He & She
{{Short description|American television series}}
{{about|the 1967 American sitcom|other uses|He and She (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = He and she tv show.jpg
| caption = Benjamin, Prentiss, and Cassidy, 1967
| genre = Sitcom
| creator = Leonard Stern
| starring = Paula Prentiss
Richard Benjamin
Jack Cassidy
Hamilton Camp
Kenneth Mars
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 26
| list_episodes = #List of episodes
| executive_producer = Leonard Stern
| producer = Arne Sultan
Arnie Rosen
| theme_music_composer = Jerry Fielding
| camera =
| company = Talent Associates in association with CBS Productions
| runtime =
| network = CBS
| first_aired = {{start date|1967|09|06}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1968|03|13}}
}}
He & She is an American sitcom that aired on CBS as part of its 1967–68 lineup.
He & She is widely considered by broadcast historians to have been ahead of its time.{{citation |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/he-she-great-70s-sitcom-aired-1967-201967 |title=He & She: The Great '70s sitcom that aired in 1967 |publisher=The A.V. Club |last=VanDerWerff |first=Emily |date=March 10, 2014 |accessdate=October 6, 2019}}. Its sophisticated approach to comedy was viewed as opening doors to the groundbreaking MTM family of sitcoms of the 1970s, beginning with The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. The character of Oscar was openly the pattern for the Ted Baxter character, for which creator Leonard Stern granted permission.
Synopsis
He & She stars real-life married couple Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss as Dick and Paula Hollister, a successful cartoonist and his wife, a social worker. Hollister's cartoon Jetman had been so successful that it was now a network television series starring egomaniacal actor Oscar North (Jack Cassidy), as the titular Jetman. North constantly argues with Hollister over the interpretation and direction of the Jetman character. Folksinger-actor Hamilton Camp played the role of handyman Andrew Hummel at the apartment building where the starring characters lived, and Kenneth Mars played firefighter Harry Zarakartos, who would often drop in on the Hollisters' apartment via a plank connected to the firehouse across the alley.
Writers Chris Hayward and Allan Burns, who created the series The Munsters, were hired by executive producer Leonard Stern (co-writer and producer of Get Smart) as story editors for He & She, for which they won the 1968 Emmy Award for comedy writing.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061261/awards "He & She" (1967) - Awards] The show received four other Emmy nominations that year, including nominations for Prentiss, Benjamin, and Cassidy. However it was not nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Burns would go on to be a writer and co-creator (among others) of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, of which He & She is considered a major forerunner. The show also earned three of the four Writers Guild nominations for Best Writing in a Comedy.
Despite the strong lead-in provided by Green Acres (a top-25 primetime show that season), He & She was cancelled after one season, although selected episodes were later rerun as a summer replacement series by CBS in 1970 following the cancellation of The Tim Conway Show. Reruns later aired on the USA Network in 1985-86 and TV Land ran selected episodes of the series in 1998, but it has not been seen since then. Cast members, such as Richard Benjamin, felt that the Green Acres lead-in actually hurt the show because the two series were so different in their approaches, rural and urban, respectively. The series was also a pioneer in the portrayal of the working wife, which was not yet in vogue on television.
