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The Classic TV
Archive - US Comedy Series
Ray Milland TV Series:
Meet
Mr. McNutley (1953-54) -
The Ray Milland Show (1954-55) -
Markham (1959-60)
The Ray Milland Show (1954-55)(season 2 title)
Episode Guide
compiled by
The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Ray Ann-Haigh , Jim Brent, Rina Fox, Fredrick Tucker, Robert Leszczak, Tom Alger
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
Revue Productions, Inc.
for
CBS (Thursdays 8:00 pm EST)
US Comedy series 1954-55 36 episodes x 30 min bw
starring:
Ray Milland as Prof. Ray McNutley (1954-55)
Phyllis Avery as Peggy McNutley (1954-55)
regular supporting cast: (season 2)
Lloyd Corrigan as Dean Dodsworth (1954-55)
The second season 1954-55 was renamed 'The Ray Milland Show' and
featured the problems of a Drama Professor this time at a Co-ed college.
There was also a subtle change of character name from McNutley to McNulty.
############ The Ray Milland Show ############
########## season 2 title 1954-55 ###########
##############################################
CBS Thursdays 8:00pm Eastern
2.01 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE PROFESSOR MEETS THE AUTHOR
Prod. no. 748
16Sep54 CBS
Synopsis:
Professor McNulty is involved with a wealthy alumnus (Hans Conreid) who
has written a very bad play. McNulty finds that he must produce the
play to get an endowment. [JB]
Note:
There's a sequence in this episode where Ray starts to dial the phone,
then turns to his wife with a smile and says, "Dial "B" for
Blackmail".
The studio audience laughs. Modern audiences would probably not understand
this at all. It is a reference to the popular 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film
"Dial M for Murder" which, incidentally, starred Grace Kelly and Ray Milland.
This feature film had been released in theatres during the summer hiatus
of 1954 between the comedy shows first and second season. [RAH]
2.02 [--] The Ray Milland Show: SABRINA COMES TO TOWN
23Sep54 CBS
Professor McNulty convinces a famous dramatic actress, who is an old
friend of his, that she should visit Comstock instead of the State
University. [JB]
2.03 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE ARRIVAL
30Sep54 CBS
Professor McNulty and his wife Peggy suffer from the jitters as a
result of the faculty reception they plan. [JB]
2.04 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE DOLL'S HOUSE
Prod. no. 751
7Oct54 CBS
While professor McNulty is busy directing the college production
of Ibsen's "Doll House," his wife succumbs to the latest female
passion: to own a fur coat. Peggy's desire is intensified when neighbor
Ruth Jenkins (Jacqueline de Wit) shows off her new fur. [JB]
2.05 [--] The Ray Milland Show: RETIREMENT DEFERRED
14Oct54 CBS
One of Comstock University's most beloved professors, Professor Black
(Henry Hull), reaches the age of 65 and faces compulsory retirement.
Professor McNulty does his good deed for the day by organizing a
movement to prevent Black from having to retire. [JB]
2.06 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE PRODIGY
Prod. no. 756
21Oct54
Peggy McNulty's sub-teen-aged cousin enrolls in Comstock as a freshman.
Professor McNulty finds that matching wits with a boy genius can be
anything but pleasant when Grover (David Stollery) proves himself
to be anything but his teacher's pet. [JB]
2.07 [--] The Ray Milland Show: BATTLE OF THE SEXES
28Oct54 CBS
Elections at Comstock turn the McNulty home into a house divided.
Both Peggy and Ray are campaign managers, but for two rival candidates.
