Occasional Wife

Peter Christopher was the lead man . He played a bachelor (Michael) who was determined to never marry in spite of his bosses family values Peters boss baby food mogul Max Brahms was controlling and Michael had to ask a beautiful hat check clerk (Greta Patterson) to pose as his wife and the charade became out of control and the antics off the wall. Yet they continued to fool Michaels boss.

What Michael did not realize is that his neighbor (Bryan Obyrne) was a peeping Tom because he watched the comings and goings from the Sixth floor where Michael lived to the eighth floor where Greta lived.

There may have been a few sparks of love but cupids arrow did not hit its target in the first season and cupid had no other seasons to score . So the possibility of them marrying was left hanging

I too loved this show as a teenager. It didn't last long but I remember it well. I thought I might be the only one who did until I looked it up and read the other reviews. It was a funny show with what I thought was a lot of potential for hilarious episodes. There was a lot of climbing in and out of windows and a lot of close calls when they were almost caught in separate apartments or with other people. It seemed to fit with the popular situation comedies of the time (Bewitched, That Girl, I Dream of Jeannie). I've always wondered why it didn't catch on. I wonder what was on the other networks at the same time. Would that explain why it was overlooked? I don't know if I would feel the same if I saw the episodes today but I would love to give it a try.

It seems there were a LOT of 11 year old people (who are all, as of this writing in June, 2019, in their SIXTIES!) who remember series TV from fifty years before. Personally, I believe one of the best and most clever things about "Occasional Wife" (a clever premise in itself) was the casting of a man who not long ago had an L.A. street named after him - the road to Dodger Stadium - the great Vin Scully. Vinnie was "The Voice Of The Dodgers" since The Brooklyn Dodgers became The Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the 1950's, and he did that better than just about anyone who is the Team Announcer for just about ANY Major League Baseball team. Scully's wry delivery during the opening of the show should have won an Emmy all by itself. "...And so they set up housekeeping. Peter, in his apartment on the 7th floor, and Greta, in her apartment on the 9th floor... to the lasting confusion of the fellow in between!" If you're a real die-hard for this show, please forgive my memory if I messed up a word or two there. At any rate, "Occasional Wife" was a comedy that was actually funny! And that's something many of today's sitcoms only wish THEY were.

This was my favorite show when I was in the sixth grade, and I was heartbroken when it was canceled.

Michael Callan and Patricia Harty had terrific chemistry (they would later marry, although not for long). Jack Collins was also perfect as Callan's boss, and the reaction shots of the Man In The Middle (i.e. the guy who had the apartment in between those of Callan and Harty) were priceless.

Back in the 60s, we accepted absurd premises on TV shows without giving it a second thought -- the beauty of Occasional Wife was that the actors performed as if there was nothing at all absurd in their situations.

Sure would love to see it again!

The World, The United States and New York City were very different places in 1966 than they are as you're reading this. And Prime Time TV back then was determined to try to distract its viewers with elements that were either nostalgic or completely unrealistic.

But sometimes, there were shows that at least bordered on the facts of the day, even as they played it for laughs. One of those was "Occasional Wife."

At the time, there was a belief that if a man couldn't find a woman to marry him by a certain age, there was something bothersome, untrustworthy, "wrong" about him. So, if a bachelor was trying to climb the corporate ladder in a company, they likely would be passed over by a married guy, especially one with a family.

Such was the case for executive Peter Christopher (Michael Callan) who worked for a Baby Food company (hence, the "family image" issue), as Peter was looking to get promoted by his persnickety boss, Mr. Brahms (Jack Collins). So, Peter did the only thing he thought to do, get his platonic woman friend Greta (Patricia Harty) who was already pretending to be married to "slow down" the male patrons of the cocktail bar she worked at, to be a stand in as his spouse!

Peter moved Greta into an apartment two flights above his own, and the charade began, as Greta was working to become a fashion designer at a local art school (which Peter paid for as recompense for her having to be Peter's "wife").

Scenarios involved Greta playing house for Peter, even as Peter's actual girlfriends were around and about, unexpected visits from his corporate bosses for dinners, and all of the machinations and manipulations that those things created, including the requisite racing up and down the NYC building's fire escape so Peter could escape getting fired.

Plus there were the disapproving glances from the neighbor in-between those floors (great character actor, Bryan O'Byrne) who wordlessly watched the traffic flying past his window.

The most notable thing about the series was that it was narrated by long time Dodgers play-by-play announcer, Vin Scully, in an uncredited role, where he would describe the action and even make commentary about the circumstances (Ron Howard would carry this concept to its zenith with his similar narration of the sitcom "Arrested Development," nearly 40 years later).

The show attempted to be a little bit spicy for its day, sometimes bordering on the same territory that "Three's Company," with its "two ladies and one gentleman in the same apartment" concept perfected just a decade later. But, in the end, despite the charm of Callan and Harty in their roles and the descriptions and accounts offered by Scully, "Occasional Wife" was out at home in just one at bat, er, season.