The Joey Bishop Show

This show was truly "a breath of fresh air." At a time when turmoil was beginning to shape things to come in this country, this program was nothing but a barrel of laughs. Joey Bishop's deadpan deliveries were nothing short of hilarious. The times that he did break up on camera were classics. Guy Marks was my all-time favorite sidekick compared to Corbett Monica. One thing that confused me, though - Abby Dalton was pregnant during both seasons, but when the series moved to CBS they identified the child-to-be as their first. I remember her son Matthew David Smith playing the baby in the second season. Anyone know what was up with that? It's still fun to watch on the TV Land network with all the original laughs intact.

Its amazing that if any if some of the episodes from this series are somewhere on either video cassette or DVD. In all,this was a great series and some of Joey Bishop's deadpan humor and insults intakes were not only funny but they were classics. But this is what gets me about this classic show of the early 1960's......

"The Joey Bishop Show",ran on two networks,NBC and CBS from 1961-65. His run on NBC-TV(B&W episodes:1961-62;color episodes: 1962-64),and his run on CBS-TV(B&W episodes:1964-65)

1. When Joey's show premiered on the NBC-TV network in 1961,its first season was shown in black and white which had several unknowns in that first season including a teenage looking Marlo Thomas of "That Girl" fame later on(who played one of Joey's next door neighbors or some family member).

2. When the show went to its second season in 1962,the show was regarded to the Peacock Network as "brought you in living color". This was when Joey had co-stars Abby Dalton(as his wife),Corbitt Monica, Joe(of the 3 Stooges fame),and the second and third seasons had some wonderful guest stars including Andy Williams,Jimmy Durante and many others......... NOTE: This was the only situation comedy series that creators Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas produced in color for the NBC network(they had also Andy Griffith and Dick Van Dyke and Danny's own show as well,but they were still in black and white,until the color formation would applied to Leonard's episonage drama "I Spy" in 1965 for the NBC network).

3. But when the show went to CBS-TV in the fall of 1964,the show went from wonderful color to drab black and white(why?)and it wasn't the same anymore but still you had Joey's great sense of humor and great guest stars like Peter Lawford,Sammy Davis,Jr.and many others. But it wasn't the same until CBS cancelled the series in 1965(when the Tiffany Network would make the color formation change in the fall of that same year).

During the mid-1960's color boom, many TV programs on the air at the time went from black-and-white to color. But there was one program where the reverse happened: Joey Bishop's early 1960's sitcom. Here's the bit: During most, if not all, of the show's run on NBC-TV, it was filmed and aired in what the Peacock Network called "living color". However, for what turned out to be its final season when the series went to CBS-TV, it went from living color to drab black-and-white (the "Tiffany Network" didn't start "going color" until after the Bishop show left the air for good in 1965). One other detail should be noted: During the NBC years, Mr. Bishop wore his hair parted to the right, however in the program's last season on CBS, his hair part shifted to the left, as indeed it would be set on his 1967-69 ABC-TV talk show (and, for that matter, to this day).

The other reviewer described the first season, the second season evolved with, Joey getting his own show, marrying Abbey Dalton, etc. These shows have a better supporting cast and some genuinely funny characters and one-liners. Not the best, but not a one star either.

Starring Joey Bishop as comedian Joey Barnes, this series allowed its star to basically play himself. While quick quips make the grade for guest hosting "The Tonight Show", they have almost no place in a scripted show like TJBS. I would argue that many of the most successful comedy series of the early 60s were stale and lacking (when compared to other top comedy series), but that is no excuse for the lackluster efforts of any one show.

The additions of (the wife) Abby Dalton and the hilarious idiosyncracies of (the building super) Joe Besser certainly helped, but the deadpan comedy misfirings of star Joey cannot be overlooked. Many times his schtick works against the comedic efforts of his costars. For example, in one scene Corbett Monica is demonstrating his impersonation of a housefly. Joey ridicules the routine throughout, eventually tossing Corbett out of the apartment.

Though Joey had talents--- comedic and musical--- this series did not showcase them in the best light. Compare this show with "The Jack Benny Show", for example, which always felt fresh and creative. To those who think "Son of a gun" is waggishly amusing, I wryly reply, "Well!"