''The Cara Williams Show'' is an American

situation comedy 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 ...

starring

Cara Williams Cara Williams (born Bernice Kamiat; June 29, 1925 – December 9, 2021) was an American film and television actress. She was best known for her role as Billy's Mother in ''The Defiant Ones'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy A ...

which centers on a married couple who try to conceal their marriage from their employer. Original episodes aired from September 23, 1964, until April 21, 1965 on CBS.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, , pp. 146–147.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, Ninth Edition''
New York: Ballantine Books, 2007, , pp. 220–221.

Cast

....Cara Bridges/Cara Wilton *

Frank Aletter Frank George Aletter (January 14, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was an American theatre, film, and television actor. Early years Born in College Point, Queens, New York, Aletter studied acting at the Dramatic Workshop in Manhattan. He served in the U ...

....Frank Bridges * Paul Reed...Damon Burkhardt *

Reta Shaw Reta Shaw (September 13, 1912 – January 8, 1982) was an American character actress known for playing strong, hard-edged, working women in film and on many of the most popular television programs of the 1960s and 1970s in the United Sta ...

....Mrs. Burkhardt * Jack Sheldon....Fletcher Kincaid * Jeanne Arnold....Mary Hammilmeyer * Audrey Christie....Agnes

Synopsis

Cara and Frank Bridges were both divorced and co-workers at Fenwick Diversified Industries, Inc.nostalgiacentral.com CARA WILLIAMS SHOW, THE
/ref> — where Cara is a file clerk and Frank holds a management position as an efficiency expert — when they met, fell in love, and secretly got married. Although Cara's boss, Mr. Burkhardt, finds the scatterbrained Cara indispensable because only she can find anything in her incredibly complicated filing system, Fenwick Industries strictly prohibits its employees from marrying one another, so to keep their jobs the newlyweds conceal their marriage from Mr. Burkhardt. As part of the subterfuge, Cara uses her maiden name, Cara Wilton, in the office, but the couple also has to conceal the fact that they live at the same address, leading to many complicated and amusing situations for the Bridges both at work and at home. Mary Hammilmeyer is Mr. Burkhardt′s secretary. Fletcher Kincaid is a jazz trumpeter who is Cara and Frank′s next-door neighbor and friend. Cara eventually tells Mr. Burkhardt that she and Frank are married. She convinces him that married couples are keeping Fenwick Industries in business, and he lets Cara and Frank keep their jobs.

Production

Film and television actress Cara Williams had co-starred on television with Harry Morgan as Gladys Porter in the situation comedy ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was b ...

'' from 1960 to 1962 and impressed CBS executives with her comic timing. Touting her as the next wacky redhead in the mold of

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

— a November 1964 ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' article described her as having a "feminine" comedy style like Ball′s that contrasted with the “masculine mannerisms” of Carol Burnett and Martha Raye, although Williams did not acknowledge any similarity to Ball — CBS returned her to prime-time television to star in her own show, the eponymous ''The Cara Williams Show'', for the 1964–1965 season. In depicting a previously divorced, childless, two-income married couple, the show was ahead of its time when it premiered in September 1964.tvguide.com The Cara Williams Show: Episodes
/ref>

Keefe Brasselle Keefe Brasselle (born Henry Keefe Brasselle February 7, 1923 – July 7, 1981) was an American film actor, television actor/producer and author. He is best remembered for the starring role in ''The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953). Early years an ...

created and developed ''The Cara Williams Show'' and co-produced it with Phil Sharpe. Kenyon Hopkins wrote the show's theme song, "Cara's Theme."

Broadcast history

''The Cara Williams Show'' ran for a single season, airing on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. throughout its original September 1964–April 1965 run. Prime-time reruns of the show were broadcast on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. beginning in May 1965, the last of them airing on September 10, 1965.

Episodes

Sources tv.com The Cara Williams Show Season 1
/ref>

References

External links

The Cara Williams Show 60-second promo on YouTube''The Cara Williams Show'' opening credits on YouTube''The Cara Williams Show'' closing credits on YouTube''The Cara Williams Show'' episode "Will Cara's Success Spoil Frank Bridges?" on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cara Williams Show, The 1960s American sitcoms 1964 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming Television series about marriage Television shows set in the United States