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The Hank McCune Show

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The Hank McCune Show
GenreSitcom
Directed byCharles Maxwell
StarringHank McCune
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersSamuel Z. Arkoff
Dick Farrell
Hank McCune
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time25 minutes
Production companyUnited Television Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 9 (1950-09-09) –
December 2, 1950 (1950-12-02)

The Hank McCune Show is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track.[1]

The series began as a local program in New York in 1949.[2] NBC placed it on its national primetime schedule at the start of the 1950–51 season. It debuted at 7:00pm Eastern Time on September 9 and was cancelled three months later. It was briefly resurrected as a syndicated program in 1953–54,[3] but without a laugh track.[4]

Overview

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The premise foreshadowed that of The Larry Sanders Show in that it contained a show within a show. Former radio comedian McCune portrayed a television variety show host named after himself, and each week the character managed to blunder his way into a variety of comic predicaments.

The supporting cast included Larry Keating, Charles Maxwell, Frank Nelson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Sara Berner, Tammy Kiper,[5] and Florence Bates.

Production

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United Television Productions produced the show,[2] and Harold Schuster was the producer.[6] Mort Lachman and Cy Rose were the writers.[5]

Although ratings "weren't terrible", the sponsor left after the then-minimum 13 weeks of shows.[7]

Syndicated version

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Bing Crosby Enterprises produced the syndicated version of The Hank McCune Show. It was distributed by CBS's TV film sales division.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ingram, Billy (2002). TVparty!: Television's Untold Tales. Bonus Books, Inc. p. 17. ISBN 1-56625-184-2.
  2. ^ a b Leszczak, Bob (November 16, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  3. ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, Ballantine Books, 2003, p. 502, ISBN 0-345-45542-8
  4. ^ "Production," Broadcasting Telecasting, p. 37, http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1954/1954-01-04-BC.pdf
  5. ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 357. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  6. ^ "Radio and Television: ' Time for Defense,' Produced by Johnson's Department, to Bow on ABC Oct. 25". nnyt. October 6, 1949. p. 62. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Jones, Gerard (March 15, 1993). Honey, I'm Home!: Sitcoms: Selling The American Dream. Macmillan. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-312-08810-1. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "CBS Sales Acquires Crosby Video Films". Billboard. July 26, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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