Was this an actual TV pilot in the year 1961, 1971 or 1981?

Not even Dick Van Dyke and Bob Denver could make these work.

 

Some starred beloved comedy legends like Dick Van Dyke and Bob Denver. Some were sequels, spin-offs, and reboots of hit sitcoms. They had catchy titles like, erm, Garbage Is My Life.

Somehow, they all failed to make it to series.

Yes, the follow 11 television pilot were actually made and aired by the major networks. Try to guess if they are from 1961, 1971, or 1981. Read the descriptions for clues!

  1. 'Harry's Battles' — Dick Van Dyke is a Pittsburgh supermarket manager, with Connie Stevens as his wife.
  2. 'Mickey and the Contessa' — Eva Gabor plays a European noblewoman who comes to the U.S. to work as a housekeeper to a blue-collar basketball coach.
  3. 'I Married a Dog' — Hal March (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays a man constantly at odd with Noah, his wife's aggravating dog.
  4. 'Nuts and Bolts' — Rich Little is a widowed father raising two girls with the help of two robots he built, Victor and Primo.
  5. 'La Femme' — Pop singer Patti Page ["(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?"] is the editor of a women's magazine called La Femme.
  6. 'The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies' — The Clampetts return to solve the energy crisis for Energy Department official Jane Hathaway with the help of Granny's moonshine.
  7. 'After the Honeymoon' — This proposed 'My Three Sons' spin-off followed Robbie and Katie and their triplets living in a San Francisco apartment.
  8. 'Scared Stiff' — This Garry Marshall production starred Bob Denver as bumbling detective.
  9. 'Garbage Is My Life' — Gabe Kaplan is an Italian father who operates a garbage truck with his son.
  10. 'Inside O.U.T.' — Farrah Fawcett is an agent for the Office of Unusual Tactics, a secret government organization that is prone to as much slapstick as 'Get Smart'.
  11. 'Wendy Hooper - U.S. Army' — A female spin on Gomer Pyle, this sitcom centered around a simple country girl who enlists to help her singing career.

Was this an actual TV pilot in the year 1961, 1971 or 1981?

Your Result...

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49 Comments

MrBill 44 months ago
6/11; had to guess on all of them.
Sally 44 months ago
5 out of 11 Never heard of any of these. LOL
Filmnoirfan 44 months ago
4/11 - much like the rest of the country I never saw one of those shows
MichaelSkaggs 44 months ago
Tragic update. Wendy Holcombe who stared in "Wendy Hooper, USA" died in 1987 of the heart defect.
MichaelSkaggs 44 months ago
9/11. On number 11 each of the three networks had an US Army comedy series in the works because of the success of the movie "Private Benjamin". NBC--"Wendy Hooper, USA". ABC--"She's In The Army Now" which included in the cast Kathleen Quinlan, Jamie Lee Curtis, and an early role for Melanie Griffith. The only one to make to a series was--CBS--"Private Benjamin" the series edition of the movie. It ran for three years.
Marshall_Kolchak 44 months ago
7/11 Some of these sound OK, Inside Out, Scared Stiff, Garbage is my life... A lost pilots show would be great!
MarkSpeck 44 months ago
7 out of 11...logic helped in a couple. For example, I knew Hal March died in 1970, so that pilot couldn't have been done anytime other than 1961, and the Gabe Kaplan one...he was a total unknown in 1971, so it had to be 1981 (and frankly, Garbage Is My Life doesn't sound much worse than the series he wound up in, the city-goes-country sitcom Lewis & Clark).
jimmyvici 44 months ago
5/11....never even heard of any of these.
idkwut2use 44 months ago
Eesh, 4...xD But that was pretty dang haarrrd.
nerakr 44 months ago
6/11. The only one I'd heard of was Wendy Hooper.
BrianMoore 44 months ago
7 out of 11. Did you win this "battle"? As this quiz proves, even superstars can't win 'em all. Share your score!
Stoney 44 months ago
5 for 11. Not a good score, but I can console myself with thinking that these are all pretty obscure (makes me feel better anyway lol)
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