My Friend Tony is an American crime drama that aired on NBC starting on January 5, 1969.[1] The last rerun episode aired on September 28, 1969.[2] The pilot was broadcast as an episode of the anthology series The Danny Thomas Hour on March 4, 1968.[3]
| My Friend Tony | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Ivan Goff Ben Roberts Warren Duff |
| Starring | James Whitmore Enzo Cerusico |
| Theme music composer | Earle Hagen |
| Composers | Earle Hagen Richard Shores Hugo Friedhofer Carl Brandt |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sheldon Leonard |
| Producers | Art Seid Ernest Frankel |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production companies | Sheldon Leonard Productions, in association with NBC (filmed at Paramount Studios) |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 5 – September 28, 1969 |
| Related | |
| The Danny Thomas Hour | |
Synopsis
editThe series features Enzo Cerusico as the title character, Tony Novello, and James Whitmore as John Woodruff, a professor of criminology who served in Italy during World War II. As a child, Novello had been a street urchin who survived as a pickpocket, with Woodruff being one of his intended victims.[1] Woodruff kept in touch with Tony, who later became one of his students.[4]
The premise of the series was that the adult (and reformed) Novello had emigrated to the United States and joined Woodruff in a private investigation team. Novello handled the legwork and physical side of the investigations while Woodruff conducted painstaking analysis of the most obscure clues.[1]
NBC slotted My Friend Tony in the 10 p.m. Eastern timeslot on Sundays, following Bonanza.[1] The network ended production of the series after 16 episodes[5] but continued airing reruns of the show through that summer. The program aired for the last time on September 30, 1969.[1]
Reception
editDespite having the highly successful Bonanza as its lead-in, Sheldon Leonard — who developed My Friend Tony and was its executive producer — attributed the program's low ratings to its timeslot.
"First, the 10-to-11 P.M. time spot didn't take full advantage of Enzo's youthful audience, as shown by his flood of fan mail, which exceeds anything in our experience," Leonard told TV Guide. "Second, because of the one-hour length and the network's commitment to 27 new projects all demanding air time, there was no 8 or 9 o'clock spot into which to move it,"[5]
Some critics gave a poor review to My Friend Tony, calling the series "hackneyed and confusing" ... "the kind of minimal fare that has been ground out ad nauseam" ... "mundane" and "bilge."[5]
Others found the series enjoyable. One reviewer praised the acting of the two stars, plus the low amount of violence shown onscreen, during a time when many groups were concerned about TV violence.[4] Another mentioned the "pleasantly convoluted plots."[6]
Newspaper columnist Clarke Williamson reported that viewers liked the series, but found it difficult to watch regularly since it was often preempted.[7]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Corey Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | Arthur Marks | Jerrold L. Ludwig | January 5, 1969 | |
|
City officials ask Professor Woodruff and Tony to set up a detective lab to fight crime using modern methods. | |||||
| 2 | "Death Comes in Small Packages" | Unknown | Jerry Thomas | January 12, 1969 | |
|
A stolen attache case contains a vial of germs that could kill millions. Woodruff and Tony must find it before the thieves realize what they have. | |||||
| 3 | "Voices" | Christian Nyby | Jerry Chodorov and Kay Green | January 19, 1969 | |
|
Woodruff's old friend (played by Julie Adams) becomes suicidal over the pressures of running a high-fashion career and stolen clothing designs. | |||||
| 4 | "Let George Do It" | Unknown | Unknown | January 26, 1969 | |
|
When Woodruff and Tony are hired to investigate an accidental death they are targeted as the next "accident" victims. | |||||
| 5 | "The Lost Hours" | Arthur Marks | Jackson Gillis | February 2, 1969 | |
|
An important scientist's career could be ruined by scandal if Woodruff and Tony can't clear his name. | |||||
| 6 | "The Hazing" | Unknown | Unknown | February 16, 1969 | |
|
Woodruff and Tony investigate the disappearance of a foreign exchange student. Harrison Ford has a guest role. | |||||
| 7 | "Encounter" | Lewis Allen | James L. Brooks | February 23, 1969 | |
|
Woodruff helps an old friend (played by Geraldine Brooks) who is accused of murdering her husband. | |||||
| 8 | "Dead Reckoning" | Unknown | Unknown | March 9, 1969 | |
|
The practices of spiritualists are investigated, and Tony becomes a believer in their abilities. | |||||
| 9 | "Wedding Cake Blues" | Unknown | Unknown | March 23, 1969 | |
|
A wealthy socialite (played by Rose Marie) hires Woodruff and Tony to find out who is threatening her fiancé. | |||||
| 10 | "The Twenty Mile Jog" | Unknown | Unknown | April 13, 1969 | |
|
Pat O'Brien plays a former political boss who hires Woodruff and Tony to help his son (played by Dwayne Hickman) who has a police record and has once again gotten into trouble. | |||||
| 11 | "Molly" | Unknown | Unknown | May 18, 1969 | |
|
A street vendor's fruit stand is destroyed by fire, but the arson investigation turns into a homicide case. | |||||
| 12 | "Computer Murder" | Richard Wechsler | Michael Zagor | May 25, 1969 | |
|
Woodruff and Tony search for an acid-throwing woman who blinded 3 bachelors who had used a computer dating service. Sheree North had a guest role. | |||||
| 13 | "Casino" | Unknown | Unknown | June 1, 1969 | |
|
The prime minister of a South American country hires Professor Woodruff because he believes crooked gamblers are ruining casino profits. (Episode listed as being postponed from March 2nd.) | |||||
| 14 | "Kidnap" | Harvey Hart | Jackson Gillis | June 8, 1969 | |
|
Woodruff and Tony search for a girl kidnapped soon after her grandparents won $70,000 in a lottery. | |||||
| 15 | "The Shortest Courtship" | Unknown | Unknown | June 15, 1969 | |
|
Tony becomes a reluctant bridegroom when he's blackmailed into helping international smugglers. William Windom has a guest role. | |||||
| 16 | "Welcome Home, Jerry Stanley" | Unknown | Unknown | June 22, 1969 | |
|
Monte Markham plays a parole released from prison who is determined to prove his innocence. His family hires Woodruff and Tony to investigate. | |||||
Original TV tie-in novel
editIn 1969, Lancer Books published an original novel by William Johnston, named for the series. Because it was meant to be available shortly after the show's January, 1969 debut, Johnston had to write it without having seen an episode, basing his interpretation on pre-air materials (which may have included some combination of a press kit, a show bible, a sample script and/or production photos). Subsequently, the novel is a fair approximation of the TV series, but lacks any reference to the WWII backstory that brought John Woodruff and Tony Novello together as well as Tony's Italian accent.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows – 1946–present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 941. ISBN 978-0345497734. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Television schedule listing, The Montgomery Advertiser, September 28, 1969, page 42
- ^ After 5 Television Programs, Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, March 4, 1968, page 20
- ^ a b Jingo, 'My Friend Tony' Could be Hit; Competition Keen, The Post-Crescent, January 12, 1969, Page 66
- ^ a b c Goodwin, Fritz, The operation was a failure ... but the patient survived, TV Guide, May 31-June 6, 1969, pages 12-14
- ^ Gerstel, Judith, 'My Friend Tony' Is a Jolly Hour, The Minneapolis Star, February 4, 1969, page 47
- ^ Williamson, Clarke, Top View, Scrantonian Tribune (Scranton, PA), June 15, 1969, page 66