O.K. Crackerby! - Wikipedia
- ️Thu Sep 16 1965
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| O.K. Crackerby! | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Cleveland Amory Abe Burrows |
| Starring | Burl Ives Hal Buckley Brooke Adams Brian Corcoran Joel Davidson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 16, 1965 – January 6, 1966 |
O.K. Crackerby! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 16, 1965, to January 6, 1966.[1]
O.K. Crackerby is a billionaire widower from Oklahoma who has three children: 16-year-old Cynthia, 13-year old O. K., Jr., and 9-year-old Hobert. The family moves to Palm Beach, Florida, go to the exclusive Hotel Havenhurst, and discover the staff refuses to rent out the entire penthouse floor to them. Crackerby asks to use the telephone, and in five minutes purchases the hotel, which he renames Havenhurst-Crackerby, and the family turns the penthouse floor into their new home.[2]
Crackerby wants his children to be able to fit into high society so he hires an impoverished Harvard graduate St. John Quincy (who pronounces his name Sihn-Jihn-Kwihn-zee) as a tutor.[3] Quincy initially turned down the job, but accepted it after Crackerby deposited $5,000 into his bank account, provided him with a chauffeur-driven limousine, bought the sporting goods store Quincy worked at, and had him fired.[2] Throughout the short-lived series Crackerby and Quincy alternate between verbally fighting over differing moral values and banding together to battle those they both consider social snobs.[4]
Other recurring characters are Susan, Quincy’s girl friend,[4] and Slim, an employee back at the Oklahoma ranch. Slim spends most of his time in an office, complete with a bed and refrigerator, so he can stay near the phone in order to fulfill Crackerby’s orders within five minutes. He even has a massive 1960s-style mainframe computer to provide any information his boss may need.[2]
- Burl Ives as O.K. Crackerby
- Hal Buckley as St. John Quincy
- Brooke Adams as Cynthia Crackerby
- Brian Corcoran as O.K. Crackerby, Jr.
- Joel Davidson as Hobart Crackerby
- Dick Foran as Slim
Recurring:
- Laraine Stephens as Susan Wentworth (13 episodes)
- John Indrisano as John, the chauffeur (5 episodes)
- William Kinney as Joe, the bellboy (3 episodes)
Ratings and cancellation
[edit]
Nielsen ratings ranked the series as 71st out of 102 evening television programs,[5] but before ABC could announce its cancellation Burl Ives sent out letters to newspaper columnists stating, "O.K. Crackerby is over"… as "the show never did get off the ground in the script department."[6] The last episode of the series was broadcast on January 6, 1966.[4]
- ^ The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 871.
- ^ a b c David C. Tucker, Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television, pages 164, 165, 169, McFarland, Inc., 2010
- ^ Bob Leszczak, Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979, page 142, McFarland, Inc., 2012
- ^ a b c Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946-Present, page 454, Ballantine Books, 1979
- ^ ABC to Drop O. K. Crackerby January 6, The Decatur Herald, November 10, 1965, page 16
- ^ Bob Smith, Burl Ives Pulls Ambush on ABC, The Tampa Times, November 9, 1965, page 19