The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy
The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy is an American radio situation comedy that was broadcast on NBC from June 2, 1946, through March 26, 1947.[1]
Premise
[edit]Episodes dealt with the school and home activities of Thaddeus Q. Tweedy,[2] the absent-minded dean of men at Potts College[1] who regularly found himself in difficulties.[3] The show's opening narration described Tweedy as a man "who is always eager to help, but whose advice is often not helpful".[4] More often than not, his advice resulted in chaotic situations.[2]
Tweedy had an adopted son, Sidney, and they lived with their manservant, Welby, who had been a hobo.[1] Miss Tilsey was the head of the school. Alexander Potts was chairman of the board of Potts College, and his daughter (Mary) was engaged to Sidney Tweedy. Colonel Beauregard Jackson was Tweedy's neighbor; Kitty Bell Jackson was the colonel's sister.[2]
Cast
[edit]| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Thaddeus Q. Tweedy | Frank Morgan[2] |
| Sidney | Harlan Stone Jr.[2] |
| Mary Potts | Janet Waldo[2] |
| Welby | Harry von Zell[1] |
| Miss Tilsey | Nana Bryant[1] |
| Alexander Potts | Gale Gordon[2] |
| Beauregard Jackson | Will Wright[2] |
| Kitty Bell Jackson | Sara Berner[2] |
Bud Hiestand was the announcer.[2] Barbara Eiler frequently portrayed one of the students. Supporting actors included Eddie Green.[1]
Production
[edit]The series initially was on Sundays at 7 p.m. Eastern Time as a summer replacement for The Jack Benny Program. After September 22, 1946, it was heard on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. E. T.[1] The fall program replaced the first half of Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, which was shortened from an hour to 30 minutes.[5] Lucky Strike was the sponsor in the summer, and Pall Mall sponsored the fall series.[1]
Z. Wayne Griffin was the producer.[6] Eliot Daniel directed the orchestra. Writers included Robert Riley Crutcher.[1]
Critical response
[edit]Critic Jack Gould wrote in The New York Times that The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy "is a sad item if ever there was one".[3] Gould cited silliness and superficiality in scripts, resulting in "a half-hour of obvious confusion".[3] He also noted that Morgan relied too much on his old-wolf characterization and that Morgan's "familiar forced laughter ... proves wearing even under the best of circumstances".[3]
Paul Ackerman, in the trade publication Billboard, referred to the program's "so-called comical situations" and said that the October 16, 1946, episode was "singularly lacking" in laughs.[7] Ackerman cited "a basic lack of strong comedy material" in the script, which he described as "just a routine effort" by the writers.[7]
A review in the trade publication Variety said that Crutcher appeared to be continuing the style of writing that he used on a previous program that starred Eddie Bracken, but the results in The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy were less successful than those in Bracken's show. The review added that the Tweedy scripts seemed "to have gone overboard" in use of double entendre lines.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-19-984045-8. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- ^ a b c d Gould, Jack (June 16, 1946). "Some Recent Premieres: Alec Templeton Enlivens the Airwaves for Sunday Night Listeners". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (June 8, 2015). Radio Program Openings and Closings, 1931-1972. McFarland. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4766-1223-2. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Duffy's Tavern, Fabulous Dr. Tweedy Now At New Time". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. October 2, 1946. p. 16. Retrieved February 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Producer for E. Bracken Show; Wolff for Griffin". Billboard. November 16, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Ackerman, Paul (October 26, 1946). "NBC Opposish To the Larynx On Weak Side". Billboard. pp. 8, 14. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "The Fabulous Dr. Tweedy". Variety. June 5, 1946. p. 44. Retrieved February 22, 2024.