What a Dummy
{{Short description|1990 American syndicated TV sitcom}}
{{no footnotes|date=December 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| genre = Sitcom
| creator = Leslie Eberhard
Barbara Hobart
Arthur L. Annecharico
Craig Kellem
| director = {{Plainlist|
- Scott Redman
- Jerry Ross
}}
| developer =
| presenter =
| starring = Stephen Dorff
Joshua Rudoy
David Doty
Annabel Armour
Janna Michaels
Kaye Ballard
| voices = Loren Freeman
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer = Bill Fulton
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 24
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer = Arthur Annecharico
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| camera =
| runtime =
| company = {{Plainlist|
- The Arthur Company
- MCA TV
}}
| network = Syndication
| first_aired = {{Start date|1990|9|29}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1991|5|25}}
| related =
}}
What a Dummy is a syndicated television sitcom that lasted for one season in 1990 until 1991.
Premise
The premise of the show was that the Brannigan family of Secaucus, New Jersey was getting advice from a talking, thinking ventriloquist's dummy named Buzz (voiced by Loren Freeman), who had been locked in a trunk for fifty years before being discovered by the family. Kaye Ballard played the family's next-door neighbor, Mrs. Treva Travalony. The animatronic puppet used for Buzz was created by special effects artists Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics, and puppeteered by Mark Rappaport.
Cast
- Stephen Dorff as Tucker Brannigan
- Joshua Rudoy as Cory Brannigan
- David Doty as Ed Brannigan
- Annabel Armour as Polly Brannigan
- Janna Michaels as Maggie Brannigan
- Kaye Ballard as Treva Travalony
- Loren Freeman as Buzz (voice)
Episodes
{{Episode table |total_width= |background=#500050 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = What a Dummy
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|9|29}}
| ShortSummary = When Ed Brannigan's great uncle passes away, they discover a steamer trunk full of old props left over from the days when his Uncle Jackie had a traveling ventriloquist show, including Buzz, the dummy. Only this dummy talks and isn't too happy about being left in a trunk for 50 years.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = My Hero
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|10|6}}
| ShortSummary = After Cory saves Tucker's life, that life then becomes slavery when Tucker must do anything and everything Cory wants.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| Title = The Contractor from Hell
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|10|13}}
| ShortSummary = In Ed's attempt to save money, Lucky Ernesto is hired to fix a plumbing problem. Unfortunately, this was not a smart move and Ed ends up having to take Lucky to court.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = Whose Life Is It Anyway?
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|10|20}}
| ShortSummary = In order to attract the eye and affections of a young lady, Tucker takes on the persona of his sensitive brother and tries to act like Cory would act if he were in the same situation.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = The Champ
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|10|27}}
| ShortSummary = Tucker is suffering from feelings of low self worth, so Ed tries to help by offering him a position at the restaurant while Cory nurses a broken heart.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = Good Neighbor Brannigan
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|11|3}}
| ShortSummary = Trying to be the nice and friendly neighbors, the Brannigans invite their next door neighbors out to dinner, only to find that they are a couple of strange birds.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| Title = Car Wars
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|11|10}}
| ShortSummary = Tucker's mom, Polly, covers for him by taking the blame after the young man wrecks his dad's cherry Mustang.
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| Title = Grandpa Lou
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|11|17}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| Title = What I Did for Love
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|11|24}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| Title = The Substitute
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|12|1}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| Title = Unmarried... with Children
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1990|12|8}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| Title = Bringing Up Baby
| DirectedBy = Jerry Ross
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|1|26}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| Title = Buzz Is Loaded
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|2|2}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 14
| Title = Fear Itself
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|2|9}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 15
| Title = The Babysitter
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|2|16}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 16
| Title = Tucker's on the Air
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|2|23}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 17
| Title = Mrs. Grumbacher's Talent Show
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|3|2}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 18
| Title = My Imaginary Friend
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|3|9}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 19
| Title = The Vacation That Never Was
| DirectedBy = Jerry Ross
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|3|16}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 20
| Title = Buzz for Sale
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|4|27}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 21
| Title = The Nudge Who Came to Dinner
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|5|4}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 22
| Title = Treasure of the Sierra Secaucus
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|5|11}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 23
| Title = Knock on Wood
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|5|18}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 24
| Title = Toys Aren't Us
| DirectedBy = Scott Redman
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1991|5|25}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 500050
}}
}}
International broadcast
External links
- {{IMDb title|0098947}}
- {{epguides|WhataDummy|What a Dummy}}
Category:1990s American sitcoms
Category:1990 American television series debuts
Category:1991 American television series endings
Category:First-run syndicated sitcoms
Category:Television series by Universal Television
Category:American television shows featuring puppetry
Category:Television shows set in New Jersey
Category:American English-language television shows
{{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub}}