''The Brothers'' is an American television

sitcom 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 ...

broadcast by

CBS 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 ...

from October 2, 1956, to March 26, 1957. Reruns of ''The Brothers'' were broadcast by CBS during the summer of 1958, alternating with repeats of '' Bachelor Father''.

Synopsis

''The Brothers'' (original pilot title: ''The Box Brothers'') was about the small adventures of the Box brothers, Gil and Harvey, who owned a

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

studio in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Harvey was the more aggressive, overbearing brother while Gil was a reserved, shy man who happily allowed his big brother to run things. Both of them had steady girlfriends who were matched to their personalities, Harvey's being the strong-willed, aggressive Dr. Margaret Kleeb and Gil's being the quiet, unassuming Marilee Dorf. It was one of the first shows to have an unseen character. Andy, the darkroom person, was always heard but never seen.

Cast

Episodes

Production

''The Brothers'' was a Dallad Productions and

Desilu Studios The Culver Studios is a film studio in Culver City, California. Originally created by silent movie pioneer Thomas H. Ince, the studios have operated under a multitude of names: Ince Studio (1918–1925), De Mille Studios (1925–1928), Pathé S ...

product. Episodes were filmed in black-and-white with a live audience. Edward Feldman was the producer, and

Hy Averback Hyman Jack Averback (October 21, 1920 – October 14, 1997) was an American radio, television, and film actor who eventually became a producer and director. Early years Born in Minneapolis, Averback moved to California with his family when he w ...

was one of the writers. Bill Davenport,

Jim Fritzell Jim Fritzell (February 19, 1920 – March 9, 1979) was an American television and film screenwriter. Personal background James Gustave Fritzell was born on February 19, 1920. He died on March 9, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. He is ...

, Al Lewin, and

Burt Styler Burt Malcolm Styler (February 20, 1925 – June 13, 2011) was an American television and film screenwriter and producer. His film credits include Bob Hope comedy '' Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!'' and such popular TV series as ''The Life of Ril ...

were among the writers.

Wilbur Hatch Wilbur Hatch (May 24, 1902 – December 22, 1969), was an American music composer who worked primarily in radio and television. He was born in Mokena, Illinois, and died in Studio City, California.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: A ...

provided music. Sponsors included

American Tobacco Company The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter, Goodwin & Company, and Kinney Brothers. The company was one of the or ...

Lever Brothers Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and su ...

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...

, and Shaeffer Fountain Pens. It was broadcast on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Critical response

After ''The Brothers'' went off the air, Feldman blamed critics for the cancellation. He said that prior to the series's debut advertising agencies, sponsors, and CBS all expected it to be a hit. "Then came the reviews on the first show", he said. "Most of the critics clobbered us, and overnight that enthusiasm of our original supporters vanished. Suddenly we were working in an atmosphere of failure."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brothers (1956 TV series), The 1950s American sitcoms Television shows set in San Francisco 1956 American television series debuts 1957 American television series endings Television series about brothers Television series by CBS Studios Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows CBS sitcoms