Love That Jill is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1957���58 television season. The series stars Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as the heads of rival modeling agencies in Manhattan.
Love That Jill | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Starring | Anne Jeffreys Robert Sterling |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Producer | Alex Gottlieb |
Running time | 30 mins. |
Production company | Hal Roach Studios |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | January 20 April 14, 1958 | –
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Robert_Sterling_Anne_Jeffreys_Love_That_Jill.jpg/220px-Robert_Sterling_Anne_Jeffreys_Love_That_Jill.jpg)
Synopsis
editJill Johnson and Jack Gibson are the heads of rival New York City modeling agencies in Manhattan.[1][2] Jack is romantically attracted to Jill, but each of them constantly tries to take clients and models away from the other.[1][2] Richard is Jill′s secretary, Pearl is Jack′s secretary,[2] Ginger is one of Jill's models,[1][2] and Melody and Peaches are among the other models at their agencies.[2]
Cast
edit- Anne Jeffreys...Jill Johnson[3]
- Robert Sterling...Jack Gibson[3]
- James Lydon...Richard[3]
- Betty Lynn...Pearl[3]
- Polly Rose...Myrtle
- Barbara Nichols...Ginger[3]
- Nancy Hadley...Melody
- Kaye Elhardt...Peaches
Production
editHal Roach Studios produced Love That Jill.[3] Alex Gottlieb served as producer for the series.[1] Hal Roach Jr. was the executive producer, and William A. Seiter was the director.[3]
Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling were married in real life.[3]
The program replace The Guy Mitchell Show, with Max Factor as the sponsor. Episodes were filmed in black and white with a laugh track.[3]
Broadcast history
editLove That Jill premiered on ABC on January 20, 1958.[1][2] It lasted only 13 episodes, the last of which aired on April 14, 1958.[1][2] It was broadcast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays throughout its run.[2]
Episodes
editNo. overall |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Tonight's the Night" | Unknown | Unknown | January 20, 1958 | |
Jill invites Jack to her home for dinner — and plans a giant double-cross. | |||||
2 | "The Mating Machine" | Unknown | Unknown | January 27, 1958 | |
Alternative title "Find Your Perfect Mate." Before Jack and Jill appear on the television show Find Your Perfect Mate, Jack decides to ensure that he will win a week of dates with Jill by manipulating the punched cards used in an electronic computer. | |||||
3 | "Who Done It?" | Unknown | Unknown | February 3, 1958 | |
Jill finesses Jack in a ruse that will give her — rather than an attempted burglary — front-page publicity. | |||||
4 | "They Went Thataway" | Unknown | Unknown | February 10, 1958 | |
While Jack and Jill are in Arizona to film a potato chip commercial, a man named Cliff makes advances toward Jill. Jill leads Jack on to make him jealous of Cliff, but in fact Cliff is interested in the hotel clerk, Sandy, and a justice of the peace marries Cliff to Sandy. During the episode, Jack and Jill sing "There's Silver on the Sage Tonight." Guest star: Chuck Connors. | |||||
5 | "Vote for Me, Darling" | Unknown | Unknown | February 17, 1958 | |
Selected as one of five finalists in the "Most Glamorous Career Woman" contest, Jill attempts to woo key votes out of three male judges. | |||||
6 | "Operation Double Cross" | Unknown | Unknown | February 24, 1958 | |
Jack plots with a beautiful model from Jill's agency to garner publicity for his own agency. | |||||
7 | "Kiss Me, Sergeant" | Unknown | Unknown | March 3, 1958 | |
Jack talks Jill into going out to dinner with him and his buddy, a United States Army sergeant — who turns out to be a glamorous woman. | |||||
8 | "Hug That Hillbilly" | Unknown | Unknown | March 10, 1958 | |
When Jill decides to send one of her underage models back to her home in the Ozarks, Jack finds the model′s hillbilly father trying to force him into a shotgun wedding. | |||||
9 | "Kid Stuff" | Unknown | Unknown | March 17, 1958 | |
10 | "Two for the Money" | Unknown | Unknown | March 24, 1958 | |
Jack can collect an inheritance if he can establish that he is married to Jill. | |||||
11 | "Bess of the Bowery" | Unknown | Unknown | March 31, 1958 | |
The normally stylish and glamorous Jill dons disguises — including nondescript clothing and a shaggy wig — to win an important vitamin company account from Jack's agency. | |||||
12 | "Love That Foreign Sportscar" | Unknown | Unknown | April 7, 1958 | |
Jill meets a swindling playboy. | |||||
13 | "Make Mine Marriage" | Unknown | Unknown | April 14, 1958 | |
Jack and Jill do their best to break up the nuptials of their respective secretaries. |
Critical response
editA review in the trade publication Variety said that the premiere episode "simpered through a thoroughly contrived plot", adding that Jeffreys's contributions were "a sly grin and a silly wiggle" and that Sterling's work was "restricted by the asinine lines".[15] The review acknowledged that the episode had some potential, but it added that humor was rare.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, Fourth Edition, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, ISBN 0 14 02 4916 8, p. 497.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 819. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Leszczak, Bob (November 8, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7864-9305-0. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, January 20, 1958, p. 6.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, February 3, 1958, p. 15.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, February 17, 1958, p. 11.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, February 24, 1958, p. 4.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, March 3, 1958, p. 13.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, March 10, 1958, p. 20.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, March 17, 1958, p. 7.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, March 24, 1958, p. 13.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, March 31, 1958, p. 15.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, April 7, 1958, p. 16.
- ^ "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, April 14, 1958, p. 15.
- ^ a b "Love That Jill". Variety. January 22, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved December 7, 2023.