According to the show's creator Leonard Stern, Michael Dann, president of CBS at the time, called He & She "the best show I ever cancelled. Stern believed that the time slot, after Green Acres, hurt the show's possibility for success, despite favorable reviews, because the two were incompatible. Stern believed that Cassidy, as the "first suggested gay" in a TV series, "did unnerve the network somewhat" by stepping "beyond the boundaries of what they considered to be good taste."{{Cite book |last=Hyatt |first=Wesley |title=Short-lived television series, 1948-1978: thirty years of more than 1,000 flops |date=2003 |publisher=McFarland & Co |pages=177–178|isbn=978-0-7864-1420-8 |location=Jefferson, N.C}}
List of episodes
File:Richard Benjamin Paula Prentiss He & She.jpg
| class="wikitable" style="background:#FFFFFF"
! style="background:#FFD700; width:20px"| No. ! style="background:#FFD700;"| Title ! style="background:#FFD700;"| Directed by ! style="background:#FFD700;"| Written by ! style="background:#FFD700; width:135px"| Original air date {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=1 |Title=The Old Man and the She |DirectedBy=Leonard Stern |WrittenBy=Leonard Stern, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|09|06}} |ShortSummary=Paula enlists the help of Dick in aiding the cause of an elderly Greek gentleman who faces deportation. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=2 |Title=The Second Time Around |DirectedBy=Leonard Stern |WrittenBy=Jim Parker, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|09|13}} |ShortSummary=On their 6th anniversary, Dick and Paula plan a big second wedding, but confusion ensues with the presence of two best men. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=3 |Title=How to Fail in Business |DirectedBy=Leonard Stern |WrittenBy=Martin A. Ragaway |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|09|20}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula decide to purchase their apartment building, but are soon inundated with complaints from their neighbors. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=4 |Title=The Phantom of 84th Street |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Arnold Margolin, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|09|27}} |ShortSummary=Oscar's $65,000 painting is stolen from Dick and Paula's apartment, while a friend inexplicably gives Paula a herd of goats. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=5 |Title=One of Our Firemen is Missing |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Austin Kalish, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|10|04}} |ShortSummary=Instead of working at the firehouse, Harry decides to help Dick and Paula, but is then dismissed from his job as a result. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=6 |Title=Before You Bury Me Can I Say Something? |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Jim Parker, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|10|11}} |ShortSummary=After undergoing his routine physical, Dick mentions to Paula that he is having his will drawn up, leading to frenzied explanations that he is in good health. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=7 |Title=Dick's Van Dyke |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Allan Burns, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|10|18}} |ShortSummary=As part of a bet stemming from a 10-day vacation, Richard and his friends sport beards upon their return and try to see who can keep their facial hair the longest. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=8 |Title=The Background Man |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Allan Burns, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|10|25}} |ShortSummary=Dick hires an attractive, but klutzy woman to help him draw his comic strip and Paula develops pangs of jealousy over the new business arrangement. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=9 |Title=Vote Yes or No |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|11|01}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula are at odds when he and his boss campaign against an increase in pay for firemen, causing Paula to picket his offices. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=10 |Title=He and She vs. Him |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|11|08}} |ShortSummary=Suffering from writer's block, Dick is subsequently sued for plagiarism by a comic book rival, who also happens to be a former boyfriend of Paula's. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=11 |Title=The Coming-Out Party |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|11|15}} |ShortSummary=Paula's friend Dorothy begins dating Dick's dentist, Dr. Krillman, but the two end their relationship the night before Dick's tonsillectomy. Guest stars John Astin and Mariette Hartley. Note: In 1968, this episode won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Comedy Series.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Outstanding+Writing+Achievement+in+Comedy+Allan+Burns+and+Chris+Hayward%22&pg=PA1637 |first1=Tim |last1=Brooks |author-link1=Tim Brooks (historian) |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |year=2007 |edition=9 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present |page=1637 |publisher=Random House Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |access-date=2024-06-02 |archive-date=2024-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002134134/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Outstanding+Writing+Achievement+in+Comedy+Allan+Burns+and+Chris+Hayward%22&pg=PA1637#v=onepage&q=%22Outstanding%20Writing%20Achievement%20in%20Comedy%20Allan%20Burns%20and%20Chris%20Hayward%22&f=false |url-status=live }} |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=12 |Title=Deep in the Heart of Taxes |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Joe Bondaduce |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|11|22}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula are audited by the IRS, with Dick unaware that Paula has kept him in the dark about her undeclared horse racing winnings. