''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and

Fred Gwynne Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, artist and author, who is widely known for his roles in the 1960s television sitcoms '' Car 54, Where Are You?'' (as Francis Muldoon) and '' The Munsters'' (as Herm ...

as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

police officers who patrol the fictional 53rd precinct in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Car 54 was their patrol car. The series had a rotating group of directors, including Al De Caprio,

Stanley Prager Stanley Prager (January 8, 1917 – January 18, 1972) was an American actor and a television and theatre director. Career Prager was born in New York City. He spent three years at Johns Hopkins University before working in summer stock and on ...

, and series creator Nat Hiken. Filming was done both on location and at

Biograph Studios Biograph Studios was an early film studio and laboratory complex, built in 1912 by the Biograph Company at 807 East 175th Street, in The Bronx, New York City, New York, which was preceded by two locations in Manhattan. History 841 Broadway ...

in the Bronx.

Synopsis

The series follows the adventures of

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

officers Gunther Toody ( Joe E. Ross), badge #1432, and Francis Muldoon (

), badge #723 and #1987 in early episodes, assigned to Patrol Car 54. Toody is short, stocky, nosy, and not very bright, and he lives with his loud, domineering wife Lucille (

Beatrice Pons Beatrice Pons ( Posner; January 28, 1906 – June 17, 1991) was an American stage, radio, television and film character actress. She is best known for her recurring television roles on ''The Phil Silvers Show'' and ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' She a ...

). College-educated Muldoon is very tall, quiet, and more intellectual. A shy bachelor, he lives with his mother and two younger sisters. He is reluctant to get married. Much of the series is set in the station house, with commanding officer Captain Block ( Paul Reed) ordering his men to answer neighborhood police calls or investigate baffling cases that have stymied the force at large. Toody and Muldoon often blunder into these cases, encountering the criminals accidentally and proceeding on a wrong assumption. By sheer perseverance, inadvertence, and luck, Toody and Muldoon bring each case to a successful conclusion.

Cast

* Joe E. Ross as Officer Gunther Toody *

as Officer Francis Muldoon *

as Lucille Toody * Al Lewis as Officer Leo Schnauser *

Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned sixty-six years. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-o ...

as Sylvia Schnauser * Hank Garrett as Officer Ed Nicholson * Paul Reed as Capt. Paul Block * Bruce Kirby as Officer Kissel * Jimmy Little as Sgt. Jim McBride * Joe Warren as Officer Steinmetz * Nipsey Russell as Officer Anderson *

Ossie Davis Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

as Officer Omar Anderson * Frederick O'Neal as Officer Wallace * Jim Gormley as Officer Nelson * Albert Henderson as Officer Dennis O'Hara * Ruth Masters as Mrs. Muldoon, Francis's mother * Patricia Bright as Mrs. Claire Block * Martha Greenhouse as Rose, Lucille's sister * Nathaniel Frey as Sergeant Abrams * Jerome Guardino as Officer Antonnucci

Episode list

Production

Many of the scripts were written by Nat Hiken, who won an "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy"

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for his work on the series. Hiken had previously produced '' The Phil Silvers Show'' in New York; it was a military comedy with Silvers (as Sgt. Bilko) and his gang of comical soldiers. Hiken recruited many of the Bilko alumni for this new series. Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne had featured roles on the Bilko show, and Beatrice Pons was hired to reprise her old role of Ross's wife. Other veterans from the Bilko show were Paul Reed, Al Lewis, Charlotte Rae, Jimmy Little, Jack Healy, Frederick O'Neal, Martha Greenhouse, Bob Hastings, Billy Sands, and Gerald Hiken. Some supporting players on ''Car 54'' were so well received that they were brought back for additional episodes. Molly Picon played Mrs. Bronson, an enterprising matron who made life miserable for city authorities but always adhered strictly to the law, forcing her whims to be accommodated. Larry Storch played a gypsy husband, and Charlie, the town drunk, whose constant scrapes with the police compelled Toody and Muldoon to rehabilitate him. Gene Baylos was the hapless Benny the Bookie, whose attempts at swearing off gambling always involved Toody and Muldoon. Carl Ballantine appeared as Al, Toody's imperious brother-in-law, who commanded instant obedience from his wife, Rose ( Martha Greenhouse). Interiors were filmed at Biograph Studios, Inc. at 807 East 175th Street, in

, New York. Exteriors of the precinct building were shot outside the Biograph Studios building, within the territory of New York's 48th Precinct.

Cars

So that they would not be mistaken for actual police cars during location filming, the cars used for the series were painted dark red and white, which appeared as the proper shade of gray on

Orthochromatic In chemistry, orthochromasia is the property of a dye or stain to not change color on binding to a target, as opposed to ''metachromatic'' stains, which do change color. The word is derived from the Greek '' orthos'' (correct, upright), and chr ...

black-and-white film to replicate NYPD cars of that era, which were black and green, with a white roof and trunk. Three cars were used as the title vehicle during the series: a 1961

Plymouth Belvedere The Plymouth Belvedere is a series of United States, American automobile models made by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the ...

during most of the first season, followed by a 1962, and later a 1963, Plymouth Savoy.

