A Look Back at THE GOOD LIFE - 1971-72

Larry Hagman passed away on November 23, 2012 and as I was looking at his long list of work on IMDB, I noticed he was a regular in two other TV series besides I DREAM OF JEANNIE and DALLAS. The first of the two lesser know series was THE GOOD LIFE.

THE GOOD LIFE was a sitcom that aired on NBC Saturday nights during the 1971-72 and lasted just 15 episodes. It may have been doomed from the start as it was sent up against the powerful CBS line up that included ALL IN THE FAMILY, THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and its direct competition, FUNNY FACE. all four of the CBS sitcomes ranked in the top 20, with FUNNY FACE ranking 8th.

The Cast:
Larry Hagman (DALLAS, I DREAM OF JEANNIE) as Albert Miller
Donna Mills (KNOTS LANDING) as Jane Miller
David Wayne (HOUSE CALLS) as Charles Dutton
Hermione Baddeley (MAUDE) as Grace Dutton
Danny Goldman as Nick Dutton

About THE GOOD LIFE:
The Good Life is the story of a middle class American couple, the Millers, who had tired of their mundane existence. However, 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 decided to seek new employment as the live-in butler and cook of millionaire industrialist, Charles Dutton. He noticed that they were not particularly talented at their jobs but found them to be agreeable enough. Their limited skills most definitely were not enough for his stuffy sister Grace, however, and she constantly worked to get them fired. Dutton's teenaged son Nick was aware of what the Millers were doing in their new roles but found great humor in helping them to get away with it.