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=13 |Title=Don't Call Us |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|11|29}} |ShortSummary=After Dick and Paula get an unlisted phone number, Paula forgets it, which makes them unreachable in an emergency and prevents their attendance at a party for Princess Grace. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=14 |Title=North Goes West |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|12|13}} |ShortSummary=After Oscar decides to move to California for the Jetman TV show, Dick and Paula make plans to move until Oscar throws a going-away party for himself. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=15 |Title=Easy Way Out |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Arnold Margolin |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|12|20}} |ShortSummary=Paula's poker party is unexpectedly raided by the police, resulting in Oscar running away to protect his reputation. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=16 |Title=Poster Boy |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Jim Parker, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1967|12|27}} |ShortSummary=When a wanted poster of a neighborhood burglar closely resembles the apartment handyman Andrew, he becomes the chief suspect in Oscar's eyes. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=17 |Title=45 Midgets From Broadway |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Arnold Margolin, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|01|03}} |ShortSummary=When Jetman is made into a Broadway musical, Oscar is cast in the lead, but is a disaster, resulting in Dick, Paula and the show's backers brainstorming to fix the show. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=18 |Title=A Rock by Any Other Name |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay | s = Treva Silverman, | t = Milt Rosen, | slabel = {{abbr|S|Story by}} | tlabel = {{abbr|T|Teleplay by}} }} |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|01|10}} |ShortSummary=After Harry loses a rock that Paula gave Dick the day he proposed on Cape Cod, Dick has a copy made, but then the original is found in the same place. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=19 |Title=Goodman, Spare That Tree |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Allan Burns, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|01|24}} |ShortSummary=Paula's cousin from Texas arrives with an olive tree that she insists will make a fortune, but authorities have other plans. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=20 |Title=The White Collar Worker |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Jim Parker, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|01|31}} |ShortSummary=After a penniless, uninsured minister hits Dick and Paula's new car, he offers to do handiwork for the couple, which leads to disaster. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=21 |Title=Along Came Kim |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Arne Sultan, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|02|07}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula's Korean foster son comes for a visit, but he confuses Harry for his foster father, leading to havoc. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=22 |Title=What Do You Get for the Man Who Has Nothing? |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Chris Hayward, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|02|14}} |ShortSummary=Oscar entertains Harry for three days so that Dick and Paula can redecorate Oscar's apartment for a surprise birthday party. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=23 |Title=Dog's Best Friend |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Milt Rosen |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|02|21}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula agree to watch a couple's dog after the latter's marriage breaks up, but the dog proceeds to drive Dick crazy. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=24 |Title=It's Not Whether You Win or Lose, It's How You Watch the Game |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Peggy Elliott, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|02|28}} |ShortSummary=After a misunderstanding, Dick and Paula forfeit 30 tickets that were reserved for the Northwestern-Michigan State game, causing them to scramble for replacements. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=25 |Title=Knock, Knock, Who's There? Fernando, Fernando Who? |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy=Allan Burns, |OriginalAirDate={{start date|1968|03|06}} |ShortSummary=While Dick is out of town, Harry jumps to conclusions when he sees Fernando Lamas massaging Paula's leg. |LineColor=FFD700 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber=26 |Title=What's in the Kitty? |DirectedBy=Jay Sandrich |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay | s = Paul Mason; | t = Milt Rosen, | slabel = {{abbr|S|Story by}} | tlabel = {{abbr|T|Teleplay by}} }} |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1968|3|13}} |ShortSummary=Dick and Paula host his boss for a dinner party, but the trio endures a sick cat, a poison scare and a mouse. |LineColor=FFD700 }} |
References
{{reflist}}
- Brooks, Tim, and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
- Smith, Tracey, "He & She", Television Chronicles magazine, July 1997.
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb title|id=0061261}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:He and She}}
Category:1967 American television series debuts
Category:1968 American television series endings
Category:1960s American sitcoms
Category:Television series about marriage
Category:Television series by CBS Studios
Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Category:Television shows set in New York City
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Fictional cartoonists