# Please Don't Eat the Daisies (TV series)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 14, 1965, to September 2, 1967. The series is based on the 1957 book by Jean Kerr and the 1960 film starring Doris Day and David Niven.
The series ran for 58 half-hour episodes and starred Patricia Crowley and Mark Miller. The show also features Dub Taylor, Clint Howard, Bonnie Franklin and Ellen Corby in recurring appearances. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum appear in the first-season episode "Say UNCLE" as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin from The Man from U.N.C.L.E., while Stefanie Powers appears as April Dancer from The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. in a second-season episode. Patricia Crowley had appeared in the pilot episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

## Synopsis

Joan and Jim Nash are a married couple who live in an old, turreted house in Ridgemont, New York, with their four rambunctious sons (Kyle, Joel, and identical twins Trevor and Tracy), a very tolerant live-in maid, and an enormous Old English sheepdog named Ladadog. Jim is a college English professor. Joan—who abhors everything having to do with homemaking and housework—is a freelance newspaper columnist whose columns focus on the humorous side of family life. Joan tries to keep things organized, but her family can be demanding. Chaos regularly breaks out, and the antics of the boys, the dog, her husband and the neighbors, as well as her own indifference to domestic chores, give her plenty of inspiration for her column, much to Jim's embarrassment.

## Cast

* Pat Crowley as Joan Nash
* Mark Miller as Jim Nash
* Kim Tyler as Kyle Nash
* Brian Nash as Joel Nash
* Jeff Fithian as Trevor Nash
* Joe Fithian as Tracy Nash
* Shirley Mitchell as Marge Thornton
* King Donovan as Herb Thornton
* Dub Taylor as Ed Hewley
* Ned Glass as Mr. Hastings
* Jeanne Arnold as Mrs. Podesta
* Bill Quinn as Dean Carter
* Bonnie Franklin as Dorie

## Broadcast history

In its first season, the show did fairly well in the ratings. It was scheduled on Tuesday nights opposite the second half of two veteran series on prime-time television, Rawhide on CBS and Combat! on ABC. In its second season, Please Don't Eat the Daisies was moved to Saturday nights, where it faced strong competition against the second half of The Jackie Gleason Show. The ratings fell, and NBC canceled the series in spring 1967.

