The Hartmans


The Hartmans is an American television sitcom that aired live on NBC on Sunday nights from February 27 to May 22, 1949. The series stars Paul and Grace Hartman, a married couple who performed together on the vaudeville circuit and on the Broadway stage.

Plot

The series centers around a young married couple who live in Forest Heights, New York.

Cast

The Hartmans were given their own television series shortly after they won Tony Awards for the Broadway revue Angel in the Wings and Frank Wilson as writers. Textron was the sponsor. The show originated from WNBT on Sundays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

Critical response

A review in The New York Times of the program's premiere episode said that the show was "rather obviously patterned on radio's Fibber McGee and Molly. Jay Gould wrote that the direction and the script were weak and the main characters lacked detail.
In the trade publication Variety, a review of the same episode said "the program dragged too much in spots and the fault obviously lay with the script." It added that better writing and improved production should help the program to "settle down into a welcome Sunday night offering." Another flaw cited was the limited use of closeups of the Hartmans' expressive faces, as cameras were used more to show aspects of the show's multi-room set.