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Happy 95th Birthday, Doris Day!


Brock
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Doris Day films of the 60s and her TV series close ups.  Proof positive that soft-focus was NOT invented just for Lucy in Mame.

Some of her films from her heyday, the decade between 1955 and 1965, are a bit dated, her heyday being the decade between 1955 and 1965 but I love movies that depict the 'ultra modern' world of the 60s.   Her best IMO was "The Thrill of It All" with James Garner as her co-star this time.  Still a top star her last few movies really let her down in the script department.  You'd think Doris, as a safe box office bet, would have had more clout and demanded "Thrill of It All" quality.  Contrary to myth, Doris's virtue being at stake was NOT the focus of all those films, except for that one with Cary Grant, I think.

With her perkiness, warmth, incredible lovability and acting skills, she seemed a natural for a TV series.  I want to like "The Doris Day Show" but the episodes don't make it easy. CBS getting her for a TV series was quite a coup--she was a MOVIE STAR after all and had been in the top ten box office draws.  Her last movie was "With 6 You Get Eggroll" in 1968, usually compared unfavorably to YMO, but "Eggroll" did $10million (according to Wikipedia), pretty good for a movie not considered a success.  Consistent with her earlier 60s hits. 

Veering off topic here but:

Wikipedia says YMO did $26million on a budget of $2.5million.

When sources cite movie grosses, they never say what the tally is (gross revenue? net to studio after theater's take?  US or worldwide?)I've always read somewhere between $11m and $17m for YMO.  

Wikipedia says "Mame"'s budget was $12million and its box office take $6.5million.  I've read Mame's budget to be anywhere from 8 to 12mil.

The $6.5million box office is just the US first-run gross and doesn't take into consideration the world-wide distribution or its sale to television. 

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I've never seen a full episode of TDDS. I think I remember on an episode of Laugh-In they referred to it as "Much Ado About Nothing".

I know she's shot down the Kennedy Center Honors a few times- what about an Honorary Oscar/Hersholt Humanitarian? I can't imagine she hasn't been offered yet.

How many actresses (or actors) can you name that are beautiful, can sing, and do comedy and drama? I'd put Lucy on that list.

 

"Can't Help Falling In Love" has become a standard for people my age- somebody did a popular cover of it recently and it's more famous than ever. My favorite version will always be Doris's.

 

Neil: I'm numbers-crazy like you, but I wouldn't fully rely on Wikipedia for anything , especially not box office intake or Nielsen ratings.

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Doris Day films of the 60s and her TV series close ups. Proof positive that soft-focus was NOT invented just for Lucy in Mame.

Some of her films from her heyday, the decade between 1955 and 1965, are a bit dated, her heyday being the decade between 1955 and 1965 but I love movies that depict the 'ultra modern' world of the 60s. Her best IMO was "The Thrill of It All" with James Garner as her co-star this time. Still a top star her last few movies really let her down in the script department. You'd think Doris, as a safe box office bet, would have had more clout and demanded "Thrill of It All" quality. Contrary to myth, Doris's virtue being at stake was NOT the focus of all those films, except for that one with Cary Grant, I think.

With her perkiness, warmth, incredible lovability and acting skills, she seemed a natural for a TV series. I want to like "The Doris Day Show" but the episodes don't make it easy. CBS getting her for a TV series was quite a coup--she was a MOVIE STAR after all and had been in the top ten box office draws. Her last movie was "With 6 You Get Eggroll" in 1968, usually compared unfavorably to YMO, but "Eggroll" did $10million (according to Wikipedia), pretty good for a movie not considered a success. Consistent with her earlier 60s hits.

 

Marty Melcher signed Doris to do films without her knowledge. That's why she ended up doing things like Caprice and The Ballad of Josie. Although Doris has said she knew nothing of the CBS TV deal until after Marty died, it was publically announced a year before that.

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Marty Melcher signed Doris to do films without her knowledge. That's why she ended up doing things like Caprice and The Ballad of Josie. Although Doris has said she knew nothing of the CBS TV deal until after Marty died, it was publically announced a year before that.

I never knew Doris was aware of the TV deal prior to her husband's death. Was it really for FIVE seasons? And, has there ever been an order that big or bigger?
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I never knew Doris was aware of the TV deal prior to her husband's death. Was it really for FIVE seasons? And, has there ever been an order that big or bigger?

 

Had the series tanked in the ratings, I don't think CBS would have been stuck with the full 5 years of her contract in series form. 

It did not become a ratings hit until it was moved to Monday night in its 2nd season, after Here's Lucy and Mayberry RFD for 2 years; then after Here's Lucy for its last 2 years.   (Here's Lucy ran one more year.  The Doris Day Show was replaced by the last season of "The NEW Dick Van Dyke Show", which in its 3rd time slot in 3 years experienced "a bump in the ratings" according to Dick's autobiography.)

