User reviews

Someone said that Margie was almost 30 and still living at home. Actually Gale Storm was playing a 21 year old "taking care" of her "old" father, played by silent screen star, Charles Farrell.

I've bought three of the DVD boxes so far and have enjoyed these episodes in between watching the antics of Joan Davis in "I Married Joan." I enjoy these shows much better than the junk they call comedies on today's TV.

In "Margie," I especially love the episodes with Gertrude Hoffman, who lives across the hall from the Albrights and plays Margie's 'Ethel Mertz' even though she is probably in her 80s! She's a hip old lady who'd look quite comfortable riding a hog with a Hell's Angel.

Once Margie said to Mrs. Odets (Hoffman), "Mrs. Odets, you still have that "certain something" that draws men to you." Odets smiles slyly and says, "Yes, Margie, but I've had it a long, LONG time."

Gertrude Hoffman brings to mind her wonderful performance in the movie "Caged," where she played "Millie, the old lifer." After the prison matron draws her hand back to slap Millie, she stares up at her and says, "Hit me, and I'll put your lights out." And she MEANT it! Why she wasn't nominated for an Oscar for that I'll never know.

Gale Storm is still living as this is being written. If she ever comes to IMDb, I want her to know that I loved her on both of her series, this one and "Oh, Susanna!" Also, I have on video, her surprise by Ralph Edwards when he featured her on This Is Your Life. Gale, you were beautiful and a delight to watch.

Trivia: "My Little Margie" was a summer replacement for "I Love Lucy" and was such a hit with the public, the network picked it up and gave it its own time slot.

Ohmygosh! Am I ever old now! But then, of course, we must also consider the alternative. You know, Schultz; if it's getting old that bothers you try just thinking about this premise. And pray tell, just what is this alternative? Yeah, that's it, Schultz! The opposite is NOT getting old; which is dying young. One of the "perks" of getting old is that of being to remember occurrences of a relatively long time ago.

That brings us down to (or up to, for those on the West Coast & Pacific Islands) today's "victim", MY LITTLE MARGIE (1952-55). Who or What, you might be saying if you're say under 55.

As hard as it is to believe, MY LITTLE MARGIE sitcom, at the time of its original running on CBS (later NBC), was right up there with all time perennial favourite TV Classic, I LOVE LUCY; which, ironically, the MARGIE Show originated as a "Summer Replacement" Series. (Remember them?)

SIDE BAR! A Summer Replacement Series was just what it sounds like. A series that would be shown in June, July August and maybe the 1st two weeks in September; during which time the regular show would actually go on sabbatical during the Summer vacation! And as a further example of the "stranger than fiction" category, MY LITTLE MARGIE came on as a temporary Summer replacement for I LOVE LUCY! Unbelievable, ain't it?

Now back to our regularly scheduled dissertation!

As for background on the MARGIE Series, it is extensive and well connected to many fine and close relatives on its family tree. The Series was a co-production of Roland Reed Productions with Hal Roach Studios. Mr. Hal Roach the Greater (Sr.) was listed as Producer. Hal Roach's association with film comedy dated back to ca. 1908, when Mr. Roach had worked as an extra, freelancing all around Hollywood. It was during this period that Hal became acquainted with another aspiring Actor by the name of Harold Lloyd. The 2 became fast friends and when Hal came into a small inheritance, which he was to use as the start-up fund$ for opening his own Studio, he remembered Lloyd's ambition, his determination, his talents and his potential.

So, from this humble beginning Hal Roach Studios became the A#1 place to create comedy. Besides the early Harold Lloyd, Roach gave us funny business from Will Rogers, Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, 'Snub' Pollard, Patsy Kelly, Thelma Todd, Zasu Pitts, the TOPPER feature films with Roland Young, The Sgt. Doubleday & Sgt. Ames Series with William Tracy and Joe Sawyer.

Now, Television commanded the attention of Roach Studio with Series such as RACKET SQUAD (1951-53), TROUBLE WITH FATHER aka THE STU ERWIN SHOW (1950-55) and AMOS 'N' ANDY (1951-53). It was to this early TV scene that MY LITTLE MARGIE was born.

The premise was simple, but effective. Vern Albright (Charles Farrell) was a widower of about 50ish. He has this 21 year old girl, Margie (Miss Gale Storm), whom he has had to raise all by his self for some years. They live in a luxury Apartment Building, one with elevators and all. Both felt that they had problems, one with the other. For while Vern worried about raising his little girl, Margie had apprehensions about her Pop's being an attractive, youthful and very eligible Male.

