CTVA US Comedy - "The John Forsythe Show" (Universal/NBC) (1965-66)

CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - US Comedy Series
John Forsythe Series:-
"Bachelor Father" (1957-62)  -  "The John Forsythe Show" (1965-66) 
 "To Rome with Love" (1969-71)  -  "Charlie's Angels" (1976-81)   -  "Dynasty" (1981-89)
 The John Forsythe Show (1965-66)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by: Rina Fox, Robert Leszczak, James Beer
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
---------------------
THE JOHN FORSYTHE SHOW
----------------------
Universal-Forsythe Productions.
Universal City Studios, Inc.

for
NBC (Mondays 8:00 pm EST)
Produced by Peter Kortner

US Comedy series 1965-66   30 episodes x 30 min Color
release date 13Sep65
starring:
(sitcom format - first half of season)
John Forsythe as Major John Foster

 Elsa Lanchester as Miss Margaret Culver, the principal
Ann B. Davis as Miss Wilson, the gym teacher
Guy Marks as Ed Robbins
Peggy Lipton as Joanna, student
Darleen Carr as Kathy, student
Pamelyn Ferdin as Pamela, student
Tracy Stratford as Susan
Brooke Forsythe as Norma Jean, student
Page Forsythe as Marcia, student (John Forsythe's real-life daughter)
Sara Ballantine as Janice
Celia Kaye as Connie
Lisa Gaye as Jeannie Hayes
starring:
(spy comedy format - second half of season)
John Forsythe as Major John Foster

 Guy Marks as Sgt. Ed Robbins

 Premise:
Retired US Air Force Major John Foster inherits the Foster School, an exclusive San Francisco school for girls. Foster is a bachelor
who has only had social dealings with women. Ed Robbins, a former Air Force sergeant and friend helps Foster run the school while
Miss Culver is the school principal who has many misunderstandings with the two men.
In mid-season, the format changed. The school became a base for Foster and Robbins as they played undercover agents for an unnamed
U.S. government spy agency. Their missions were humorous rather than James Bondish.

########### The John Forsythe Show ###########
############## season 1965-66 ################
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NBC Mondays 8:00 pm Eastern

 1.1 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE TERRIFYING INHERITANCE OF
MAJOR JOHN FOSTER
[verified -RL]
13Sep65 NBC Mon
The episode is sponsored by AJAX
Produced by Peter Kortner
Written by Joel Kane
Directed by Earl Bellamy
Guest cast
Harry Townes ......... Charles J. Fairchild
Janet Lake ........... Melanie Sanders
Synopsis:
Air Force Major John Foster gets a telegram saying that his Aunt Victoria Foster has left him an inheritance of a
school in San Francisco. What the telegram neglects to say is that it's an "all girl's school." When the Major
goes to visit the school, he finds their plumbing and finances in such disarray that he decides to sell his inheritance.
That is, until he becomes attached to the students and realizes how much he's really needed there, and decides to stay. [RL]

1.2 [--] The John Forsythe Show: LITTLE MISS EGGHEAD
20-Sep-1965 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Angela Cartwright .... Ellen Lawrence
Eddie Hodges ......... Rodney
K.T. Stevens ......... Miss Watson
Pippa Scott .......... Dr. Osborne
Synopsis:
Miss Culver tells Foster that the school is not prepared to handle Ellen Lawrence, a youngster with a genius-level IQ. [JB]

1.3 [--] The John Forsythe Show: MISS CULVER, WON'T YOU PLEASE COME HOME?
27Sep65 NBC Mon

[--] Unknown episode
Guest cast:
Paul Hartman ...... Tuttle
Synopsis:
Miss Culver is smitten with an opportunist. [RF]


[--] 04Oct65 - no details

1.4 [--] The John Forsythe Show: 'TIS BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST
11Oct65 NBC Mon ( rerun 25Apr66)
Guest cast:
Kim Darby ............ Deidre Miller
Jimmy Boyd ........... Stephens
Elsa Lanchester ...... Miss Culver, principal (recurring)
Synopsis:
John suspects a schoolgirl of sending him unsigned love notes. [RF]

 Synopsis 2:
Someone has been sending John a series of gifts accompanied by anonymous
romantic notes and he suspects that one of the schoolgirls is the sender. [RF]

1.5 [--] The John Forsythe Show: TIME OF THE GOAT
18-Oct-1965 NBC Mon (Rerun 2-May-66 NBC Mon)
Guest cast:
David Lewis .......... Major Lovewell
Robert Nichols ....... Higbee
Synposis:
Major Foster assures the headmaster of a neighboring school that this year there’ll be no attempt to kidnap
his school’s mascot. [JB]

1.6 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE NIGHTINGALE OF KOORBAHU
25Oct65 NBC Mon

