Car 54, Where Are You? (TV Series 1961–1963) Poster

(1961–1963)

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8/10
"Ooh, ooh! So Francis ya don't think I know who Leonard Bernstein is, do ya? Well I saw him on Television. He's a Band Leader!"...Officer Gunther Toody (Joe E. Ross)
redryan6425 August 2007
Taking a cue from his previously screened and highly successful SGT. BILKO series(aka YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH 1955-59), creator Nat Hiken went to the extensive pool of existing talent in the comedian /comic/funny man line. It was here that he found names like Jimmy Little, Joe E. Ross and even BILKO Star Phil Silvers had his comedic roots on stage in either Vaudeville or Burlesque.

In the casting of the players, Mr.Hiken and company made use of the available and eager New York stage actors. What could be more natural? After all, CAR 54 would be a Sitcom that was set in New York City about the Policemen of New York. Ergo, it would behoove any creative persons involved to add a certain otherwise unattainable degree of realism by using native born New Yorkers! (Duh!) The use of what must be described as "Obvious Humor" was a regular element of the series. Often the gags could be spotted coming from a ways out, yet the execution of the dialog by the players and the practice of milking a running gag for all its worth before finishing with it.

Hence we had a situation in one episode where Officer Francis Muldoon(Fred Gwynne) laments childhood experience wherein the kids at school referred to him as "Horse Face." Officer Gunther Toody(Joe E. Ross), his partner consoles him by telling him: "Don't worry Francis, kids just repeat what other people say!" And if this wasn't enough, Toody later adds: "After all, Francis, everybody liked Black Beauty!" They would sometimes take it beyond twice, but no matter it would be "resolved" in one way or another. And the charm of it was all was done straight-faced and serious.

The use of Cops as a Comic Foil has been around been with us ever since there has been Authority to deal with. When Mr. Mack Sennett gave us his Keystone Kops(and their immediate ancestor, Sennett's BANGVILLE POLICE)the use of the Cop as an outlet for humorous purposes was already a well established tradition on stage;be it in Vaudeville, English Music Hall, Burlesque, Stage Drama or Broadway Musical.Looking back further, we see in newspaper cartoons (not Comic Strips)be they straight humor or the Editorial type, this in heavy evidence.

There is one other area that CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? makes points that may not be apparent to a viewer. Unless you have been a Cop or had close family "on the job" it might completely miss you. (And this is no fault on anyone's.) Most of our TV Cops were characterized as little more than some sort of law enforcing robots. Oh, there were some exceptions, but for the most part series like Jack Webb's ADAM 12, portrayed what could almost pass for training film conversations. The team of Reed & Malloy seemed more interested in discussing street cop secrets and department procedure than sports, movies, where to get your car fixed or broads, even.

Mr. Hiken's crew not only humanized Cops, but took them a step further in showing some human foibles. And that,in the bigger picture of the Cinema & TV, may well be the greatest contribution that Nat Hiken and CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? provided.

This Cop Sitcom/Farce is one of the best representative series of its period(The early to mid 1960's). If you are not familiar with it, it's high time you met. If not on an outlet like NICK AT NIGHT, then try VHS or DVD's. Even a purchase would be well worthwhile.
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8/10
Law Enforcement In The Bronx
bkoganbing2 August 2009
Some of the warmest and funniest humor that was ever put on television came from the fertile pen of Nat Hiken when he created Car 54 Where Are You. As it came out at the beginning of the Kennedy presidency and only lasted two seasons, it can be said that it was a perfect fit for the Camelot years. After November of 1963 a gentle show like this albeit about cops would not have made it any longer.

In fact I can hardly believe it only lasted for two seasons, it seemed to go on forever in syndication. Speaking of JFK there was one episode I remember vividly about a patrolman who got a reputation as a jinx and no one wanted to ride with him. He did however pick up a certain VIP in 1960 and deliver him to a television broadcast. The VIP was Richard Nixon on the way to his debate.

The leads were Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne. Ross was a veteran of that other Nat Hiken creation the Phil Silvers Show where he played Mess Sergeant Rizzo. Ross played Gunther Toody who was an amiable goof who was assigned to give the benefit of his street wisdom to new partner Francis Muldoon. Gwynne as Muldoon was a tall shy almost backward kid and the only one who Toody might have seemed to have wisdom to impart. The funny thing is that somehow these two got through some very interesting situations and many times came out on top if not always by the book. They drove precinct Captain Bloch (Paul Reed) to total distraction.

