanying one of her firm's attorneys to Washington, D.C.
7"Lillian's Separation"James BurrowsS : Dennis Klein
T : Susan Harris & Sybil Adelman		October 16, 1975 (1975-10-16)
Lillian walks out on her husband (Norman Fell) and moves into Fay's apartment, where she does some unwanted redecorating.
8"Danny Falls in Love"UnknownS : Max Pisk
T : Susan Harris		October 23, 1975 (1975-10-23)
Fay's lovelorn boss Danny (Bill Gerber) comes to her apartment for some motherly comfort.
9"Fay and the Doctor"Richard KinonSusan HarrisMay 12, 1976 (1976-05-12)
Fay falls in love with a doctor; the only problem is he is married with children.
10"Not Another Mother's Day"Joan DarlingJerry MayerJune 2, 1976 (1976-06-02)
Linda wants to wait until she graduates from college to have a second child, but her husband doesn't want to wait that long.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 281.
  2. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, Sixth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN 0-345-39736-3, p. 348.
  3. ^ Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979. McFarland. p. 48.
  4. ^ "TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {LEE GRANT, BERT CONVY, CHARLES NELSON REILLY, JAY PRESSON ALLEN} (TV)". paleycenter.org. The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved August 15, 2024.