Peggy supports Emma Fitzgerald, a retired techer who is trying to unseat
Ray's man, John Davenport. [JB]
2.08 [--] The Ray Milland Show: A STAR IS BORN
4Nov54 CBS
Professor McNulty discovers that he has a new student in his class,
namely, his wife, Peggy. She decides to enroll in her husband's drama
class and, what is more, she lands a role in a play. [JB]
2.09 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE HANGOUT
Prod. no. 755
11Nov54 CBS
Professor McNulty's informal discussions with students in his home become
a nightly habit. This turns his home into a campus hangout and his wife
into a short-order cook. [JB]
2.10 [--] The Ray Milland Show: STAGESTRUCK
18Nov54 CBS
Guest cast:
Virginia Gibson ...... Girl
Frieda Inescort ...... Mother
Gavin Gordon ......... Father
Synopsis 1:
Professor McNulty finds himself the center of a family quarrel. The mother
of a stagestruck co-ed wants her to go on the stage. The father is against
his daughter's theatrical ambitions. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A stage-struck girl's parents demand advice from McNulty. [RF]
2.11 [--] The Ray Milland Show: CHINESE LUCK
Prod. no. 759
25Nov54 CBS Thur
Guest Cast:
Madge Blake [FT]
Synopsis:
The professor's wife attends a charity auction and bids for a "mystery"
package. It turns out to be a statue of a Chinese god that arouses
the interest of Professor Wong (Keye Luke). [JB]
2.12 [--] The Ray Milland Show: FIELD TRIP
2Dec54 CBS
Ray is inadvertently involved in the love life of a French movie star
(Osa Massen) who wants a "prestige" romance. [JB]
2.13 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE TV STORY
9Dec54 CBS
The McNultys enjoy an increase in their income when a TV producer offers
Ray a chance to bring his lectures to TV. [JB]
2.14 [--] The Ray Milland Show: PARLOR GAME
Prod. no. 758
16Dec54 CBS Thur
Guest Cast:
Madge Blake [FT]
Synopsis:
At the request of Dean Dodsworth, the McNultys try to help a student
couple with their marital problems. In order to present a picture of
happy married life, Peggy and Ray invite the quarreling Jamesons over
to meet some older more harmonious married couples. [JB]
2.15 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE CHRISTMAS STORY (1954)
23Dec54 CBS
Guest Cast:
Beverly Washburn.
Synopsis 1:
Ray and Peggy McNulty try to restore a little girl's belief in Christmas.
Young Susie is an embittered orphan whose faith in the Christmas spirit
is non-existent until the McNultys take matters into their own hands. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Professor McNulty agrees to supply a Santa Claus for an orphanage party, and persuades
Dead Dodsworth to take the part. He restores a troubled orphan’s lost faith. [JB]
Note: Not to be confused with the 24Dec53 episode with same
title, this
is a different episode. [JB]
2.16 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE SILVER CORD
Prod. no. 750
30Dec54 CBS
Professor McNulty notices that student Ted Harrington's work falls
off whenever his mother visits Comstock campus. Peggy offers to help
out by talking to Mrs. Harrington. [JB]
2.17 [--] The Ray Milland Show: NOW, COACH?
Prod. no. 765
6Jan55 CBS
Guest cast:
Tom Dillon (as Angus MacTavish)
Clancy Cooper (as Big Dan Murphy)
Louise Lorimer (as Ruby Murphy)
Two rival trucking-firm owners, a canny Scotsman and an explosive
Irishman vie for Professor McNulty's lessons in public speaking. [JB]
2.18 [--] The Ray Milland Show: CALL ME DAD
13Jan55 CBS
Professor McNulty and his wife hire a clumsy, lovesick college girl
as a part-time maid. In an effort to marry her off, Ray becomes her
guardian. [JB]
2.19 [--] The Ray Milland Show: STRIKE IT RICH
20Jan55 CBS
Two students find uranium during a field trip and Ray and his friends
become a corporation. [JB]
2.20 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE ROBBERY
Prod. no. 767
27Jan55 CBS
Guest Cast:
Donald MacBride (as Capt. O'Brien)
Harry Stewart (as Sam)
The professor is headed for jail when he becomes the prime suspect in
a series of robberies. His wife, Peggy, thinks the whole thing is a
great big joke. [JB]
2.21 [--] The Ray Milland Show: FAMILY TREE
Prod. no. 773
3Feb55 CBS
Guest Cast:
Sally Fraser (as Rosalind)
Bob Crosson (as Bob Rule)
Jan Arvan (as Mr. Castelli)
A student tells her campus sweetheart that her parents are Shakespearean
actors from Europe. Her story is not corroborated when her parents
themselves appear at the school. [JB]
2.22 [--] The Ray Milland Show: BE BOP
10Feb55 CBS
Peggy "gets with it" as she joins Leroy Garrison (Ross Bagdasarian)
in writing songs. The two turn out a jivey little number called
"Mopshilu." [JB]
2.23 [--] The Ray Milland Show: MISTER SARGENT AND THE LADY
17Feb55 CBS
guest cast: [RF]
Robert Horton as Sonny Sargent
Carolyn Jones as Risa Powell
Jean Howell as the WAC
The son of a wealthy alumnus is being pursued by a bubble dancer.
