Occasional Wife

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.

"Occasional Wife" ran for one season on NBC from September 13, 1966 until May 9, 1967. The series was one of the first to forego the use of a laugh track. Its narration is by legendary sportscaster Vin Scully. "Occasional Wife" got off to a good start, tying at 18 in the Nielsen ratings with "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.". It began facing tougher competition from rival networks, dropping to 64 and was cancelled after 30 episodes.

The show centers around Peter Christopher (Michael Callan), a happy bachelor who is pressured to find a wife to please his family and to advance his career. His boss Max Brahms (Jack Collins) of Brahms Baby Food Company is a firm believer in family men. Peter enlists the help of a young hat check girl Greta Patterson (Patricia Harty), in exchange for paying for her art lessons and setting her up with an apartment two floors above his, to play the role of his wife whenever needed. The series rides this plot with the complications of hiding the fact they aren't married from their colleagues, friends and family.

Reflecting upon the series, after watching each episode, "Occasional Wife" is a rather farcical sitcom featuring an outlandish premise. Early on, I found many episodes struggled to maintain flow with plots feeling somewhat strained. As such, I think the series would have had much more success as a feature film expanding upon the pilot with elements of other episodes. The plot of hiding the "occasional wife" routine became overplayed in my eyes. As the series progressed, I feel the best episodes are those that doesn't depend on this premise.

Michael Callan and Patricia Harty developed a very comfortable chemistry (they married months after the series ended). However, their comedy style was more of that of a straight man, forcing the comedy to come from interactions with others. I like the casting of Jack Collins as Peter's pushy, family-first boss Mr. Brahms.

The series was at its best with the comedy of talented guest stars: John Astin in "I Do, We Don't", Dick Wilson in "One Plus One Equals Too Many", Don Penny in "My Occasional Brother's Keeper", etc.). Stuart Margolin's meek Bernie could engage the viewer and provide comedy. The series would have benefited greatly if he was a regular in some capacity. It was also fun to watch Jack Riley as Peter's snake-in-the-grass office rival, years before he became a treasured deadpan scene stealer in "The Bob Newhart Show".

Among subpar offerings, there are some good episodes in the series.

I agree with OMalley and DeFelice -- I, too, saw it when I was 11, and my best friend, who was 13, and I watched every crazy episode. We had huge crushes on Callan (who was not a bad dramatic actor - catch "The Interns" and "The New Interns")and we though it was the perfect vehicle for Callan's and Harty's comedic talents; it just somehow captured the romance that was the mid- to late '60s. It wasn't all angst and social conscience (not that those are bad, it's just that there was so much more to the era that made it great). My friend and I thought we were the only ones on the planet who remember and loved O.W. That the show was a tad daring and had slightly surreal non-plots only added to its appeal. So much, even on cable, feels so overproduced these days, this was a fresh approach back then. (Does anyone remember "He and She" with Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin - also very cute, and they were married on the show as in real life.) There was so much wonderful, many-layered stuff on TV back then, some of it off the wall, some of it totally charming -- "The Addams Family," "The Name of the Game" (starring the adorable Tony Franciosa, Susan St. James, Gene Barry and Robert Stack, based on the excellent made-for-TV pilot "Fame is the Name of the Game"), "Man From U.N.C.L.E." (and its more serious counterpart "I Spy" and hey, Stephanie Powers was cute as "Girl From U.N.C.L.E.), "The Avengers" (from the U.K.), "Secret Agent," etc. And, I loved "The Beverly Hillbillies," too, for what it's worth.

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!

This series is a complete, total and utter non-sequitur. Visually it's bright colors and stark scenery (this is a 1960's TV budget) are firmly planted in 1959. The story line superficially is pure Doris Day/Rock Hudson. The execution is more Larry David/Monty Python. This situation comedy is so surreal that it could never last more than a season in a world where HBO/Showtime would not exist for 20 years. From the bongos in the opening title music to the avant-garde narration you know you are in a parallel universe. The plots are totally stupid...hello, Jerry Sienfeld! The resolutions make no sense and the stories turn on a dime...Why?...Why not! As the playboy who hires a hat check girl (this is a time when men wore hats) to pose as his wife so he can get a job promotion (the president of a baby food company does not give promotions to unmarried men), Michael Callan makes an excellent self-centered playboy...and he sleeps with women he is not married to. Is this 1966 TV? Patricia Harty proves herself to be an incredible comedian. Cute, perky, smart and thoroughly self-absorbed; she is an utter gem (Coutney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Debra Messing can't hold a candle to her talent). To add to the sideshow, the third billed character who appears in the opening manages to not say a word in the entire series. The guest stars are a "Who's Who" of 60's TV including Sally Field and John Astin. If you are a devoted fan of "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "The Andy Griffith Show", please move on. For the rest of us, sit back and enjoy.