## Episode list
### Season 1: (1965–66)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "My Eldest Child" | Jerry Thorpe | Jerry Thorpe | September 14, 1965 (1965-09-14) |
| Joan writes a newspaper article that she believes will not have her name on it. Unfortunately, everyone in town finds out her secret identity, and she gets in trouble with Jim, who is not as amused by what she wrote as the rest of the town. This is the only black-and-white episode of the series. ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "How About Two Gorillas?" | Howard Morris | Paul West | September 21, 1965 (1965-09-21) |
| Jim and Joan volunteer at the school variety show. To their dismay, the other volunteers are all professional entertainers. ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Who's Kicking That Gong Around?" | Jeffrey Hayden | Mary Loos & Richard Sale | September 28, 1965 (1965-09-28) |
| To avoid the household chaos, Joan retreats to the house's bell tower to write. While she's up there, someone removes the ladder, leaving her stranded. ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Dinner on the Rocks" | Jeffrey Hayden | Lee Erwin | October 5, 1965 (1965-10-05) |
| A kitchen catastrophe erupts when Joan fixes a meal for Jim's faculty friends. ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "We're Bigger Than They Are, But..." | Jeffrey Hayden | Bill Freedman & Ben Gershman | October 12, 1965 (1965-10-12) |
| No one at school or home can tell the twins apart, a fact that the twins use to good advantage. ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Look Who's Talking" | Peter Baldwin | Robert Stambler | October 19, 1965 (1965-10-19) |
| The boys start spreading the word that their mother is pregnant. ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Big Train" | David Alexander | Lee Erwin | October 26, 1965 (1965-10-26) |
| The Nashes learn that a strange thunderstorm strikes every 10 years, causing someone to disappear. ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Two Seats on the Moon Shot" | David Alexander | Paul West | November 2, 1965 (1965-11-02) |
| A man in a restaurant offers Joan an expense-paid trip to New York City. ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Shape Up or Ship Out" | Peter Baldwin | Bill Freedman & Bill Gershman | November 9, 1965 (1965-11-09) |
| Trouble ensues when Joan puts Joel in charge of the twins. ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Somewhere George is Calling" | Jeffrey Hayden | Bill Everett | November 16, 1965 (1965-11-16) |
| To raise money for gifts, Kyle and Joel conduct tours through their old, turreted house. ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Don't Fool Around with the Man Upstairs" | Peter Baldwin | Paul West | November 23, 1965 (1965-11-23) |
| Joel feels guilty when he goes to a carnival instead of Sunday school. ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Of Hitches and Stitches and Big Round Dogs" | Gary Nelson | Paul West | November 30, 1965 (1965-11-30) |
| Joan tries to make her sister-in-law's wedding a big success. ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Very, Very Huckleberry" | Peter Baldwin | Paul West | December 7, 1965 (1965-12-07) |
| Joan panics when the boys plan to go to sea on a rickety raft. ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "It's Lad by a Nose" | Ezra Stone | Ann Marcus | December 14, 1965 (1965-12-14) |
| Ladadog's future looks bleak when Joel's allergy is traced to dogs. ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "The Big Brass Blonde" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West | December 21, 1965 (1965-12-21) |
| Nerves are on edge as Joan and Jim await a movie star's appraisal of Joan's play. Guest star: Audrey Meadows ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Swing That Indian Club" | Sidney Miller | Bill Everett | December 28, 1965 (1965-12-28) |
| Joan plays hostess for Kyle's club, unaware that Kyle wants to quit. ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "The Pied Piper of Ridgemont" | John Erman | Story by : Sidney A. Mandel, Teleplay by : Sidney A. Mandel & Paul West | January 4, 1966 (1966-01-04) |
| Things go awry when Joan's father pays a visit after seven years in Africa. ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Say UNCLE" | Alvin Ganzer | Sidney Morse & Roy Kammerman | January 11, 1966 (1966-01-11) |
| The twins are convinced that their father is a secret agent. Guest stars: Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Nobody's Perfect" | Peter Baldwin | Arne Sultan | January 18, 1966 (1966-01-18) |
| Jim lands in jail after Joan forgets to pay a parking ticket. ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "My Good Friend, Whatsisname" | Alvin Ganzer | Paul West | January 25, 1966 (1966-01-25) |
| Jim tries to recall the name of the school friend he invited to dinner. ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "The Monster in the Basement" | Peter Baldwin | Paul West | February 1, 1966 (1966-02-01) |
| The Nashes frantically try to fix their temperamental furnace before a college-board VIP visits. ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Wring Out the Welcome Mat" | Gary Nelson | David C. Bruce | February 15, 1966 (1966-02-15) |
| A leaky roof convinces the Nashes that their house is a white elephant. ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "Move Over, Mozart" | Tay Garnett | Marlene Fanta Shyer | February 22, 1966 (1966-02-22) |
| Joan tries to guide Joel's musical career after she learns he has an unusual aptitude for music ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Who's Walking Under the Bed?" | Sidney Miller | Paul West | March 8, 1966 (1966-03-08) |
| Nerves are on edge as Jim's request for a raise goes to Dean Carter. ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "How Now, Hausfrau?" | John Erman | Paul West | March 15, 1966 (1966-03-15) |
| A reputation-destroying newspaper columnist wants to interview Joan. ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "Big Man on Campus" | Tay Garnett | Robert Stambler | March 22, 1966 (1966-03-22) |
| Joan tries to keep Jim from reading her unfinished play. ||||||
| 27 | 27 | "The Magnificent Muldoon" | David Alexander | Mark Miller | March 29, 1966 (1966-03-29) |
| The twins invite a hobo to dinner on the same night Jim is entertaining his boss. Guest star: Burgess Meredith ||||||
| 28 | 28 | "The Leaning Tower of Ridgemont" | David Alexander | Joseph C. & Carol Cavella | April 5, 1966 (1966-04-05) |
| The Nashes face eviction when a building inspector condemns their house. ||||||
| 29 | 29 | "Mine is the Luck of the Irish" | Richard Whorf | Robert Stambler | April 12, 1966 (1966-04-12) |
| Joan's father tries to get the Nashes to invest in a uranium mine. ||||||
| 30 | 30 | "Night of Knights" | Richard Whorf | Story by : Paul West, Teleplay by : Paul West & Robert Stambler | April 19, 1966 (1966-04-19) |
| Jim's drama class tries to make his birthday a memorable day. ||||||

