''Peck's Bad Girl'' was a 1959 American TV series, starring

Wendell Corey Wendell Reid Corey (March 20, 1914 – November 8, 1968) was an American actor and politician. He was President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was a board member of the Screen Actors Guild. Biography Early years Corey was ...

and

Patty McCormack Patricia McCormack (born Patricia Ellen Russo in 1945) is an American actress with a career in theater, films, and television. McCormack began her career as a child actress. She is perhaps best known for her performance as Rhoda Penmark in Maxw ...

which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

. The show revolved around the misadventures of a twelve-year-old girl growing up and how she related to her family.

, who had played a sinister little girl in ''The Bad Seed'', played the lead character, Torey Peck. The title drew inspiration from the

Peck's Bad Boy Henry "Hennery" Peck, popularly known as Peck's Bad Boy, is a fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916). First appearing in the 1883 novel ''Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa'', the Bad Boy has appeared in numerous print, stage, and ...

stories. The show was presented as a family comedy centered on Torey, who would talk directly to the audience about herself and the events from in front of a black screen at points during the episode. Peck's Bad Girl replaced the

Arthur Godfrey Show Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

. The New York Times said in its review of the show: "''PECK'S BAD GIRL'', which had its debut... is another situation-comedy series on family life and a further reminder of the sustained superiority of ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by E ...

''."TV: Peck's Bad Girl
''New York Times'', May 6, 1959, p.79 After its poor reception in 1959, CBS re-ran the entire series in the summer of 1960 to no better success. ''

Peck's Bad Girl ''Peck's Bad Girl'' is a 1918 comedy film directed by Charles Giblyn, written by Tex Charwate, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and starring Mabel Normand and Earle Foxe. The black and white silent film, in the style of the Peck's Bad Boy stories, ...

'' was also the title of a 1918 silent film with an unrelated storyline.

Cast

as Torey Peck, twelve-year-old girl *

as Steve Peck, her father * Marsha Hunt as Jennifer Peck, her mother *Ray Ferrell as Roger Peck, her younger brother *Reba Waters as Francesca, her girlfriend Guest stars included

Jane Withers Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...

, Patrick O'Neal and

Jacques Bergerac Jacques Bergerac (26 May 1927 – 15 June 2014) was a French actor and businessman. Life and career Jacques Bergerac was born in 1927 in Biarritz, France, the son of Alice (Romatet) and Charles Bergerac. Bergerac was a law student when he met a ...

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0052500
Review of entire season
''New Castle News'', August 5, 1959 1959 American television series debuts 1959 American television series endings CBS original programming Black-and-white American television shows 1950s American sitcoms Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series by CBS Studios