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This Is Alice

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This Is Alice is an American situation comedy starring nine-year-old Patty Ann Gerrity. The program aired in first-run syndication from October 1958 to August 1959, distributed by the NTA Film Network.

This Is Alice
GenreSitcom
Created bySidney Salkow
Directed bySidney Salkow
StarringPatty Ann Gerrity
Phyllis Coates
Tommy Farrell
Kathy Garver
Theme music composerWilliam Loose
John Seely
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes39
Production
ProducerSidney Salkow
Running time25 mins.
Production companiesDesilu Productions
National Telefilm Associates
Original release
NetworkFirst-run syndication via the NTA Film Network
Release1958 (1958) –
1959 (1959)
Patty Ann Gerrity as Alice Holliday.

Synopsis

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Alice Holliday is a precocious nine-year-old girl who lives in the fictional town of River Glen, Georgia (although some sources say the show was set in River Glen, New Jersey).[1][2] Alice is bright and bubbly and she means well, but no matter how well-intentioned she is, her efforts always seem to backfire, leading to comic adventures and making her the female equivalent and precursor of Dennis the Menace.[1][2]

Alice's father, Chet Holliday, is a newspaperman. Her mother is Clarissa Mae Holliday, and her grandfather, a former Georgia peanut farmer, is known as "The Colonel."[1][2] Alice attends River Glen Elementary School, where her best friend is Sally and she also is friends with "Soapy" Weaver — a frequent co-conspirator in her adventures — and Susan Gray.[1][2]

Cast

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Production

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This Is Alice was produced by National Telefilm Associates and filmed at Desilu Productions.[1] Sidney Salkow created, produced, and directed the series.[1] Production of the series halted in mid-1959.[1]

Kathy Garver, who played Sally, later appeared on Family Affair.[1]

Broadcast history

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Thirty-nine episodes were produced.[1] The series ran in first-run syndication from October 1958 to August 1959.[1] Previously broadcast episodes continued to air as late as July 1961.[1]

Episode status

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All 39 episodes are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[3]

Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Copyright date
1"The Princess"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
The pilot episode for the series, alternatively titled "Princess Pat." A local dressmaker and her daughter — who is a friend of Alice's — plan to move away when the dressmaker's business is unsuccessful, so Alice tries to drum up business for the dressmaker's shop to keep them from leaving.
2"Alice Goes to Washington"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 2, 1958 (1958-07-02)
Alice agrees to behave if Chet takes Soapy and her with him to Washington, D.C., for a press conference.
3"Alice Plays Detective"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 21, 1958 (1958-07-21)
When Alice discovers that a friend′s parents are planning to divorce, she tries to bring them back together.
4"Big Louie Comes Through"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 3, 1958 (1958-09-03)
Alice meets a bookie named Big Louie, and the two of them become involved in a real estate deal after Alice convinces him to use his bad reputation and ready cash to help a needy family.
5"American Beauty"Sidney SalkowUnknownOctober 7, 1958 (1958-10-07)
Alice tries to change the mind of a beauty contest entrant who has chosen her career over marriage.
6"Quiz Show"Sidney SalkowUnknownJanuary 8, 1958 (1958-01-08)
Alice competes against Chet's boss on a quiz show.
7"Mrs. U.S.A."Sidney SalkowUnknownJanuary 9, 1958 (1958-01-09)
When Chet decides to take Clarissa Mae on a second honeymoon, Alice tries to help her parents by entering Clarissa Mae in a "Mrs. U.S.A." contest in the hope that she will win a trip to Niagara Falls.
8"Problem Child"Sidney SalkowUnknownJanuary 8, 1958 (1958-01-08)
Alice neglects her schoolwork when she becomes interested in a local spacemen club, sparking an argument between Chet and Clarissa Mae about why Alice is failing in school.
9"One in a Million"Sidney SalkowUnknownJanuary 8, 1958 (1958-01-08)
When a millionaire who has been confined to his bed sneaks away, he meets Alice, who thinks he is a hobo and brings him home for a good meal.
10"House Beautiful"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 3, 1958 (1958-07-03)
A beautiful blonde woman upsets the Holliday household by trying to redecorate the family home.
11"Pie in the Sky"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 19, 1958 (1958-08-19)
Alice enlists the aid of a retired baker to help her bake a pie so she can win the school baking contest.
12"When the Bow Breaks"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 2, 1958 (1958-07-02)
Alice helps a yacht captain win the affection of a beautiful heiress who is about to marry another man, and the heiress learns the man she is to marry is interested only in her money.
13"No Place Like Home"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 22, 1958 (1958-08-22)
After a local citizen donates a trailer to a children's club, the Holliday family spends a vacation full of mishaps.
14"Rock 'n' Roll"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 11, 1958 (1958-07-11)
The Holliday's house guest is a lovelorn Southern belle who is in love with a rock and roll singer, and when the singer refuses to answer her letters to him, Alice decides to help her.
15"Dandy Donovan"Sidney SalkowUnknownJuly 25, 1958 (1958-07-25)
Alice and her friends take to horse racing after Alice inadvertently causes her friend's father to buy a racehorse at an auction.
16"Two Yanks in Georgia"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 29, 1958 (1958-08-29)
Alice and Soapy go to Georgia to visit The Colonel's peanut plantation, where Alice meets two boys and their grandfather.
17"Pig in a Poke"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 19, 1958 (1958-08-19)
Alice gets in trouble when she buys a pig from a hobo.
18"Trial Balloon"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 3, 1958 (1958-09-03)
Alice makes a passenger-carrying balloon out of her baby brother's inflatable swimming pool and upsets her parents, the police, and the United States Coast Guard when she and Soapy launch it.
19"Fortune Teller"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 22, 1958 (1958-08-22)
Alice sets up a fortune-telling booth at a local bazaar.
20"Callahan"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 8, 1958 (1958-09-08)
Alice convinces a young man who has just arrived from Ireland and needs money to bring his girlfriend to the United States to box the local champion — but when his girlfriend arrives, he must choose between keeping her or winning the fight.
21"Mail Order"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 2, 1958 (1958-09-02)
Alice meets a scientist on the verge of discovering a new furniture polish.
22"Song for Sale"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 5, 1958 (1958-09-05)
The local Sunday school teacher is suspended after she is caught playing songs she had written during class.
23"The Weight Lifter"Sidney SalkowUnknownAugust 28, 1958 (1958-08-28)
Alice turns diplomat when a visiting aunt has the Hollidays on a diet.
24"The Prophet"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 22, 1958 (1958-09-22)
A mystic captivates the women of River Glen, but when one of the town's wealthy widows is about to sign over her property to him, Alice discovers a strange episode in his past.
25"Christmas Story"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 30, 1958 (1958-09-30)
Alice sells Christmas trees to earn money so that she can buy a gift for a kindly old lady..
26"Hypnotist"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 16, 1958 (1958-09-16)
After seeing a demonstration of hypnotism on television, Alice uses The Colonel's watch to hypnotize Chet.
27"Rag to Riches"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 4, 1958 (1958-09-04)
In need of money, Alice looks for a get-rich-quick scheme and tries to do a good turn for a millionaire, leading to many complications.
28"Class Reunion"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 12, 1958 (1958-09-12)
Alice accompanies Chet to his college during alumni week, where she has the opportunity to put a young romance aright.
29"Circus Time"Sidney SalkowUnknownSeptember 22, 1958 (1958-09-22)
After Alice meets a child performer who is running away from the circus, she becomes involved in the loves and sorrows of the circus people.
30"Man's Best Friend"Sidney SalkowUnknownOctober 2, 1958 (1958-10-02)
Alice learns the local butcher is in love with a socialite and tries to foster a romance between them.
31"Rodeo"Sidney SalkowUnknownOctober 7, 1958 (1958-10-07)
After Alice finds a Brahma bull left as a present for her in the Hollidays' back yard, she is ordered to dispose of it, leading to the bull joining the rodeo, Chet taking on a new role, and Alice riding the bull in Times Square.
32"Alice Plays Cupid"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
When Alice's favorite teacher at River Glen Elementary School is forced to retire because of her age and has little to look forward to, Alice tries to help along a romance between the teacher and the school's janitor.
33"Guest in the House"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
After a sophisticated lecturer arrives in River Glen and displays a superior attitude toward the townspeople, he is unhappy when he is forced to stay in the town longer than he anticipated, so Alice shows him all the good things River Glen has to offer.
34"Help Wanted"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
After the Hollidays hire a part-time housekeeper, Alice befriends her, decides that an eligible, wealthy bachelor in River Glen would be a good match for her, and tries to kindle a romance between them.
35"Paper Drive"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
While collecting scrap paper for a school paper drive, Alice and her friends search an old mansion, where they discover a piece of paper which changes life for an old man who has befriended them.
36"The Elephant"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
Alice brings an elephant home as a pet.
37"Freedom of the Press"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
After Alice crashes her soapbox into a social tea party, a woman insists that she pay for the damages.
38"Too Many Fathers"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
Alice decides that she is adopted and that her parents are planning to get rid of her, so she sneaks off to Philadelphia to find a comedian she thinks is her real father.
39"The Letter"Sidney SalkowTBATBA
Alice helps an elderly couple who learn that their son will not be able to attend their 50th wedding anniversary because of business commitments with his advertising firm.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc. p. 183. ISBN 978-0786468126.
  2. ^ a b c d This Is Alice, Nostalgia Central Accessed 4 March 2022
  3. ^ UCLA Film and Television Archive
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