"December Bride" (1954) TV series 1954-1959

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Creator:

Parke Levy

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

4 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Charming and wise Lily Ruskin lives with her daughter and son-in- law who, along with her close friend Hilda Crocker...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Spring Byington	...	Lily Ruskin (111 episodes, 1954-1959)
Harry Morgan	...	Pete Porter (111 episodes, 1954-1959)
Frances Rafferty	...	Ruth Henshaw (111 episodes, 1954-1959)
Verna Felton	...	Hilda Crocker (111 episodes, 1954-1959)
Dean Miller	...	Matt Henshaw (111 episodes, 1954-1959)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

This long-running half-hour CBS sitcom debuted on 4 October 1954 and was last broadcast on 20 April 61. Mostly remembered today for featuring neighbor 'Harry Morgan' as Pete Porter, who complained constantly about his unseen wife, Gladys. They'd eventually get their own show as a spin-off in the fall of 1960.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Desi Arnaz/Desi Arnaz, Jr. (#1.14)" (1976)

A long-forgotten gem

I was 9 years old when this show premiered and, if my memory serves me, it followed "I Love Lucy," providing an hour of solid comedy. But even if my gray cells are faulty, I remember "December Bride" as being one of the best sitcoms of the 1950s.

Spring Byington played Lily Ruskin, who lived him her daughter and son-in-law. The comedy was based largely on Lily's adventures with her close friend Hilda Crocker (Verna Felton), which often left son-in-law Matt Henshaw (Dean Miller) exasperated.

The icing on the cake was provided by Harry Morgan ("M*A*S*H") as next-door neighbor Peter Porter, whose sardonic remarks about wife Gladys (who is never seen on camera) rarely failed to trigger guffaws.

This was a show that the whole family could watch, and I'm saddened that it is not available for home viewing. It's a treasure that is likely to languish in studio vaults for a long, long time.