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Amazing that he could do this without her consent.  It may have been a case of him putting a piece of paper in front of her and saying "sign this".  I saw a little blurb in "Parade" magazine from 1966 or 1967 that said Lucy would "retire in 1970 when she will be 59 "and CBS was courting Doris Day, whom they assumed would carry on the tradition ( as if any popular comedienne could) , to take her place.

How do you explain Doris's version: not knowing she had committed to a TV series without her knowledge?  Did Marty get ahold of all the newspapers and cut out the article ( ala Lucy Ricardo)?

Marty Melcher signed Doris to do films without her knowledge. That's why she ended up doing things like Caprice and The Ballad of Josie. Although Doris has said she knew nothing of the CBS TV deal until after Marty died, it was publically announced a year before that.

 

 

I've never seen a full episode of TDDS. I
Neil: I'm numbers-crazy like you, but I wouldn't fully rely on Wikipedia for anything , especially not box office intake or Nielsen ratings.

If wikipedia would quote box office receipts on a consistent basis, at least we could get an idea of how things did relative to each other.  $27million sounds high for YMO.  $6.5million, very low for Mame.  

As for Nielsen ratings, everyone is quoting from the same list of top 30 shows from each year, full season averages as tallied by Nielsen.  Every once in a while someone refers to a ranking outside the top 30, but as far as I know, a full list for each season is not readily available.  I was surprised to find out that the first season of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" really did awful, something like 76th.  Despite its quality, you can't blame CBS for wanting to cancel it.   Had it not been for "The Beverly Hillbillies", we might not have 5 years of DVanDyke.  Ditto Doris Day, whose show made the top 10 in 69-70 following Here's Lucy's and "Mayberry RFD".   Despite Laugh-In, CBS owned Monday night.

 

Freddie, if you ever suffer from insomnia, binge-watch the first season of "TDDS".  If that doesn't work, any episode of Mayberry RFD should do the trick. 

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I never knew Doris was aware of the TV deal prior to her husband's death. Was it really for FIVE seasons? And, has there ever been an order that big or bigger?

The publicity at the time did not mention how long the contract was for. Part of the deal with CBS was to do theatrical films as well. With Six You Get Egg Roll came out of this. A second movie, The Panda Affair, was announced but never happened. I assume Marty Melcher's death was the reason it never materialized.

 

When The Doris Day Show was announced in the spring of 1967, it was planned to premiere in Lucy's Monday night spot in the fall of 1968 because CBS was sure Lucy was serious about ending her show.

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Freddie, if you ever suffer from insomnia, binge-watch the first season of "TDDS".  If that doesn't work, any episode of Mayberry RFD should do the trick. 

 

For sure!  Either of those would work better than a sleeping pill!

 

 

When The Doris Day Show was announced in the spring of 1967, it was planned to premiere in Lucy's Monday night spot in the fall of 1968 because CBS was sure Lucy was serious about ending her show.

 

That's been my understanding, too.  Lucy had been using her show every year as leverage to get CBS to put on other Desilu-produced series -- making an annual threat to quit The Lucy Show if CBS didn't put a new Desilu show on the air.  So it appeared to CBS, I guess, that Lucy was motivated to do The Lucy Show mainly as a means to keep Desilu running.  So by 1967, with Lucy in the process of selling Desilu, I assume CBS figured she would quit her show as she'd no longer be needing to sell them other series.  So it's logical that they would be looking for a new major TV star to fill the void.  Little did they know that Lucille Ball was actually something of a workaholic, and never really intended to quit her show in spite of her annual threats to do so.  So they ended up with Doris AND Lucy.  It probably came as a surprise, though, that Doris's major movie success never quite translated to television.  Her show was fairly successful, but never a blockbuster. And by the fifth season ratings were anemic.  From what I've read, even though Doris Day was ready to pull the plug after five seasons, as her contractual obligation to CBS for this series had ended, CBS had no intention of continuing the show even if Doris had wanted to.

 

My favorite Doris Day Show reference ever was on an episode of All in the Family.  Louise Jefferson has stopped by the Bunker's house.  Edith goes into the kitchen to get something for Louise, so Archie is left in the living room with Louise and tries to engage in small talk:

 

Archie:  "How did you like that Julia show last night?"  (Referencing the sitcom, Julia, starring African-American actress Diahann Carroll.)

Louise :  "Fine. How did you like Doris Day?"

 

Isabel Sanford's annoyed expression along with her sarcastic and deadpan delivery of that line made it hilarious.

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For sure!  Either of those would work better than a sleeping pill!