Theme song

The theme song's lyrics were written by series creator, writer, and occasional director, Nat Hiken, with music by John Strauss. There's a holdup in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

's broken out in fights; There's a traffic jam in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

That's backed up to Jackson Heights; There's a

Scout troop A Scout troop is a term adopted into use with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Scout Movement to describe their basic units. The term troop echoes a group of mounted scouts in the military or an expedition and follows the terms cavalry, mounted i ...

short a child,

Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

's due at Idlewild; Car 54, Where Are You? The line "Khrushchev's due at Idlewild" refers to

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

leader

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

. In September 1960, a year before the series began, Khrushchev flew to New York's Idlewild Airport (now

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

) to attend the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

Broadcast history

''Car 54, Where Are You?'' originally aired Sunday evenings, 8:30–9:00 p.m. on NBC, following ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' and preceding ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

''. The network run of ''Car 54'' was sponsored by

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...

Guest stars

Several New York-based celebrities, including Hugh Downs,

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

, Jan Murray, and

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarde ...

, appeared as themselves. Among others cast in various episodes are: * Carl Ballantine * Gene Baylos * Sorrell Booke *

Tom Bosley Thomas Edward Bosley (October 1, 1927 – October 19, 2010) was an American actor, television personality and entertainer. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham (Happy Days character), Howard Cunningham on the American Broadcasti ...

* Heywood Hale Broun *

Wally Cox Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He began his career as a standup comedian and played the title character of the popular early American television series '' Mister Peepers'' from 1952 to 195 ...

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as in the 1960s television series ''Dark Shadows'' as Sheriff George Patterson and the 1980s and 1 ...

* Dan Frazer *

Alice Ghostley Alice Margaret Ghostley (August 14, 1923 – September 21, 2007) was an American actress and singer on stage, film and television. Ghostley was best known for her roles as bumbling witch Esmeralda (1969–72) on '' Bewitched'', as Cousin Alice ...

* Arlene Golonka * Bruce Gordon * Margaret Hamilton * Bob Hastings * Katherine Helmond *

Don Keefer Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of ...

* Jake LaMotta *

Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody awards, Peabody-winning American Ventriloquism, ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, a ...

* Hal Linden * Judith Lowry * Simon Oakland * Molly Picon * B. S. Pully * Charles Nelson Reilly * Jane Rose * Billy Sands *

Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wif ...

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades becoming one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award ...

* Larry Storch

Primetime Emmy Awards

''Car 54, Where Are You?'' was nominated for four

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

, earning one. ; 1961–1962 (presented May 22, 1962) * Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken — Won * Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor — Nominated (Winner: ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...

'') * Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken, Tony Webster, Terry Ryan — Nominated (Winner:

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

for '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'') ; 1962–1963 (presented May 26, 1963) * Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy: Nat Hiken — Nominated (Winner: Carl Reiner for ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'')

Syndication

''Car 54, Where Are You?'' was first syndicated by NBC Films in January 1964. It began airing on the cable channel

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite since 2009) is an American nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon. List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite, The block's programming broadcasts from prime time to Late-night television, late night, with ...

in 1987 and ran on the network until 1990. It was seen for less than one year on the short-lived '' Ha!'' Channel in 1990–1991 and also aired on another Viacom-owned cable channel,

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, in the early 1990s. In 2016, the show aired early Sunday mornings on

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...

until its removal in September 2017. It also previously aired Monday through Friday on its sister network Decades until Decades was retooled to

Catchy Comedy Catchy Comedy, formerly known as Decades, is an Americans, American Digital terrestrial television, digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. The network, which is mainly carried on the digital subchannels of television ...

on March 24, 2023. It made its return to Catchy as of January 4, 2025, airing early Sunday mornings at 5am & 5:30am ET.

1994 film

''Car 54, Where Are You?'' was made into a 1994 film, shot mainly in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, starring

John C. McGinley John Christopher McGinley (born August 3, 1959) is an American actor. His best known roles include Perry Cox in '' Scrubs'', Bob Slydell in ''Office Space'', Captain Hendrix in '' The Rock'', Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's ''Platoon,'' ...

as Muldoon,

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Po ...

as Toody, and

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

as Toody's wife Lucille. Though made in 1990, it was not released until 1994 due to the bankruptcy of

Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...

. Original cast members Al Lewis and Nipsey Russell appeared in the film, which underperformed both critically and commercially upon release.

Home media

In the early 1990s,

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

Home Video released some episodes on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

. Shanachie Entertainment announced in late 2010 it was releasing season one on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Region 1 on February 22, 2011. The second and final season was released on April 24, 2012.

In popular culture

The show's theme song is parodied as “Mario, Where Are You?” in an

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

commercial for '' Mario Bros.'' In the 1966 film '' Munster, Go Home!'' Herman Munster (also played by Fred Gwynne) starts calling for police agencies, eventually yelling, “Car 54, where are you?”

References

External links

* * * * * * {{WritersGuildofAmericaComedyVarietyAnyLength 1960s American police comedy television series 1961 American television series debuts 1963 American television series endings 1960s American single-camera sitcoms Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department Television shows adapted into films Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in the Bronx Television shows filmed in New York City NBC sitcoms