Found this one on you tube, in three parts. Bette Davis is Liz, "the decorator", and the awesome Mary Wickes is her assistant, Viola. In this first episode that apparently never made it to air, Ed Begley is the Judge, who yells his way through the show. His daughter "Missy" is getting married to "Jim (don't see their names in the credits on IMDb.. anyone know who they were ?) The first half has some clever laughs, but the rest of it is just a bunch of yelling and family squabbles. REALLY clever idea about her moving in with any clients for whom she is going to work ... good setup for a TV series. Since this one never made it, I guess we'll never know if she was going to stick around with the judge, or were there going to be new clients each week? The credits at five minutes in say "Guest star - Ed Begley". Miss Bette made this one in between Sweet Charlotte and The Nanny, so I'm sure missing out on THIS project didn't disturb her much. I'm a HUGE fan of mary wickes... if you haven't seen her in Now Voyager or The Man who Came to Dinner, ya gotta go see em! She's great, and totally under-rated. Directed by Richard Kinon,who seems to have done LOTS of television series. Too bad this one didn't happen.
6 Reviews
Great watching!
aspid-istra3 May 2019
Margo Channing; 15 years later..?
merrill22224 November 2017
I just found this on YouTube, in it's entirety. Actually, I don't think it's so bad? I read the two other reviews, and I get-it about over-the- top acts, and this wasn't some Lucy Show, agree. But personally? I think the concept was a good one for 1965 and could've worked! I think if they used the approach of the Davis/Liz character being a Margo Channing who'd recently retired from a long NY stage/theater career some 15 years later, moved out West to her nice little beach cottage with her good old' pal and biz mgr; who was the Ritter/Birdie in 1950's "Eve" and now the Wickes/Viola character in this ... to pursue her hidden flair of interior decorating her wealthy client's homes! (??) This would have been the PERFECT vehicle for that and would have made it with some various (obvious) tweaks here and there. Because I'm sure audiences (fans) were "still" wanting to see 1950 Margo Channing in 1965. It looks they were on the right track with this one, it just had not proper marketing, if any. I agree Begley could have toned down. I agree about those old laugh tracks too. Although Davis may not have been hilarious, I think she held her own - as usual. And simply viewing the legendary Drama-Queen, Ms Davis, do a comedic sitcom? Well, that's comedy in itself right there! And aside all else? She was Bette 'Friggin' Davis! The audience wouldn't have expected her to act like a screwball "Lucy Ricardo" character! Mary Wickes? What another awesome legend as well. Maybe it should've been a Comedy/Drama? And, in technicolor too? Show off that gold/red hair, and clothes. I say, it had potential to grow-up, given the chance. But in 1965, Bette probably could have taken or leaven it, either way.
Bellowing Begley
bkoganbing12 September 2020
The Decorator was an unsold pilot that Aaron Spelling produced for Bette Davis
in the title role and Mary Wickes as her girl Friday. Davis is an interior decorator
who has a policy of moving into he lives of her clients and does some rearranging
of their lives as well as their homes.
Davis and Wickes worked fine together but the real treat in this pilot was bellowing Ed Begley, a blowhard Texas oil millionaire whom he hires to redo his house. Davis gives him more than he bargained for.
Too bad Spelling didn't have a pilot going in regard to Begley and his family. He would have been one unforgettable TV dad.
Davis and Wickes worked fine together but the real treat in this pilot was bellowing Ed Begley, a blowhard Texas oil millionaire whom he hires to redo his house. Davis gives him more than he bargained for.
Too bad Spelling didn't have a pilot going in regard to Begley and his family. He would have been one unforgettable TV dad.
Every castle must have a moat and a draw bridge!
mark.waltz8 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Bette Davis is noted on screen and off for, if not her stubbornness, for her determination to dominate. Here, she takes on an equally stubborn little girl over the creation of a sand castle, and their brief conversations could have easily have continued on and off had this TV pilot become a series. It is obvious that Bette Davis was determined to continue to work as long as she could, and even for non-fans of Ms. Davis, the admiration for her tenacity is still prevalent. While there have been many strange stars of sitcoms, people have always questioned if they were right for comedy. Having done screwball comedy in the 1930's and 40's amidst her melodramas, historical epics and love stories, Davis was indeed a funny lady, and if those films and TV interview appearances don't convince you of that, this failed pilot just might do the trick.
Here, Davis is an interior decorator, much in need of work, nearly broke and nagged by assistant Mary Wickes over her inability to pay her bills. She's also generous, giving each of her clients expensive gifts, part of the reason why she is broke. Along comes cantankerous oil man Ed Begley (Sr.) who wants Davis to decorate his old farmhouse simply as a ploy to keep his daughter from marrying a man he disapproves of. But "Miss Fix It" Davis sees that the two young people (two unbilled actors, even on the IMDB) love each other and plots to teach Begley a thing or two about love, especially in dealing with his long-suffering wife who would love to move back into the farmhouse and away from the big garish mansion he built after making a success of himself. I don't know that this could be a long-running series (Davis seemed to get bored with long runs on the stage), but it had potential. Wickes, as usual, gets in some of her great zingers (a reunion for her and Davis after 3 movies), and Begley is gregarious. But in her Margo Channing look, it's Davis who commands the attention, taking down the imperious Begley simply with a glare or a smug line. As the decorator of her own career, Davis remains a force to be reckoned with.
Here, Davis is an interior decorator, much in need of work, nearly broke and nagged by assistant Mary Wickes over her inability to pay her bills. She's also generous, giving each of her clients expensive gifts, part of the reason why she is broke. Along comes cantankerous oil man Ed Begley (Sr.) who wants Davis to decorate his old farmhouse simply as a ploy to keep his daughter from marrying a man he disapproves of. But "Miss Fix It" Davis sees that the two young people (two unbilled actors, even on the IMDB) love each other and plots to teach Begley a thing or two about love, especially in dealing with his long-suffering wife who would love to move back into the farmhouse and away from the big garish mansion he built after making a success of himself. I don't know that this could be a long-running series (Davis seemed to get bored with long runs on the stage), but it had potential. Wickes, as usual, gets in some of her great zingers (a reunion for her and Davis after 3 movies), and Begley is gregarious. But in her Margo Channing look, it's Davis who commands the attention, taking down the imperious Begley simply with a glare or a smug line. As the decorator of her own career, Davis remains a force to be reckoned with.
I could see why this one was never picked up by the networks.
planktonrules23 May 2017
"The Decorator" is an unsold television pilot. And, after watching it, I can clearly understand why it was not approved by any of the networks.
The show stars Bette Davis as the title character. She's okay in the story but practically everything she says is punctuated by a very intrusive laugh track...which is odd since almost nothing she says is funny. But this isn't THE problem with the show. Ed Begley Sr. plays 'the Judge' and he is basically Yosemite Sam--a Southern caricature who mostly yells his lines and is completely annoying...as well as stupid. It's a shame, as he was a good actor...but here he is at his very worst.
Perhaps without Begley and if it had not been a comedy it might have worked. As it is, however, it's a half hour of your life you'll beg to get back!!
The show stars Bette Davis as the title character. She's okay in the story but practically everything she says is punctuated by a very intrusive laugh track...which is odd since almost nothing she says is funny. But this isn't THE problem with the show. Ed Begley Sr. plays 'the Judge' and he is basically Yosemite Sam--a Southern caricature who mostly yells his lines and is completely annoying...as well as stupid. It's a shame, as he was a good actor...but here he is at his very worst.
Perhaps without Begley and if it had not been a comedy it might have worked. As it is, however, it's a half hour of your life you'll beg to get back!!
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