Beane's of Boston
Beane's of Boston is a pilot episode for a proposed American adaption of the British sitcom Are You Being Served?. It was written by Sheldon Bull and Bill Idelson, along with the original writers of the British series and starred John Hillerman. The series was not picked up.
| Beane's of Boston | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jeremy Lloyd & David Croft |
| Written by | Bill Idelson & Sheldon Bull |
| Starring | John Hillerman Charlotte Rae Alan Sues George O'Hanlon, Jr Larry Bishop Lorna Patterson Tom Poston |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Paramount Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | 5 May 1979 |
Cast
- John Hillerman - Mr John Peacock
- Tom Poston - Mr Frank Beane
- Charlotte Rae - Mrs Mae Slocombe
- Alan Sues - Mr George Humphries
- George O'Hanlon, Jr - Mr Franklin Beane
- Larry Bishop - Mr Lucas
- Lorna Patterson - Miss Shirley Brahms
- Morgan Farley - Mr Granger
- Don Bexley - Mr Johnson
- Dana House - Ingrid
Plot
Sales figures at Beane's apparel department have been down for months, not coincidentally from the point Franklin Beane took over as department head. His uncle has warned him he must shape up or be shipped out.
Franklin has two plans up his sleeve - one includes the introduction of a young new sales assistant, Miss Brahms. Her youthful appearance and up-to-date fashions have drawn the jealous ire of her superior, Mrs Slocombe.
The younger Mr Beane's other idea involves a week-long promotion of imported German goods, including a festival-like atmosphere in which all the staff, even supervisor Mr Peacock, must dress in "authentic" German outfits and perform a slap-and-tickle dance.
Production
The show was originally called Going Up.[1]
John Hillerman was asked to read the part of Captain (now "Mr") Peacock. When he failed to show up for the reading, co-creator Jeremy Lloyd read the lines instead. He was immediately offered the role. Lloyd appeared to consider taking it, but co-creator David Croft urged him not to, citing Lloyd's writing commitments in the UK, so producer Garry Marshall offered Lloyd a part on his current series Happy Days instead.
Similarities with the British series
The plot is based on the Are You Being Served? episode "German Week".
External links