''The Harvey Korman Show'' is an American

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 ...

television series starring

Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' '' The Danny Kaye Show'', but he is best remembered ...

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

Barry Van Dyke Barry Van Dyke (born July 31, 1951) is an American actor and the second son of actor and entertainer Dick Van Dyke and Margie Willett, and nephew of Jerry Van Dyke. He has often worked with his father. He is best known to audiences as Lieutena ...

and

Milton Selzer Milton Selzer (October 25, 1918 – October 21, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Selzer and his family moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where he was raised. After graduating fro ...

that aired for five episodes 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 ...

from January 31 to August 3, 1978.

Synopsis

Harvey A. Kavanaugh is an egotistical, self-centered, out-of-work actor who operates an acting class from his home (Harvey A. Kavanaugh Academy of Dramatic Arts) that he shares with his level-headed daughter Maggie, who works at the Friendly Community Bank.

Cast

as Harvey A. Kavanaugh *

as Maggie Kavanaugh *

as Stuart Stafford *

as Jake Winkleman

Production

''The Harvey Korman Show'' was created as a star vehicle for Harvey Korman when he was offered a contract by ABC to headline his own television series. Following his successful run as a supporting player 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 Entertainm ...

's ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Har ...

'' from 1967 to 1977, Korman by this time had grown restless of the variety-show routine and was keen to pursue lead-character roles. The pilot episode was originally broadcast on May 19, 1977 and varied slightly from the 1978 series: Korman portrays Francis A. Kavanaugh, a flamboyant, old-school actor and dramatic coach of an acting class he operates from the home he shares with his 19-year-old daughter Maggie (played by Susan Lawrence in the pilot). In the actual series, Korman's character name was changed to Harvey A. Kavanaugh and the role of Maggie was recast with

in one of her early acting roles. The supporting cast includes

as Stuart Stafford, Maggie's boyfriend and co-worker (whom Harvey dislikes), and

as Jake Winkleman, Harvey's hard-working agent. ''The Harvey Korman Show'' was broadcast Tuesday nights on ABC at 9:30 p.m. throughout its brief run. It was videotaped before a live audience at NBC Studios in Burbank, California. The theme song "Living Life Today", written by Ken Welch & Mitzi Welch, was performed by Korman in a Broadway-esque manner. Garry Shandling was one of the scriptwriters and story editor for the series.

Episodes

Reception

''The Harvey Korman Show'' drew low ratings and was cancelled after only five episodes aired. Korman himself expressed disappointment with the series and blamed its failure on the writing which he said "wasn't up to snuff" and also added that he wasn't happy with the casting either.''The Milwaukee Journal: ''Harvey Korman still awaits topliner break''
retrieved October 3, 2015.

References

External links

*
''The Harvey Korman Show''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey Korman Show 1978 American television series debuts 1978 American television series endings 1970s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television series about actors Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television series by ABC Studios