The Good Life (1971 TV series)

The Good Life is an American sitcom that was aired on NBC as part of its 1971–72 lineup. The series stars Larry Hagman and Donna Mills, and was produced by Lorimar, in association with Screen Gems.

The Good Life
Genre	Sitcom
Based on	The Good Life by Douglass Wallop
Developed by	Lawrence J. Cohen Fred Freeman
Directed by	Claudio Guzmán
Starring	Larry Hagman Donna Mills David Wayne Hermione Baddeley
Opening theme	The Good Life performed by Tony Orlando and Dawn
Composers	Jack Elliott Allyn Ferguson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15
Production
Executive producer	Lee Rich
Producer	Claudio Guzmán
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	25 minutes
Production companies	Humble Productions Lorimar Productions Screen Gems
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 18, 1971 (1971-09-18) – January 8, 1972 (1972-01-08)

Synopsis

The Good Life is the story of a middle class American couple, the Millers (Hagman and Mills), who have tired of their mundane existence. Instead of following the time-honored premise of "hitting the road" to seek adventure or engaging in a stereotypical period activity such as joining a communal farm, they just decide to seek new employment as the live-in butler and cook of a millionaire industrialist, Charles Dutton. He notices that they are not particularly talented at their jobs, but finds them to be agreeable enough. Their limited skills most definitely are not enough for his stuffy sister Grace, however, and she constantly works to get them fired. Dutton's teenaged son, Nick, is the only one aware of what the Millers are doing in their new roles, but, finding great fun in their situation, he helps them to become accustomed to the social etiquette of high society and the wealthy in an effort to improve their skills in their roles.

The theme song was the 1962 pop song The Good Life, written by Sacha Distel and Jack Reardon, and sung under the titles by Tony Orlando.

This program did not garner much of an audience and it was cancelled at mid-season. It was replaced by the action drama Emergency!.

A decade later, Hagman and Mills were reunited onscreen when he guest-starred on Knots Landing, on which Mills had become a series regular in 1980. Being a spin-off from Dallas, Knots Landing featured Hagman in the role of J. R. Ewing, who was often in cahoots with Mills' character Abby Cunningham. Both series were also Lorimar productions. David Wayne would also reunite with Hagman on Dallas, where he originated the role of Willard "Digger" Barnes.

The British television series The Good Life was released as Good Neighbors in American syndication to avoid confusion with this earlier series.

Cast

• Larry Hagman as Albert Miller
• Donna Mills as Jane Miller
• David Wayne as Charles Dutton
• Hermione Baddeley as Grace Dutton
• Danny Goldman as Nick Dutton

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"One of Our Rolls is Missing"	Bruce Bilson	William Raynor & Myles Wilder	September 18, 1971 (1971-09-18)
Albert attempts to sell the Duttons' Rolls-Royce automobile, but ends up having it stolen.
2	"Jane's Double Life"	Ron Winston	Albert E. Lewin	September 25, 1971 (1971-09-25)
Albert talks Jane into going to a charity ball with his employer's son.
3	"The Chess Game"	Claudio Guzmán	Susan Harris	October 2, 1971 (1971-10-02)
Posing as the owner of the Dutton's estate, Albert is challenged to a chess match by a former friend from school.
4	"The Wrecked Butler"	Ron Winston	William Bickley	October 9, 1971 (1971-10-09)
After Albert breaks his leg, he discovers that his efficient substitute is endangering his chances keeping his job.
5	"The Vacation"	Claudio Guzman	Susan Harris	October 16, 1971 (1971-10-16)
Albert attempts to convince the Duttons to take Jane and him along to the French Riviera in order to avoid spending time with his mother-in-law.
6	"The Commodore Cometh"	Larry Hagman	Ron Friedman	October 23, 1971 (1971-10-23)
Mr. Dutton's uncle arrives and reveals his plan to dismiss his nephew as head of Dutton Industries and replace him with Albert.
7	"The Burglar Alarm"	Jay Sandrich	Ron Friedman	October 30, 1971 (1971-10-30)
Albert attempts to outsmart a master burglar who has been ransacking mansions and beating up servants.
8	"Dutton's Retirement"	Bruce Bilson	Bernie Kahn	November 6, 1971 (1971-11-06)
After Albert convinces Dutton to retire in order to take it easy, but he soon discovers that he's only created more problems.
9	"The Speedometer Strain"	Claudio Guzman	Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell	November 13, 1971 (1971-11-13)
If Albert is able to teach Grace Dutton how to drive, he and Jane will be rewarded with a trip to Hawaii.
10	"Mansion for Sale"	Hal Cooper	Art Baer & Ben Joelson	November 27, 1971 (1971-11-27)
After Dick leaves home in order to seek his independence, the Dutton mansion goes up for sale.
11	"A Tremendous Sense of Loyalty"	Charles R. Rondeau	Bernie Kahn	December 4, 1971 (1971-12-04)
J. Carleton Wedemeyer (Robert Cummings), whose name Albert used as a reference to obtain his job, arrives.
12	"Butterfield Ate"	Claudio Guzman	Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell	December 11, 1971 (1971-12-11)
While babysitting a friend's pet lion, Albert attempts to keep the news a secret from the Duttons.
13	"Albert Gets Rich"	Joseph Goodman	Susan Harris	December 18, 1971 (1971-12-18)
Albert wins $250,000 and decides to immediately quit his job and retire.
14	"The Gardners"	Claudio Guzman	Lawrence J. Cohen & Fred Freeman	December 25, 1971 (1971-12-25)
Attempting to cut back on household expenses, Albert runs into trouble with the estate's gardeners.
15	"Dial 'M' for Merger"	Larry Hagman	Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell	January 8, 1972 (1972-01-08)
A spoiled eight-year-old threatens to ruin things for Albert and Jane.

References

• Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present
• Wallop, Douglass, The Good Life (1969 novel on which the TV series was based)

External links

• The Good Life at IMDb
• The Good Life at Television Obscurities