''Peter Loves Mary'' is an American situation comedy starring

Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes (born Joseph Conrad Lind Jr.; June 25, 1915 – April 21, 1998) was an American vaudeville entertainer, songwriter, and film and television actor. Early life Hayes was born in San Francisco, the son of Joseph Conrad Lind Sr., a ...

and Mary Healy which centers around a show-business couple and their family who move from New York City to the suburbs. Original episodes aired from 12 October 1960 until 31 May 1961.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, , p. 655.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–present (Sixth Edition)'', New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 816.

Synopsis

Peter and Mary Lindsey are a headlining husband-and-wife

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

act in which he is a corny comic and she is a singer.nostalgiacentral.com PETER LOVES MARY
/ref>gettv.com WAKE UP (OR GO TO BED) WITH PETER LOVES MARY – EARLY MORNINGS ON GETTV Accessed 15 September 2020
/ref> Mary and the Lindseys′ longtime housekeeper – the upbeat, wisecracking Wilma, who calls Peter "Squire Lindsey" — decide that it would be better for Peter and Mary's 8-year-old daughter Leslie (who without explanation ages into an 11-year-old as the season progresses) and 6-year-old son Steve to grow up in the suburbs rather than in the show-business life of the city. So, after 20 years on the road, the Lindsey family and Wilma move from New York City to 130 Maple Street in Oakdell — or Oakdale, according to some sources —

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The move leaves the Lindseys having to juggle the competing demands of show-business life in the city and family life in the suburbs. Mary is the more level-headed and confident of the two, and her dream is to live the complete suburban lifestyle that she has read about in magazines of

book clubs Book club may refer to: * Book discussion club, a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read ** Literature circle, a group of students who meet in a classroom to discuss a book or books that they have read * Book sales ...

, the

Garden Club of America The Garden Club of America is a nonprofit organization made up of around 18,000 club members and 200 local garden clubs around the United States. Founded in 1913, by Elizabeth Price Martin and Ernestine Abercrombie Goodman, it promotes the record ...

, the

parent–teacher association A parent–teacher association/organization (PTA/PTO), parent-teacher-friend association (PTFA), or parent–teacher–student association (PTSA) is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parent ...

, local government, and working for social causes. Peter, who tends to be vain and paranoid, goes along with the move out of his love for Mary, but makes it reluctantly; he dislikes commuting and misses city life and socializing with their show-business friends in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Peter still craves the spotlight and performs occasionally at the Imperial Room in Manhattan as well as for their suburban friends at parties Mary throws each week, but he also makes forays into suburban activities, serving as president of the Keep Oakdell (Oakdale) Beautiful Committee and chairman of the board of the High School Project, which seeks to finance the building of the town's first high school. Adding to the complexity – and often the chaos – of the Lindseys' move are visits from Mary's parents, the Gibneys, and the family's interactions with their neighbors and with Gladys, a sour housekeeper who works next door and is friends with Wilma.

Production

In real life Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy were a married show-business couple who performed together for over 40 years and were famous at the time ''Peter Loves Mary'' premiered in 1960 for their work in radio, movies, and television. Also in real life, they had moved from New York City to the suburbs with their son and daughter and had juggled the demands of show-business life and those of suburban life – for example, broadcasting from their suburban home so that they could stay closer to their children – so ''Peter Loves Mary'' was semi-autobiographical for them. On television, they previously had starred together in '' The Peter Lind Hayes Show'' in 1950–1951, which had a format similar to that of ''Peter Loves Mary'', although the earlier show had also included musical interludes.

Danny Simon Daniel Simon (December 18, 1918, The Bronx, New York – July 26, 2005, Portland, Oregon) was an American television writer and comedy teacher. Biography The older brother of playwright Neil Simon, the two siblings wrote comedy together until ...

created the format for ''Peter Loves Mary'' and developed it with

Walter Mirisch Walter Mortimer Mirisch (born November 8, 1921) is an American film producer. He is president and executive head of production of The Mirisch Corporation, an independent film production company, which he formed in 1957 with his brother Marvin ...

. Billy Friedburg produced the show, and

Buddy Bregman Louis Isidore "Buddy" Bregman (July 9, 1930 – January 8, 2017) was an American arranger and conductor. Biography Bregman was born in Chicago. His father was an executive in the steel industry. His uncle was songwriter Jule Styne. He spe ...

wrote the music for it.

Cast

....Peter Lindsey * Mary Healy....Mary Lindsey *

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...

....Wilma * Merry Martin...Leslie Lindsey * Gil Smith...Steve Lindsey *

Alan Reed Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ''The Flintstones'' and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, includin ...

....Happy Richman * Howard Smith...Horace Gibney *

Arch Johnson Archibald Winchester "Arch" Johnson (March 14, 1922 – October 9, 1997) was an American actor who appeared on Broadway and in more than 100 television programs. Early years Archibald Winchester Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1922. He served ...

....Charlie

Broadcast history

''Peter Loves Mary'' premiered on October 12, 1960, and aired on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. throughout its run. It was canceled after a single season and its last episode aired on May 31, 1961.

Episodes

SourcesThe Paley Center for Media PETER LOVES MARY: THE MOVIE STAR (TV)
/ref>

References

{{reflist, 1

External links

''Peter Loves Mary'' opening credits on YouTubeScene from ''Peter Loves Mary'' on YouTube
NBC original programming 1960s American sitcoms 1960 American television series debuts 1961 American television series endings Television shows set in Connecticut