''One In A Million'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

for one season in 1980. The show was developed as a starring vehicle for comedian

Shirley Hemphill Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 – December 10, 1999) was an American stand-up comedian and actress. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Hemphill moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After worki ...

after the success of ''

What's Happening!! ''What's Happening!!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, until April 28, 1979, premiering as a summer series. Due to other shows being cancelled across the network, and good ratings and reviews from ...

'' (1976–1979) in which she played a supporting role. The show was not a success and was cancelled after just 13 episodes. The series was broadcast on Saturdays at 8 p.m Eastern time.

Overview

The series centers around Shirley Simmons (Hemphill), a sharp-tongued

taxicab driver A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

who inherits controlling interest in the multimillion-dollar

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

Grayson Enterprises at the death of its founder, Jonathan Grayson, one of Shirley's regular fares. Gleefully assuming her position as CEO, she declares war on 'pompous stuffed shirts', especially company vice president Roland Cushing (

Keene Curtis Keene Holbrook Curtis (February 15, 1923 – October 13, 2002) was an American character actor. Early life Curtis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (poli ...

). She finds an ally in Nancy (

Dorothy Fielding Dorothy may refer to: *Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name. Arts and entertainment Characters *Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum * Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...

), Grayson's secretary. The series was set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The cast included several well-known character actors including

Richard Paul Richard Paul (June 6, 1940 – December 25, 1998) was an American actor who was born in Los Angeles, California. Early life Paul was born in Los Angeles, California. Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts in public affairs from Claremont Men's Coll ...

as Mr. Grayson's nephew and

Carl Ballantine Carl Ballantine (September 28, 1917 – November 4, 2009) was an American magician, comedian and actor. Billing himself as "The Great Ballantine", "The Amazing Ballantine" or "Ballantine: The World's Greatest Magician", his vaudeville-style com ...

as the owner of Shirley's favorite deli.

Cast

as Shirley Simmons *

as Barton Stone * Billy Wallace as Dennis *

as Max Kellerman *

Ralph Wilcox Ralph Wilcox (July 9, 1818 – April 18, 1877) was the first teacher and practicing doctor in Portland, Oregon.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. He also served in the Provisional Government o ...

as Duke *

Mel Stewart Milton "Mel" Stewart (September 19, 1929 – February 24, 2002) was an American character actor, television director, and musician who appeared in numerous films and television shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is best known for playing Hen ...

as Raymond Simmons *

as Mr. Cushing * Ann Weldon as Edna Simmons * Dorothy Fielding as Nancy Boyer

Episodes

References

External links

* Television series by Sony Pictures Television American Broadcasting Company original programming 1980s American sitcoms 1980 American television series debuts 1980 American television series endings English-language television shows Television shows set in New York City 1980s American black sitcoms {{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub