Amazingly, this small show is one of the few OTR shows that most people still recognize today (the other one is The Shadow). But the Bickersons were only on for two short seasons (1946-1948), plus two months in 1951.
Starring Don Ameche and Frances Langford as the Bickersons, it had husband and wife John and Blanche Bickerson at each other's throats while audiences around the world howled with laughter. It soon became a cult classic, recording phenomenon, TV program, and almost made it as a cartoon series. Jackie Gleason was inspired enough by it to create The Honeymooners.
People identified with Blanche's aggravations and John's sleep "disorder". There were some constant gags-John's preoccupation with "hooch", Blanche's unsavory cooking, her unique view of money, and the overall gag-John's snoring. If Fibber McGee was known for his closet, John Bickerson was known for his adenoids.
It started as a comedy skit on Don Ameche's Drene Time (1946-47). For Don Ameche's encore year, the show was called The Old Gold Hour (1947-48). A third person was added as Brother Amos-Danny Thomas.
The Bickersons skits also surfaced for three months on The Charlie McCarthy Show (October-December 1948) with Marsha Hunt opposite Ameche.
June 1951 The Bickersons had their own show for two months, with Lew Parker and Frances Langford, before television came on the scene.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General, Baby Snooks, The Bickersons, Topper, Dumont Star Time, I Married Joan, Squeegee, The Tab Hunter Show-- What do these shows have in common? If you guessed the writer, you'd be right. Phillip Rabb wrote all those, as well as directed and produced a number of them.
Rabb wrote for stage, screen, radio and television. And then made good money writing radio commercials featuring his characters-The Bickersons-for Coffee Rich, General Motors, American Motors and others. He always retained total artistic control as well as the rights, to his creations.
He wrote over 600 scripts for the Bickersons series. Don Ameche and Frances Langford can still be heard on records and tapes of the battling Bickersons. A timeless slice of Americana.
