# Bonino (TV series)

Bonino is a thirty-minute ethnic situation comedy television series starring Ezio Pinza. Originating in the Hudson Theatre in New York City, the program aired live on NBC from September 12 to December 26, 1953. The show was also known as I, Bonino, an alternate title that many newspapers and columnists used in place of the official name when the series premiered.
The inspiration for the series was a teleplay Robert Alan Aurthur wrote called Two for One, about a middle-aged widower who raises his children from a distance. It had appeared on an early anthology series, Television Playhouse.

## Premise

Babbo Bonino (Ezio Pinza) retires as a traveling concert singer, so he can live at home and help raise his eight motherless children. Columnist Erskine Johnson reported that the "Emphasis will be on human interest, situation comedy, and an occasional song".
A storyline concerning the engagement and marriage of oldest daughter Doris Bonino, intended to play out over four months, had to be accelerated when actress Lenka Peterson became pregnant before the show's premiere.

## Cast

The Bonino household
* Ezio Pinza – Babbo Bonino
* Mary Wickes – Martha (housekeeper)
* Conrad Janis – Edward Bonino (oldest child, doesn't appear until episode 5)
* Lenka Peterson – Doris Bonino (oldest daughter)
* Chet Allen – Pietro "Jerry" Bonino
* Oliver Andes – Carlo Bonino
* Gaye Huston – Fancesca Bonino
* Lucille Graygor – Angela Bonino
* Paul Jonali – Michael Bonino
* Van Dyke Parks – Andrew Bonino (youngest child, first appears in episode 4)
Others
* David Opatoshu – Walter Rogers (Bonino's show business manager)
* Mike Kellin – Rusty (Bonino's valet)
* Donald Harris – Took over the role of Rusty on November 18, 1953.
* Anthony Eisley – John Clinton

## Production

NBC announced the show would be on its fall schedule, with Pinza starring, in mid-August 1953. The signing of Mary Wickes, Mike Kellin, and David Opatoshu to the cast was reported a few days later. The projected budget for eight children proved expensive enough that producer Fred Coe reportedly considered cutting down the cast. The solution was to turn two of the child characters (portrayed by Lucille Graygor and Paul Jonali) into non-speaking roles, essentially making them "extras" with much lower pay. Only six of Bonino's children would have speaking parts. An additional expense dodge was that the oldest and youngest children, Edward and Andrew, did not appear until episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thomas Phipps and Robert Alan Aurthur created Bonino, and Aurthur was the program's writer. Fred Coe was the producer, and Gordon Duff was the director. Donald Voorhees conducted the live orchestra for each episode. The show's theme music was composed by Ezio Pinza and arranged by Ardon Cornwell.

## Response

After the premiere aired, Kay Gardella in the New York Daily News said that Pinza acquitted himself well as an actor, while "the first installment, while not brilliant, proved promising". However, columnist Jack O'Brian felt the premiere episode was overburdened with comedy cliches, and that the series would stand or fall on Pinza's personal appeal. Columnist Dwight Newton noted how similar were the first episode premises of Bonino and another new series called Make Room for Daddy; in each case a professional singer decides to stay home with the children he's been neglecting.

## Broadcast history

Bonino debuted at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, September 12, 1953, just after Ethel and Albert and before Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour. The starting date meant its premiere episode would go against the CBS summer replacement series The Larry Storch Show, giving it a week's grace before the return of The Jackie Gleason Show.
Since the show was broadcast live, stations on the NBC network in the Central and Mountain time zones saw it at 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. Stations not on the network feed, including those in the Pacific time zone, received a kinescope copy a week later.
Bonino was sponsored by Philip Morris cigarettes and Lady Esther cosmetics. It was replaced by a Spike Jones program.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | September 12, 1953 (1953-09-12) |
| Bonino retires from touring to stay home and deal with family problems. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 2 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | September 19, 1953 (1953-09-19) |
| Bonino meets the impoverished fiance of daughter Doris, and soon regrets being hostile. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 3 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | September 26, 1953 (1953-09-26) |
| Bonino insists Martha take a vacation, causing an uproar when she decides to quit instead. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 4 | "The Rebellion of Andy Bonino" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | October 3, 1953 (1953-10-03) |
| Bonino's youngest child rebells at having to start school. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 5 | "Jazz vs. Babbo" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | October 10, 1953 (1953-10-10) |
| Trombonist Edward Bonino drives his father crazy with his college Dixieland band. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 6 | "Rusty's Girl" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | October 17, 1953 (1953-10-17) |
| Bonino upsets his valet Rusty by saying his girl Charmaine can't sing. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 7 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | October 24, 1953 (1953-10-24) |
| Daughter Doris has plans to get married. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 8 | "Halloween Party" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | October 31, 1953 (1953-10-31) |
| A visiting Countess tries to snare Bonino but is stymied by trick-or-treaters. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 9 | "Doris Marries" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | November 7, 1953 (1953-11-07) |
| Emotional Bonino finds equanimity hard to maintain at daughter's wedding. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 10 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | November 14, 1953 (1953-11-14) |
| Bonino's new butler irks the household with his formality. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 11 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | November 21, 1953 (1953-11-21) |
| Teenager Jerry Bonino falls in love amidst much teasing from his siblings. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 12 | "Bonino Goes Duck Hunting" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | November 28, 1953 (1953-11-28) |
| Young Carlo Bonino objects to his father killing ducks. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 13 | TBA | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | December 5, 1953 (1953-12-05) |
| Two Bonino cousins from Italy think Bonino has become just a pop singer. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 14 | "Martha Comes Home From Vacation" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | December 12, 1953 (1953-12-12) |
| Martha the housekeeper returns from her extended vacation. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 15 | "The Boninos Celebrate Christmas" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | December 19, 1953 (1953-12-19) |
| A largely musical episode with the Bonino family singing carols. Cast: ||||||
| 1 | 16 | "Farewell Party" | Gordon Duff | Robert Alan Aurthur | December 26, 1953 (1953-12-26) |
| (Final episode) The family gives a farewell party for Edward as he leaves to join the Marines. Cast: ||||||