Fire up the Muntz

Back in the paleolithic era of steam-driven television (when I was in high school), I thought that the Howard Duff - Ida Lupino TV series "Mr. Adams and Eve" was just about the funniest thing on the medium. There were 66 episodes circa 1957-58. Alas, the series was never revived after it went off the air (some sort of legal entanglements). Thus, all I possessed to help reinforce these favorable sentiments was a recollection of some of the plot outlines.

One that I recall involved "Howard Adams" and "Eve Drake", the movie stars Duff and Lupino played on the show, developing guilty consciences over the commercial direction their film careers had taken, and so they participated in a little theatre, experimental production of something called---get this!--- "Dinosaur on a Bicycle."

Another episode had to do with one of the couple being loaned out to another studio with the result that both ending up appearing in separate GWTW knockoffs.

Another episode I recall had Eve believeing that she had been invited to a dinner party, but it turned out that the occasion was a cocktail party, with the famished actress having to drink too moony martonis. I mean too many martinis in order to snag olives to solve her hunger problem (you hadda be there, I guess).

And then, not long ago, my friend Alan gave me a DVD burn of two of what might possibly be the few scraps that remain of Mr. A & E (most epidoes are believed lost). After taking a look at them, it turns out that my memory of the show's quality---IMHO--- was not all that far off-base after all. If Noel Coward had written a sitcom for 4-Star TV Productions, this might be the way it would look. All in all, not exactly Comedie Francaise, but still pretty funny stuff for mid-fifties commerical TV. (Olive Carey and Lee Patrick!!!!!!) And check out that low-key laugh track.

Enjoy.

pt.1


pt. 2


pt. 3

If you would like to see the other Adams and Eve in my possession, the one where Eve Drake is the surprise guest on "This is Your Life," please let me know. Or a real "This is Your Life" where Ida Lupino herself is the subject. (Warning: contains Keefe Brasselle content.)