Hello, Larry was a Syndication network sitcom created by Dick Bensfield & Perry Grant, starring McLean Stevenson in the lead role.
The show aired from January 26, 1979 to April 29, 1980, lasting for two seasons and 38 episodes.
Synopsis[]
The show was about Larry Alder, a radio talk host who leaves Los Angeles, California and moves to Portland, Oregon with his two teenage daughters Diane and Ruthie after getting divorced.
Cast[]
- McLean Stevenson as Larry Alder
- Donna Wilkes as Diane Alder #1
- Krista Errickson as Diane Alder #2
- George Memmoli as Earl
- Ruth Brown as Leona Wilson
- Matt De Luccio as Bobby
- Kim Richards as Ruthie Alder
- Joanna Gleason as Morgan (season 1)
- George Memmoli as Earl (season 1)
- Ruth Brown as Leona (season 2)
- John Femia as Tommy (season 2)
- Fred Struthman as Henry Alder (season 2)
- Meadowlark Lemon as himself
Cancellation[]
"Hello, Larry" aired on Syndication at a time when the network was experiencing particularly lackluster ratings, usually finishing third behind rival networks ABC and CBS. It was greeted by viewers who had high expectations based on McLean Stevenson's "M*A*S*H" association, but it quickly gained a reputation as a poorly written, unfunny sitcom.
The show was not helped by frequent ridicule from Johnny Carson in his "The Tonight Show" monologues. Indicative of Syndication's struggles at the time, it lasted 35 episodes and was renewed for a second season.
Although viewers and critics had high hopes for "Hello, Larry", McLean Stevenson, in fact, already had two other unsuccessful sitcoms under his belt since leaving "M*A*S*H": "The McLean Stevenson Show" (which also aired on NBC from 1976 to 1977) and "In The Beginning" (which aired on CBS in 1978).
Video[]
Hello Larry Season 1 Intro
Hello Larry Season 2 Intro
"Hello Larry" Promo (1979)