1949
The surviving public audition, performed before a studio audience, cast Gale Gordon and Edna Best as Dr. and Mrs. Hall rather than the Colmans who would later take the roles; the supporting company included Herbert Rawlinson, Gloria Gordon, Herb Butterfield, Willard Waterman, Lee Millar, Norman Field, and Leo Cleary, with Don Stanley announcing and Henry Russell's orchestra providing the score.
A private, audience-free sponsors' audition using the same Gordon/Best cast, recasting the premise as a pitch: a salesman-like figure works to convince a father -- played by creator Don Quinn himself -- that Ivy is the right college for his son.
1950
Ivy College's opening broadcast puts Dr. Hall's own job on the line, as the trustees convene to decide whether his contract as president will be renewed.
A controversial student-newspaper editorial about the state governor draws the board's ire, and Dr. Hall is pressed to expel the editor responsible.
The surviving credit information for this episode names guest performers William Conrad and Gil Stratton Jr.; the Haendiges log preserves no further plot detail beyond the broadcast's title, "The Gangster's Son."
The pomp of Ivy's annual Charter Day ceremonies gets derailed by an unlikely complication: something has gone wrong with board chairman Dr. Wellman's nose, guest starring Peter Leeds.
A celebrated authority on Shakespeare, Dr. Chester Bromley, arrives on the Ivy campus for a visit that puts the college's own literary pretensions to the test.
February 10, 1950
The Snowman
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One of the series' most forward-looking episodes, confronting racial bigotry head-on through the story of a Chinese student at Ivy -- notably bold subject matter for a network comedy in 1950. The broadcast date is 1950-02-17 per the Haendiges spine; Wikipedia's 1950-02-07 has since been confirmed as a transcription typo, not a genuine scheduling conflict.
When a student is wrongly accused of theft, Dr. Hall teams up with the campus barber, Doc Fish, to track down the truth and restore the young man's reputation, with guests Earl Ross, Gil Stratton Jr., and Ben Wright.
Ivy's resident boy genius, fifteen-year-old Merton Savada, complicates campus life for the Halls when his affections fix on Victoria, with guests Barney Phillips and Henry Blair.
A visit from a former stage partner tempts Victoria with the offer of a starring role, reviving old questions about the acting career she left behind, with guest Joseph Kearns.
A local dispute erupts over the reputation of Willow Walk, and Dr. Hall finds himself drawn into the fight over whether the spot is harmless courting ground or something more scandalous, with guests Ed Max and Elinor Audley.
Rumors circulate about a mysterious secret Professor Gerhardt is keeping, and about strain in his marriage, with guests Hans Conried and Richard LaGrand.
Membership in the oddly named Ivy Chamber Music and Knockwurst Society becomes Dr. Hall's improbable preoccupation, with guests Alan Reed, Frank Martin, and Cliff Arquette.
Dr. Hall's simple plan to skip his duties for an afternoon picnic runs into more obstacles than he bargained for; announcer Hy Averbach filled in for the vacationing Ken Carpenter, with guests Gil Stratton Jr. and Frank Martin.
A neighbor's missing dog turns into an unlikely emergency that threatens to make the Halls miss an important dinner engagement, with guests Herb Vigran, Jack Kruschen, Jerry Hausner, and Jane Morgan.
Also logged under the title "Mrs. Hall's Traffic Tickets," the episode finds Victoria tangled up with the local traffic authorities, with guests Willard Waterman and Eric Snowden.
Word arrives that the biography Dr. Hall has just completed has captured the coveted Scofield Prize, with guests Jerry Hausner and Bea Benaderet.
A student-actress subplot frames a broadcast notable for a rare full performance of the "Halls of Ivy" theme song, with guest Lois Corbett.
A dispute over Mrs. Whitney's statue occupies the Halls; the broadcast also marks the series' move to a new Wednesday 8:00-8:30 timeslot, with guests Jerry Hausner, Gale Gordon, and Paula Winslowe.
An Ivy student hatches a scheme to get his own father admitted as a freshman under the name "Dr. Abel"; only the first half of the broadcast survives.
Also logged as "The Boxing Promoter," the episode turns on whether a promising Ivy medical student will trade his studies for a shot at the prize ring, with guests Ken Christie, Sheldon Leonard, and Stacy Harris.
A wealthy benefactor named George Sexton dangles a $250,000 gift in front of Ivy College, but the money comes bundled with conditions the trustees may not want to accept, guest starring Herb Vigran.
June 7, 1950
D-Day
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Student Phillip Weatherby's ambition to become a farmer rather than finish his studies puts him on the verge of expulsion, with guests Bill Thompson and Conrad Binyon.
No sooner does Dr. Hall come into possession of a rare first edition of John Donne than the book vanishes, with guests Rolfe Sedan, Sidney Miller, and William Tracy.
Census-takers arrive on campus at the same moment as the eccentric Bentheimer family, whose peculiarities give the Halls plenty to contend with, guests Bob Sweeney and Virginia Gregg.
With the Ivy Prom approaching, the college raffles off a faculty member's automobile to raise funds, guests Peter Leeds, Sheldon Leonard, and Arthur Q. Bryan.
A campus poetry reading provides the occasion for this broadcast, with guests Robert Easton, Alan Reed, and Gloria McMillan.
Annie Belle's hopes of enrolling at Ivy College run headlong into her father's determination to keep her at home instead, closing out the first season, with guests Earl Ross and Herbert Rawlinson.
September 13, 1950
Ivy Vs. the United Nations
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September 20, 1950
(untitled)
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James Edwards, fresh from a similar role in the film "Home of the Brave," headlines a direct confrontation with racial prejudice -- material the Haendiges log singles out, without qualification, as probably the strongest episode the series ever produced. Herb Butterfield and Lois Corbett round out the cast.
