A Touch of Grace
Counterclockwise from top: Shirley Booth as Grace Simpson, J. Patrick O'Malley as Herbert Morrison, Warren Berlinger as Walter Bradley, and Marian Mercer as Maya Bradley in a promotional image for A Touch of Grace.
GenreSitcom
Based onFor the Love of Ada by Vince Powell &
Harry Driver
StarringShirley Booth
J. Patrick O'Malley
Warren Berlinger
Marian Mercer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerSaul Turteltaub
ProducerBernie Orenstein
Running time30 minutes
Production companyGrace Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 20 (1973-01-20) –
April 21, 1973 (1973-04-21)
J. Patrick O'Malley as Herbert Morrison and Shirley Booth as Grace Simpson in a promotional photo for A Touch of Grace.

A Touch of Grace is an American sitcom that was based on the British series For the Love of Ada starring Shirley Booth and J. Patrick O'Malley centering on a widow who moves in with her daughter and son-in-law and her romantic relationship with an elderly man. It aired on ABC from January 20 to April 21, 1973.[1][2]

Cast

Synopsis

Recently widowed, in her 60s, living off her Social Security checks, and struggling to make a new life for herself, Grace Simpson moves in with her daughter and son-in-law, Myra and Walter Bradley. Grace is perky and young at heart, in sharp contrast to the stodgy and conservative Myra and Walter, and her presence disrupts their lives. Although Grace dates a lot, her steady boyfriend is Herbert Morrison, who works as a gravedigger. Myra and Walter disapprove of Grace's relationship with Herbert.[1][2][3]

Production

A Touch of Grace marked the return of Shirley Booth to television after the end of her long and successful run as the star of Hazel from 1961 to 1966,[4] and it was also her last television series.[5] Saul Turteltaub was the executive producer of the show, and Bernie Orenstein produced it.[1] Episode directors included Carl Reiner and Bill Hobin. Writers included Turteltaub, Orenstein, Jeff Harris, Rick Mittleman, Bernie Kukoff, David Pollock, Elias Davis, and George Tibbles.[1]

A Touch of Grace was based on the 1970-1971 British television series For the Love of Ada.[2] It was an unusual show for its time, as it focused on an older couple falling in love at a time when American television networks were relentlessly pursuing a youthful viewership demographic.[5] Critics viewed it as well written and well acted, and a good showcase for Shirley Booth's talents.[5]

Broadcast history

A Touch of Grace premiered on ABC on Saturday, January 20, 1973 at 8:30 P.M.[2] It faced tough competition in its time slot from CBS's All in the Family and Bridget Loves Bernie and NBC's Emergency!. The sitcom preceded ABC's highly touted variety show The Julie Andrews Hour, which had just been moved from its Wednesday night 10:00 P.M. time slot to Saturday night at 9:00 P.M. in order to improve its marginal ratings. However, Andrews, in turn, had to compete with the highly rated CBS series The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. As a result, both A Touch of Grace and The Julie Andrews Hour garnered low ratings despite their critical acclaim.[5] ABC cancelled both shows in April 1973.[1][2]

ABC broadcast reruns of A Touch of Grace in prime time on Saturday evenings on April 28, 1973 and from May 12 to June 16, 1973.

Episodes

Source:[6]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Pilot"Carl ReinerBernie Orenstein & Saul TurteltaubJanuary 20, 1973 (1973-01-20)
Grace moves in with Myra and Walter, and the status-conscious Myra is dismayed when she brings home a gravedigger – Herbert – who is courting her.
2"The Weekend"UnknownUnknownJanuary 27, 1973 (1973-01-27)
Grace decides to sneak away to spend a weekend at a bay-side lodge with Herbert, scandalizing Myra and Walter.
3"The Working Girl"UnknownUnknownFebruary 3, 1973 (1973-02-03)
Grace decides to look for a job, making the image-conscious Myra worry about how she will appear with Grace working – and then the job Grace takes shocks Myra.
4"Lover's Quarrel"UnknownUnknownFebruary 10, 1973 (1973-02-10)

Herbert refuses to take Grace to the annual 60-plus dance, leading to a big argument between them.

Guest stars: Roy Roberts and Bill Ballance
5"Pregnant Conversation"UnknownUnknownFebruary 17, 1973 (1973-02-17)

Feeling that life is passing by quickly, Grace pressures Myra to have a child and make her a grandmother.

Guest stars: Florence Lake and Doris Packer
6"The Apartment"UnknownUnknownFebruary 24, 1973 (1973-02-24)
Myra and Walter decide to generate more income by renting out the downstairs, but by the time they are finished turning it into an apartment, they have made it un-rentable.
7"The Driving Lesson"UnknownUnknownMarch 3, 1973 (1973-03-03)
After Grace decides to finally learn to drive, her driving lessons have the household in an uproar.
8"Saturday Night at the Movies"UnknownUnknownMarch 17, 1973 (1973-03-17)
Grace and Herbert go out to the movies on a Saturday night, and the police raid the theater they are at for showing pornographic films.
9"The Lodge"UnknownUnknownMarch 24, 1973 (1973-03-24)
Herbert's lodge holds a surprise testimonial dinner for him.
10"The Reunion"UnknownUnknownMarch 31, 1973 (1973-03-31)
The hero who saved Grace's late husband's life during World War II comes to visit but overstays his welcome, and Grace must figure out a polite way to get him to leave. Ian Wolfe guest-stars.
11"The Commercial"UnknownUnknownApril 7, 1973 (1973-04-07)
Grace does a spur-of-the-moment radio commercial, then gets caught for lying on a form she filled out afterwards saying that she has no relationship with Walter or his supermarket.
12"The Accident"UnknownUnknownApril 14, 1973 (1973-04-14)
Grace becomes involved in a scam to sue the bus company for $600,000 for a minor accident.
13"The Engagement"UnknownUnknownApril 21, 1973 (1973-04-21)
Herbert has asked Grace to marry him, and after months of pressure from Myra and Walter to decide without being able to make up her mind, she finally accepts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 861.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, Sixth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN 0-345-39736-3, pp. 1058-1059.
  3. ↑ tvguide.com A Touch of Grace
  4. ↑ "The Southeast Missourian - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "A Touch of Grace / Classic TV Shows / TVparty!". tvparty.com. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  6. ↑ A Touch of Grace Episodes


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