DUPONT SHOW OF THE MONTH, THE: JUNIOR MISS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of specials presented live by Dupont.
In this comedic adaptation of the 1941 Broadway musical, Harry and Grace Graves and their teen daughters Lois and Judy prepare for the arrival of the holidays. Harry, very much hoping for a promotion at work, plays host to his boisterous boss J.B. Curtis and his shy daughter Ellen, who is also his secretary. At the same time, Judy's gossipy best friend Buffy stops by and announces that her brother Barlow has enlisted one of his friends, Haskell Carter, to escort Judy to an upcoming dance. Judy, however, suddenly begins to suspect that her father is having an affair with the timid Ellen, and she and Buffy agree that "A Male is an Animal." Lois' date, Merrill Feurbach, arrives for some awkward chit-chat with the Graveses and the Curtises, and the couple soon leaves for a raucous teen dance party.
Judy and Buffy head to a coffee shop to meet Barlow and Haskell, and when Judy returns home, she is overjoyed to meet her long-lost Uncle Willis. He has been estranged from the family for some time due to his embarrassment over his large financial debts to Harry, who bailed him out of some bad investments years ago. Judy, however, has concluded that he had been serving a long term in prison and promises to help her uncle readjust to life "on the outside." She immediately calls Buffy with the exciting news, and Harry and Grace are stunned to find the unexpected guest in their home. On Christmas, Judy schemes to "save her parents' marriage" by setting up Willis and Ellen, and she and her family members trade presents, with Harry deciding "Let's Make It Christmas All Year Round." Buffy is amazed to meet a real-life "ex-con" as Willis arrives for the holiday; when Ellen too is summoned for the holiday, she and Willis quickly deduce that they have been drawn into Judy's "deep, dark plot" – but then find that they quite enjoy one another's company.
As the days progress, Willis and Ellen fall rapidly in love, agreeing that "I'll Buy It" despite their past skepticism about romance. On New Year's Eve, Lois parties with her close friends as Judy and Buffy try their first sips of champagne and Harry and Grace wait anxiously for news of the promotion. In the morning, a very hungover – and non-promoted – Harry is annoyed by his daughters' wild excitement, particularly when Judy gets the news that Willis and Ellen have in fact eloped. When J.B. stops by in search of his daughter, Judy begs him to consider hiring a reformed "ex-con," and he is appalled to learn that, thanks to the teen's machinations, his daughter has just run off with a "criminal." Ellen and Willis arrive later, but though Willis protests that he has never been to prison, a furious J.B. fires Harry on the spot. Harry immediately begins job-hunting as Grace begs Judy not to do any more "good deeds" for other people's lives. Lois comforts her sister as Judy finally realizes that she has unintentionally doomed the family to a "poverty-stricken" future.
J.B. barges in again searching for Ellen, and Merrill, arriving for Lois, is scared away by all the family dramatics. Haskell arrives to take Judy to a party, and J.B. suddenly changes his tune. Thinking that Harry has outwitted him, he caves and offers him a full business partnership. Harry is highly amused to realize that Haskell Carter Senior, not Junior, is the high-priced client that J.B. is desperate to land, but the deal goes ahead and Harry returns to work. Judy happily heads off to the party, and Harry and Grace realize that their younger daughter has truly become a "Junior Miss." Includes commercials for DuPont.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 20, 1957 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:28:40
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:92525
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Musical; Romance; Teenagers; Christmas
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1957-1961
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - DuPont products
- TV - Promos - "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre"
- TV - Promos - "Leave It to Beaver"
- TV - Promos - "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
- TV - Promos - "Trackdown"
CREDITS
- Richard Lewine … Executive Producer
- John Furia Jr. … Associate Producer
- Ralph Nelson … Director
- Sally Benson … Based on the original work by
- Jerome Chodorov … Based on the play by
- Joseph Fields … Based on the play by
- Joe Stein … Adapted by
- Will Glickman … Adapted by
- Burton Lane … Music by, Lyrics
- Dorothy Fields … Music by, Lyrics
- Paul Weston … Conductor
- Rod Alexander … Choreographer
- Norman Luboff … Choral Director
- Don Ameche … Cast, Harry Graves
- Joan Bennett … Cast, Grace Graves
- Paul Ford … Cast, J.B. Curtis
- Carol Lynley … Cast, Judy Graves
- David Wayne … Cast, Willis Reynolds
- Diana Lynn … Cast, Ellen Curtis
- Susanne Sydney … Cast, Buffy Adams
- Jill St. John … Cast, Lois Graves
- Peter Votrian … Cast, Haskell Carter
- Don Washbrook … Cast, Merrill Feurbach
- Gordon Gebert Jr. … Cast, Barlow Adams
- Marvin Kaplan … Cast, Messenger Boy