 

 

 

That's been my understanding, too.  Lucy had been using her show every year as leverage to get CBS to put on other Desilu-produced series -- making an annual threat to quit The Lucy Show if CBS didn't put a new Desilu show on the air.  So it appeared to CBS, I guess, that Lucy was motivated to do The Lucy Show mainly as a means to keep Desilu running.  So by 1967, with Lucy in the process of selling Desilu, I assume CBS figured she would quit her show as she'd no longer be needing to sell them other series.  So it's logical that they would be looking for a new major TV star to fill the void.  Little did they know that Lucille Ball was actually something of a workaholic, and never really intended to quit her show in spite of her annual threats to do so.  So they ended up with Doris AND Lucy.  It probably came as a surprise, though, that Doris's major movie success never quite translated to television.  Her show was fairly successful, but never a blockbuster. And by the fifth season ratings were anemic.  From what I've read, even though Doris Day was ready to pull the plug after five seasons, as her contractual obligation to CBS for this series had ended, CBS had no intention of continuing the show even if Doris had wanted to.

 

My favorite Doris Day Show reference ever was on an episode of All in the Family.  Louise Jefferson has stopped by the Bunker's house.  Edith goes into the kitchen to get something for Louise, so Archie is left in the living room with Louise and tries to engage in small talk:

 

Archie:  "How did you like that Julia show last night?"  (Referencing the sitcom, Julia, starring African-American actress Diahann Carroll.)

Louise :  "Fine. How did you like Doris Day?"

 

Isabel Sanford's annoyed expression along with her sarcastic and deadpan delivery of that line made it hilarious.

Isabel was truly a treasure! Loved her Louise Jefferson, on the original AITF and subsequent Jeffersons. :D

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"Doris Day Show" ratings: were they really that bad the last season?  It spent the first 4 in the top 30, peaking at #10 in 69-70.  TDDS's last year, its lead-in Here's Lucy had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, but still was a very respectable #15.   I wonder how far out of the top 30, "Doris Day" was for 72-73. 

 

I don't know what sort of comedy show would have worked best for Doris.  Lord knows, for "The DD S" they tried EVERYTHING. 

For sure!  Either of those would work better than a sleeping pill!

 

 

 

That's been my understanding, too.  Lucy had been using her show every year as leverage to get CBS to put on other Desilu-produced series -- making an annual threat to quit The Lucy Show if CBS didn't put a new Desilu show on the air.  So it appeared to CBS, I guess, that Lucy was motivated to do The Lucy Show mainly as a means to keep Desilu running.  So by 1967, with Lucy in the process of selling Desilu, I assume CBS figured she would quit her show as she'd no longer be needing to sell them other series.  So it's logical that they would be looking for a new major TV star to fill the void.  Little did they know that Lucille Ball was actually something of a workaholic, and never really intended to quit her show in spite of her annual threats to do so.  So they ended up with Doris AND Lucy.  It probably came as a surprise, though, that Doris's major movie success never quite translated to television.  Her show was fairly successful, but never a blockbuster. And by the fifth season ratings were anemic.  From what I've read, even though Doris Day was ready to pull the plug after five seasons, as her contractual obligation to CBS for this series had ended, CBS had no intention of continuing the show even if Doris had wanted to.

 

My favorite Doris Day Show reference ever was on an episode of All in the Family.  Louise Jefferson has stopped by the Bunker's house.  Edith goes into the kitchen to get something for Louise, so Archie is left in the living room with Louise and tries to engage in small talk:

 

Archie:  "How did you like that Julia show last night?"  (Referencing the sitcom, Julia, starring African-American actress Diahann Carroll.)

Louise :  "Fine. How did you like Doris Day?"

 

Isabel Sanford's annoyed expression along with her sarcastic and deadpan delivery of that line made it hilarious.

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"Doris Day Show" ratings: were they really that bad the last season?  It spent the first 4 in the top 30, peaking at #10 in 69-70.  TDDS's last year, its lead-in Here's Lucy had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, but still was a very respectable #15.   I wonder how far out of the top 30, "Doris Day" was for 72-73.

 

From the St. Petersburg Times, March 19, 1973:  

Que sera, sera.  Doris Day is about to bow out.  Knight Newspapers reports "Doris Day survived to run five seasons, not because she was a TV hit in the beginning, but because she had a contract and CBS was willing to tinker with the show to make it work.  It looks as if Doris' TV days are over.  She's been consistently third to two movies in the ratings.  With five seasons of shows made, she can now go into the profitable rerun market."

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ob8MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JmADAAAAIBAJ&pg=3740,4204135&dq=ratings+doris-day&hl=en

 

From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 18, 1973:

After five years, Doris Day wanted out.  In the early years, her show underwent annual format changes.  She started as a farm girl and ended up as a chic career woman, a sort of pale carbon of the roles she used to play in the movies.  Her show also had dropped in the ratings and apparently there was mutual agreement to end it.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=85scAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sWYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7644,678091&dq=ratings+doris-day&hl=en

I don't know what sort of comedy show would have worked best for Doris.  Lord knows, for "The DD S" they tried EVERYTHING. 

 

I'm not that familiar with her movies, but judging from her TV show her signature comedy bit seemed to be rolling her eyes upward and sighing.  That might be enough for a movie a few times a year, but week after week on a TV show that's not going to cut it.  Maybe she would have been better suited for a drama, like Angie Dickinson in Police Woman.  Or perhaps something utilizing her fine singing voice.  But unfortunately variety shows were on their way out the door at that time, except for some younger folks like Tony Orlando, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Cher.  Maybe a singing detective?

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----She's been consistently third to two movies in the ratings.---

​Though it should be noted that after Here's Lucy's peak (70-71), the networks were in a virtual 3-way tie on Monday nights, between 9 and 9:30pm anyway.  The first half of the season ABC had Monday Night Football which screwed up its west coast schedule.  After football season they filled the 2-hour block with movies.   Lucy vs. the competition: 72-73 Here's Lucy #15, ABC Football #18, ABC Movie #28, NBC movie #29.  73-74 Here's Lucy was narrowly bested by ABC's Football/Movie, but outrated the NBC movie.  Here's Lucy: #29, ABC Football #19, ABC Movie #26, NBC movie finished out of top 30.  The difference between ABC Football and Here's Lucy was 1.2 ratings points, between Lucy and the ABC movie: only 2/10ths of a point,  marking the only time other than the 2 years of Laugh-In's reign as #1 that Lucy did not finish the season with a time-slot win, though remarkably Here's Lucy still managed a top ten showing those 2 years.   ABC's Football started at 9 eastern time,carried live on the west coast starting at 6.  The end of the game was whenever it ended (and they finished their post-game blather), so the west coast football show could run into Here's Lucy on the west coast.... or not.  Severely hampered was the ABC show scheduled at 8:00 eastern time, because the west coast would run it at a different start time every week on Monday or schedule it at an off-prime-time slot. 

If "The Doris Day Show" lost most of the "Here's Lucy" 72-73 audience, I can only assume the viewers either tuned into the movie, a half-hour in progress...or went to bed!

 

You're right in that Doris Martin did a fair amount of eye-rolling/sighing.  But couldn't TV have done better with a talent like Doris Day?  Despite the blandness of her sitcom, there's nobody who doesn't love Doris Day. 

From the St. Petersburg Times, March 19, 1973:  

Que sera, sera.  Doris Day is about to bow out.  Knight Newspapers reports "Doris Day survived to run five seasons, not because she was a TV hit in the beginning, but because she had a contract and CBS was willing to tinker with the show to make it work.  It looks as if Doris' TV days are over.  She's been consistently third to two movies in the ratings.  With five seasons of shows made, she can now go into the profitable rerun market."

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ob8MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JmADAAAAIBAJ&pg=3740,4204135&dq=ratings+doris-day&hl=en

 

From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 18, 1973:

After five years, Doris Day wanted out.  In the early years, her show underwent annual format changes.  She started as a farm girl and ended up as a chic career woman, a sort of pale carbon of the roles she used to play in the movies.  Her show also had dropped in the ratings and apparently there was mutual agreement to end it.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=85scAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sWYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7644,678091&dq=ratings+doris-day&hl=en

 

I'm not that familiar with her movies, but judging from her TV show her signature comedy bit seemed to be rolling her eyes upward and sighing.  That might be enough for a movie a few times a year, but week after week on a TV show that's not going to cut it.  Maybe she would have been better suited for a drama, like Angie Dickinson in Police Woman.  Or perhaps something utilizing her fine singing voice.  But unfortunately variety shows were on their way out the door at that time, except for some younger folks like Tony Orlando, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Cher.  Maybe a singing detective?

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----She's been consistently third to two movies in the ratings.---

​Though it should be noted that after Here's Lucy's peak (70-71), the networks were in a virtual 3-way tie on Monday nights, between 9 and 9:30pm anyway.  The first half of the season ABC had Monday Night Football which screwed up its west coast schedule.  After football season they filled the 2-hour block with movies.   Lucy vs. the competition: 72-73 Here's Lucy #15, ABC Football #18, ABC Movie #28, NBC movie #29.  73-74 Here's Lucy was narrowly bested by ABC's Football/Movie, but outrated the NBC movie.  Here's Lucy: #29, ABC Football #19, ABC Movie #26, NBC movie finished out of top 30.  The difference between ABC Football and Here's Lucy was 1.2 ratings points, between Lucy and the ABC movie: only 2/10ths of a point,  marking the only time other than the 2 years of Laugh-In's reign as #1 that Lucy did not finish the season with a time-slot win, though remarkably Here's Lucy still managed a top ten showing those 2 years.   ABC's Football started at 9 eastern time,carried live on the west coast starting at 6.  The end of the game was whenever it ended (and they finished their post-game blather), so the west coast football show could run into Here's Lucy on the west coast.... or not.  Severely hampered was the ABC show scheduled at 8:00 eastern time, because the west coast would run it at a different start time every week on Monday or schedule it at an off-prime-time slot. 

