Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby was a half-hour television interview show produced by Allan Sherman and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and broadcast weekly in the United States by the ABC network 8–8:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on Wednesdays in the 1959–60 television season.
History The show premiered on September 30, 1959. Cliff Arquette, in his Charley Weaver persona, hosted the show throughout the run of the series. For the first two months, the show was called Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby, but on November 25, 1959, the name of the show was changed to The Charley Weaver Show."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 25, 1959), New York Times
The first episodes essentially followed the same format as the Hobby Lobby radio interview show hosted by Dave Elman and broadcast from 1937 to 1949: people, both celebrities and not, were interviewed about their hobbies, both unusual and not.Young, William H. and Young, Nancy K. (2007) The Great Depression in America: A Cultural Encyclopedia, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 235, But by the end of November, "variety and comedy sketches" had been added, and hobby discussions were dropped. Charley Weaver's "Letters from Mama" monologues concerning daily life in the fictional town of Mount Idy were always part of the show, with the other members of the cast playing characters referred to in the letters.
The last show was broadcast March 23, 1960.Shepard, Richard F., "NEWS OF TV AND RADIO — Season's Newcomers: How They Did", (March 20, 1960), New York Times, p. X13
Cast Cliff Arquette (host) as Charley Weaver and as Charley's mother, "Mama Weaver" Pat Carroll Chuck McCann as Wallis Swine Charles R. Althoff as Grandpa Snyder Nancy Kovack (credited as Nancy Kovac) as "witch of the year" Nancy Kovack entry on the Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen website Irene Ryan as beauty pageant winner Miss Mount IdyHollis, Tim (2008) Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century, Univ. Press of Mississippi, page 167,
Guests Guests on the show included: Gloria DeHaven (September 30, 1959) Hobby discussed: Antique Music Boxes Gypsy Rose Lee (October 7, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (October 7, 1959), New York Times Hobby discussed: Sport Fishing. Zsa Zsa Gabor (October 14, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (October 14, 1959), New York Times Hobby discussed: Fencing. Guy Madison (November 4, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 4, 1959), New York Times Hobby discussed: Archery"TV Scout Previews", (November 4, 1959), St. Petersburg Times, p. 20 Eddie Bracken (November 18, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (November 18, 1959), New York Times Edie Adams (November 25, 1959). Abigail Van Buren (November 25, 1959) Faye Emerson (December 2, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 2, 1959), New York Times Harold Rome (December 2, 1959). Audrey Meadows (December 9, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 9, 1959), New York Times Cedric Hardwicke (December 16, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 16, 1959), New York Times Barbara Nichols (December 23, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 23, 1959), New York Times Arthur Treacher (December 30, 1959)."TELEVISION (Schedule)", (December 30, 1959), New York Times Maureen O'Hara (1960?)
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