A typical episode involves interplay between the Albrights and neighbors, the lovely Roberta Townsend (Miss Hillery Brooke) as Vern's love interest. Some other plots involved interplay with the octogenarian with the 16 year olds attitude, Mrs.Odetts (the amazing Gertrude Hoffman), Margie's beau Freddie Wilson (Don Hayden), Charlie the Elevator Operator (Willie Best) or with Vern Albright's company, the Investment Firm of Honeywell & Todd with Mr. Honeywell (Clarence Kolb) and Mr. Todd (George Meader). As we said an episode would involve one or perhaps all of these elements. And, just for good measure, a lot of physical comedy, consisting of prat-falls and assorted other bits of slapstick, was injected into the proceedings.

The remarkable thing is that a little, snot-nosed, Red-headed kid of then 5 years old (Me) can still recall the announcement and preview that was shown at the conclusion of that week's I LOVE LUCY episode. I recall that it would have to have been either a Monday or a Thursday evening, because theses were the old Shopping Nights in Chicago in those pre-Shopping Mall days. The stores in the shopping areas stayed open until 9:30 or 10:00 P.M., with even the Parking Meters ran until 9! Well, me Pop was home, but busy watching the 3 youngest Ryan kids, Rose Mary (2 ¾ ) , Jim (1 ½ ) and the nearly month old, little Bobby. Mother Ryan and older sister, Joanne (9) had gone out for the weeks major shopping with our Uncle Wal & Aunt Fran, who had the "luxury" of owning a car then.

When they returned with the weekly supply of vittles and various odds & ends, I proudly announced of the coming, new show of MY LITTLE MARGIE (I even got the title right!), both Ma and Joanne thought me to be making that up. And being that Dad was busy watching, bathing and getting the younguns ready for beddy-bye, he was of no help! The old man was just too damn busy!

Now Doctor, tell me please, just what was the cause of my being like this today? Was it my being a Redhead, being born a Scorpio, the Holy Cross Nuns at St. Theodore School, that so-called Little League "Coach" or was it my Mother and Sister's disbelief in MY LITTLE MARGIE?

I was just a kid when this was '50s TV fodder and one of the most enjoyable shows on the air. I cannot recall a single plot. But I remember fondly the interaction between Gale Storm and Charles Farrell. It was an innocent era. Miss Storm was unbelievably cute and Mr. Farrell wise and funny. Great 30 minutes. Catch it if you can.

I was born in 1953, so I was not old enough to watch the series when it originally aired from 1952 to 1956, yet I remember most of the episodes, so I must have seen them in reruns in the late 50's and early 60's.

I've watched about a dozen of them this week since hearing that Gail Storm passed away last week. I've been surprised by the variable quality. Some of them are ridiculous and poorly written, while others are masterful gems, as clever and inventive as any comedy series that has been on television.

So far I've noticed that one episode is almost the pilot for the Beverly Hillbillies (including the use of the name Ellie Mae for the daughter), while other episodes seem to play riffs on crime, detective, Captain Midnight and quiz shows.

When we are children, we don't know what the world outside our home and school is really like (at least that was the case growing up in the 1950's). I found the world on "My Little Margie" to be quite realistic when I was a child. She wasn't famous, she wasn't rich, and nobody ever got killed or died. So it was like the real world to me. Although people got punched in the world of Margie more frequently than occurred in the real world (generally about two times per episode).

Margie was easily able to fool people with virtually any disguise she chose from episode to episode. However, that seemed realistic to me. For some reason I figured the world would be that way when I grew up. I would put on disguises to fool and trick people into doing things they would ordinarily refuse to do. I am sorry that I grew up and found that the world is not like the world in "My Little Margie". People are not easily tricked and I have never found an occasion to pretend to be anything but what I am.

When I watch the show now, I remember myself being 5 or 6 or 7 and watching and enjoying it. It brought much joy to me then and does so now 50 years later.

Everybody in the cast is a delight and has great comic timing, which I suspect is to the credit of the director Hal Yates.