If "The Doris Day Show" lost most of the "Here's Lucy" 72-73 audience, I can only assume the viewers either tuned into the movie, a half-hour in progress...or went to bed!

 

 

You raise a good question.  Here's Lucy started at the same time as those movies on ABC and NBC that apparently were sinking The Doris Day Show a half hour later.  It's strange to think people were changing the channel at 9:30 and watching movies that were already a half hour in progress.  Either they were doing that or reading a book or, yes, going to bed.  In my case, I was going to bed.  9:30 was bedtime as dictated by my mother.  Sometimes she'd give in and let us stay up a half hour later to watch Doris, or Dick Van Dyke a year later.  But usually it was off to bed.  School night.

 

You're right in that Doris Martin did a fair amount of eye-rolling/sighing.  But couldn't TV have done better with a talent like Doris Day?  Despite the blandness of her sitcom, there's nobody who doesn't love Doris Day. 

 

I find Doris Day fascinating in that she was such a huge star shining more brightly than just about anyone.  She was an actress and she was a singer.  But frankly, she wasn't the most amazing actress or the most amazing singer.  She was good at both, but there were others who were better (think Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn in acting and Ella Fitzgerald in singing).  Yet Doris's star shone the brightest.  It was really her looks and personality, I think, that people fell for.  I think of her as having the same kind of appeal that Mary Tyler Moore had.  But as an actress, particularly as a comedic actress, Mary Tyler Moore had so much more range and could capably carry a television show for seven years.  She could move you to tears or have you rolling on the floor laughing.  Yet curiously, with the exception of Ordinary People, Mary Tyler Moore had difficulty transferring her vast talent to the big screen, while Doris Day excelled on the big screen but had difficulty on the small screen.  So to me it's easy to understand why Doris Day could not be a huge success on television, but difficult to understand why Mary Tyler Moore was unable to be a big star in movies.

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The Doris Day Show in its' final season (1972-73) finished in 37th place with an 18.6 rating tying with NBC's Emergency.  The fifth season was its' weakest season and the episodes weren't very good.  Here's Lucy was its' lead-in and although it finished out of the Top 10 shows for the first time it was still  very strong with a 21.9 rating and finished first in its' time slot at no. 15.  Football finished in 19th place with a 20.7 rating and the ABC Monday Movie finished in 32nd place with an 19.2 rating.  The NBC Monday Movie also beat Doris, it finished in a 26th place tying with The Rookies and The Little People (starring Brian Keith) with an 19.8 rating.  

 

I think The Bill Cosby Comedy Hour dragged the whole night down on CBS during the 72-73 season.  It had a full year guarantee from CBS and aired from 10-11.  It was horrible.  It finished the season at number 58 tying the flop Sandy Duncan sitcom with a 15.0 rating.  There were a total of 75 prime-time shows during 72-73 season.  After Lucy, viewers just were no longer interested in Doris and couldn't stand Bill Cosby's new variety hour.

 

Ratings for The Doris Day Show were never a hit.  During the 68-69 season it finished in 30th place with a 20.4 rating.  It's competition was NBC Tuesday Movie which finished in 36th place with a 19.9 rating.  ABC aired NYPD but it didn't make the Top 40 and was cancelled.  NYPD only lasted two seasons on ABC.

 

1969-70 season was the only season Doris finished in the Top 10.  Doris finished in 10th place with a 22.8 rating following Mayberry, RFD which finished in 4th place with a 24.4 rating.  Here's Lucy in its' second season jumped up to 6th place with a 23.9 rating and that was with Laugh-in as her competition.  Laugh-In was still number one but dropped to a 26.3 rating.  The previous season (2nd season) for Laugh-In 68-69 was a whopping 31.8 rating but Here's Lucy (first season) still managed a top 10 placement at number 9 with a 23.8 rating.  You couldn't kill Lucy with a stick.  

 

1970-71 season saw Doris Day (third season)  finished in the Top 20 shows. Here's Lucy (third season) finished in third place with a  whopping 26.1 rating and knocked Laugh-In down to 14th place with a 22.4 rating.  Doris and Lucy were both first in their time slots.  Mayberry RFD finished in 15th place with a 22.2 rating and was cancelled.  That was the year CBS cancelled all their rural comedies.  ABC Monday Night Football finished the season with an 18.5 rating but was out of the Top 30 shows.

