Honestly, Celeste! is an American television situation comedy that was broadcast on CBS from October 10, 1954, to December 5, 1954. It starred Celeste Holm[1] in her first regular TV series.[2]

Premise, cast and characters

Scott McKay and Celeste Holm in Honestly, Celeste!

Celeste Anders left her position as a college journalism teacher in the American Midwest to work as a reporter at a newspaper in New York City.[3] As a reporter, she devoted "virtually all of her time to being a Good Samaritan to everyone she meets."[4]

Actors and the characters they portrayed were as follows:

  • Celeste Holm - Celeste Anders[3]
  • Scott McKay -Bob Wallace (Anders's friend)[3]
  • Geoffrey Lamb - Mr. Wallace (Bob's father and editor of the newspaper)[3]
  • Mary Finney - Mary (Mr. Wallace's secretary)[3]
  • Mike Kellin - Marty Gordon (Anders's friend and a former gangster)[3]

Themes of episodes included Anders's beginning a new life in New York City, her search for an apartment, and Marty's boredom when he drove a cab.[5]

In a move that The New York Times called "unusual in broadcasting circles", Holm asked to be released from her commitments for Honestly, Celeste! and CBS granted the request.[6] She said later that she felt that Anders lacked audience appeal because the character was too dull. She had hoped to "have some control over the writing", but that did not happen,[5]

Schedule

Honestly, Celeste! was broadcast on Sundays from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.[1] Its competition included Life Begins at Eighty (DuMont), The Philco Television Playhouse alternating with Goodyear Television Playhouse (NBC), and Talent Patrol and its replacement What's Going On (ABC). Honestly, Celeste! was replaced by Stage 7.[5]

Production

Honestly, Celeste! was filmed in Hollywood. Joseph Scibetta was the initial producer and director;[5] and Larry Gelbart was the initial writer. By early November 1954 they had left those roles. Val Adams wrote in The New York Times, "The exact circumstances under which they left could not be learned, but it was reliably reported that there had been differences of opinion among the personnel on the show as to the staging and story line."[4] Dave Alexander became the producer and director.[7] Other writers included Norman Lear,[3] Hal Collins,[5] and Ed Simmons. Jerry Fielding provided the music.[7]

Bristol-Myers was a sponsor.[7]

Critical response

Jack Gould, in a review of the show's premiere episode in The New York Times, noted the overuse of coincidence and repeated switching of apparently identical suitcases (one containing Anders's clothes and the other containing $400,000 in cash) that left the audience confused, as were the characters in the episode. Gould described the episode as an "artificial and shoddy shambles" with "frantic direction".[8] He praised Holm as "a most sprightly and personable artist" who tried with limited success to make the episode seem plausible, but he said that her talent was wasted.[8]

Anton Remenih, writing in the Chicago Daily Tribune, said that Honestly, Celeste! stood out among a glut of new situation comedies in its season not because of the show's quality (perhaps "class B") but because of Holm's presence.[9] "It feels good to have her in the living room," he said. "She's talented, telegenic, and warm.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 631. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. ↑ Adams, Val (October 10, 1954). "Celeste Holm: TV Cub Reporter". The New York Times. p. X 15. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 388. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  4. 1 2 Adams, Val (November 10, 1954). "'Celeste' to make changes in staff". The New York Times. p. 48. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ Adams, Val (December 3, 1954). "Celeste Holm set to cancel TV show". The New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Leszczak, Bob (November 2, 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Television in Review: C.B.S. Stars Miss Holm in 'Honestly, Celeste!'". The New York Times. October 13, 1954. p. 38. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Remenih, Anton (October 12, 1954). "Food Men to Godfrey: Apologize". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 26. Retrieved March 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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