269:, near London. Twenty-six episodes were made with a laugh track. Sound editor Robert Winter wrote that in early stages of production he, Reynolds, and the first two episodes' writers spent much time in discussing "what was or was not funny to a British audience, as well as the important criteria for an American audience for whom it was principally made." They felt that use of a laugh track would prompt laughter among viewers, and Winter used recordings of "some 30 odd different kinds of laughter" to create the background track.
348:... is only another situation comedy." Gould wrote that Court "displayed an engaging vivacity as the English wife; Patrick O'Neal was a routine American husband." He also said the plot of the premiere episode was improbable and noted "the usual cheap jokes at the expense of Britons who speak differently from Americans.
178:'Americanized' by movie and television crime stories" enough to be a detective, so she often tried to help with Dick's investigations, but she usually caused problems by doing so. Peter Jamison worked with Dick and was his friend. Dick's investigations often led to his working with Inspector Stark of
369:
had "a spritely gaiety and saucy innuendo seldom seen in an
American production." Weber attributed that accomplishment to O'Neal, Court, and "even more importantly, deft writing and direction." He complimented the casting and noted that the show's "wit is unmistakably British in the crisply turned
357:
praised the pacing and production values of the
November 3, 1957, episode. It said that Court's and O'Neal's performances were competent, but overall the episode produced fewer laughs than those heard in the laugh track. The review said that the fault lay with "lack of freshness" in the script and
177:
A multinational insurance company stationed
American Dick Starrett in London as an investigator and adjuster. His wife, Jane, was the daughter of an English earl, and her family was "less than enchanted with her marriage to a commoner — and an American at that." Jane felt that she "had been
395:
network broadcast the series in
Germany. Winter and translators worked for five months to create German versions of episodes that could sustain (along with the use of a laugh track) the humor of "most of what was considered funny in the English language".
168:
is an
American television situation comedy that was broadcast on CBS from September 28, 1957, to May 16, 1958. It was "one of the earliest of filmed television shows in the UK". A dubbed version of the series was also shown in Germany.
383:" an intriguing mixture of British and American whimsey" and said that it "combines the best of situation comedy and whodunit". It complimented the quality of the show's production except for the "out of step" laugh track.
330:
ended their sponsorships, plans called for the series to end on March 22, 1958. CBS, however, decided to move it to the Friday time slot and show reruns for at least eight weeks.
965:
322:
reported in
December 1957, "The program has improved slightly, but indications are that it doesn't really have the all-around appeal to make it with American audiences." When
459:
275:
was the program's executive producer, and
Reynolds was the producer. Reynolds also directed and wrote for the series. Other directors included Gerald Bryant, Allan Davis,
289:
was initially broadcast on
Saturdays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. In March 1958 it was moved to Fridays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. E. T. Its initial competition included
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107:
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586:
323:
674:
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526:
254:
42:
794:"TV Comedy Series on C. B. S. to End: ' Dick and Duchess' Will Lose Sponsors on March 15 -N.Y.U. Radio Series Due"
192:
55:
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182:. Rodney was another employee in Dick's office. Mathilda was the Starretts' housekeeper.
204:
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276:
426:
Total
Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present
327:
266:
198:
60:
734:
Short-Lived
Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops
297:
495:
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present
428:(4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 216.
924:
32:
392:
130:
464:
Arts: The Journal of the Sydney University Arts Association
543:
Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed
301:
on NBC. After the change in schedule, it competed with
279:, and McLean Rogers. Other writers included Ray Allen,
649:"Dick and the Duchess (Film) Saturday, CBS, 8:30 p.m."
245:. They include "The Swedish Story" and "An American".
136:
126:
121:
113:
103:
98:
87:
48:
38:
28:
21:
826:
792:
703:
588:Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide
492:Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009).
344:, "Despite the novelty of its London setting,
8:
966:Television shows shot at MGM-British Studios
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18:
617:
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16:American TV situation comedy (1957–1958)
956:1950s American comedy television series
951:1958 American television series endings
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946:1957 American television series debuts
518:
498:. 353: Random House Publishing Group.
283:, Dennis Freeman, and Robert Shannon.
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540:Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014).
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585:Leszczak, Bob (November 16, 2012).
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902:. October 7, 1957. pp. 14, 16
825:Gould, Jack (September 30, 1957).
705:"'Duchess' Series to Remain on TV"
373:A review in the trade publication
351:A review in the trade publication
14:
731:Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015).
675:"MGM-British Studios Borehamwood"
209:Inspector Stark - Michael Shepley
859:Weber, Bill (November 9, 1957).
791:Adams, Val (January 28, 1958).
460:"Comedy is a Serioius Business"
629:. November 6, 1957. p. 34
324:Helene Curtis Industries, Inc.
88:
1:
772:. December 9, 1957. p. 3
654:. August 12, 1957. p. 28
304:The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin
702:Adams, Val (March 5, 1958).
766:"'Duchess' May Expire Soon"
982:
546:. McFarland. p. 258.
241:holds several episodes of
737:. McFarland. p. 81.
591:. McFarland. p. 37.
828:"TV: So Much, So Little"
525:: CS1 maint: location (
458:Winter, Robert (2007).
893:"Dick and the Duchess"
623:"Dick and the Duchess"
370:phrase, the bon mot."
316:The trade publication
239:Paley Center for Media
424:McNeil, Alex (1996).
310:Truth or Consequences
225:Guest stars included
926:Dick and the Duchess
381:Dick and the Duchess
367:Dick and the Duchess
361:Bill Weber wrote in
346:Dick and the Duchess
338:Jack Gould wrote in
287:Dick and the Duchess
259:Dick and the Duchess
243:Dick and the Duchess
165:Dick and the Duchess
23:Dick and the Duchess
298:The Perry Como Show
263:MGM-British Studios
227:Margaret Rutherford
833:The New York Times
799:The New York Times
710:The New York Times
341:The New York Times
140:September 28, 1957
104:Executive producer
744:978-1-4766-0515-9
679:TV Studio History
673:Kempton, Martin.
598:978-0-7864-6812-6
553:978-0-7864-8641-0
505:978-0-307-48320-1
387:German broadcasts
334:Critical response
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904:. Retrieved
900:Broadcasting
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870:. p. 36
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801:. p. 55
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150:May 16, 1958
114:Running time
22:
961:CBS sitcoms
328:Mogen David
307:on ABC and
295:on ABC and
267:Borehamwood
253:Created by
218:Mathilda -
199:Hazel Court
91:of episodes
61:Hazel Court
940:Categories
400:References
249:Production
154:1958-05-16
144:1957-09-28
117:30 minutes
99:Production
39:Created by
770:Billboard
652:Billboard
521:cite book
319:Billboard
212:Rodney -
313:on NBC.
233:Episodes
49:Starring
627:Variety
379:called
354:Variety
173:Premise
152: (
148: –
142: (
137:Release
127:Network
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432:
33:Sitcom
896:(PDF)
864:(PDF)
365:that
29:Genre
931:IMDb
908:2023
876:2023
841:2023
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778:2023
752:2023
739:ISBN
718:2023
686:2023
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635:2023
606:2023
593:ISBN
561:2023
548:ISBN
527:link
513:2023
500:ISBN
472:2023
430:ISBN
391:The
326:and
237:The
186:Cast
929:at
393:ZDF
265:in
131:CBS
89:No.
942::
898:.
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519:{{
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