Norby (TV series)
| Norby | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | David Swift |
| Starring | David Wayne |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | David Swift |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | January 5. 1955 – April 6, 1955 |
Norby is an American sitcom series that aired on NBC from January 5 to April 6, 1955. It was created by David Swift and lasted one season and 13 episodes.
Premise[]
Pearson Norby is the vice president in charge of small loans at a small-town bank in Pearl River, New York.[1] At the bank, he works with Mr. Rudge, another vice president and efficiency expert, and Wahleen Johnson, the telephone operator. Some sources claim the bank is run by an unnamed Bank President,[2] while others identify Mrs. Maude Endles as its president.[3] Norby lives in Pearl River with his wife Helen, daughter Diane, and son Hank.[3] Bobo and Maureen live next door to the Norbys.[3]
Cast[]
- David Wayne as Pearson Norby
- Joan Lorring as Helen Norby
- Susan Hallaran as Diane Norby
- Evan Elliott as Hank Norby
- Janice Mars as Wahleen Johnson
- Ralph Dunn as Mr. Rudge
- as Mrs. Maude Endles
- Jack Warden as Bobo
- Maxine Stuart as Maureen
- Paul Ford as Bank President
Production[]
Norby starred veteran film actor David Wayne, who had recently had success in the play The Teahouse of the August Moon.[2] It was created by writer David Swift, then best known as the creator of the popular sitcom Mister Peepers. The series was shot on location in Pearl River, New York.[2] It had no laugh track.[2]
Eastman Kodak was Norby′s sponsor, and it was filmed in Eastmancolor. Norby was one of the first regular weekly series broadcast by NBC in its new all-electronic compatible color system, which had been approved by the Federal Communications Commission in 1953. The series ended after 13 episodes when Kodak pulled its sponsorship due to the high cost of filming Norby in color.
Most episodes of Norby are thought to have been lost in a warehouse fire.[2]
Broadcast history[]
Norby aired at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout its 13-episode run.[3]
Episodes[]
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Promotion" | David Swift | Harvey Orkin, James Lee, David Rayfiel, George Kirgo | January 5, 1955 | |
| The pilot episode for the series. Pearson Norby receives a promotion from head teller to vice president in charge of small loans at Pearl River First National Bank in Pearl River, New York. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Overdrawn Account" | TBA | TBA | January 12, 1955 | |
| Horrified to learn that he has overdrawn his own bank account and harboring doubts about his banking ability, Norby spends a miserable night with an "angel-in-charge-of-hopelessness." | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Picnic" | TBA | TBA | January 19, 1955 | |
| Norby tries to stop the tree he used to picnic under from being cut down to make room for a motel. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Late Love" | TBA | TBA | January 26, 1955 | |
| While Diane and Helen wait for Norby, Diane studies the love lives of people at the bank. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Helen's Holiday" | TBA | TBA | February 2, 1955 | |
| Despite Norby's good mood, Helen begins to feel that life has passed her by. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Wahleen's Romance" | TBA | TBA | February 9, 1955 | |
| After the women at the bank look enviously at a passing car bearing a "Just Married" sign, Wahleen gets carried away and says that she soon will be married, too. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | TBA | TBA | TBA | February 16, 1955 | |
| When Helen dwells on all the golden opportunities she feels she has missed in her life, Norby looks for a way to cure her of her dreams of glory. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Quiet War" | TBA | TBA | February 23, 1955 | |
| The Norbys have a minor disagreement that escalates into a color war. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | TBA | TBA | TBA | March 2, 1955 | |
| Helen and Maureen sign up for an art appreciation class. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Cinderella Story" | TBA | TBA | March 9, 1955 | |
| Norby rewrites the Cinderella story as he thinks it really happened to show that the Prince Charming was framed — in Norby's version, the Prince Charming was a sure prey for the girl in the glass slipper when she set her mind on matrimony. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | TBA | TBA | TBA | March 16, 1955 | |
| Diane decides that she wants to be a ballet dancer, and Norby tells her she must earn her own money for ballet lessons. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Dorcus Dilemma" | TBA | TBA | March 23, 1955 | |
| Too embarrassed to tell anyone that he has lost his gun, Dorcus, the longtime guard at the bank, instead announces his retirement. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Boss and the Lady" | TBA | TBA | April 6, 1955 | |
| Helen helps out at the bank by filling in as Norby′s secretary, and her office behavior convinces Norby that the place for a woman is in the home. | ||||||
References[]
- ^ TV Guide. "Norby Cast and Details". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Classic TV Archive Norby
- ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim, and Earl Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Ninth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4, p. 996.
- ^ Norby (television listing), The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon), March 9, 1955, Page 22 Accessed 4 January 2022
- ^ Norby (television listing), Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), March 9, 1955, Page 16 Accessed 4 January 2022
External links[]
- 1955 American television series debuts
- 1955 American television series endings
- 1950s American sitcoms
- American workplace comedy television series
- English-language television shows
- NBC original programming
- Television shows filmed in New York (state)
- Television shows set in New York (state)