He & She
Encyclopedia
He & She is an American
sitcom
that aired on the CBS
television network
as part of its 1967-68 lineup
, originally sponsored by General Foods
and Lever Brothers
. This landmark sitcom is widely considered to be ahead of its time by broadcast historians. 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.
and Paula Prentiss
as Dick and Paula Hollister, a successful cartoon
ist and his wife, a social work
er. Hollister's cartoon "Jetman" had in fact been so successful that it was now a network television series starring egomaniacal actor Oscar North (Jack Cassidy
) as Jetman. North constantly argued 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 by a plank connected to the firehouse across the street.
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. The show received four other Emmy nominations that year. 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 of 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. In 1998 TV Land
ran selected episodes of the series, 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 rural and urban approaches.
This series was also a pioneer in the portrayal of the working wife, which was not yet in vogue on television. Furthermore, it is the first sitcom to show the husband and wife sharing the same bed. This is two years prior to The Brady Bunch
, which tries to claim this credit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
as part of its 1967-68 lineup
1967-68 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1967. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New fall series are highlighted in bold....
, originally sponsored by General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
and Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
. This landmark sitcom is widely considered to be ahead of its time by broadcast historians. 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
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
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 starred real-life married couple Richard BenjaminRichard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
and Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss
Paula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
as Dick and Paula Hollister, a successful cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ist and his wife, a social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er. Hollister's cartoon "Jetman" had in fact been so successful that it was now a network television series starring egomaniacal actor Oscar North (Jack Cassidy
Jack Cassidy
John Joseph Edward “Jack” Cassidy was an American actor of stage, film and screen.His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane, super-confident egotist with a dramatic flair, much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay...
) as Jetman. North constantly argued with Hollister over the interpretation and direction of the Jetman character. Folksinger/actor Hamilton Camp
Hamilton Camp
Hamilton Camp was an English-American singer, songwriter, actor and voice actor.-Early life:Camp was born in London, England, and was evacuated during World War II to the United States as a child with his mother and sister. He became a child actor in films and onstage...
played the role of handyman Andrew Hummel at the apartment building where the starring characters lived, and Kenneth Mars
Kenneth Mars
Kenneth Mars was an American television, movie, and voice actor. He may be best-remembered for his roles in several Mel Brooks films: the insane Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in 1968's The Producers, and the relentless Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Fredrich Kemp in 1974's Young Frankenstein...
played firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
Harry Zarakartos, who would often drop in on the Hollisters' apartment by a plank connected to the firehouse across the street.
Writers Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the 1960s television show The Munsters and the creator of Dudley Do-Right....
and Allan Burns
Allan Burns
Allan Burns is an American screenwriter and television producer. Burns is best known for, alongside James L. Brooks, creating and writing for the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda.-Early life:...
, who created the series The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, were hired by executive producer Leonard Stern
Leonard B. Stern
Leonard Bernard Stern was an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the classic word game Mad Libs.-Life and career:...
(co-writer and producer of Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
) as story editors for He & She, for which they won the 1968 Emmy Award for comedy writing. The show received four other Emmy nominations that year. Burns would go on to be a writer and co-creator (among others) of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
, 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 of Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
(a Top 25 primetime show that season), He & She was cancelled after one season, although selected episodes were later rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
as a summer replacement series by CBS in 1970. In 1998 TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
ran selected episodes of the series, 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 rural and urban approaches.
This series was also a pioneer in the portrayal of the working wife, which was not yet in vogue on television. Furthermore, it is the first sitcom to show the husband and wife sharing the same bed. This is two years prior to The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
, which tries to claim this credit.
Episode list
| Series # | Episode title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|