1.7 [--] The John Forsythe Show: AFTER GOING STEADY, WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
01-Nov-1965 NBC Mon (20Jun 66 Rerun NBC Mon)
Guest Cast:
Mickey Sholdar ...... Nelson
Cindy Cassell ....... Betty Jane
Synposis:
John has substituted for Miss Culver to conduct her seminar on young people’s problems
---and now one of the girls think she has carte blanche to get married. [JB]

1.8 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THAT LITTLE OLD MATCHMAKER
08Nov65 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Sandra Smith ......... Andrea Hunter
Pamelyn Ferdin ....... Pamela
Ann B. Davis ......... Miss Wilson, gym teacher (recurring)
Synopsis:
Miss Culver involves John in a romance with the science teacher. [RF]

1.9 [--] The John Forsythe Show: SUPER GIRL
15Nov65 NBC Mon

1.10 [--] The John Forsythe Show: DUTY AND THE BEAST
(copyright date 22Nov65)
22Nov65 NBC Mon
(local delayed broadcast 09Dec65 Ch9. East NY St, Thur 7:30pm)
Regular Cast:
Guy Marks, Elsa Lanchester, Tracy Stafford
Guest cast:
Christopher Dark ..... Renzo Roselli
Harvey Korman ........ H.H. Hopper
Sandra Smith ......... Andrea Hunter
Synopsis 1:
Over Miss Culver's strenuous objections, John decides to try Robin's idea of
getting the Foster School some publicity - by bringing a movie star to the school. [TA]
Synopsis 2:
To get publicity, John brings a movie star to the school. [RF]

1.11 [--] The John Forsythe Show: OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB
29Nov65 NBC Mon

1.12 [--] The John Forsythe Show: A-WALTZING WE WILL A GO-GO
06Dec65 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Diane Hart ........... Sandra
Synopsis:
John tries to jazz up the traditionally dull Foster Follies. [RF] (see #1.17)

1.13 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE DARING ESCAPE
13Dec65 NBC Mon

1.14 [--] The John Forsythe Show: ANYONE FOR MARRIAGE?
20Dec65 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Mickey Sholdar ....... Nelson
Darleen Carr ......... Kathy, student (recurring)
Elsa Lanchester ...... Miss Culver, principal (recurring)
Synopsis:
John's lecture fills a student with inspiration to get married.

1.15 [--] The John Forsythe Show: MISS FOSTER'S MILITARY ACADEMY
27Dec65 NBC Mon

1.16 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE BAINBRIDGE CURSE
03Jan66 NBC Mon

1.17 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE MAJOR'S BIG BEAT
10-Jan-1966 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Diane Hart ........... Sandra
Synposis:
To Miss Culver’s dismay, John wants to jazz up the traditionally dull Foster Follies. Jackie and Gayle do
“I’m Looking at the World Through Rose-Colored Glasses.” [JB] (see #1.11)

1.18 [--] The John Forsythe Show: ANYONE FOR A FAT LIP?
17Jan66 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Peter Palmer ......... Moose
Synopsis:
Robbins agrees to a prize fight with the new football coach.

1.19 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (school format): IF FOOD BE THE MUSIC OF LOVE
24Jan66 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Arnold Moss .......... Duval
Ann B. Davis ......... Miss Wilson, gym teacher (recurring)
Howard Smith ......... Oakes
Jill Banner .......... Marcia
Synopsis:
Fed up with the school cafeteria, Foster hires a French chef. [RF]

[--] 31Jan66 - no details

1.20 [--] The John Forsythe Show: IS IT A BIRD?, IS IT A PLANE? NO, IT'S MISS CULVER! (Spy Format)
07Feb66 NBC Mon
Guest Cast:
Don Gallaway ......... Colonel Charles Craig
Dan Tobin ............ General Bradford
Melinda Fee .......... Miss Johnson
Synopsis:
When the Air Force asks Major John Foster (John Forsythe) to help select the
1st woman astronaut Miss Culver (Elsa Lanchester) volunteers [RF]

1.21 [--] The John Forsythe Show: THE CUPID CAPER (Spy Format)
14Feb66 NBC Mon

1.22 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): FUNNY, YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A SPY (Spy Format)
21Feb66 NBC Mon

1.23 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): SCHOOL FOR SPIES (Spy Format)
28Feb66 NBC Mon