Professor McNulty and Peggy invite the playboy to their home in hopes
of heading off the amorous dancer. [JB]
2.24 [--] The Ray Milland Show: STRATFORD ON THE OZARKS
Prod. no. 775
24Feb55 CBS
Professor McNulty conducts a search for future playwrights by arranging
a national contest for one-act plays. [JB]
2.25 [--] The Ray Milland Show: JURY DUTY
Prod. no. 770
3Mar55 CBS
Guest Cast:
Paul Frees (as Husband)
Ann Doran (as wife)
Anne O'Neal (as juror)
Johnstone White (as foreman)
Ray and Peggy McNulty are both called for jury duty on the case of a husband
who is seeking alimony from his wife. Ray disagrees not only with Peggy,
but with the whole jury, over the decision. [JB]
2.26 [--] The Ray Milland Show: TRYOUT
10Mar55 CBS
Edith Blanchard, one of Professor Mc Nulty's drama students, submits
a play to a Broadway playwright who comes to Comstock College to meet
her. [JB]
2.27 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE PROFESSOR WRITES A PLAY
Prod. no. 774
17Mar55 CBS
Written by: Larry Marks and Ben Starr
Directed by: Jules Bricken
Guest cast includes:
Hans Conried and Adam Williams
Synopsis:
When Peggy learns of a truck driver who wrote an excellent new play,
she begins nagging Ray - day and night - to try his hand at playwriting.
Ray gets around the problem by having the famous playwright "Sheridan Wilson"
(who met the McNulty's in an earlier episode) provide him with an
intentionally awful manuscript, so that he can plagiarize it as his own
work. [RAH]
Critique:
This is an excellent entry in the series. The characters are very well-drawn
and the comedy flows naturally out of the situation. Unlike some other
Milland Show episodes, this one still holds up a half-century after its
initial broadcast. [RAH]
Trivia:
The plot and a character from the episode "Professor Meets Author"
(September 1954) are essential to the narrative of this episode. It is
the only show in the series I have seen that references incidents in a
prior episode. [RAH]
2.28 [--] The Ray Milland Show: REUNION IN COMSTOCK
24Mar55 CBS
Peggy tries to help her over-burdened husband welcome alumni for a
reunion. [JB]
2.29 [--] The Ray Milland Show: POET AND PEGGY
31Mar55 CBS
A poet visits Comstock College on a lecture and becomes romantically
interested in Peggy. [JB]
2.30 [--] The Ray Milland Show: GREEN THUMB
7Apr55 CBS
Guest Cast:
Jack Haley (as the actor)
Professor McNulty discovers that a former actor is working as school
gardener. Ray wants to use him in a play, but academic red tape
interferes. [JB]
2.31 [--] The Ray Milland Show: SOAP OPERA
14Apr55 CBS
The professor offers to buy his wife anything she desires if she can
show him a single person who has allowed himself to become involved
as the character portrayed on her favorite soap opera. [JB]
2.32 [--] The Ray Milland Show: INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT
21Apr55 CBS
Ray casts two exchange students as Romeo and Juliet. The Bard's great
love story turns into a free-for-all when the romantic leads disagree
politically. [JB]
2.33 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE MOLEHOUSE COLLECTION
28Apr55 CBS
Stage actress Audrey Molehouse, played by guest star Miriam Hopkins,
bequeaths her memoirs to her alma mater, Comstock College. Several of
the male members of the faculty are concerned over their content. [JB]
2.34 [--] The Ray Milland Show: THE HOLLYWOOD STORY
5May55 CBS
Guest Cast:
Gregory Gay
Joyce Jameson
A famous movie director calls on Ray for assistance when a singing star
decides to become a dramatic actor. [JB]
2.35 [--] The Ray Milland Show: A WEEK WITH CINDERELLA
Prod. no. 768
12May55 CBS
Directed by James Neilson
Written by Irving Phillips and ????
