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NBC Schedules The Paper and Stumble in November; Remembering Patricia (Pat) Crowley of Please Don't Eat the Daisies

NBC is solidifying its November comedy lineup with the addition of the new series Stumble, which will debut Friday, November 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, as well as the critically acclaimed Peacock original The Paper, set to premiere Monday, November 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. The addition of both shows gives NBC a powerhouse comedy slate that already includes the hit sophomore series St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place, starring Reba McEntire.

November will now feature back-to-back comedies on Mondays as the second season of St. Denis Medical (which launches November 3) will lead off the night at 8 p.m., followed by The Paper at 8:30 p.m. The NBC Monday lineup also includes The Voice at 9 p.m. and Brilliant Minds at 10 p.m. Friday's lineup will feature second-year hit series Happy's Place at 8 p.m. followed by Stumble, with both shows premiering November 7.

Actress Patricia (Pat) Crowley, who starred as Joan Nash in Please Don't Eat the Daisies, has died. She died of natural causes in Los Angeles on September 14. Ms. Crowley was 91.

Crowley's first sitcom starring role was as Judy Foster in the 1951-1952 ABC Saturday morning version of A Date with Judy. The series follows the trials of a hyperactive bobby-soxer and her harassed parents, Melvin and Dora. Her boyfriend is Oogie Pringle. A primetime version with a mostly different cast ran on ABC from 1952 to 1953. The daytime version also starred Jimmy Sommer, Gene O'Donnell, Anna Lee, and Judson Rees.

She starred as Joan Nash in the 1965-1967 NBC sitcom Please Don't Eat the Daisies. Jim (Mark Miller) and Joan Nash are a married couple who live in an old, turreted house in Ridgemont, New York, with their four rambunctious sons (Kyle, Joel, and identical twins Trevor and Tracy), a very tolerant live-in maid, and an enormous Old English sheepdog named Ladadog. The series ran for two seasons and 58 episodes. The cast included Kim Tyler, Brian Nash, Joe Fithian, Jeff Fithian, Shirley Mitchell, Harry Hickox (1965-1966), King Donovan (1966-1967), Dub Taylor (1965-1966), Ellen Corby, Bill Quinn (1966-1967) and Jean VanderPyl (1966-1967).

Crowley appeared with fellow TV moms Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver), June Lockhart (Lassie), Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons) and Alley Mills (The Wonder Years) in a 1995 episode of Roseanne. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Tab Hunter Show (1960), Love, American Style (1969), Happy Days, The Love Boat (3 episodes), Empty Nest, Frasier, Thunder Alley, Friends, and Love Boat: The Next Wave.

She starred as Georgia Cameron, Joe Forrester's (Lloyd Bridges) girlfriend, in the 1975-1976 NBC police drama Joe Forrester. She had a recurring role as Emily Fallmont in 9 episodes of the ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty in 1986. In 1989, she had a recurring role as Rebecca Whitmore #1 in the NBC soap opera Generations. She had a recurring role as Mary Scanlon in 251 episodes of the ABC soap opera Port Charles from 1997 to 2001.

Some of her other television guest appearances in the 1950s and 1960s included Armstrong Circle Theatre (4 episodes), Goodyear Television Playhouse (2 episodes), The United States Steel Hour (2 episodes), Lux Video Theatre (2 episodes), General Electric Theater (2 episodes), The Loretta Young (3 episodes), Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (3 episodes), The Untouchables, Maverick (3 episodes), Goodyear Theatre (2 episodes), 77 Sunset Strip (2 episodes), Rawhide, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare (2 episodes), and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964).

Crowley's 1970s to 1990s television guest appearances included Marcus Welby, M.D. (1971), Columbo, Police Story (4 episodes), The Streets of San Francisco, Family, Fantasy Island (2 episodes), The Rockford Files, Charlie's Angels (2 episodes), Hawaii Five-O (1980), Matt Houston, Falcon Crest (2 episodes), Hotel, Finder of Lost Loves (1985), Murder, She Wrote (1987), Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 (3 episodes), and Charmed (1999). Her guest appearances in the 2000s included Family Law, The Closer, and Cold Case.

She played Clara Mootz/Sally Carver in the 1953 film Forever Female and Dr. Autumn Claypool in Money from Home (1954). She was awarded the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female for her performances in the films. She starred as Terry Roberts in Hollywood or Bust (1956), which was the last film Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin appeared in together.

Ms. Crowley was a talented and versatile actress. She was funny and lovely as Joan Nash in Please Don't Eat the Daisies. The series should be available on DVD or streaming. It hasn't aired in syndication for many years. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment that she brought us during her 60-year career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Please Don't Eat the Daisies message board. View photos in our galleries.

We also remember Emmy-winnning writer and producer John Masius. He created the 1990 NBC sitcom Ferris Bueller. He died from complications of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at his home in Los Angeles on September 13. Mr. Masius was 75.

Masius was one of the creators and producers of the 1988-1989 NBC comedy-drama Tattingers, which was briefly revived in the spring of 1989 as the half-hour sitcom Nick & Hillary. He developed and produced the short-lived 1990 NBC sitcom Ferris Bueller. He wrote three episodes of the 1991-1992 CBS sitcom Brooklyn Bridge. He received The Humanitas Prize for his work on the series. He was a creative consultant and wrote an episode of the 1995-1997 NBC sitcom The Single Guy.

He won two writing Emmy Awards for the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere in 1984 and 1986. Some of his other writing credits included The White Shadow (3 episodes), Dolphin Cove (4 episodes), L.A. Law (4 episodes), The Visitor, and Dead Like Me.

Masius was credited with creating the 1994-2003 CBS drama Touched by an Angel, the 1999-2002 NBC medical Providence, and the 2009-2011 TNT medical drama Hawthorne.

Some of his other producing credits included The White Shadow, St. Elsewhere, Dolphin Cove, L.A. Law, The Visitor, Dead Like Me, and Hawthorne.

Mr. Masius received 14 total Emmy nominations for his work on St. Elsewhere. He earned a number of Writers Guild Awards, Humanitas Prizes, a Peabody Award and a People’s Choice Award. We thank him for his work on television. He will be greatly missed.

Singer and songwriter Bobby Hart was part of the duo Boyce and Hart. They were well known for their songwriting for the Monkees. He died in Los Angeles on September 10. Mr. Hart was 86.

In late 1965, Tommy Boyce and Hart wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack of the pilot for The Monkees, including singing lead vocals (which were later replaced, once the show was cast). The Monkees themselves re-recorded their vocals over Boyce and Hart's when it came time to release the songs, including both "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville", the latter being a huge hit.

Boyce and Hart performed "Girl, I'm Out To Get You" in the 1967 I Dream of Jeannie episode titled "Jeannie the Hip Hippie." They performed "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" in the 1970 Bewitched episode titled "Serena Stops the Show." In 1970, they guest starred in The Flying Nun episode titled "When Generations Gap".

They wrote hits for Jay and the Americans ("Come a Little Bit Closer"), Paul Revere & the Raiders ("(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"), and the Leaves ("Words"). The duo also wrote the theme song of the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.

Boyce and Hart wrote more than 300 songs, and sold more than 42 million records as a partnership. We thank them for the music. Mr. Hart will be sorely missed.

Posted by Todd -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:30 PM

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Labels: Happy's Place, NBC, Obits, Peacock, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, St. Denis Medical, Stumble, The Monkees, The Paper