The Halls of Ivy — 1950
44 episodes broadcast in 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.
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.
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 25, 1950
(untitled)
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November 1, 1950
(untitled)
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November 8, 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.
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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