COLGATE THEATRE: ADVENTURES OF A MODEL {UNSOLD PILOT} (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic anthology series consisting primarily of pilots for projected series that did not make it to the network's permanent schedule.
Marilyn Woods, a professional model, contends with the amorous advances of Dr. Michael Boone, who invites her to his hospital’s annual picnic. She expresses disdain for the event and the athletic activities therein, but decides to attend it anyway. Marilyn reports to her modeling agency and meets with her boss John Carter, who is in an uncharacteristically good mood. He informs her that Huntress, a company making women’s sports clothes, is looking for a model to headline their new campaign, but that its head, Mr. Hunter, wants to spend time alone with her. Marilyn suspects that the company head has thoughts of impropriety and refuses, but Carter goads her into reconsidering. Mr. Hunter arrives at that moment and is greeted by Carter and Marilyn; his accent and mannerisms make it obvious to Marilyn that he is a Texan. He mentions that he has “peculiar requirements” for his intended model; Carter escorts Marilyn from the room before she can learn more. It becomes apparent that Carter lied about Marilyn’s athletic prowess, claiming that she was a champion college decathlete in order to appease Mr. Hunter’s stipulation that the Huntress model should have actual athletic ability.
Mr. Hunter attempts to question Marilyn on her supposed college athletics, but she has no idea of what he is talking about. She soon realizes what Carter has done and is upset at him. She confronts him in private about this deception, but he manages to convince her into playing along for the time being. She goes golfing with Mr. Hunter to get pictures of her in Huntress’s women’s golf attire. There she attempts to disguise her lack of golfing experience, but in doing so accidentally sends herself careening into a pond. Similar accidents occur when Mr. Hunter attempts to engage her in badminton and archery. He then takes her to a horse ranch to get pictures of her engaged in equestrianism; by this time Mr. Hunter begins to catch on and secretly arranges for Marilyn to get an especially slow horse. However, while he is distracted, Marilyn unwittingly mounts the fast horse Mr. Hunter intended to ride and accidentally sends him running off the racetrack. Eventually the horse bucks her off and she ends up stuck in a tree.
Later, Mr. Hunter escorts Marilyn home and she gets him to summon Dr. Boone, still feeling great pain from her horse-riding fiasco. He is quite surprised that the usually un-athletic Marilyn was engaged in so much physical activity. He helps to ease her neck pain and gets her to admit to Mr. Hunter that she is not as athletic as she pretended to be. Mr. Hunter reveals that he figured it out some time ago but was “fascinated” by how inept she was and was curious to see it continue. Nevertheless he admires her “spirit” and willingness to try. She finds that this is sufficient to convince Mr. Hunter to take her on for his advertising campaign. He states that he realized he should try to appeal to un-athletic women like her, and decides to use the shots of Marilyn in the various comical results of her attempts at athleticism in order to take a more humorous approach. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: August 19, 1958 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:55
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: 100312
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1958
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Norman Tokar … Producer, Director
- Sidney Sheldon … Created by, Writer
- Eliot Daniel … Music by
- Joanne Dru … Cast, Marilyn Woods
- William Redfield … Cast, Michael Boone
- John Emery … Cast, John Carter
- Nancy Kulp … Cast, Aggie
- Roland Winters … Cast, Mr. Hunter
- William Kendis … Cast, Young Man
- Roxanne Arlen … Cast, Model
- Charles Wagenheim … Cast, Janitor
- Robert Jellison … Cast, Photographer
- Tom Noel … Cast, Attendant
- Phil Arnold … Cast, Photographer
- Jimmy Cross … Cast, Bystander