The People's Choice

I used to watch The People's Choice reruns in the '60's when I was a kid. I loved it then, partly because I loved the funny things Cleo, the basset hound, had to say. Since I haven't watched the show as an adult, I can't say how I would like it now, but the cutesy romance and the basset hound grabbed the attention of a 12 year old. At the time I thought Jackie Cooper was a hotty, too. I loved to watch the young couple trying to put one over on dear old dad. I didn't really understand why they couldn't tell him they were married, but I guess I didn't let it worry me much. I understand that the shows are in public domain, now, and I'm trying to locate the complete series on DVD.

This is a fun show from the mid-50's. As far as I know there is only a 5 episode DVD available, however, there may be "copies" of all the episodes available from various vendors on the internet. Cleo the basset hound is hilarious with a personality similar to Droopy the Dog. For whatever reason this series seems to have been forgotten which is a shame. Jackie Cooper top notch as he was in Hennesey. Patricia Breslin and Paul Maxey (the mayor) standout as well. You may not know John Stephenson by name but you will recognize his voice when you hear it if you watched Hanna-Barbara cartoons. The voice of Cleo is Mary Jane Croft who many will remember as "Mary Jane" from The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy.

Sock Miller was a nice young man, straight out of "Dear Andrew". His basset hound Cleo gave him advice, and it was a very funny show. I wish TVLAND would replay it.Mary Jane Croft, was the voice of Cleo, and many people know her from her being Lucille Ball's second sidekick after Vivian Vance.

I was a little girl when I watched this program. Like many sitcoms from this period, it knew how to be cute and clever without falling back on tired innuendos. I remember that I enjoyed it, and I even remembered the names of the main characters, but most of all, I was in love with Cleo. She was cuddly and adorable and just gorgeous. I would love to see them again, but I've heard rumors that many of the episodes have been lost. I hope this is not true. My dad actually got me a Basset Hound puppy. We called him Leo, and he was a great dog who I still remember very fondly, especially since he was the last thing my dad ever gave me before his sudden, untimely death. It was also my introduction to Jackie Cooper, best known as a child actor until this point.

Jackie Cooper stars as New City councilman Socrates "Sock" Miller. Patricia Breslin plays Mandy Peoples, daughter of New City's Mayor, who has her eyes set romantically on Sock. Her father is very much against this relationship as he believes Sock is a bit too unstable to provide Mandy a decent future. Sock lives in a trailer court with his Aunt Gus who supports the relationship with Mandy. Other regulars characters include Sock's mooching service buddy Rollo and Crutcher, the former councilman and rival for Mandy that Sock beat in the election. The writing is clever, the cast is very good and it's all given a little extra craziness as the audience is allowed to hear what Sock's basset Cleo is thinking in relation to the action. Eventually Sock and Mandy get married but keep it a secret as long as they can. This show is more then just inventing the secret marriage ploy. It is genuinely funny. If you like the era it may be for you. If not or if you can't stand black and white (too bad because you miss out on many good programs)then avoid this. However, if you don't mind black and white and enjoy dialog that isn't one continuous sexual innuendo please take a look. Cleo is a great!