The Queen & I

The Queen & I
Also known as The Queen and I
Genre Comedy
Created by Howard Leeds
Written by Arthur Julian
Laurence Marks
Starring Dave Morick
Pat Morita
Chet Stratton
Carl Ballantine
Dave Willock
Reginald Owen
Liam Dunn
Barbara Stuart
Janet Clark
Natalie Masters
Country of origin  United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 11
Production
Producer(s) Edward H. Feldman
Running time 22 mins
Production company(s) Bing Crosby Productions
Distributor Columbia Broadcasting System (original), CBS Television Distribution (current)
Release
Original network CBS
Original release January 16 – April 24, 1969

The Queen & I was a short-lived American sitcom which aired on CBS from January 16 to April 24, 1969. It starred Larry Storch as junior officer Charles Duffy serving aboard a once popular but now aging run-down cruise ship, the Amsterdam Queen. When the crew find out the new owners intend to sell the ship for scrap, he and the rest of the crew involve themselves a number of "get rich quick" schemes in an attempt to save their ship.[1]

Duffy's efforts to raise money often coincided with his gambling and other personal scams. He and the crew were opposed by first officer Oliver Nelson (Billy De Wolfe), the series main antagonist, who was highly suspicious of Duffy's activities and often sought to put an end to them.[1]

While Storch and De Wolfe were the main stars, the series had a strong cast which included familiar character actors Liam Dunn, Dave Morick, Pat Morita, Chet Stratton, Carl Ballantine and Dave Willock. Other supporting roles were played by British actor Reginald Owen and American television actresses Barbara Stuart, Janet Clark and Natalie Masters.[1]

First airing on January 16, 1969, The Queen & I was originally intended to replace the sitcom Blondie midway through the 1968-69 season. Although it received some positive reviews, including being featured on the covers of TV Times [2] and TV Magazine,[3] it failed to catch on with viewers and canceled after 11 episodes (two episodes never aired). The series, however, served as a prelude to The Love Boat which debuted eight years later.[1]

Characters

Episodes

# Title Writers Original airdate Series No.
01"Series One Episode One (Duffy's Cruise)"Arthur Julian & Laurence Marks16 January 1969 (1969-01-16)#1.01
Duffy works out a super scheme to keep the ship afloat and its wacky crew members solvent.
02"Series One Episode Two (The No-Cruise Cruise)"TBA23 January 1969 (1969-01-23)#1.02
After losing $5,000 in a poker game, Duffy agrees to provide the winner with an all expenses paid trip in one of the luxury suites aboard the "Amsterdam Queen". The problem is the ship is scheduled to be docked in NYC for the next two weeks...
03"Series One Episode Three (The Promotion)"Laurence Marks30 January 1969 (1969-01-30)#1.03
Duffy romances the commodore's secretary as he tries to get meddlesome First Officer Nelson promoted off the "Amsterdam Queen" - and off his back.
04"Series One Episode Four (Requiem for Becker)"Arthur Julian6 February 1969 (1969-02-06)#1.04
All hands conspire to hide Becker from his money-hungry wife ... but a whole new set of problems erupts when it's when it's assumed that the steward has been lost at sea.
05"Series One Episode Five (Who's Holding the Bag?)"Arthur Julian13 February 1969 (1969-02-13)#1.05
Duffy and two smugglers are after First Officer Nelson's little black bag.
06"Series One Episode Six (Duffy Against the Computer)"Arthur Julian27 February 1969 (1969-02-27)#1.06
Duffy tries to short circuit a computer that could show up the crew's incompetence.
07"Series One Episode Seven (Who Am I Talking To?)"TBA29 February 1969 (1969-02-29)#1.07
08"Series One Episode Eight (My Karate Lies Over the Ocean)"Laurence Marks13 March 1969 (1969-03-13)#1.08
To bolster the ego of the ship's cook, Duffy pays a karate champ to take a dive in a bout with him. The scheme works too well; the cook becomes an aficionado, and the Queen reverberates with athletic grunts.
09"Series One Episode Nine (Hoss Feathers)"TBA20 March 1969 (1969-03-20)#1.09
10"Series One Episode Ten (But to a Captain, Is He a Captain?)"Arthur Julian27 March 1969 (1969-03-27)#1.10
Nelson's test run as captain of the Queen puts him, on a collision course with Duffy - and an old salt who remembers Nelson's World War II boners.
11"Series One Episode Eleven (The Trousseau)"TBA3 April 1969 (1969-04-03)#1.11
Duffy promotes a highstakes shuffleboard match between Nelson and Kowalski. Object: providing a Japanese bride with a trousseau.
12"Series One Episode Eleven (Don't Make Big Waves)"TBAN/A#1.12
13"Series One Episode Eleven (Kowalski of Harvard)"TBAN/A#1.13

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Queen and I". US TV - QBVII to Quincy M.E. MemorableTV.com. 2007.
  2. ↑ Los Angeles Times. "The Queen and I." TV Times. 1 Jan. 1969.
  3. ↑ Sunday Herald Traveler. "Can Losers Win?: Larry Storch" TV Magazine. Jan. 1969.
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