It's Always Jan

It's Always Jan is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1955–56 television season. The series stars Janis Paige as a widowed nightclub singer struggling to make ends meet.

Synopsis
Janis Stewart is a war widow and struggling nightclub singer who lives in an apartment in New York City on the East Side of Manhattan with her 10-year-old daughter Josie. Jan faces the challenges of raising Josie as a single mother, and her finances are precarious. To help pay the rent, Jan and Josie share their small apartment with two women who are friends of Jan: Pat Murphy, a secretary for a theatrical producer, and Val Marlowe, an aspiring actress and model. Harry Cooper is Jan's longtime agent and loyal friend. Stanley Schreiber is the 20-year-old son of the man who owns the neighborhood delicatessen and works as a delivery boy there.

Jan performs regularly at Tony's Cellar, a nightclub in Manhattan. She is talented and hopes for bigger things in her career, but never gets the big break in show business she hopes for. Jan, Pat, and Val often bicker with one another over the eligible bachelors they meet and compete with one another for the men's attention.

Cast

 * Janis Paige as Janis "Jan" Stewart, a struggling nightclub singer.
 * Jeri Lou James as Josie Stewart, Janis's ten-year-old daughter.
 * Patricia Bright as Pat Murphy, secretary and one of Janis and Josie's roommates.
 * Merry Anders as Val Marlowe, aspiring actress and one of Janis and Josie's roommates.
 * Arte Johnson as Stanley Schreiber, delivery boy for the local delicatessen.
 * Sid Melton as Harry Cooper, Janis's agent.

Production
Desilu Productions and Janard Productions, a partnership of Janis Paige and series producer Arthur Stander, co-produced It′s Always Jan. Paige sang a song in most episodes. Her Jan Stewart character′s hairstyle resembled that of Lucille Ball′s Lucy Ricardo character on the hit series I Love Lucy, also filmed at Desilu. Each episode ended with the Jan Stewart character turning to the camera and saying "Good night" to the television audience.

In mid-December 1955, Patricia Bright broke her right kneecap and Merry Anders had to leave the show to have a baby. Episodes were written so that Bright's Pat Murphy character could appear only while sitting down, and Anders's Val Marlowe character was temporarily written out of the series. After her baby's birth, Anders and her Val character returned to the series.

It′s Always Jan′s premise bore similarities to the plots of two hit movies, 1953′s How to Marry a Millionaire and 1954′s Three Coins in the Fountain, both of which also featured three man-chasing women. Merry Anders, who portrayed Val Marlowe in It's Always Jan, went on to star in the 1958–1959 syndicated television series How to Marry a Millionaire.

Reception
It's Always Jan proved to be somewhat popular, as Paige appeared on the cover of TV Guide magazine for the January 28th, 1956 issue. The earliest known mention of the program is from a week prior to the show's premiere, stating: "'The term 'situation comedy' has fallen into such disrepute even the networks now shun it. They're calling 'em 'comedy dramas.' At least, that's what CBS terms JANIS PAIGE's new show: It's Always Jan.'"

However, the program seems to have received a more lukewarm reception from critics. The October 15th, 1955 issue of TV Guide states: "It’s Always Jan —which presents Janis Paige in her first TV series—is worth watching, but it lacks enough novelty to lift it above the 'just another situation comedy' groove... The stories are funny enough to draw some laughs (although not as many as you’ll hear on the sound-track), and they occasionally generate genuine sympathy and affection for the characters portrayed. But the show usually catches fire only when Miss Paige, as a night club singer struggling to become a Broadway star, sings—and she does only one song a week. Otherwise, the show revolves about the problems of Jan’s child - the danger of her being spoiled by the three older girls, her chances of be¬ coming a child actress... Remember My Friend Irma? Add a third roommate and you just about have It’s Always Jan."

Broadcast history
It's Always Jan premiered on CBS on September 10, 1955. It lasted only a single season, and its last original episode aired on April 28, 1956. CBS broadcast reruns of It′s Always Jan in prime time during 1956 from May 12 to May 26 and from June 9 to June 30. The show was broadcast from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays throughout its prime-time run.

After It′s Always Jan′s CBS run ended, NBC aired reruns of the show on weekday afternoons as episodes of the network's Comedy Time series from August 12 to September 21, 1956.

Preservation status
Despite its CBS and NBC reruns and the Desilu policy of recording programs for distribution to syndication, It's Always Jan never received an official home release or later run on nostalgia-based television networks such as TV Land or MeTV. As of 2024, one episode - "Guilty Conscience" - is available online in both black-and-white and in a colorized version.

Episodes
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