''Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby'' was a half-hour television interview show produced by

Allan Sherman Allan Sherman (born Allan Copelon or Allan Gerald Copelon; November 30, 1924 – November 20, 1973) was an American musician, satirist, and television producer who became known as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, '' M ...

and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and broadcast weekly in the United States by the ABC network 8–8:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on Wednesdays in the 1959–60 television season.

History

The show premiered on September 30, 1959.

Cliff Arquette Clifford Charles Arquette (; December 28, 1905 ⁠– September 23, 1974) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for performing comedic routines as his alter-ego Charley Weaver on numerous television and radio shows. Early life ...

, in his Charley Weaver persona, hosted the show throughout the run of the series. For the first two months, the show was called ''Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby'', but on November 25, 1959, the name of the show was changed to ''The Charley Weaver Show''."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 25, 1959), ''New York Times'' The first episodes essentially followed the same format as the ''Hobby Lobby'' radio interview show hosted by Dave Elman and broadcast from 1937 to 1949: people, both celebrities and not, were interviewed about their hobbies, both unusual and not. However, at the end of November (and perhaps earlier), "variety and comedy sketches" had been added, and hobby discussions were dropped. Charley Weaver's "Letters from Mama" monologues concerning daily life in the fictional town of Mount Idy were always part of the show, with the other members of the cast playing characters referred to in the letters. The last show was broadcast March 23, 1960.Shepard, Richard F., "NEWS OF TV AND RADIO — Season's Newcomers: How They Did", (March 20, 1960), ''New York Times'', p. X13

Cast

(host) as Charley Weaver and as Charley's mother, "Mama Weaver" *

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She is best known for providing the voice of Ursula in ''The Little Mermaid''. She made guest appearances in many popular television series including '' ...

Chuck McCann Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 – April 8, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. His career spanned over 70 years. He was best known for his work in presenting children's televi ...

as Wallis Swine * Charles R. Althoff as Grandpa Snyder *

Nancy Kovack Nancy Kovack (born March 11, 1935) is a retired American film and television actress. Early years Nancy Kovack was born in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Michael A. Kovack, was the manager of a General Motors plant. Career After working as a mo ...

(credited as Nancy Kovac) as "witch of the year" Nancy Kovack entry
on th
Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
website *

Irene Ryan Irene Ryan (born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress and comedienne who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. She is most widely known for her po ...

as beauty pageant winner Miss Mount IdyHollis, Tim (2008) ''Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century'', Univ. Press of Mississippi, page 167,

Guests

Guests on the show included: *

Gloria DeHaven Gloria Mildred DeHaven (July 23, 1925 – July 30, 2016) was an American actress and singer who was a contract star for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Early life DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter De ...

(September 30, 1959) Hobby discussed: Antique Music Boxes *

Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper, actress, author, playwright and vedette, famous for her striptease act. Her 1957 memoir, '' Gypsy: A Memoir'', was a ...

(October 7, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (October 7, 1959), ''New York Times'' Hobby discussed:

Sport Fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

. *

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...

(October 14, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (October 14, 1959), ''New York Times'' Hobby discussed:

Fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

. * Guy Madison (November 4, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 4, 1959), ''New York Times'' Hobby discussed:

Archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

"TV Scout Previews", (November 4, 1959), ''St. Petersburg Times'', p. 20 *

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken came to Hollywood prominence for his comedic lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' b ...

(November 18, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 18, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Edie Adams Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman who was prominent in the second half of the 1900s. She earned a Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Awa ...

(November 25, 1959). * Abigail Van Buren (November 25, 1959) *

Faye Emerson Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...

(December 2, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 2, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Harold Rome Harold Jacob "Hecky" Rome (May 27, 1908 – October 26, 1993) was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. Biography Rome was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Hartford Public High School. Originally, he ch ...

(December 2, 1959). *

Audrey Meadows Audrey Meadows (born Audrey Cotter; February 8, 1922 – February 3, 1996) was an American actress who portrayed the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy ''The Honeymooners''. She was the younger sister of H ...

(December 9, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 9, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

(December 16, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 16, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Barbara Nichols Barbara Marie Nickerauer (December 10, 1928 – October 5, 1976), known professionally as Barbara Nichols, was an American actress who often played brassy or comic roles in films in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life and career Nichols was ...

(December 23, 1959). "TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 23, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Arthur Treacher Arthur Veary Treacher, Jr. ( ; 23 July 1894 – 14 December 1975) was an English film and stage actor active from the 1920s to the 1960s, and known for playing English types, especially butler and manservant roles, such as the P. G. Wodehouse ...

(December 30, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 30, 1959), ''New York Times'' *

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate b ...

(1960?)

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt0187628 1959 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings 1950s American sketch comedy television series 1960s American sketch comedy television series 1950s American variety television series 1960s American variety television series American Broadcasting Company original programming Black-and-white American television shows