My Little Margie

1955 - United States

Following on from the success of I Love Lucy, ATV television in the UK purchased another US sitcom in the form of My Little Margie, which centred around 21 year-old Margie Albright and her widower father, Vernon. 

Gale Storm, who played the lead, began her stage career by winning the Texas branch of a competition to play in 'Gateway to Hollywood.' She met the winner of the same contest from Indiana and a year later they were married. Gale then decided to concentrate on raising a family before returning to the silver screen, where she appeared alongside well-known names of the day such as Donald O'Connor and Audie Murphy. Her co-star in the TV series was former silent movie star Charles Farrel who had appeared opposite Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven

In an unusual move, My Little Margie began a radio series in December 1952, a little more than two months after the first TV series had finished, and then continued on both mediums throughout the rest of its run. Not, as one might imagine in radio versions of the TV episodes, but in completely new stories. Co-stars Storm and Farrell played the leads in both. The first episode of the TV series was transmitted on CBS in 1952 and the last one was seen on NBC in 1955.

Published on January 9th, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Based quite loosely on the 1974 Oscar-winning film 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore', this situation comedy centered on Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son who leave their New Jersey home to start a new life in Phoenix, Arizona

Also tagged Us Sitcom

This third series to run under the title of The Dickie Henderson Show aired on November 14 1960 and continued until March 1968 by which time Henderson had established himself as one of Britain's top all-round entertainers.

Also tagged Domestic Sitcom

Richard Greene starred as the legendary 12th century outlaw who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. ITV's first adventure series managed to maintain a high standard of writing, employing blacklisted Hollywood writers who wrote under various aliases.

Also released in 1955

Arguably the most visually successful performer since the great Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hawthorne Hill became one of the most accomplished funny men of his era, whose cheeky grin and feigned air of innocence made him one of televisions biggest stars and won him a legion of fans around the world.

Also released in 1955

Standard US sitcom that tried to reproduce the phenomenal success of I Love Lucy.

Also tagged I Love Lucy

Wife is compulsive charity worker much to her husband's frustration.

Also tagged Domestic Sitcom

Architect Mike Brady marries beautiful young Carol, who has three girls to care for. Likewise, Mike's previous wife's death has left him to raise his three boys all alone. In no time this amalgam becomes the ideal average American middle class family.

Also tagged Us Sitcom

This spin-off of the Susan Harris-created farce Soap sent the Tate family's insolent African-American butler Benson to the mansion of Jessica Tate's bumbling cousin, Governor James Gatling. In other words, Benson went from one dysfunctional family to another.

Also tagged Us Sitcom