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{{short description|American television sitcom}}
{{infoboxInfobox television
| name = Big Eddie
| image = Big eddie 1975.JPG
| caption = Publicity photo of Sheldon Leonard, Sheree North, and Quinn Cummings in ''Big Eddie''
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| camera = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| starring = [[Sheldon Leonard]]
| composer = [[Jonathan Wolff (musician)|Jonathan Wolff]]
| narrated =
| country = United States
| language = English
| network = [[CBS]]
| first_aired = August{{Start date|1975|08|23}}
| last_aired = {{endEnd date and age|1975|11|7|Mf=y07}}
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 10
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}}
 
'''''Big Eddie''''' is an American television [[sitcom]] that aired on [[CBS]] from August 23 until November 7, 1975.<ref name=ets/> Its first three episodes, in a Saturday night time slot, did well in the ratings, but after it was moved to Friday nights, it had little success opposite ''[[Sanford and Son]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=Short-Lived Television Series, 1948–1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops |date=2003 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786414208 |page=238 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Sy1CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA238&dq=%22Big+Eddie%22+tv&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-l96knabhAhVIiqwKHSyjDP8Q6AEINzAC#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Eddie%22%20tv&f=falsePA238 |accessdate=29 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
 
==Premise==
Big Eddie Smith,<ref name="cd">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle F. |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present |date=2009 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=9780307483201 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA139&dq=%22Big+Eddie%22+tv&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-l96knabhAhVIiqwKHSyjDP8Q6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Eddie%22%20tv&f=falsePA139 |accessdate=29 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref> a reformed mobster tries to go legit as the owner of the Big E Sports Arena<ref name="ets">{{cite book |last1=Terrace |first1=Vincent |title=Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials |date=1985 |publisher=VNR AG |isbn=9780918432612 |page=45 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AKlgjBCPPnsC&pg=PA45&dq=%22Big+Eddie%22+tv&hlpg=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-l96knabhAhVIiqwKHSyjDP8Q6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=%22Big%20Eddie%22%20tv&f=falsePA45 |accessdate=29 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref> in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite web|author=TV Guide |url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/big-eddie/cast/200038 |title=Big Eddie Cast and Details|publisher=TV Guide |accessdate=2013-01-16}}</ref> Smith's family included his wife Honey, granddaughter Ginger, and brother Jessie.<ref name=cd/>
 
==Cast==
*[[Sheldon Leonard]] as Big Eddie Smith<ref name=slts/>
*[[Sheree North]] as Honey Smith<ref name=slts/>
*[[Quinn Cummings]] as Ginger Smith<ref name=slts/>
*[[Billy Sands]] as Bang Bang Valentine<ref name=slts/>
*[[Alan Oppenheimer]] as Jesse Smith<ref name=slts/>
*[[Ralph Wilcox (actor)|Ralph Wilcox]] as Raymond McKay<ref name=slts/>
*Lonnie Shorr as Too Late
*[[Milton Parsons]] as The Goniff
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{{Episode list
|Title=Man of the Year
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|808|23}}
|EpisodeNumber=1
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=One Nation Invisible
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|808|30}}
|EpisodeNumber=2
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=Hello Poppa
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|909|606}}
|EpisodeNumber=3
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=Too Many Grandmothers (a.k.a. One Grandmother Too Many)
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|909|19}}
|EpisodeNumber=4
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=Who Am I?
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|909|26}}
|EpisodeNumber=5
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=Crashing Violet
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|10|303}}
|EpisodeNumber=6
|DirectedBy=
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{{Episode list
|Title=A Date with Eddie
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1975|11|707}}
|EpisodeNumber=10
|DirectedBy=
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}}
|}
 
==Production==
[[Bill Persky]] and [[Sam Denoff]] created the series<ref name="sss" /> and were ''Big Eddie'''s executive producers and writers. [[Hy Averback]] was the producer and director. It had three "sneak preview" broadcasts (August 23 - September 6, 1975) from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays. Ratings decreased after it was moved to 8 - 8:30&nbsp;p.m. ET on Fridays beginning on September 19, 1975.<ref name="slts">{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops |date=January 20, 2003 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-1420-8 |page=238 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Sy1CgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Big+Eddie%22+Leonard&pg=PA238 |access-date=June 1, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
 
Episodes were recorded on videotape in front of a live audience using facilities at [[KTLA|KTLA-TV]].<ref name="sss">{{cite book |last1=Leszczak |first1=Bob |title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide |date=November 16, 2012 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-6812-6 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UvE6snvtSesC&dq=%22Big+Eddie%22+CBS&pg=PA14 |access-date=June 1, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
 
==Critical response==
John J. O'Connor, in a review distributed by the New York Times Service, commented, ". . . to know ''Big Eddie'' is to loath it."<ref name="mn">{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J. |title='Big Eddie' is depressing |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-news-big-eddie-tv-show/125658682/ |access-date=June 1, 2023 |work=The Morning News |date=August 23, 1975 |location=Delaware, Wilmington |page=23|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The review implied that Eddie married Honey as a means of obtaining custody of his granddaughter, "who, for purposes of uncomplicated plotting, is conveniently orphaned."<ref name="mn" /> O'Connor commented that Eddie often shouted and that his speech was filled with pronunciations such as "'dat' for that, or 'foist' for first" and he added, "His black assistant (Ralph Wilcox) jive talks hysterically."<ref name="mn" />
 
After watching four episodes, Lee Winfrey wrote in ''[[The Baltimore Sun|The Evening Sun]]'', "The only thing large about ''Big Eddie'' is growing wonder as to why it is still on the air."<ref name="es">{{cite news |last1=Winfrey |first1=Lee |title='Eddie': Big Or Dull? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-big-eddie-tv-show/125659615/ |access-date=June 1, 2023 |work=The Evening Sun |agency=KNI |date=October 16, 1975 |location=Maryland, Baltimore |page=22|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The review added that "each week the plots grow more surpassingly stupid, the guest stars less interesting, and the whole show steadily more arthritic in pace."<ref name="es" /> The title character was called "as dull as a reformed drunk" and the family's home life was summarized as "dull domesticity, just another unbelievable sitcom family, wrestling with piffling problems and pennywhistle crises."<ref name="es" />
 
==References==
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==External links==
*{{imdbIMDb title|0072477}}
*{{TV Guide|200038}}
*{{epguides|BigEddie}}
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[[Category:1975 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1975 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:CBS original programming]]▼
[[Category:Television shows set in New York City]]
▲[[Category:CBS original programmingsitcoms]]
 
 
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