The Stu Erwin Show
| The Stu Erwin Show | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | ''The Trouble with Father'' |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by |
Arnold Belgard Erna Lazarus Lee Loeb Al Martin Lester Pine Edward E. Seabrook |
| Directed by |
Charles Barton Howard Bretherton Frank R. Strayer James Tinling |
| Starring |
Stuart Erwin June Collyer Ann Todd Sheila James Willie Best |
| Theme music composer | Alexander Laszlo |
| Opening theme | "A Family Story" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 128 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Roland D. Reed |
| Producer(s) |
Roland D. Reed Hal Roach, Jr. |
| Cinematography |
Lucien Andriot Walter Strenge Lothrop B. Worth |
| Camera setup | Single-camera setup |
| Running time | 26 min |
| Production company(s) |
Hal Roach Studios Roland D. Reed Productions Inc. |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 21, 1950 – April 13, 1955 |
The Stu Erwin Show (also known as The Trouble with Father) is an American sitcom which aired on ABC from 1950 to 1955. Only four of the series' five seasons on the network included new episodes; the 1953-54 season consisted entirely of reruns.
Synopsis
The series stars Stuart Erwin and real-life wife June Collyer. Ann E. Todd and Sheila James portray the couple's fictional daughters (Merry Anders replaced Ann Todd in the final season). One notable aspect of the show was that it featured a black actor Willie Best in a regular supporting role.
Predating modern single-camera sitcoms, The Stu Erwin Show originally aired without a laugh track (one was added in its final season), and each episode was around 26 minutes long, without commercials. During its original network run on ABC, it was sponsored by General Mills (1950–54), Paper Mate (1953-'54) and Liggett & Myers (1954–55).
Production notes
The series was produced by Roland D. Reed and Hal Roach, Jr., and filmed at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California. All 52 episodes of season one were first-run, followed by another 26 in season two for a total of 78 straight weeks of all-new shows before reruns began in the spring of 1952. Another 26 episodes were produced for the 1952-53 season, interspersed with reruns every third week between October 1952 and July 1953. Production then went on a lengthy hiatus while the network continued airing reruns from the summer of 1953 until the fall of 1954. The fourth and final season's 26 episodes aired between October 1954 and April 1955.
Syndication and DVD release
The series was widely syndicated by Official Films through the late '60s. The show is being shown on the MyFamilyTV Network as of January 2012.
Many episodes of the program have fallen into the public domain. As such, various budget DVD releases of public domain episodes have been released.
External links
- The Stu Erwin Show at the Internet Movie Database
- The Stu Erwin Show at TV.com
- The Stu Erwin Show is available for free download at the Internet Archive