 

1971-72 season (fourth season) The Doris Day Show finished in 22nd place with a 21.3 rating.  Here's Lucy (fourth season) tied for 10th place with Mary Tyler Moore both with a 23.7 rating.  ABC Football finished in 26th place with a 20.8 rating and ABC Monday Movie finished in 45th place with a 17.6 rating.  NBC's Monday Movie came in at 39th place with an 18.6 rating.  Lucy and Doris were both first in their time slots.  The new 10 pm placement of Sonny & Cher finished with a 20.1 rating and came in 27th place.  It was a mid-season replacement and was number one in its' time slot.

 

When CBS replaced Doris Day (73-74 season) with The New Dick Van Dyke Show (season three and final season) it did worse than Doris.  Dick Van Dyke came in at number 40 with an 18.2 rating.  Doris had a higher rating in her final season by 0.4.  However, Here's Lucy did fall but still placed a respectable 20.0 rating and came in 29th place.  I always believed Lucy should have quit at the end of season five.  She did season six out of sentiment and because CBS had come to her early in the 72-73 season and asked for another season.  She was the first renewal of the 72-73 season.  However, comedy was changing and Here's Lucy's sixth season is the weakest.  It did beat the NBC Monday Night Movie which came in at number 31 with a 19.0 rating.  ABC's Football came in tied for 18th place with Barnaby Jones with a 21.3 rating.  The ABC Monday Night Movie came in at 20.2 rating and tied for 27th place with Carol Burnett Show, although, during the second half of the 73-74 season Here's Lucy was mostly first in its time slot from 9 - 9:30 pm.  It was the first half of the 73-74 season that Here's Lucy took a beating from ABC's Monday Football and NBC was throwing very strong movies during the first half season.  Lucy even competed against herself when NBC Monday Movie aired Yours, Mine & Ours.  The movie scored a huge 26.0 rating and 40% share of audience and placed number 6 in the the top 10.

 

Doris Day was mainly a time slot hit.   Here's Lucy was a hit five of its' six seasons and even during Laugh-In's two-year craze 68-69 and 69-70, Here's Lucy still managed to finished the season in the Top 10 shows and finally beat it during 70-71.  Lucy was still a ratings grabber.

 

Laugh-In finished its' first season (67-68) in 21st place with a 21.3 rating against the final block bluster sixth season of The Lucy Show which finished in 2nd place with a 27.0 rating just 0.6 behind number 1 Andy Griffith.

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The Doris Day Show in its' final season (1972-73) finished in 37th place with an 18.6 rating tying with NBC's Emergency.  The fifth season was its' weakest season and the episodes weren't very good.  Here's Lucy was its' lead-in and although it finished out of the Top 10 shows for the first time it was still  very strong with a 21.9 rating and finished first in its' time slot at no. 15.  Football finished in 19th place with a 20.7 rating and the ABC Monday Movie finished in 32nd place with an 19.2 rating.  The NBC Monday Movie also beat Doris, it finished in a 26th place tying with The Rookies and The Little People (starring Brian Keith) with an 19.8 rating.  

 

I think The Bill Cosby Comedy Hour dragged the whole night down on CBS during the 72-73 season.  It had a full year guarantee from CBS and aired from 10-11.  It was horrible.  It finished the season at number 58 tying the flop Sandy Duncan sitcom with a 15.0 rating.  There were a total of 75 prime-time shows during 72-73 season.  After Lucy, viewers just were no longer interested in Doris and couldn't stand Bill Cosby's new variety hour.

 

Ratings for The Doris Day Show were never a hit.  During the 68-69 season it finished in 30th place with a 20.4 rating.  It's competition was NBC Tuesday Movie which finished in 36th place with a 19.9 rating.  ABC aired NYPD but it didn't make the Top 40 and was cancelled.  NYPD only lasted two seasons on ABC.

 

1969-70 season was the only season Doris finished in the Top 10.  Doris finished in 10th place with a 22.8 rating following Mayberry, RFD which finished in 4th place with a 24.4 rating.  Here's Lucy in its' second season jumped up to 6th place with a 23.9 rating and that was with Laugh-in as her competition.  Laugh-In was still number one but dropped to a 26.3 rating.  The previous season (2nd season) for Laugh-In 68-69 was a whopping 31.8 rating but Here's Lucy (first season) still managed a top 10 placement at number 9 with a 23.8 rating.  You couldn't kill Lucy with a stick.  

 

1970-71 season saw Doris Day (third season)  finished in the Top 20 shows. Here's Lucy (third season) finished in third place with a  whopping 26.1 rating and knocked Laugh-In down to 14th place with a 22.4 rating.  Doris and Lucy were both first in their time slots.  Mayberry RFD finished in 15th place with a 22.2 rating and was cancelled.  That was the year CBS cancelled all their rural comedies.  ABC Monday Night Football finished the season with an 18.5 rating but was out of the Top 30 shows.

