The Dumplings (TV series)
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Michael Ross
Bernie West
by Fred Lucky
| The Dumplings | |
|---|---|
 James Coco as Joe Dumpling and Geraldine Brooks as Angela Dumpling in The Dumplings. | |
| Genre | Situation comedy |
| Created by | Don Nicholl Michael Ross Bernie West |
| Based on | The Dumplings by Fred Lucky |
| Developed by | Norman Lear |
| Starring | James Coco Geraldine Brooks |
| Opening theme | "Two By Two, Side by Side", performed by Steve Lawrence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Don Nicholl Michael Ross Bernie West George Sunga |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | T.A.T Communications Company[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 4, 1975 – March 31, 1976 |
The Dumplings is an American sitcom starring James Coco and Geraldine Brooks that aired on NBC during the 1975–76 television season.[2][3] The series was based on a syndicated comic strip of the same name by Fred Lucky that ran in newspapers from 1975 to 1977.[4]
- James Coco as Joe Dumpling
- Geraldine Brooks as Angela Dumpling
- George S. Irving as Charles Sweetzer
- George Furth as Frederic Steele
- Marcia Rodd as Stephanie
- Mort Marshall as Cully
- Jane Connell as Bridget (Norah) McKenna
- Wil Albert as The Prude
Synopsis
Joe and Angela Dumpling are a very happily married and overweight couple who are very much in love with each other and with life, never have a bad thing to say about one another, and exude good cheer and enthusiasm. They operate Dudley's Take-Out, a luncheonette on the ground floor of a Manhattan skyscraper owned by the Bristol Oil Company. Charles Sweetzer, who works upstairs as executive vice president of Bristol Oil, is a regular customer, as are New York city councilman Frederic Steele, Mr. Sweetzer's secretary Bridget McKenna[3][5][6] (or Norah McKenna, according to some sources[1][2][7]), and Angela's sister Stephanie. Cully is the Dumplings' employee at the luncheonette and works as the cashier. The Dumplings' obesity is a source of much humor as they interact with customers, friends, and family.[1][2][3][5][8]
Production
The show originated as a syndicated comic strip created by Fred Lucky.[4] Norman Lear developed the series for television and Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernie West created and produced it, with George Sunga also serving as a producer.[1][2][5][6] Episode directors were Paul Bogart, Hal Cooper, and Dennis Steinmetz.[6] Nicholl, Ross, and West all wrote for the show, as did Joseph Bonaduce, Bill Davenport, Fred S. Fox, Gary David Goldberg, Seaman Jacobs, Fred Lucky, Barry Sand, and Alan Uger.[5][6]
Angela Dumpling was the final role of Geraldine Brooks' career; she died in 1977.
Steve Lawrence sang the show's theme song, "Two By Two, Side By Side."[9]
Broadcast history
NBC broadcast the pilot episode of The Dumplings on October 4, 1975. The Dumplings joined NBC's regular lineup on January 28, 1976, with a rebroadcast of the pilot in the show's regular time slot at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Its tenth and final episode aired on March 31, 1976.[2][3] An eleventh episode was never broadcast.[5]