Of the three top women stars of 1950's American television, Lucille Ball, Joan Davis and Gail Storm, we should remember that Lucy and Joan were in their 40's, while Gail Storm was only 30 when her show started. While I thought that Lucy and Joan would make great moms, Gail was the woman who I really wanted as a wife-girlfriend-playmate. She was my first crush. She often acted the wild child, but could also play sophisticated and sexy really well.

I would love it if someone came out with the full series on DVD. I think it would be the only full series that I would want to watch all 140 episodes again.

I watched this program as a 9 year-old or so and remember just a wonderful fuzzy warm feeling. It had a distinctive quality theme. Gale played a well meaning happy daughter to Charles Farrell. Every one in the cast portrayed really NICE PEOPLE, above all the lunacy that developed. Not a mean spirited act in the whole program so 'as a kid' this just made me feel good and secure and positive. Fortunately the show is available on video, almost all 126 episodes. Gale has a wonderful website and she's as young and perky as ever. I watch the episodes with the same enthusiasm today as before.

In hindsight, I think "My Little Margie" was a TV sit com version of the Frederick March and Teresa Wright characters in "The Best Years of Our Lives" (if Al Stevenson and Peggy had been on speed). Charles Farrel played a vice president at Honeywell and Todd Investment Counselors. He played Vernon Albright as a guy who would really prefer to apply his considerable financial expertise in the back room with the financial ledgers, but who always seemed to find that his main job was in making a good impression on the rich matron client of the week so that she would give her account or keep her account at Honeywell and Todd. The more he would try to maintain a proper image, the more Margie would get him into some madcap situation in which they were doing things like running through a haunted castle and swinging fireplace pokers at strange characters in medieval armor who were emerging from a huge fireplace and clanking down the hallways. Situations would reach a fever pitch of hysteria; but as Gale Storm always pointed out to Farrel at the end, "It all worked out. And Dad always shrugged with a sigh of a smile, "Well, that's my Little Margie."

Gale Storm starred in this series for three years. The show was originally a summer replacement for "I Love Lucy". It ran for nine episodes and then was picked up for the fall season. Charles Farrell co-starred as Margie's father Vern Albright. This was one of the rare sitcoms of the time that did not include a traditional family. Vern is a widower and he spends much of his time in the series trying to keep Margie away from boyfriends he deems unsuitable. Margie, on the other hand is frequently trying to keep Vern away from gold-digging women, attracted to the attractive Vern and his money. This is a charming series that really made a star out of Gale Storm. Other fun people in the cast include Hillary Brooke as Vern's sometime girlfriend Roberta Townsend, Willie Best as Charlie, the elevator operator in the Albright's apartment building, Clarence Kolb as Mr. Honeywell, Vern's boss(also the only hearing-impaired actor I've ever seen to appear on-screen wearing a hearing aid), and perhaps best of all, Gertrude Hoffman as Mrs. Odetts, the daffy oldster who lives across the hall from the Albrights. Check this show out. It's Fun.

I just wanted to say a word or two about this wonderful 50's comedy. It has been my favorite since the late 50's when I was 6 and my sister was 9. We were thrilled with the show. I believe it was the characters enjoying working together, as Gale Storm asserted in her biography, I Ain't Down Yet.

As Margie got out of one scrape and into another (assisted or not) with Mrs. Odettes, Mr. Honeywell, etc., all the episodes were a delight to watch.

After viewing the show since I was little I have finally come full circle to the basic premise. After all this time - our sons saw an episode and figured it out first. Vern Albright loved his daughter Margie and did not believe she could meet anyone good enough to marry. Conversely, as Margie states from the pictures at the beginning of the show, she tries to look after her father; I believe she felt her widower dad would never find the right woman to remarry.

In the last episode when it appears like Margie is married and expecting a baby the excitement goes out of the show. Though Mrs. Odettes is hilarious running into people with a wedding cake and Mr. Albright and Mr. Honeywell look puzzled and shocked, the show was basically ending. For some time beautiful Roberta Townsend dreamed of the white picket fence and her own marital bliss with Vern.

As for Vern and his high-pitched voice, it only added to the mayhem and merriment of the show as he is continually plagued by his young daughter who was reasonably sure she knew what was best for him.

We really don't want it to ever end. So Vern feels that Freddie Wilson is a flake and doesn't like him. Other dates fizzle out for Margie, though many admirers appear here and there. Also. early on we see that Margie likes Roberta, a dress designer across the hall, but isn't ready to accept her as a new stepmother. The lovely and sophisticated Hilary Brooke is wonderful here. My sister and I were always happy to see all the characters on other shows. including Gertrude Hoffman and Willie Best.