The mark of a great show is the fact that even after almost 50 years I can still remember some individual episodes. I remember Molly Picon as Mrs. Bronson who simply would not be dispossessed from her home. I remember an episode with a parrot who learned from Ross to say I hate Captain Bloch. I remember a really wonderful episode where Toody and Muldoon try to get a decent bar mitzvah turnout for the son of Pokrass the landlord played by B.S. Pully. That was difficult because the stingy Pokrass was probably the most hated man in the Bronx. Still they managed in something not covered in the police manual.

You can see a lot of Car 54 in the Barney Miller Show in the next decade and I've a feeling that Toody and Muldoon may have wound up as instructors at the Police Academy.

I so wish the TV Land Channel would run this show.
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9/10
Very Under Rated Show
tomfsloan1 May 2020
A perfect cast on show that was far too short lived. Each character had their own memorable quirks and personalities. Some of the plots were extremely well thought out, quite complex, and well paced. Movie worthy plots. But there were a few other episodes that were far less than stellar. Overall, still an excellent show with great quirky humor. They did not shy away from the varied ethnicities depicted by the local folk either.
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Riotous TV comedy series
Jill-3014 April 1999
"There's a holdup in the Bronx. Brooklyn's broken out in fights. There's a traffic jam in Harlem that's backed up to Jackson Heights. There's a scout troop short a child. Kruschev's due at Idlewild. Car 54, Where Are You?"

In the mixed Jewish and Italian 53rd precinct of the Bronx, two mismatched police officers, Gunther Toody and his partner, Francis Muldoon, patrol their section in Car 54. Gunther, a married man, is short, heavyset, and, a dummy. Francis, a bachelor living with his mother, is tall, skinny, and cultured. Practicing an early form of community policing, these two kind-hearted, childish men are beloved in the neighborhood. But their efforts to circumvent stern law usually backfire and embarrass their precinct commander, Captain Block.

This program, a gem of Jewish humor, packed a half-hour of riotous laughter into every show. Each character in it was well-formed and extreme. The guest stars were just as hilarious. Although "I Love Lucy" is remembered as the premier TV comedy series of the 1950's, "Car 54, Where Are You?" extracted more humor out of normal situations. One cannot watch it without getting a belly-ache. It was the funniest show on television.
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10/10
Best Show Ever
solomon-nancy22 November 2006
Car 54 was the funniest show ever to grace the airwaves. The acting was dead-on perfection and the writing far superior to anything we have on-air today. The funniest episode involved a parrot that Captain Block had for years but was unable to teach it to talk. After one day with our heroes, the parrot ends up saying "I hate Captain Block", repeatedly. This is the funniest show I have ever seen! My husband first showed it to me shortly after I came out of the hospital for surgery. I laughed so hard that I thought my stitches would pop and I had to beg him to shut it off until later! If you have never seen this show you are in for a tremendous treat!! I love this show; when will it come on DVD? I can't wait to show all the episodes to our children.
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10/10
One The All-Time Great Comedy Shows - Where Is The DVD?
ccthemovieman-112 June 2006
Boy, I am still waiting for a DVD or two of this classic television show, giving us seasons worth of episodes, not just a couple of episodes on tape. This show was a comedy classic; one of the best ever.

This particular VHS tape I am reviewing features two past shows, one of which is one of my all-time favorites: "The Taming of Lucille." Humor is subject but to me that episode is one of the funniest ever on TV as henpecked "Gunther Toody" (Joe E. Ross) tries to turn the tables on his wife. After he and partner Francis Muldoon (Fred Gwynne) watch a presentation of "The Taming the Shrew" in Central Park, and later Toody sees his cousin Al dominate his wife Rose, he thinks he can do the same....with hilarious results. Beatrice Pons, as "Lucile," is a hoot, too. Ross and Pons played the same roles in the earlier "You'll Never Get Rich" television how featuring Phil Silvers as "Sgt. Bilko."

The other episode is a famous one, too, although not as funny. In this show, Toody winds up on the Jack Paar show, hosted by Hugh Downs. A fellow policeman is "discovered" as a real comic and is invited on the show, only to get stage-fright and be rescued by Toody, who then takes his place as the star comic. He's invited back and....well....deja vu all over again, as Yogi Berra supposedly once said.