1.24 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): MISSION TO ITALY [verified -RL] (Spy Format)
(aka "Engagement, Italian Style")
07Mar66 NBC Mon
Produced by Peter Kortner
Written by Joseph Bonaduce
Directed by Earl Bellamy
Guest cast:
Jack Kruschen ........ Constantino
Susan Silo ........... Michelina
Paul Birch ........... General Pierce
Dick Shane ........... Guilio
Synopsis 1:
On a top secret mission, John and Robbins travel to Italy to deliver plans
for an Air Force tracking station. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
The major and his friend Ed (Guy Marks) are sent to Italy by the Air Force to deliver
the plans for a tracking site for the space program. While there, their small foreign
car breaks down. While it's in the shop, the major falls for a young girl named Michelina
who is single ONLY because she can't cook (she's gorgeous). Well, she swipes the major's
ring and tells the people of the village that the major proposed. When he denies her story
he is imprisoned, and it becomes Ed's job to get him sprung from jail. [RL]
Note:
Interesting note about this episode. Just a few years later,
John Forsythe (in TO ROME WITH LOVE) would have yet another "Mission In Italy." [RL]

1.25 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU AND YOU AND YOU (Spy Format)
14Mar66 NBC Mon

1.26 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): IT TAKES A HEAP OF SERGEANTS (Spy Format)
21Mar66 NBC Mon

1.27 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): IF I WERE A PRINCE (Spy Format)
28Mar66 NBC Mon
Regular Cast:
Guy Marks (as Ed Robbins)
Guest Cast:
Nita Talbot ......... Princess Yetta
Henry Corden ........ Count Beppo
Robert Wolders ...... Mishka
Jack Fletcher ....... Pruitt
Synopsis:
John's plans for a relaxing holiday go out the window when the royal
court of a government in exile arrives at the Foster school [TA]

1.28 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): DOCTOR SOO (Spy Format)
04Apr66 NBC Mon

1.29 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): FROM RUSSIA WITH CHAOS (Spy Format)
11Apr66 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Susanne Cramer ....... Dr. Nyet
John Abbott .......... Badnick
Gene Blakely ......... Dr. Holzer
Synopsis:
Foster is the target of Russian assassins led by a beautiful hypnotist. [RF]

1.30 [--] The John Forsythe Show: (spy format): GET ME TO THE EXECUTION ON TIME (Spy Format)
18Apr66 NBC Mon
Guest cast:
Vito Scotti .......... Gonzales
Synopsis:
Foster's Latin-American mission gets sidetracked by an execution order. [RF]

[--] 02-May-66 NBC Mon - Rerun of #1.5 "Time of the Goat" (first aired 18-Oct-1965)

[--] 20-Jun-66 NBC Mon - Rerun of #1.7 "After Going Steady, What Else is There?" (first aired 01-Nov-1965)


########### The John Forsythe Show ###########
############## Unknown Episodes #############
##############################################

Unknown episode (school format)
Synopsis:
John has a trying task: making sure a school mascot is not kidnapped. [RF]

 Unknown episode
Guest cast:
Stanley Adams ..... Willey
Laraine Stephens .. Miss Tribble
Willis Bouchey .... Hadley
George Petrie ..... Conductor
Synopsis:
Foster tries to learn what's ailing a very special chimpanzee. [RF]

 Unknown episode
Guest cast:
Patricia Barry .... Marion
Synopsis:
An attractive socialite returns to visit her alma mater. [RF]

Unknown episode
Guest cast:
Jean Hale ......... Sandra
Synopsis:
Foster and Robbins have promised to take care of seven girls. [RF]

Unknown episode
Guest cast:
Sheila James ...... Sgt. Sawyer
Synopsis:
John looks forward to his all-male training program, until he meets his all-girl
crew. [RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
David Lewis ....... Lovewell
Synopsis :Lovewell has developed a phobia of spies. [RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
Martin Horsey ..... Robin
David Lewis ....... Lovewell
Jill Banner ....... Maryann
Synopsis:
John enrolls a friend's child at his school, and learns that the new student
is a boy. [RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
Joan Huntington ... Angela
Synopsis:
John is advocating progressive teaching methods for the school.[RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
Peggy Lipton ...... Joanna
Ann B. Davis ...... Miss Wilson, gym teacher (recurring)
Synopsis:
John tries to liven up the senior prom. [RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
Lisa Gaye ......... Jeannie
Celia Kaye ........ Connie
Synopsis:
John won't let the school's best swimmer skip classes to train
for competition. [RF]

Unknown episode (school format)
Guest cast:
Irene Tsu ......... Princess
Ann B. Davis ...... Miss Wilson
Elsa Lanchester ... Miss Culver
Darleen Carr ...... Kathy
Synopsis:
A princess wants to enroll at Foster School. [RF]

Unknown episode (spy format)
Synopsis:
Foster and Robbins go to London where they are awaited by spies. [RF]

Unknown episode (spy format)
Guest cast:
David Lewis ....... Lovewell
Synopsis:
John has a temporary job, running a military academy. [RF]


########### The John Forsythe Show ###########
################# the end ##################
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