An interesting thing in re-watching the first few episodes, Margie seems very much in love with Freddie, sitting on his lap and embracing him. Later we have: Go home, Freddie and This place confuses me! Even today my sister laughs away at Freddie's happy and innocent antics when it appears Margie will marry him. He skips up and down in Vern's office and lands on his side! Of course, Freddie knows Vern does not like him and makes things worse each time.

Also, we see early on that Roberta seems very much in love with Vern in an early episode.

Today's programs, I feel, are not up to the wonderful 50s programs it was my privilege to enjoy as a very young girl. The 60s were good too, but the 70s did not have the same panache. It is comedies like these that keep the romance alive today watching them.

My sincere thanks to all of the cast members. I was very happy to meet Gale Storm at a seminar in 2005. We became fast friends and she called me when I was going in to hospital for a spinal surgery. I will always remember her kindness and friendship, though we did not have a chance to meet again. She was just as I had always known she would be; warm, witty and kind.

Every time I watch my DVDs I remember two little girls sitting there watching - enthralled by the stars, the wonderful episodes, the great sets. What was there not to love?

Loved the show...The other comments are spot on.

I wanted to add this bit of trivia about the show's location and the set design.

First off, I lives in New York for a number of years and the outside of their 'hotel' looks nothing like any building I ever saw in New York! Also, all of the rather high styled furniture used in the Albright's apartment was of California origin; Glenn of California, etc. Much of it was very classic West Coast mid-century modern pieces, yet's it's simply not reasonable to have imagined that this lot of West Coast furniture would've been used in an upscale New york apartment.

Bottom line, the choice of furnishings give this sitcom away as being a West Coast production, unlike "I Love Lucy", which looks like it COULD'VE been shot in New York!

Neither of the sitcoms at the time could compare to *I Love Lucy*. Among the competitors, including *I Married Joan*, *Life with Elizabeth* and *My Little Margie*, only Gale Storm had, in my view, a personality as lovable as Lucy's, though none of the shows came close to the Lucy shows. The comedy was often far too broad, usually ending in complex mistaken identities and farcical situations. At the same time, the show was entirely entertaining and Gale Storm's physical mannerisms and vocal registers made the show worth watching. It also had a great supporting case, including, of course, Charles Farrell, and Don Hayden as the put-upon and manipulated Freddy, who played the role quite well, so it's surprising he never translated his role to other parts. For frothy entertainment, this was definitely a series just a notch below the iconic *I Love Lucy* shows.

Have to give My Little Margie a 10 as I find myself laughing out loud several times per episode. Something about a top notch cast of talented / seasoned veterans willing to take prat-falls, being chased by monkeys and donning disguises strictly for the sake of laughter that brings out a refreshing charm. Every character is genuinely funny and love the way each one at times can be pivotal to the storyline or just appear supplying funny fuel to the shenanigans. Plus the show features a multi-generational cast of silly heads who eventually all get into hot water, eat crow and make situations worse by trying to be smart. Even though these characters may be stereotypical, knucklehead father, grouchy cheapskate boss, goofy unemployed boyfriend, feisty old neighbor (the amazing Gertrude Hoffman as Mrs. Odettes), suspicious girlfriend and Margie (always in need of money and a larger allowance) I find these characters and the show itself more honest and well rounded than most TV shows broadcast today .....including dramas. Seems many shows today are focused on it lead stars, same age group, with little character support from others. My Little Margie mixes it up and provides laughter from a creative ensemble of goof-balls and high spirited interaction amongst them. Priceless joy and enjoying these airings on RTV.

Usually, you look back at old programs like the Lone Ranger and think how hokey they were. Then you realize that you, being a kid at the time could enjoy them as they were.

Then there is "Topper" the TV show. It was one big smoking commercial. Well, I sort of counted on this happening with "My Little Margie." Boy, was I surprised. The plots are complex for the small period they have to execute. Hokey or not they had me laughing.

There are four seasons containing 126 episodes 1052-1955. All episodes have Gale Storm as Margie Albright and Charles Farrell as Margie's father Vern Albright.

Price per pound, you can obtain them in box sets. I will put them on the video shelf, and they look good in the box sets.

