John T. Ryan THE RECENT PASSING of Anne B. Davis has put us to mind of those sitcoms of a now bygone era; a time when you could get into trouble for just saying words like pregnant, hell, damn or water-closet on the air. My, how things have changed! MOST ALL OF the attention concerning the death of Miss Davis, at 88 years of age, pertained to her portrayal as the droll housekeeper, Alice on THE BRADY BUNCH. Well, we "Boomers" seem to recall her equally humorous characterization of Glamor Photographer Bob Collins' (Bob Cummings) wise cracking secretary/receptionist, "Schultzie" on THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW (1955-59).THE SHOW'S HIGHLY successful run on NBC owed the longevity to Anne's on screen wisecracking, loyalty and acting as 'mother hen' to her boss. We aren't alone in this evaluation; for Miss Davis claimed two Emmys for her thespianic acumen.AS FOR THE show, THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW was the story of a former World War II Army Air Corps Pilot; who now operated a glamour photographic studio. This, of course, meant that there would be a plethora of 'gorgeous' models being constantly moved trough each episode.ON THE OTHER side of what can only be described as a dichotomy of fundamentals, we have Bob the family man. As the male protector of his widowed sister, Margaret MacDonald (Rosemary De Camp)and her teen-aged son, Chuck (Dwayne Hickman). Bob played big brother to the extreme; even in constantly warning Margaret that his old Air Force buddy, bachelor Paul Fonda (Lyle Talbot) was a 'Wolf!' IN BOLD CONTRAST we see Bob's behavior at the office; which usually wound up as make-out sessions between photographer and model. Quite often, as a concession to the latent voyeurism that lurks mildly in all, Schultzie would often sneak peek in on the photographic shoot.THIS LAST POINT brings us to one final conclusion about what the series was all about. It was a socially acceptable way of bringing a 1950's audience the commodity that always sells so well, namely S-E-X!

Craig Hamrick Bob Cummings was a pioneer in the early days of sitcoms, making this show worth viewing if you're interested in the history of television programming. There's a certain "live on tape" feel to some episodes, when actors accidentally step on each others' lines, which also makes the atmosphere a little more natural than today's highly polished (tightly edited) sitcoms.It's a treat to see a young Ann B. Davis, best remembered today as "The Brady Bunch"'s housekeeper, Alice. In the 50s, she was considered a fairly major TV star, and she was an undeniably inventive comic actress. In many episodes of "The Bob Cummings Show," she has a pretty substantial amount of screen time -- far more than she usually got in the Brady household. Another classic sitcom star is on hand: Before Nancy Kulp played Miss Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies, she honed her TV skills in "The Bob Cummings Show." Her character, a snooty, sexually aggressive bird-watching enthusiast has much in common with Miss Jane. In fact, in many ways they're practically identical. In later years, Kulp came out of the closet and lived as an openly gay woman. Her character in "The Bob Cummings Show," while aggressively pursuing Bob, certainly has a lesbian vibe. In the episode "Bob Goes Bird Watching," for example, when Kulp enters the episode, she's clad in a very masculine suit, with a "butch" hairstyle, but throughout the scene she's trying to persuade Bob abandon his swimsuit-clad models and join her at Griffith Park, to check out some "tit mouse" birds -- no double entendres were wasted in this show...Dwayne Hickman is also in the cast, perfecting his Dobbie Gillis character. Like Kulp, he carried this character's basic traits into another show -- so it's interesting to watch him learning his craft here. Like many shows of this time period, "The Bob Cummings Show" was performed at a pace most viewers now find stunningly slow. But many of the scripts hold up fairly well, and the acting, though a bit stagey at times, is naturalistic and enjoyable. If you want lightening- quick repartee, tune into "Will and Grace," but if you're ready for some relaxing old-time humor performed by some of the best actors from TV's early days, check out "The Bob Cummings Show."

The_Rook I wouldn't expect most people under 30 having any appreciation for this show. 30 years from now what shows of yours do you think will still be funny? "Love that Bob" was funny in the 1950s. It is still funny to those people that saw it when it originally aired and others that enjoy the older comedy shows and movies. Catch it on cable TV and see for yourself. I would love to see more of this type show and the Amateur and Musical shows that use to be on TV.

rusher-1 Bob Cummings' swinging bachelor photographer is the complete antithesis of "Ozzie And Harriet" and "Father Knows Best". Makes whiny, boorish Lucy look, well, whiny and boorish. Excellent writing and supporting cast of Rosemary DeCamp, Dwayne Hickman, Ann B. Davis, and a bevy of the most curvacious cuties of the day. One of the true gems of TV's golden age. Any resemblance between this series and "Mr. Ed", "Gilligan's Island", or the "Brady Bunch" is purely delusional.