Also logged as "Victoria Takes College Course in Literature," the episode finds Victoria enrolling in a literature class -- only for the professor teaching it to fall for her.
Also logged as "Moving Furniture -- The House Is Falling Apart," an unusual visit from a telephone-company representative throws the Halls' household into confusion.
October 18, 1950
Scandal
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October 25, 1950
(untitled)
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November 1, 1950
(untitled)
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November 8, 1950
(untitled)
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November 15, 1950
(untitled)
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Jack Benny pays a visit to Ivy College as himself, a nod to the Colmans' own recurring role on Benny's program as his long-suffering neighbors.
November 29, 1950
The Honor Student
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December 6, 1950
(untitled)
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December 13, 1950
(untitled)
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December 20, 1950
The Gangster and the Christmas Tree
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December 27, 1950
(untitled)
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1951
After seven years of labor, Professor Barrette has produced a play that is, by all accounts, terrible -- and no one at Ivy wants to be the one who breaks the news.
January 10, 1951
(untitled)
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January 17, 1951
(untitled)
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At the center of this broadcast is a Goya painting whose donor is suspected of having falsified its value to sidestep U.S. customs duties. Ronald Colman himself supplied the script -- one of his rare writing credits for the series -- and used the closing announcement that night to gently rib his own handiwork.
Long-serving Professor Warren surprises the campus with news of his retirement from Ivy College.
February 7, 1951
(untitled)
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February 14, 1951
Dr. Hall Resigns?
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February 21, 1951
Calhoun Gaddy
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Also logged as "English Visitors," the episode concerns a French scholarship at Ivy College.
March 7, 1951
Eddie Gray's Wedding
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March 14, 1951
His Fathers Image
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March 21, 1951
(untitled)
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March 28, 1951
Night Club Singer
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April 4, 1951
Student Vandalism and the Draft
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April 11, 1951
(untitled)
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The campus Athenaeum Club sets its sights on a theatrical production billed, with more enthusiasm than accuracy, as "Romiette and Juliet."
April 25, 1951
Note the Quote
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A live restaging of an earlier script, performed before an audience in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of the show's receiving the George Foster Peabody Award the previous week.
May 9, 1951
Gloria Golightly
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May 16, 1951
The Eleventh Comandment
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May 23, 1951
Cooks Night Out
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May 30, 1951
Finals Day Award
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June 6, 1951
Vicky and the New Professor's Wife
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June 13, 1951
Finals Season
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June 20, 1951
Pork Barrel Politics
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June 27, 1951
Commencement
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September 26, 1951
(untitled)
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October 3, 1951
Adoption
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October 10, 1951
Editorial in the Ivy Bull
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October 17, 1951
Student Council Election
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October 24, 1951
Mrs. Why?
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Logged simply as the season's Halloween program; the Haendiges log preserves no further plot detail beyond the title, "Football Coach."
The Haendiges log labels this broadcast the season's Halloween program, without further plot detail beyond the title.
November 14, 1951
The Late Student
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November 15, 1951
Don Quinn Interview
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Also logged as "Reverend Jarvis Seeks Help," the episode brings a minister to the Halls in need of assistance.
November 28, 1951
Professor Warren's Romantic Folly
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An enterprising student's plan to establish a cooperative farm on college land leaves the Ivy trustees anything but pleased.
December 12, 1951
Professor Royce Returns
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December 19, 1951
The Snowman
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Also logged as "Dramatic Club Try-Outs," the campus dramatic club holds auditions.
1952
Fraternity hazing rituals -- and the physical risk hiding behind them -- become the subject of one of the series' most pointed excursions into controversial territory for a network comedy.
A subplot involving Nelson Carter's son plays out against a broadcast notable for closing with a full performance of the "Halls of Ivy" theme song.
Also logged as "Art Show Judge," Dr. Hall is drawn into judging a campus art exhibit.
Also logged as "Congressional Medal Winner," trouble finds the proprietor of Ivy's campus hot dog stand, "A La Cart."
One of the Ivy track team's stars abruptly walks away from the squad, leaving Dr. Hall to puzzle out an oddly personal problem.
February 6, 1952
Glee Club Donation
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February 13, 1952
Dean Huxley
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Also logged as "Ivy Vine Gossip Show," the campus gossip sheet stirs up trouble around Ivy.
February 27, 1952
Budget Problems
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An Ivy student's flat refusal to sit for his astronomy examination becomes a small campus mystery in its own right.
March 12, 1952
The Lame Girl and the Hypochondriac
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Also logged as "Founders Day Celebration," the episode centers on Ivy's Founders Day festivities.
Also logged as "Spring Fever," a case of stolen money unsettles the Ivy campus.
April 2, 1952
Professor Grimes
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Also logged as "Teachers Marry Against the Rules," two Ivy faculty members marry in defiance of the college's rules against it.
The Haendiges log preserves no plot detail for this broadcast beyond its title, concerning a French exchange student at Ivy.
April 23, 1952
Professor Walden's Son
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April 30, 1952
Faculty Follies Part 1
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May 7, 1952
Faculty Follies Part 2
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Also logged as "Singing Student's Hearing Loss," a gifted student singer confronts the possible loss of his hearing.
May 21, 1952
Doctor Spatzen
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May 28, 1952
Mummynapper
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Also logged as "Campus Baby," the episode tells a daring-for-1952 story of a pregnant student on the Ivy campus.
Also logged as "Wellman's Early for Dinner," board chairman Wellman and his family come to dinner at the Halls'.
Also logged as "Hires Female Math Instructor," Ivy hires its first female mathematics instructor.
Also logged as "Ivy Is Closing for the Summer," the broadcast marks the close of the school year and the series' final episode.