''The Chicago Teddy Bears'' is an American
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 ...
that aired on
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 ...
. The series was part of the network's
1971 fall lineup, premiering on September 17, 1971.
Synopsis
Unlike other shows set in
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
-era
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, ''The Chicago Teddy Bears'' was a sitcom. Any threats of violence were inferential rather than overt.
The main characters were Linc McCray (
Dean Jones) and his Uncle Latzi (
John Banner
John Banner (born Johann Banner, January 28, 1910 – January 28, 1973) was an Austrian-born American actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Schultz in the situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971). Schultz, constantly encou ...
), partners in a
speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.
In the United State ...
. A small-time gangster named "Big" Nick Marr (
Art Metrano
Arthur Metrano (September 22, 1936 – September 8, 2021) was an American actor. He was noted for his role as Lt./Capt./Cmdt. Mauser in '' Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment'' and '' Police Academy 3: Back in Training''.
Career
Metrano's f ...
) wants to take it over. Marr is McCray's cousin and Latzi's nephew; the naive Latzi finds it hard to believe his nephew could be anything but a fine boy. However, Marvin the bookkeeper (
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 ...
) and Linc's inept bodyguards, especially Duke (
Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Corporal Maxwell Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army by cross-dressing, on the CBS sitcom '' M*A*S*H'' ...
), are very frightened of Marr.
The series was intended as a comeback vehicle for
Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s ...
, whose last regular role had been as the voice of ''
My Mother the Car
''My Mother the Car'' is an American fantasy comedy that aired for a single season on NBC between September 14, 1965, and April 5, 1966. Thirty episodes were produced by United Artists Television. The series is about a man whose deceased mother ...
''. She played a street flower vendor in the pilot and was meant to be a mediator between McCray and Marr. However, CBS wrote her out of the actual series.
The series received low ratings and was cancelled by CBS after only three months on the air. It ranked 70th out of 78 shows that season with an average 11.8 rating.
Episodes
References
*Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''
''
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Teddy Bears
1971 American television series debuts
1971 American television series endings
1970s American multi-camera sitcoms
American English-language television shows
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television series set in the 1920s
Television shows set in Chicago
Works about prohibition in the United States
CBS sitcoms