### Season 2: (1966–67)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 31 | 1 | "The Purple Avenger" | Richard Kinon | Allan Manings & Milt Rosen | September 17, 1966 (1966-09-17) |
| The twins brag about their "in" with a television hero whom Joan dated. ||||||
| 32 | 2 | "My Mother's Name is Fred" | David Alexander | Jack Raymond | September 24, 1966 (1966-09-24) |
| Complications arise when Joan sells a story to a girlie magazine. ||||||
| 33 | 3 | "A-Hunting We Will Go" | Richard Kinon | Peggy Elliott & Ed Scharlach | October 1, 1966 (1966-10-01) |
| Jim is faced with the task of entertaining a visiting sportsman. ||||||
| 34 | 4 | "At Home with the Family" | Hollingsworth Morse | Michael Morris | October 8, 1966 (1966-10-08) |
| Confusion reigns as the Nashes prepare to appear on a TV program. ||||||
| 35 | 5 | "The Holdouts" | John Erman | Jack Raymond | October 15, 1966 (1966-10-15) |
| The boys try to wangle a cut of the money Joan received for an article about their antics. ||||||
| 36 | 6 | "Trouble Right Here in Ridgemont" | David Alexander | Austin Kalish & Irma Kalish | October 22, 1966 (1966-10-22) |
| Joan and Marge both claim ownership of a winning raffle ticket ||||||
| 37 | 7 | "Black is the Color of My Love's Eye" | John Erman | Sidney A. Mandel & Roy Kammerman | October 29, 1966 (1966-10-29) |
| A neighborhood girl gives Joel a black eye. ||||||
| 38 | 8 | "My Son, the Genius" | John Erman | Michael Adams (aka Meyer Dolinsky) | November 5, 1966 (1966-11-05) |
| Joel's unusual IQ score leads the Nashes to believe he's a budding genius. ||||||
| 39 | 9 | "The End of the Trailer" | Hollingsworth Morse | Elliot Robin | November 12, 1966 (1966-11-12) |
| Jim tries to discourage Dean Carter from buying his trailer, which is a lemon. ||||||
| 40 | 10 | "My Son, the Actor" | Herbert Coleman | Milton Pascal | November 19, 1966 (1966-11-19) |
| The Nashes try to find out if their sons have acting abilities. ||||||
| 41 | 11 | "Of Haunted Houses, Little Boys, and a Ghost Named Malcolm" | Hollingsworth Morse | Story by : Stanley H. Silverman and Jay E. Selby (aka Robert Lees), Teleplay by : William Cowley | November 26, 1966 (1966-11-26) |
| A drifter secretly takes up residence in the Nash house. ||||||
| 42 | 12 | "And What Does Your Husband Do?" | Bruce Bilson | William Cowley | December 3, 1966 (1966-12-03) |
| Jealousies surface after Joan is named Woman of the Year. ||||||
| 43 | 13 | "Just for Laughs" | Bruce Bilson | Robert Stambler | December 10, 1966 (1966-12-10) |
| A one-day Nash survival test illustrates how not to get mom's hand out of the garbage disposal. ||||||
| 44 | 14 | "The Guardian" | John Erman | Michael Morris | December 24, 1966 (1966-12-24) |
| At an auction, Joan tries to retrieve the twins' painting, which is glued to the family tax return. ||||||
| 45 | 15 | "Peace, It's Wonderful" | Richard Kinon | Gene Thompson | January 7, 1967 (1967-01-07) |
| Joan and Jim clash when they try to help Herb and Marge settle an argument. ||||||
| 46 | 16 | "The Silent Butler Spoke" | Richard Kinon | William Cowley | January 14, 1967 (1967-01-14) |
| Trouble begins when the Nashes hire a former thief. Guest star: Whit Bissell ||||||
| 47 | 17 | "The Cupid Machine" | Michael D. Moore | William Cowley | January 21, 1967 (1967-01-21) |
| Joan signs up with a computer dating service to research an article. ||||||
| 48 | 18 | "The Thing's the Play" | Stanley Z. Cherry | Tom Adair & John Elliotte | January 28, 1967 (1967-01-28) |
| Jim's reputation as a drama coach hangs in the balance when Joan's play is entered in a drama competition. ||||||
| 49 | 19 | "The Officer of the Court" | Bruce Bilson | William Cowley | February 4, 1967 (1967-02-04) |
| Herb the lawyer finds himself in a mess when he represents Jim and Joan in two different cases. ||||||
| 50 | 20 | "None So Righteous" | Bruce Bilson | Robert Stambler | February 11, 1967 (1967-02-11) |
| The Righteous Brothers join the Nashes in a parent-teacher association musical in which the Righteous Brothers sing "Along Came Jones" and Joan sings "Queen of the House." ||||||
| 51 | 21 | "Remember Lake Serene?" | Don Appell | William Cowley | February 18, 1967 (1967-02-18) |
| Joan and Marge plan a sneaky plot to marry off a bachelor friend. Guest star: Stefanie Powers as April Dancer ||||||
| 52 | 22 | "Pest in the House" | Bruce Bilson | David Braverman & Bob Marcus | February 25, 1967 (1967-02-25) |
| Disaster strikes when house guest Herb does his share of the chores. ||||||
| 53 | 23 | "Help Wanted, Desperately" | Hollingsworth Morse | William Cowley | March 4, 1967 (1967-03-04) |
| The Nashes have a problem when the new maid slows things down. Guest star: Mary Treen ||||||
| 54 | 24 | "Just While You're Resting" | Bruce Bilson | William Cowley | March 11, 1967 (1967-03-11) |
| Joan's new servant is all heart — and no help. ||||||
| 55 | 25 | "When I Was a Young Man" | Bruce Bilson | Neil Travis | March 25, 1967 (1967-03-25) |
| The Nashes recall the hectic early years of Joan and Jim's marriage. ||||||
| 56 | 26 | "Professor, Please!" | Bruce Bilson | William Cowley | April 1, 1967 (1967-04-01) |
| Joan and Jim clash when a mystery woman comes between them. ||||||
| 57 | 27 | "A Matter of Concentration" | Bruce Bilson | William Cowley & Robert Stambler | April 8, 1967 (1967-04-08) |
| Jim suffers from wounded pride after Joan buys gifts for everyone. ||||||
| 58 | 28 | "The Day the Play Got Away" | Bruce Bilson | Ed Adamson | April 22, 1967 (1967-04-22) |
| Jim's sabbatical begins an ordeal of self-doubt for him: He can't concentrate on his writing, and his replacement has taken over his pet project. ||||||