The 126 episodes of the screwball situation comedy "My Little Margie" originally ran from 1952-1955 CBS and NBC. The "Vci Video" release "My Little Margie-Vol. #1" contains six of these episodes (150 minutes). I have listed them below with their original airdates. Rather than six consecutive episodes these span the entire time period that the show ran.

The characters are somewhat strange for the period as back then sitcoms were almost entirely about traditional nuclear families (Ricardos, Nelsons, Rileys, Andersons, etc.). This is a notable exception as it features Gale Storm as 21-year old Margie Albright who lives with her widowed father Vern (Charles Farrell). Vern is the standard ineffectual dad of the 1950's. He works for an investment firm and is very much under the thumb of his boss George Honeywell (Clarence Kolb). Their working relationship is very much like the Darrin Stevens- Larry Tate one in "Bewitched" as Vern panders shamelessly to Mr. Honeywell and to the firm's perspective clients. This dynamic makes for some nice comic moments.

Vern also spends a lot of time searching for romance and when Margie is not causing him embarrassment she is trying to keep him out of trouble with the ladies. Some of the best episodes have Margie teaming up with Mrs. Odetts (their busybody neighbor played by Gertrude Hoffman) to keep Vern from falling for the legion of wily widows in their town.

Margie has a boyfriend, Freddie Wilson (Don Hayden) but if there ever was a romantic side to their relationship the spark went out when the series began. Part of the problem is that Storm was 30 years old when the series started and dressed like a teenager trying to affect a grown-up look. This got worse with each year and I did not really appreciate Storm until she started acting her age in her next series, "The Gale Storm Show" (a/k/a "Oh, Susanna").

Volume # includes: Margie's Phantom Lover 28 Oct 1953, The Missing Link 25 October 1952, Hillbilly Margie 12 Feb 1953, Vern's Mother-In-Law 2 Feb 55, Trapped Freddy 12 March 1953, Buried Treasure 2 April 1953.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

They don't make them this sweet and pure anymore. Even "Family Matters' and "Full House" weren't as innocent as this show.

This starred former "B movie" queen Gale Storm and major Silent Screen star Charles Farrell. They make quite a TV pair those two, almost like a husband and wive, but they're father and daughter. Get this, they spent ALL their vacations together which is kind of weird even back in the 50's.

Gale Storm plays Margie Albright. Margie is nearly 30, not married, no job, lives at home, AND still getting an allowance! She spends her time whining about how little money she gets, scheming to find ways of making more money or helping her Dad out of a jam. All this usually gets her into a jam.

Her Father, Vern Albright, is played by Charles Farrell. He works for Honeywell & Todd, an investment firm. Vern is always getting the firm new clients and trying to become a partner in the business. Mr Honeywell will not let that happen. How about Mr Todd?? You never get to see him. There is a cast of characters to add to the fun. Hilary Brooks(The Enchanted Cottage, Fuller Brush Man,...) as Vern's on/off girlfriend, Don Hayden as Margie's on/off boyfriend, and Gertrude Hoffman as crazy old Mrs. Odetts.

I use to watch this show when I was a kid. They showed repeats of it after church on Sundays. I thought it was neat how they started off the show with their pictures talking. My husband thinks the show is one of the best ever made and laughs like crazy when we watch his "My Little Margie" VHS box sets(!). I think that the show is an interesting and sweet, and that my husband needs to get out more......

Everything in this show is funny! Besides Margie, my two favorite characters are Mr. Honeywell, because he is the J. C. Dithers-type boss who always plays up to the clients now matter how big an idiot he or she might be, treats Vern like a dog, and constantly threatens to fire him. He is the stereotype of the mean-spirited boss. My second-favorite character after Mr. Honeywell is Freddie, because even though he is not technically an in-law, Vern treats him as the father would always treat a son-in-law that he despised. (Of course, the fact that Freddie is really as lazy and as sorry (hapless might be a more apt word) as Vern says he is does not detract from the humor at all.)

Farrell was a big Silent star a generation earlier - see the classic "Seventh Heaven". Here he plays a goofy father with a high-pitched voice being driven crazy by his coltish daughter (Gale Storm). It was a pleasant comedy, but peculiar, and unsavory. He was in his way as hare-brained and out of control as she was, but she never seemed to have any real boyfriends; it was always Dad, at least after tormenting him for twenty minutes. Often funny, but the whole father-daughter arrangement bothered me.