7.2 /10 1 Votes
6.9/10 TV Directed by Tony Mordente First episode date 23 September 1976 Number of seasons 2 | 7.4/10 IMDb Genre Sitcom Composer(s) Patrick Williams Final episode date 25 March 1978 Number of episodes 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Created by Tom Patchett
Jay Tarses Written by Gary David Goldberg
Hugh Wilson
Ken Levine
David Isaacs
Patricia Jones
Tom Patchett
Donald Reiker
Jay Tarses
Michael Zinberg Starring Tony Randall
Barney Martin
Rachel Roberts
Allyn Ann McLerie
Penny Peyser
Hans Conried
Devon Scott
Brad Savage
Diana Muldaur Networks CBS, American Broadcasting Company Cast Tony Randall, Barney Martin, Allyn Ann McLerie, Diana Muldaur, Rachel Roberts Similar The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, The Betty White Show, Rhoda, The Mary Tyler Moore Sh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tony Randall Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during its first season from September 23, 1976 to March 10, 1977 and on CBS for its second and final season from September 24, 1977 to March 25, 1978.
Contents
Synopsis
The series starred Tony Randall as Walter Franklin, a middle-aged widowed judge, and took place in Philadelphia. The show followed the reserved Franklin dealing with being a single parent, raising his teenage daughter (Devon Scott) and preteen son (Brad Savage). At times he also had to play surrogate parent to his daffy English housekeeper (Rachel Roberts), whose inedible cooking was a frequent source of humor. At work, Judge Franklin had to contend with his dour and stuffy secretary, Miss Reubner (Allyn Ann McLerie), and his court reporter, Jack Terwilliger (Barney Martin), as well as presiding over court cases. Actor Zane Lasky played the recurring role of Mario Lanza, a nerdy, overbearing assistant whom Judge Franklin despised, but who kept getting rehired by Miss Reubner. Other recurring roles were played by Michael Keaton, Annette O'Toole, and Michael Durrell. In the show's second season, Devon Scott was replaced by Penny Peyser, and Hans Conried joined the cast as Walter's irascible father.
The show was produced by MTM Enterprises and aired for one season on ABC. For its second season, the series moved to CBS where it aired for one more season before being canceled. Writer/producer Gary David Goldberg discusses behind-the-scenes stories in his autobiography, Sit, Ubu, Sit.
Syndication and DVD release
The series has been seen in syndication, but was never officially released on VHS or DVD.