My Little Margie

Following on from the success of I Love Lucy, ATV television in the UK purchased another US sitcom in the form of My Little Margie, which centred around 21 year-old Margie Albright and her widower father, Vernon. 

Gale Storm, who played the lead, began her stage career by winning the Texas branch of a competition to play in 'Gateway to Hollywood.' She met the winner of the same contest from Indiana and a year later they were married. Gale then decided to concentrate on raising a family before returning to the silver screen, where she appeared alongside well-known names of the day such as Donald O'Connor and Audie Murphy. Her co-star in the TV series was former silent movie star Charles Farrel who had appeared opposite Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven. 

In an unusual move, My Little Margie began a radio series in December 1952, a little more than two months after the first TV series had finished, and then continued on both mediums throughout the rest of its run. Not, as one might imagine in radio versions of the TV episodes, but in completely new stories. Co-stars Storm and Farrell played the leads in both. The first episode of the TV series was transmitted on CBS in 1952 and the last one was seen on NBC in 1955.

Published on January 9th, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.