 

1971-72 season (fourth season) The Doris Day Show finished in 22nd place with a 21.3 rating.  Here's Lucy (fourth season) tied for 10th place with Mary Tyler Moore both with a 23.7 rating.  ABC Football finished in 26th place with a 20.8 rating and ABC Monday Movie finished in 45th place with a 17.6 rating.  NBC's Monday Movie came in at 39th place with an 18.6 rating.  Lucy and Doris were both first in their time slots.  The new 10 pm placement of Sonny & Cher finished with a 20.1 rating and came in 27th place.  It was a mid-season replacement and was number one in its' time slot.

 

When CBS replaced Doris Day (73-74 season) with The New Dick Van Dyke Show (season three and final season) it did worse than Doris.  Dick Van Dyke came in at number 40 with an 18.2 rating.  Doris had a higher rating in her final season by 0.4.  However, Here's Lucy did fall but still placed a respectable 20.0 rating and came in 29th place.  I always believed Lucy should have quit at the end of season five.  She did season six out of sentiment and because CBS had come to her early in the 72-73 season and asked for another season.  She was the first renewal of the 72-73 season.  However, comedy was changing and Here's Lucy's sixth season is the weakest.  It did beat the NBC Monday Night Movie which came in at number 31 with a 19.0 rating.  ABC's Football came in tied for 18th place with Barnaby Jones with a 21.3 rating.  The ABC Monday Night Movie came in at 20.2 rating and tied for 27th place with Carol Burnett Show, although, during the second half of the 73-74 season Here's Lucy was mostly first in its time slot from 9 - 9:30 pm.  It was the first half of the 73-74 season that Here's Lucy took a beating from ABC's Monday Football and NBC was throwing very strong movies during the first half season.  Lucy even competed against herself when NBC Monday Movie aired Yours, Mine & Ours.  The movie scored a huge 26.0 rating and 40% share of audience and placed number 6 in the the top 10.

 

Doris Day was mainly a time slot hit.   Here's Lucy was a hit five of its' six seasons and even during Laugh-In's two-year craze 68-69 and 69-70, Here's Lucy still managed to finished the season in the Top 10 shows and finally beat it during 70-71.  Lucy was still a ratings grabber.

 

Laugh-In finished its' first season (67-68) in 21st place with a 21.3 rating against the final block bluster sixth season of The Lucy Show which finished in 2nd place with a 27.0 rating just 0.6 behind number 1 Andy Griffith.

[Comedy] was changing however stating that HL's last [6th] season was its weakest is purely your opinion with which I fervently (but respectfully) disagree; actually, I think some of the best episodes (and certainly some personal favorites) of the six-year run are from the last season, whether it was the lowest-rated season of the series or not.  :lucyeww:

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[Comedy] was changing however stating that HL's last [6th] season was its weakest is purely your opinion with which I fervently (but respectfully) disagree; actually, I think some of the best episodes (and certainly some personal favorites) of the six-year run are from the last season, whether it was the lowest-rated season of the series or not. :lucyeww:

Completely agree with you, Joseph. Season Six got off to a slow start but after hitting its stride with Tenant, there were only a couple of duds mixed in with the classics.

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I totally agree that there were some great episodes during the sixth season especially during the second half of Here's Lucy's sixth season.  There are about 10 episodes that are great, i.e. Where Is my Wandering Mother?, Goodbye Mrs. Hips, Lucy Fights The System, Lucy Meets Lucille Ball, Lucy and Chuck Connors, Lucy and Mary Jane's Boyfriend and Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers, Lucy and Joan Do Jury Duty and Lucy's Tenant w/Jackie Coogan.  

 

I am Lucille Ball's biggest fan but it was sad to see comedy changing and Lucy was the last of the old timers remaining, (Gunsmoke ended the following year 74-75) but there were a lot of bad episodes during season six and I think Lucy should have quit at the end of season five.  Lucy had admitted it herself that she should have quit after she broke her leg.  Also, ABC Football was extremely popular and NBC was throwing really big movies against her during the first half of the season, including one of her own Yours, Mine & Ours which competed against the classic Lucy and Joan Do Jury Duty and that episode got destroyed in the ratings.  Even though it was agreed mutually by Lucy and CBS to end the show it was sad to see Lucy down to 29th place.  It was a respectable rating of 20.0 with a 31% share of audience but way below past seasons.  The comedy landscape at CBS was changing with All in the Family, Good Times, Maude, Mary Tyler Moore and MASH and I don't think CBS wanted Here's Lucy for a seventh season.  

 

I will always be Lucy's biggest fan and have seen every episode of all her series.   She is an icon and her comedy will live forever.

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The Doris Day Show in its' final season (1972-73) finished in 37th place with an 18.6 rating tying with NBC's Emergency.  The fifth season was its' weakest season and the episodes weren't very good.  Here's Lucy was its' lead-in and although it finished out of the Top 10 shows for the first time it was still  very strong with a 21.9 rating and finished first in its' time slot at no. 15.  Football finished in 19th place with a 20.7 rating and the ABC Monday Movie finished in 32nd place with an 19.2 rating.  The NBC Monday Movie also beat Doris, it finished in a 26th place tying with The Rookies and The Little People (starring Brian Keith) with an 19.8 rating.  

