The_David_Niven_Show

<i>The David Niven Show</i>

The David Niven Show

American TV anthology series (1959)


The David Niven Show is an American half-hour television anthology series that was broadcast from April 7, 1959, through September 15, 1959.[1]

Quick Facts The David Niven Show, Genre ...

Premise

This series is an anthology series hosted by David Niven.[2] He acted in one episode.[3]

Episodes

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Guest stars

Production

The David Niven Show was produced by Four Star Productions.[7] Vincent Fennelly produced the show,[1] which was broadcast on NBC on Tuesdays from 10 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time,[8] replacing The Californians.[9] Don Quinn wrote Niven's introductions to episodes, and Niven helped Fennelly select scripts.[7]

Episodes broadcast July 14, 1959, through September 15, 1959, were reruns.[10]

Niven said that he and the show's sponsor undertook the program with the understanding that it would continue in the fall of 1959. "It was never my intention -- nor that of my sponsor -- to do a summer replacement type of series," he said.[3] After the show began, NBC told them that when the new season arrived the time slot would be used for weekly specials. Niven added, "If we knew this was going to happen before we started, we would not have bothered to begin."[3]

Critical response

A review by Harriet Van Horne in the El Paso Herald-Post used Niven's role on The David Niven Show as an example of established actors on TV who "use the medium a bit contemptuously".[11] She cited his "minute, maybe less" time on screen to introduce a drama and his post-drama return "for as long as it took to point the moral", adding, "I expect most of us would have been even more grateful for a David Niven Show starring David Niven."[11] As for the drama itself, Van Horne wrote that "Fortune's Folly" made her feel "that I've seen it eight or nine times before", and she called it "a cynical little story, despite Mr. Mitchell's excellent performance."[11]

In a review in the Oakland Tribune, Bill Fiset had a different view of that episode, calling the 30-minute drama "the finest in a long time".[12] Fiset wrote that the show "was tightly written and well done, with no tricks or gimmicks."[12]

Home video

In April 2014, 12 of the 13 episodes produced were released in a 2-DVD set by Simply Media in the UK. "Episode 9, "Maggie Malone", is missing.[citation needed]


References

  1. 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. 202. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. "The David Niven Show". TV Guide. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  3. Kubasik, Ben (June 1, 1959). "Niven Says TV Network Gave Him a Run-Around". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). New York, Melville. p. 56. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Cain, Ira (June 9, 1959). "Julie London, Scott Brady To Fight Racketeers on 5". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 15. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Torre, Marie (April 7, 1959). "Take Your Choice". The Sentinel. North Carolina, Winston-Salem. p. 15. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  6. Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (July 11, 2015). The Films of Fay Wray. McFarland. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4766-0415-2. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  7. Humphrey, Hal (March 30, 1959). "David Niven's Ground Rules for Hosting". Los Angeles Mirror. p. 21. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 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. 332. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  9. Danzig, Fred (April 8, 1959). "Not Much to Say for New David Niven Show". Marysville Journal-Tribune. United Press International. p. 11. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Other Network Changes (Cont'd)". Ross Reports. July 13, 1959. p. 61. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  11. Van Horne, Harriet (April 8, 1959). "Noted Actors Use Medium Of TV Bit Contemptuously". El Paso Herald-Post. p. 16. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. Fiset, Bill (April 16, 1959). "These TV People". Oakland Tribune. p. 39. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024 via Newspapers.com.

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