The Bill Dana Show is an American comedy series starring Bill Dana and Jonathan Harris that aired on NBC from September 22, 1963 to January 17, 1965. The plot follows the daily lifestyle of Latin American José Jiménez, as a bellhop in a New York City hotel.
The series was a spin-off from Make Room for Daddy, which showed the character of José as an elevator operator before he became a bellhop.
Contents
Synopsis
The hotel was practically José's entire world; he lived in special bachelor headquarters provided for hotel employees, ate in the hotel kitchen, and had social contact only with employees and guests of the hotel. In his goodhearted naivete, he saw only the good in the people around him. His biggest problems were his fellow bellhop Eddie (Gary Crosby), who was constantly trying to get José to wise up; the less-than-understanding hotel manager Mr. Phillips (Jonathan Harris, who would soon play Dr. Smith on Lost in Space) and the bumbling hotel detective Byron Glick (Don Adams, in a predecessor to the character he would play on Get Smart). In the second season, Maggie Peterson played Susie, a waitress in the hotel's coffee shop.
Walter Mitty-like dream sequences were occasionally used to extricate José from the hotel environment.
Dana did a cameo as José Jiménez on an episode of Batman. He introduces himself to Batman and Robin by saying "My name- José Jiménez". This episode was titled "The Yegg Foes in Gotham" and originally aired on ABC on October 20, 1966. It was the last time Dana played José Jiménez on network television, though he still occasionally performed the role on records and on stage.
Bill Dana was a close friend and collaborator of Don Adams. It was Dana who helped Adams develop his William Powell impression into a character. Dana further brought Adams onto The Bill Dana Show in virtually the same character he would later play on Get Smart. The "Would You Believe" routine, which Dana created, was seen first on Dana's series, though Dana never received credit nor compensation for creating Get Smart with Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, another performer whom Dana brought to television on The Steve Allen Show.
The Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody also featured a haughty hotel manager and a more comical Hispanic bellman.
Series run
The series, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, premiered on September 22, 1963 and ran for a season-and-a-half, before its run ended on January 17, 1965 (the following week, it was replaced by Branded).
Awards
The Bill Dana Show received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Comedy at the 16th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1964.
Broadcast Distribution
| National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (United States, 1963-1965)(TV)
| SFM Entertainment (United States, 1989)(syndication, TV)
| Weiss Global Enterprises (United States, 1993)(syndication, TV)
Home Video.
| Nu Ventures Video (United States, 1993)(VHS)
| Madacy Music Group (Canada, 1993)(30 episodes on 10 tapes., VHS)(Also came in a 10 tape boxed set)
| MPI Home Video (United States, 2026)(complete series, DVD)
Episodes
Season 2 (1964-65)
The first 7 episodes of season 2 Bill Dana as Jose Jimenez introduces each episode and guest star. This gets replaced by a "Cold Open" in episode 2.9.