Debut:  September 27, 1964, Sunday 9:00 PM EST, CBS
Last Network Broadcast:  September 8, 1965,  Wednesday 8:00 PM EST, CBS

For those who believe that T & A television started with Charlie's Angels, here is a show to prove them wrong. If Petticoat Junction and I Dream of Jeannie weren't enough, My Living Doll is proof that TV shows capitalised on beautiful women long before Charlie gave the Angels their first assignment. My Living Doll centred on the AF 709 (the AF stood for Air Force), an anatomically correct robot in female form (the beautiful Julie Newmar). One day she wandered into the offices of psychiatrist Dr. Robert MacDonald (Bob Cummings) and had a pleasant encounter with him. It was only later that he learned she was a robot, built by his friend Dr. Carl Miller. When Miller was called away to Pakistan, he asked MacDonald to take care of her. MacDonald passed her off as Dr. Miller's niece, Rhoda, and set about teaching her to be the "perfect woman"--one who speaks only when spoken to, obeys the orders of men, et. al. When she failed to do so (which she often did), Rhoda could be shut off simply by the press of a button. Unfortunately, MacDonald's neighbour Peter Robinson (Jack Mullaney) fell in love with Rhoda, unaware that she was a robot. Naturally, this made keeping her true nature very difficult. MacDonald's sister, Irene Adams (Doris Dowling), moved in with Robert for reasons of propriety.

My Living Doll was produced by Jack Chertok, who also produced the classic My Favorite Martian. It was created by Bill Kelsay and Al Martin (who had both worked on My Favorite Martian, based on an idea suggested by Leo Guild. Julie Newmar was always the first choice to play Rhoda, but Bob Cummings was hardly the first choice to play the role of MacDonald. Chertok originally wanted a Los Angeles DJ named Bob Crane. Unfortunately, CBS did not think Crane was up to a lead role in a series. Of course, Crane would go onto become the star of Hogan's Heroes, one of the most successful sitcoms of the Sixties. Jerry Van Dyke was also considered for the role of MacDonald, but Van Dyke decided to wait for his own lead role in a show (which he got, perhaps unfortunately, in My Mother the Car). As to how Bob Cummngs was ultimately cast in the role of MacDonald, that was due to CBS. It is hard to say why the network wanted Bob Cummings for the part, but it was presumably because he was an established name (Cummings had appeared in such feature films as Kings Row and Dial M for Murder, and also had his own successful sitcom, The Bob Cummings Show in the Fifties). Neither executive producer Chertok nor line producer Howard Leeds (who would later serve as executive producer on the similarly themed Small Wonder) thought Bob Cummings was right for the part of MacDonald. In fact, Leeds told Chertok "...with Cummings in the lead this show is going to look like a re-run..." Cummings asked for an enormous fee and Chertok thought he might be free of him. He told CBS he would not pay that amount for the actor. Unfortunately, CBS decided to pick up the cost of Cumming's pay.

My Living Doll debuted Sunday, September 27, 1964 at 9:00 PM EST to mediocre reviews. It aired against the top rated Bonanza on NBC (it was then the number one series on televison). For that reason My Living Doll's ratings were not the most impressive, although the series did receive a good deal of publicity. Julie Newmar appeared on the cover of TV Guide, which did a story on the series. It was also covered by several other magazines and newspapers, including The New York Daily News. According to Julie Newmar about 80% of her fan mail on the series came from young males, just as one would expect.

Early in the series' run  a disagreement developed between the two leads.  It seems that  Cummings, as the most experienced actor on the set, took it upon himself to "coach" Julie Newmar. On the other hand, Newmar felt that she had no need of coaching. And while Newmar got along wonderfully with the crew, Cummings could be very difficult to work with. Eventually the situation grew so bad that clearly one of the stars would have to leave the series. As Newmar was obviously central to the show's success, it was Cummings who received his walking papers late in the show's run. Thereafter Jack Mullaney received co-star status and Robinson was given care of Rhoda (to which I'm sure he didn't object).

My Living Doll continued to do poorly in the ratings,  so that by January CBS decided to move the series  to a new time slot (one of many such mid season shifts the network made that season)--Wednesday nights at 8:00 EST. Against  The Virginian  on NBC and The Patty Duke Show on ABC, it fared no better. My Living Doll was not renewed for the '65-'66 season and went off the air on September 8, 1965.

Many reports have it that My Living Doll was a rather mediocre sitcom. Despite scripts from many of  the same people who wrote for Bewitched and My Favorite Martian,  the plots were the same, tired, worn, standard sitcom fare. At its best, My Living Doll was as good as I Dream of Jeannie on a bad day. Others claim that the series was just as good as other series of its genre, including I Dream of Jeannie (apparently on a good day) and Chertok's other series, My Favorite Martian. The one thing on which everyone agrees is that Julie Newmar was great in the series. The actress has always had an uncanny ability to combine character depth with total innocence, something which came in handy in playing the AF 709. She also proved quite skilled in comedy, her wit and creativity bringing out the humour in the scripts.

Regardless of the over all quality of the series, it seems possible that part of My Living Doll's  failure could be due to the fact that some may have perceived the series as sexist and offensive, even for 1964. Some could well have viewed the show as little more than an adolescent sex fantasy. As if  Rhoda's incredible beauty (she was played, after all, by Julie Newmar), photographic memory, and large array of skills (she could type 240 words per minute), were not enough to qualify her as the perfect woman, Dr. MacDonald felt obliged to teach her to be perfectly servile to men--presumably the ideal woman. Worse yet, if Rhoda started being rebellious, she could simply be reset with the touch of a button. Such an argument could even be given credence by the opening credits of the series,  which announced "also starring Julie Newmar as the Doll" and featured a shot of her in very brief attire. For some My Living Doll could appear to some to be little more than the ultimate sex fantasy of the average, heterosexual, teenage male--an extraordinarily beautiful woman who dresses scantily, fulfils every single request, and can be turned off when she becomes a bit disagreeable. Accusations that the series was indeed sexist are perhaps unfair (and, indeed, none seem to have been made while the series was on the air and only a few since then), though considering its subject matter it would  not be surprising if some female viewers (particularly today) would find the series offensive.

Since it first aired very little of My Living Doll has been seen. CBS lost the elements for the show, insuring that all but those collectors lucky enough to come upon 16mm copies of the show would not be able to watch it. Fortunately, other elements were found in the vaults of Jack Chertok Television inc. and they are currently working towards a DVD release. Those who have fond memories of the show, as well as those fans of Julie Newmar who have never seen it, will be able to watch My Living Doll for the first time in over forty years! Regardless, it is safe to say that as one of the few series whose lead character was a robot and one of the earliest examples of T & A television that it won't soon be forgotten.

Fans of Julie Newmar (and what heterosexual male isn't) would be wise to check out the  Julie Newmar Backpage, one of the best and most extensive web sites on her career.