''Meet Millie'', a

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

about a wisecracking

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

secretary from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s. In the

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television where all viewers watch the same stream simultaneously, rather than watching vide ...

version, Mom and Millie were living in

Jackson Heights, Queens Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

. The popularity of this series led to a four-year run on

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

Radio

The radio series began on CBS July 2, 1951, continuing until September 23, 1954. Audrey Totter created the role of Millie Bronson on radio, but she dropped out when her film studio refused to allow her to appear as the character on television. After seeing

Elena Verdugo Elena Angela Verdugo (April 20, 1925 – May 30, 2017) was an American actress, who began in films at the age of five in ''Cavalier of the West'' (1931). Her career in radio, television, and film spanned six decades. Early life Elena Angela ...

in Columbia's ''

Thief of Damascus '' Thief of Damascus '' is a 1952 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Will Jason and starring Paul Henreid, John Sutton (actor), John Sutton and Jeff Donnell. The film features a generous use of stock footage from such films as ''Joa ...

'' (1952),

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken came to Hollywood prominence for his comedic lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' b ...

’s secretary recommended her to Bracken when a replacement for Totter was needed. Verdugo brought the character to television in October 1952 and also took over the radio role beginning January 1, 1953.

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

originally appeared as Millie's mother on radio, but due to her commitment to play "Blanche Morton" on ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

'', her role was filled by Florence Halop on TV (and eventually on the radio show).

Characters and story

The show opened with the announcer's introduction: "A gay, new comedy about the life and loves of a secretary in Manhattan. It's time to ''Meet Millie''." Millie lived in a Jackson Heights apartment with her mother ( Florence Halop), who is continually on the lookout for a possible husband for Millie. Millie's boyfriend, J.R. "Johnnie" Boone, Jr. (Ross Ford), is the son of her boss ( Earle Ross,

Roland Winters Roland Winters (born Roland Winternitz; November 22, 1904 – October 22, 1989)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 287. was an Ame ...

). Aspiring poet-composer Alfred Prinzmetal (

Marvin Kaplan Marvin Wilbur Kaplan (January 24, 1927 – August 25, 2016) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter who was best known as Henry Beesmeyer in ''Alice'' (1978–1985). Early years Kaplan was born on January 24, 1927, in Brooklyn, New Y ...

) drops in for friendly visits. Isabel Randolph portrayed Mrs. Boone. Other cast regulars were

Virginia Vincent Virginia Vincent (May 3, 1918 – October 3, 2013) was an American film, television and theatre actress. She was known for playing the role of "Jennie Blake" in the 1958 film '' The Return of Dracula''. Vincent died in October 2013, at the ...

, Harry Cheshire and Ray Montgomery. ''Meet Millie'', one of the first series telecast from the CBS

Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, United States. The facilities are located at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. ...

facility in Hollywood, was seen on CBS from October 25, 1952, until March 6, 1956. The live studio audience responded to ''Meet Millie'' with such enthusiasm that it was sometimes necessary for the actors to freeze in position until the laughter stopped. Kaplan and Verdugo became friends during the years the show was in production, and their close friendship continued for decades. An episode of ''Meet Millie'' was shown September 15, 2000 at the Library of Congress' Mary Pickford Theater. Shows are in the collection of the

Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City with a branch office in Los Angeles. It is de ...

Production (TV version)

Jack Donohue and Frank Galen were the producers, and Donohue directed. Galen, Howard Leeds, and

Arthur Julian Arthur Julian (March 7, 1923 – January 30, 1995) was an American actor, producer and television writer. Some of Julian's production credits include the television program, television shows ''Vacation Playhouse'', ''Gimme a Break!'', and ' ...

were the writers. The sustaining program originated at KNXT in Hollywood.

References

Listen to

Same Time, Same Station: ''Meet Millie'' (October 22, 1953)

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0044276
''Meet Millie'' by Cary O'Dell
1950s American radio programs 1950s American sitcoms 1952 American television series debuts 1956 American television series endings American comedy radio programs American live television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS Radio programs Queens, New York, in fiction Television series based on radio series Television shows set in Queens CBS sitcoms