 

I think The Bill Cosby Comedy Hour dragged the whole night down on CBS during the 72-73 season.  It had a full year guarantee from CBS and aired from 10-11.  It was horrible.  It finished the season at number 58 tying the flop Sandy Duncan sitcom with a 15.0 rating.  There were a total of 75 prime-time shows during 72-73 season.  After Lucy, viewers just were no longer interested in Doris and couldn't stand Bill Cosby's new variety hour.

 

Ratings for The Doris Day Show were never a hit.  During the 68-69 season it finished in 30th place with a 20.4 rating.  It's competition was NBC Tuesday Movie which finished in 36th place with a 19.9 rating.  ABC aired NYPD but it didn't make the Top 40 and was cancelled.  NYPD only lasted two seasons on ABC.

 

1969-70 season was the only season Doris finished in the Top 10.  Doris finished in 10th place with a 22.8 rating following Mayberry, RFD which finished in 4th place with a 24.4 rating.  Here's Lucy in its' second season jumped up to 6th place with a 23.9 rating and that was with Laugh-in as her competition.  Laugh-In was still number one but dropped to a 26.3 rating.  The previous season (2nd season) for Laugh-In 68-69 was a whopping 31.8 rating but Here's Lucy (first season) still managed a top 10 placement at number 9 with a 23.8 rating.  You couldn't kill Lucy with a stick.  

 

1970-71 season saw Doris Day (third season)  finished in the Top 20 shows. Here's Lucy (third season) finished in third place with a  whopping 26.1 rating and knocked Laugh-In down to 14th place with a 22.4 rating.  Doris and Lucy were both first in their time slots.  Mayberry RFD finished in 15th place with a 22.2 rating and was cancelled.  That was the year CBS cancelled all their rural comedies.  ABC Monday Night Football finished the season with an 18.5 rating but was out of the Top 30 shows.

 

1971-72 season (fourth season) The Doris Day Show finished in 22nd place with a 21.3 rating.  Here's Lucy (fourth season) tied for 10th place with Mary Tyler Moore both with a 23.7 rating.  ABC Football finished in 26th place with a 20.8 rating and ABC Monday Movie finished in 45th place with a 17.6 rating.  NBC's Monday Movie came in at 39th place with an 18.6 rating.  Lucy and Doris were both first in their time slots.  The new 10 pm placement of Sonny & Cher finished with a 20.1 rating and came in 27th place.  It was a mid-season replacement and was number one in its' time slot.

 

When CBS replaced Doris Day (73-74 season) with The New Dick Van Dyke Show (season three and final season) it did worse than Doris.  Dick Van Dyke came in at number 40 with an 18.2 rating.  Doris had a higher rating in her final season by 0.4.  However, Here's Lucy did fall but still placed a respectable 20.0 rating and came in 29th place.  I always believed Lucy should have quit at the end of season five.  She did season six out of sentiment and because CBS had come to her early in the 72-73 season and asked for another season.  She was the first renewal of the 72-73 season.  However, comedy was changing and Here's Lucy's sixth season is the weakest.  It did beat the NBC Monday Night Movie which came in at number 31 with a 19.0 rating.  ABC's Football came in tied for 18th place with Barnaby Jones with a 21.3 rating.  The ABC Monday Night Movie came in at 20.2 rating and tied for 27th place with Carol Burnett Show, although, during the second half of the 73-74 season Here's Lucy was mostly first in its time slot from 9 - 9:30 pm.  It was the first half of the 73-74 season that Here's Lucy took a beating from ABC's Monday Football and NBC was throwing very strong movies during the first half season.  Lucy even competed against herself when NBC Monday Movie aired Yours, Mine & Ours.  The movie scored a huge 26.0 rating and 40% share of audience and placed number 6 in the the top 10.

 

Doris Day was mainly a time slot hit.   Here's Lucy was a hit five of its' six seasons and even during Laugh-In's two-year craze 68-69 and 69-70, Here's Lucy still managed to finished the season in the Top 10 shows and finally beat it during 70-71.  Lucy was still a ratings grabber.

 

Laugh-In finished its' first season (67-68) in 21st place with a 21.3 rating against the final block bluster sixth season of The Lucy Show which finished in 2nd place with a 27.0 rating just 0.6 behind number 1 Andy Griffith.

 

Thank you for this, but OMG, where did you get all this great ratings info?  I've never before seen anything but top 30 information from those years.

 

 

 

I don't know... Personally, I think Here's Lucy Season 5 is the strongest and most solid post-I Love Lucy "Lucy" season of all.

 

Wow, I think NOT.  Not by a long shot.

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