Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Forgotten TV: Love on a Roofop



This was one of our favorite TV shows back in the day.

From Wikipedia: 

Love on a Rooftop is an American comedy about a newlywed couple, Dave and Julie Willis, and their humorous struggles to survive in San Francisco on Dave's apprentice architect's salary of $85.37 a week. Matters were complicated by the fact that Julie's rich father did not approve of their less than luxurious lifestyle and often took it upon himself to try to improve it, much to Dave's chagrin. Rich Little played their neighbor.

LOVE had the vibe of many shows from that day like THAT GIRL. It owed a lot to BAREFOOT IN THE PARK. 

If you were of a certain age, and for me it was recently married, you watched it.

Sadly Peter Deul killed himself a few years later despite the success of ALIAS SMITH AND JONES. He was 31. And Judy Carne did not fare much better after great success on LAUGH-IN as the "sock it to me" girl. She writes about it in her book LAUGHING ON THE OUTSIDE AND CRYING ON THE INSIDE.

I will remember them as this darling couple on LOVE ON A ROOFTOP.

20 comments:

Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) said...

We used to get this in italy and I remember liking it a lot as a kid - thanks Patti, though that really is sad abotu Pete Duel. Did it have a canned laugh track? Nowadays that usually kills it for me.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Everyone hates canned laugh tracks so why do they use them? I don't remember--have to check.

Todd Mason said...

They used them because the writing was intentionally so weak and bland on so many of the productions, and the notion was that the home audience could be "jollied" into thinking some limp joke was funny. And, of course, it was easier to film/tape without a studio audience (and essentially impossible to do so with a series with a lot of exteriors, except by running the footage for the audience assembled...) Don't you love the notion that "one-camera" sitcoms are a new development?

I've seen an episode or so of this one *somewhere*...

James Reasoner said...

I remember watching this, so I must have liked it. In those days when you watched something it meant you had picked it over everything else that was on the air at the time.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Very true,James. The rest were lost to us,

pattinase (abbott) said...

Very true,James. The rest were lost to us,

Anonymous said...

I must admit I don't ever remember watching it, though I do remember the title. I'd have to check my television history book when I get home to see what was on opposite it that I watched instead.

Judy Carne's downfall started with marrying Burt Reynolds.

Todd, your analysis reminds me of the scene with TOny Roberts and Woody Allen in ANNIE HALL.

Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

You kept a television history book? Wow!

Anonymous said...

It isn't mine! It's one of those television history things where you can look up each show, when it was on, etc. In the back they have yearly charts showing which shows were on when so you can see what was opposite GUNSMOKE or M*A*S*H or whatever.

Jeff M.

Anonymous said...

This is a newer edition than the one I have.


Jeff M.

Rick Robinson said...

I don't remember it at all. When (year) was it on?

Ron Scheer said...

I had to check myself. 1966. I was deep in graduate school at the time and have no memory of it. Maybe it was running opposite "Peyton Place."

pattinase (abbott) said...

It must not have been on opposite Peyton Place because I watched that too. And no DVRing then.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Ah, I thought you kept your own diary, Jeff.

Cap'n Bob said...

I remember that it was on but I doubt I watched it.

Jeff might be referencing "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV shows 1946-Present," by Tim Brooks and Earl Marsh. Mine is very old so there might be different authors these days. I see by that guide it was opposite "Petticoat Junction" and the Tuesday night movie. I probably saw an episode of two of Petticoat, but in September I joined the Army and didn't see much new TV for the next couple of years.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Exactly when my brother-in-law joined the Marines.

Anonymous said...

Cap'n Bob has the right book. Well, I certainly didn't watch PETTICOAT JUNCTION. I suppose it's possible I watched a few but I don't remember it.

Jeff M.

Katherine Tomlinson said...

I wasn't a fan of this show but I loved Alias Smith & Jones. I thought Peter Duel was dreamy. (Did you know he had a little brother? Geoffrey? Showed up in some John Wayne movies. Also very handsome.)

Todd Mason said...

Alex MacNeil's TOTAL TELEVISION is a better job than the Brooks and Marsh book, not least because B/M pointlessly ignore all public television programming that didn't also have commercial clearance. Though their book does provide more cast information for most series. Sadly, both books are now unlikely to see any more new editions in the era of IMDb.

Todd Mason said...

Y'all forget repeats in the summer...when a series was fortunate enough to have repeats in the summer. And, of course, the even more fortunate series got to live on in syndicated repeats. And certain THE MONKEES and a few others were replayed by networks in Saturday mornings, or LOVE AMERICAN STYLE on weekday afternoons, for some stretch.