| East Side/West Side | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Edward Adler Robert J. Crean Edward DeBlasio Millard Lampell M.L. Paterson Arnold Perl Allan Sloane Robert Van Scoyck Irve Tunick |
| Directed by | John Berry Herschel Daugherty Tom Gries Alex March Daniel Petrie Allen Reisner Ralph Senensky Jack Smight Ron Winston |
| Starring | George C. Scott Elizabeth Wilson Cicely Tyson Linden Chiles |
| Theme music composer | Kenyon Hopkins |
| Composer(s) | Kenyon Hopkins |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Susskind |
| Producer(s) | Don Kranze |
| Editor(s) | Sidney Meyers |
| Cinematography | John S. Priestley |
| Running time | 60 mins. (Approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 23, 1963 – April 27, 1964 |
- For the 1894 song "East Side, West Side" see The Sidewalks of New York
East Side/West Side is an hour-long American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for only one season (1963 – 1964) and was shown Monday nights on CBS.
Contents |
Synopsis
The series centered on Neil Brock (played by Scott), a New York City social worker who worked for the private agency Community Welfare Service, with his secretary, Jane Foster, played by African-American actress Cicely Tyson. Tyson, notably, wore her hair in cornrows, raising the profile of the hairstyle among African American women. Episodes of East Side/West Side covered topics relevant to the inner city, with many controversial issues explored. A typical example came in the first two episodes, when Brock investigated a prostitute and her child ("The Sinner"), followed by a story involving statutory rape (“Age of Consent”).
In an effort to open up the number of possible stories, Brock resigned from his job at midseason to work for a New York congressman, Charles W. Hanson (Chiles). The characters played by Elizabeth Wilson and Cicely Tyson soon disappeared and Barbara Feldon was introduced as Brock's girlfriend. However, despite the high quality of both the writing and acting, the show's penchant for taking on touchy topics forced many potential advertisers to avoid sponsoring the show, while a number of local stations (many in the American South) also chose not to present the program to their viewers. It is said that CBS programming head James Aubrey clashed with Scott regarding the direction of the show, which also was a factor in the cancellation.[1]
East Side, West Side ran in the 10 p.m. Monday time slot opposite ABC's medical drama about psychiatry, Breaking Point and NBC's Sing Along with Mitch starring Mitch Miller. The show's executive producer, David Susskind, began a letter-writing campaign to government officials, newspaper editors and other prominent individuals. Susskind's request was an attempt to elicit positive feedback to encourage renewal of the series. However, the effort failed when the show was cancelled on January 28.
Cast
- George C. Scott as Neil Brock
- Linden Chiles as Congressman Charles Hanson (Episodes 19-26)
- John McMartin as Mike Miller (Episodes 19-26)
- Cicely Tyson as Jane Foster
- Elizabeth Wilson as Frieda Hechlinger
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "The Sinner" | September 23, 1963 |
| 1-2 | "Age of Consent" | September 30, 1963 |
| 1-3 | "You Can't Beat the System" | October 7, 1963 |
| 1-4 | "Something for the Girls" | October 14, 1963 |
| 1-5 | "I Before E Except After C" | October 21, 1963 |
| 1-6 | "No Wings at All" | October 28, 1963 |
| 1-7 | "Who Do You Kill" | November 4, 1963 |
| 1-8 | "Go Fight City Hall" | November 11, 1963 |
| 1-9 | "Not Bad for Openers" | November 18, 1963 |
| 1-10 | "No Hiding Place" | December 2, 1963 |
| 1-11 | "Where's Harry?" | December 9, 1963 |
| 1-12 | "My Child on Monday Morning" | December 16, 1963 |
| 1-13 | "Creeps Live Here" | December 23, 1963 |
| 1-14 | "The $5.98 Dress" | January 13, 1964 |
| 1-15 | "The Beatnik and the Politician" | January 20, 1964 |
| 1-16 | "One Drink at a Time" | January 27, 1964 |
| 1-17 | "It's War, Man" | February 10, 1964 |
| 1-18 | "Don't Grow Old" | February 17, 1964 |
| 1-19 | "The Street" | February 24, 1964 |
| 1-20 | "If Your Grandmother Had Wheels" | March 2, 1964 |
| 1-21 | "The Passion of the Nickel Player" | March 9, 1964 |
| 1-22 | "Take Sides with the Sun" | March 16, 1964 |
| 1-23 | "The Name of the Game" | March 23, 1964 |
| 1-24 | "Nothing But the Half Truth" | March 30, 1964 |
| 1-25 | "The Givers" | April 13, 1964 |
| 1-26 | "Here Today" | April 27, 1964 |
Awards and nominations
In 1964, the series received eight Emmy Award nominations, including one win for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for the controversial November 4, 1963 episode entitled, "Who Do You Kill?" The episode, which also garnered a writing nomination, as well as acting nominations for supporting actors James Earl Jones and Diana Sands, explored the aftermath of an African-American child's death from a rat bite in a Harlem slum.
References
- ^ Stephen, Bowie. "East Side/West Side". classictvhistory.com. http://www.classictvhistory.com/EpisodeGuides/east_side_west_side.html.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
