Something Funny is Going on Here: TV's Strange Sitcoms

 by Michael Lyons

 

"High concept." Two words in Hollywood that have come to mean a unique concept with a story that's easy to pitch.

It can also mean, "How did this get made?" Some of the latest entries into our realm of televised entertainment, especially on streaming services, are simply carrying on a long history of some of the strangest, and most off-beat ideas that Hollywood has greenlit.

What follows are some of the "high concept" sitcoms from TV's past that also tank as some of the small screen's strangest outings.

My Mother The Car (1965)

This sitcom revolved around a man named Dave Crabtree (Jerry Van Dyke) whose mother is reincarnated as a car, a 1928 Porter to be exact (voiced by actress Ann Sothern).

Yup, you read that correctly. This show emerged in an era of television sitcoms when fantasy reigned supreme with shows like Bewitched and Mr. Ed.  My Mother the Car never reached the popularity of those and other popular outings and has been notoriously panned by critics as one of the medium's worst.

Lasting just one season, My Mother The Car has rightly gained a cult following as a high-concept curiosity.

 

It's About Time (1966)

Sherwood Schwartz, the man behind two of TV's most popular sitcoms, Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, brought us this series about two astronauts (Frank Aletter and Jack Mullaney) who travel back in time to the prehistoric era.  Here, they find themselves living with cave people Gronk (Joe E. Ross) and Shad (Imogene Coca).

Like Gilligan's Island, this was all pure silly fantasy, assisted by a laugh track. And like Schwartz's other outings, this sitcom came with an earworm of a theme song.

 

Holmes & Yo-Yo (1976)

A detective named Holmes (Richard B. Shull) is partnered with an android, Gregory Yoyonovich, known as "Yoyo" (John Schuck), and wacky misadventures ensue.

Airing during the 70s, when television sitcoms shifted to deal with more realistic issues with shows like All in the Family, Holmes and Yoyo didn't endear itself to audiences (even with Yoyo's computer that popped out of his chest) and was canceled after only 11 episodes.

 

Mr. Smith, (1983)

Just before NBC became the king of 80s sitcoms with series like The Cosby Show and Family Ties, they had a swing and a miss with Mr. Smith.

The sitcom revolves around a talking orangutan who lives in Washington, DC, and is a political advisor.

Despite starring C.J. The orangutan, who had been a hit with audiences in the Clint Eastwood movies, Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can, Mr. Smith only hung around for two months before being canceled.

 

Fish Police (1992)

When The Simpsons hit big in the 1990s, networks started jumping on the prime-time animation bandwagon. 

CBS partnered with Hanna-Barbera for this adult-skewed sitcom about cops with an all-fish cast.

Despite being based on a comic book and the talent of the Hanna-Barbera studio, along with an all-star voice cast, including John Ritter, Ed Asner, JoBeth Williams, and Buddy Hackett, Fish Police was given the hook after only three episodes.

 

These are just a few of the many high concept shows the television has given us but fear not, there will no doubt be more in the years and seasons to come! 

For more of my articles and podcasts and to order a signed and personalized copy of my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons!

 

 

Keeping the Faith: The 70th Anniversary of "The Robe"

 

by Michael Lyons

Many movies are considered "landmarks," but The Robe truly is.

Without it, big-screen movie spectacles may have never been.  Sure, biblical epics like this were a dime a dozen in the 50s (and all of them truly spectacular), but The Robe was the first film produced and released in Cinemascope.

This was the widescreen format from 20th Century Fox that was one of many used by studios in the 1950s as they attempted to battle the encroaching popularity of television and lure audiences back to movie theaters by creating spectacles.

Had it not been for Cinemascope and other widescreen presentations, audiences wouldn't have enjoyed everything from the 1970s disaster movies to 80s action movies like Die Hard and even last year's Avatar sequel. 

What's so unique about The Robe is how it paired its event-like status with such a powerful, emotional story, filled with faith and reverence from another area in filmmaking that's still impactful today.  Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, The Robe fittingly finds itself in Easter season rotation, so it's the perfect time to look back and celebrate this special film.

Based on a novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe tells the story of Marcellus (played by Richard Burton), a Roman tribune charged with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  At the crucifixion, Marcellus wins Jesus' robe in a game of dice, and doing so, and being there at the moment Christ dies, changes Marcellus' life forever.  Emerging from his guilt, Marcellus embarks on a life of faith, becoming a follower of Jesus.

Also starring in The Robe: Victor Mature, as Demetrius, Marcellus' slave, who first opens his eyes to what he has done, Jean Simmons, as Marcellus' love, Diana, who stays by his side during his tumultuous journey; Jay Robinson, as the wicked emperor Caligula, and character actors Dean Jagger as Justus, Richard Boone as Pontius Pilate and Michael Ansara as Judas.

Director Henry Koster guides the cast of The Robe through some powerful performances (Burton received an Oscar nomination) and tactfully helms the more notable moments. The crucifixion scene is brutally impactful, especially considering that the sensitive nature of the film at the time required that most of it be implied or occur off-screen.

Koster remains an underrated director in Hollywood history.  In addition to The Robe, he directed classics such as The Bishop's Wife (1947) and Harvey (1950), consistently delivering a well-crafted story with cinematic flair.

As CinemaScope wasn't widely available in most theaters, The Robe was filmed using both the widescreen and the standard screen cameras to accommodate all theaters, which no doubt added to the film's production.

But the result is worth it. The Robe is a wonderful film.  Is it a tad melodramatic and "of another time?"  Sure, but in addition to its impactful story of faith, it also speaks to how, no matter where our life has taken us or how heavy a "weight" we may bear, we can always turn to a higher, greater power in our lives, and change our direction.

No wonder the film remains a staple for many at Easter time.  Released on September 16, 1953, The Robe remains a potent example of landmark Hollywood entertainment from another time that remains as entertaining as ever, seventy years later.

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

For more of my articles and podcasts and to order a signed and personalized copy of my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website, Words From Lyons !