The Kallikaks

For the 1912 book by Henry H. Goddard about the Kallikak family, see The Kallikak Family.

The Kallikaks
A promotional photo for The Kallikaks, showing David Huddleston as J. T. Kallikak.
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Roger Price Stanley Ralph Ross
Starring	David Huddleston Edie McClurg Bonnie Ebsen Patrick J. Petersen Peter Palmer
Theme music composer	Stanley Ralph Ross
Opening theme	"Beat the System", performed by Roy Clark
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producer	Stanley Ralph Ross
Producer	George Yanok
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	August 3 (1977-08-03) – August 31, 1977 (1977-08-31)

The Kallikaks is an American sitcom television series starring David Huddleston which centers around a family from Appalachia that moves to California to run a decrepit gas station. The show aired from August 3 to August 31, 1977 on NBC.[1][2]

Synopsis

Jasper T. "J. T." Kallikak is a coal miner from Appalachia who inherits a run-down two-pump gas station in the fictional town of Nowhere, California. Thinking that, as his own boss, he will have a better life, he moves his impoverished family — his overly affectionate wife Venus, his status-seeking teenage daughter Bobbie Lou, and his 10-year-old son Junior — from West Virginia to California to run the station.

J. T.'s boarder and only employee is Oscar Heinz, a German immigrant who can barely speak English and as a result often gets things mixed up. Bobbi Lou gets a job at a nearby fried chicken stand.[1][2][3][4][5] J. T. is conniving, greedy, and inclined toward get-rich-quick schemes; he boasts of never having paid taxes, saying that there is no need to as long as there are fools who do pay their taxes. He and his family are always trying to "beat the system"; such as applying for welfare despite being employed. The pumps at their gas station are rigged, and generally, their schemes to get ahead involve conning and cheating someone else.[2][3][4]

Cast

• David Huddleston as Jasper T. "J. T." Kallikak
• Edie McClurg as Venus Kallikak
• Bonnie Ebsen as Bobbi Lou Kallikak
• Patrick J. Petersen as Junior Kallikak
• Peter Palmer as Oscar Heinz

Production

The Kallikaks was created by Stanley Ralph Ross and Roger Price. Ross was its executive producer and George Yanok was its producer. Ross, Price, and Ron Kantor wrote the episodes.[3] Episode directors were Kantor, Bob LaHendro, and Dennis Steinmetz.[3]

Ross wrote the show's theme song, "Beat the System," which Roy Clark performed. Tom Wells wrote other music used in the show.[2][3]

Bonnie Ebsen is the daughter of Buddy Ebsen, who was best known for his role in The Beverly Hillbillies.[2][3]

Broadcast history

The Kallikaks premiered on August 3, 1977, and aired on NBC on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. throughout its brief run. Only five episodes were produced, and the show was canceled due to poor ratings.[1][2]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"You Auto Buy Now"	Unknown	Unknown	August 3, 1977 (1977-08-03)
J.T. tries to get rid of a jalopy that has been abandoned at the gas station.
2	"TV or Not TV"	Unknown	Unknown	August 10, 1977 (1977-08-10)
The Kallikaks receive a television set from an audience-rating service, and a television producer wants them to watch his shows on it.
3	"The Bells Are Wronging"	Unknown	Unknown	August 17, 1977 (1977-08-17)
Thanks to a computer error, the Kallikaks mistakenly get a $140,000 refund from the telephone company, and J.T. tries to keep the money.
4	"I Coulda Been a Contender"	Unknown	Unknown	August 24, 1977 (1977-08-24)
After seeing the movie Rocky at a drive-in movie theater, J.T. tries to make Oscar into a prizefighter – and organized crime takes an interest in putting Oscar into the ring.
5	"Swami, How I Love Ya"	Unknown	Unknown	August 31, 1977 (1977-08-31)
The Kallikaks greedily hire a medium, Dr. Wally Walla (Jay Robinson), to find out if Venus's notoriously thrifty deceased brother has left them an inheritance.

References

1. McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 445.
2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Random House Publishing. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
3. Leszczak, Bob. Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2012. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6, p. 98.
4. Holsopple, Barbara (July 31, 1977). "'Kallikaks' Distasteful Comedy". Pittsburgh Press. TV section. p. 2.
5. "Huddleston Heads Kallikaks". Lakeland Ledger. August 7, 1977. p. 4.

External links

• The Kallikaks at IMDb