''Paper Moon'' is an American situation comedy which aired for one season on ABC in 1974. The series starred

Christopher Connelly Christopher Connelly (September 8, 1941 – December 7, 1988) was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Harrington in the successful prime time ABC soap opera '' Peyton Place''. He stayed with the series during its entire f ...

and

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

Premise

Moses "Moze" Pray is a confidence man and traveling Bible salesman who roams the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

in his 1931 Ford Model A roadster during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s, flim-flamming people with his gold-embossed Bibles.McNeil, pp. 540–541.Brooks & Marsh, p. 795.Nostalgia Central PAPER MOON
/ref> Tagging along with him is Adelaide "Addie" Loggins, a precocious 11-year-old girl who is convinced that Moze is her father – although he denies it – and calls herself "Addie Pray." Usually only a step ahead of the law, they always are working one fast-buck scheme or another, although they never have much money. They get on one another's nerves but have a strong bond, and it often is up to Addie to bail Moze out.

Cast

as Moses "Moze" Pray *

as Adelaide "Addie" Loggins ("Addie Pray")

Production

A gentle comedy, ''Paper Moon'' was based on the successful 1973 movie of the same name, which in turn was based on ''

Addie Pray ''Addie Pray'' is a 1971 novel by Joe David Brown. It was adapted for the 1973 film '' Paper Moon'', directed by Peter Bogdanovich. After the film's release, the novel was retitled ''Paper Moon''. The 1974 ABC situation comedy '' Paper Moon'' ...

'', a 1971 novel by

Joe David Brown Joe David Brown (May 12, 1915 – April 22, 1976) was an American novelist and journalist from Birmingham, Alabama. He drew memorably from his own life to compose his fiction: his grandfather's role as a minister, his own knowledge of confidenc ...

which was retitled ''Paper Moon'' after the release of the movie. The series was filmed on location in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. For its theme song, it used an authentic 1933 recording of " It's Only a Paper Moon," composed by

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

with lyrics by

Yip Harburg Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" ( ...

and

Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment, with s ...

. The Directors Company and

Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...

produced ''Paper Moon''.The Classic TV Archive Paper Moon Accessed 23 October 2022
/ref> Anthony Wilson was the television show's executive producer and Robert Stambler produced it. Episode directors included James Frawley,

Herschel Daugherty Herschel Eldon Daugherty (October 27, 1910 – March 5, 1993) was an American television and film director and occasional actor. Early life and career Born in Clarks Hill, Indiana, to Charles Emerson and Blanche Eracene Daugherty (né Feerer ...

Alex March Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

, and Jack Shea.TMDB Paper Moon (1974) Accessed October 24, 2022.

Broadcast history

''Paper Moon'' premiered in the United States on September 12, 1974, on ABC. It suffered from low ratings and ran for only 13 episodes, the last of which aired on December 19, 1974. Reruns of the show then were broadcast in its regular time slot until January 2, 1975. It aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday throughout its run. In the United Kingdom, ''Paper Moon'' premiered on September 24, 1974. It aired on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm.

Episodes

SOURCESAV Club Paper Moon – 1974 – Comedy Accessed 24 October 2022
/ref>"Thursday TV & Radio Schedule," ''Schenectady Gazette'', December 12, 1974, p. 54.
/ref> OTHER GUEST STARS in ''Paper Moon'' episodes were Nellie Bellflower, Lucille Benson,

Lynn Carlin Mary Lynn Carlin (née Reynolds) is an American former actress. She is best known for her debut role in the film ''Faces'' (1968), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Life and career She was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of so ...

Jeff Donnell Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early years Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' reform ...

Ronnie Claire Edwards Ronnie Claire Edwards (February 9, 1933 – June 14, 2016) was an American actress, best known for playing Corabeth Walton Godsey on the TV series ''The Waltons''. Early life Edwards was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Acting caree ...

Bert Freed Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 – August 2, 1994) was an American character actor, voice-over actor, and the first actor to portray Detective Columbo. Life and career Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending P ...

Burton Gilliam Burton Gilliam (born August 9, 1938) is an American actor. He is best known for memorable roles in several popular 1970s movies, such as ''Blazing Saddles'' and '' Paper Moon'', as well as comedic cameos in '' Back to the Future, Part III'' and ...

, Dabbs Greer, Jacques Hampton,

Rick Hurst Richard Douglas Hurst (born January 1, 1946) is an American actor who portrayed Deputy Cletus Hogg, Boss Hogg's cousin, in the 1980 to 1983 seasons of ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' as well as '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!'' in 1997 and '' The Du ...

Kay E. Kuter Kay Edwin Emmert Kuter (April 25, 1925 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor who appeared on television and in films. He is mostly recognized for his role as farmer Newt Kiley on the CBS sitcoms '' Green Acres'' and '' Petticoat Junction ...

Jon Lormer Jon Lormer (May 7, 1906 – March 19, 1986) was an American actor, known for his guest and supporting roles in television series, such as the 1960s' ''Star Trek'', ''The Twilight Zone'', '' Perry Mason'', '' Peyton Place'', and mega movie perfo ...

Strother Martin Strother Douglas Martin Jr. (March 26, 1919 – August 1, 1980) was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable pe ...

, Vern Porter,

Peggy Rea Peggy Jane Rea (March 31, 1921 – February 5, 2011) was an American actress known for her many roles in television, often playing matronly characters.

, and

Anthony Zerbe Anthony Jared Zerbe (born May 20, 1936) is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in ''The Omega Man'', a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, '' I Am Legend''; as an Irish C ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1995). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946–Present''. Ballantine Books. . *McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. {{ISBN, 0-14-02-4916-8.

External links

''Paper Moon'' opening credits on YouTube

Television promo for ''Paper Moon'' on YouTube

''Paper Moon'' episode "Settling" on YouTube
American Broadcasting Company original programming 1970s American comedy television series 1974 American television series debuts 1975 American television series endings English-language television shows Television shows set in Kansas Television series by CBS Studios