Guest Cast:
Harriet MacGibbon
(later seen in "The Beverly Hillbillies" as banker's wife
Mrs. Margaret Drysdale)
Synopsis 1:
The McNulty's maid is on a leave of absence and their house is
descending into chaos. Solution? A young Home Economics major moves
in for two weeks. This idealistic young woman, who believes
"an organized home is a happy home", quickly drives everyone crazy.
[RAH]
Synopsis 2:
Ray makes sure that he reaches the theater on time by leaving the house
several hours ahead of time. [JB] (conflicting synopsis)
Critique:
An energetic, funny episode from the series. However, the central
plot element (that every woman aspires to be a perfect housekeeper
for her husband) is a tad dated today. [RAH]
2.36 [--] The Ray Milland Show: HOUSE GUEST
19May55 CBS
Synopsis :
A Home-economics major is assigned to the McNulty home. Peggy is
displeased with the girl's presence. [JB]
(this synopsis is what RAH has for "A Week with Cinderella")
Note: End of the second season's "36" new episodes.
2.xx [--] The Ray Milland Show: FACULTY WIFE
(17Feb55 copyright date)
airdate not known ???????????
Ray helps a female student get even with the
Dean when she was unjustly punished. [JB]
-----------------------------------
Summer Re-Runs CBS (26May55-30Sep55)
-----------------------------------
26May55 "The Professor Meets Author" (Rerun, original air date
16Sep54)
02Jun55 "Retirement Deferred" (Rerun, original air date
14Oct54)
09Jun55 "Prodigy" (Rerun, original air date 21Oct54)
16Jun55 "The Professor" Writes A Play (Rerun, original air
date 17Mar55)
23Jun55 "Reunion In Comstock" (Rerun, original air date
03Mar55)
30Jun55 "Try Out" (Rerun, original air date 10Mar55)
Note: Show moved from Thursday 8PM to Friday 9:30PM for the rest of
the summer.
08Jul55 "Chinese Luck" (Rerun, original air date 11Nov54)
15Jul55 "The TV Story" (Rerun, original air date 09Dec54)
22Jul55 "Call Me Dad" (Rerun, original air date 13Jan55)
29Jul55 "Parlor Game" (Rerun, original air date 16Dec54).
05Aug55 "Be Bop" (Rerun, original air date 10Feb55)
12Aug55 "Mr. Sargent And The Lady" (Rerun, original air date
17Feb55)
19Aug55 "Family Tree" (Rerun, original air date 03Feb55)
26Aug55 "Strike It Rich" (Rerun, original air date 20Jan55)
02Sep55 "Silver Cord" (Rerun, original air date 30Dec54)
09Sep55 "Field Trip" (Rerun, original air date 02Dec54)
16Sep55 "The Robbery" (Rerun, original air date 27Jan55)
23Sep55 "Stagestruck" (Rerun, original air date 18Nov54)
30Sep55 "Battle of The Sexes" (Rerun, original air date
28Oct54)
############ The Ray Milland Show ############
################# the end ##################
##############################################
Meet Mr. McNutley (1953-54) (season 1 title)
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