These are two shows guaranteed to give you a lot of laughs for 50 minutes (25 minutes per show). I just hope someone the whole series becomes available.
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10/10
A Hidden Classic
snoops21 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I first became acquainted with "Car 54 Where Are You" almost 20 years ago. I was 18, fresh out of high school, and loved to get my "nightly dose" of Nick at Nite. I'll admit, I did not connect with it right away, however, one night, everything changed. In the beginning, I would glance at the show in passing, but one night, I sat down and watched an episode in its entirety, and immediately became hooked! I fell in love with the guys at the 53rd precinct in the Bronx. Not only was the casting superb, but so was the writing. The show would win an Emmy for outstanding direction in 1962, an honor rightfully deserved.

I could not imagine anyone else other than Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne being Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon. The two were completely different, both on screen and in real life. Toody was short, stocky, nosy, and not very bright. He lived with his loud, domineering wife, Lucille. Muldoon was very tall, quiet, and more intelligent. He was a shy bachelor, who still lived with his Mother, and had two younger sisters. Joe E. Ross dropped out of high school, and became a singing waiter, before becoming a stand-up comic, while Fred Gwynne graduated from Harvard. However, the chemistry between the two was undeniable and amazing. The two policemen each had a heart of gold, and the zany adventures they would get caught up in were outrageous! Other cast members included Beatrice Pons, Al Lewis, Charlotte Rae, Nipsey Russell, Ossie Davis, Paul Reed, and Hank Garrett. This was one of the first shows to regularly feature actors of other ethnicities, and they were not there to be the "butt" of everyone else's jokes. They were simply there because it was an accurate representation of the real world, a rather significant step for a television show in the early 1960s.

If you ever get a chance to watch an episode or two, please do so! You will be blessed to discover a REAl gem, and you will be a fan for life;-)
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10/10
Simply superb show - one of the truly funniest shows ever
rooster_davis24 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is a tremendous show. For one thing the characters were all unique and well developed and funny in their own way - like, say, the characters on Seinfeld. Nobody is on the show just to fill in the gaps and provide some dialog, virtually every character is an oddball and a key player in the show in his or her own way. Some of my favorite episodes and moments: --Officer Muldoon, the shy bachelor, has a secret heartthrob - Theresa Tangiers, a stupid blonde bimbo of a Hollywood actress. Through a strange turn of events (of course) she ends up rooming at Muldoon's house. When introduced to Muldoon's younger sister who is in college, the vapid Tangiers says 'Good! Someone I can talk to on my own innalectual level!' --When officer Schnauzer and his wife attend a wedding, she regrets that she and her husband were married at City Hall and she wants to have a REAL wedding, starting with being courted and proposed to. At first everyone thinks this is nuts but one at a time she draws most of the other characters in, to the point where she regresses to being a 'young' single girl living with her parents (the Toody's) and eventually wins her fancy wedding. But on the day of the wedding, with guests and minister waiting at a fancy place and a big reception, Schnauzer and his wife call to say that they are so back-in-love again that they couldn't wait and once more get married at City Hall. The Toody's get 'married' so as to not let the event go to waste, while Muldoon rolls his eyes. --Talking about whether Leo Schnauzer had an unhappy childhood, Gunther Toody says that he must have been unhappy, because 'Imagine that face, on a kid.' --In one episode Toody and Muldoon try to buy something special for Captain Block as a Christmas present and decide to buy an antique for his collection. ("But they're so old..." offers Toody.) The Captain has an Aleution ceremonial chair, a big ugly thing, which is part of a matched set but the owner of the other chair refuses to sell it. When Toody finds the matching chair at an auction house he and Muldoon go all out to win it at the auction, having Ofcr. Schnauzer come to bid in plain clothes. Their presence in uniform at the auction scares all the other auction-goers so that they are afraid to bid on anything. As a result, to not draw attention to themselves and the chair they want to buy, they bid on other things besides the chair but since nobody else is bidding they are getting everything for cheap. The despondent auctioneer is seeing things like a hand-carved cuckoo clock that took nine years to make, selling for ten cents. At the end they get the chair, and then find out that it was the Captain's chair - the fact that he couldn't have both chairs made him so mad that he got rid of the one he had, and they have just gone through all this to buy it back for him. --Toody decides to become an expert on SOMETHING so he brings home the first volume of the encyclopedia. "What are going to do with that?" his wife asks? "What do most people do with a book?" he responds. "Most people READ it, but what are YOU going to do with it?" she asks again. The woman who played Toody's wife (Beatrice Pons) was a gem. My favorite line of hers is when she consoles her husband, "You're not stupid, you just don't know too much." This is a tremendous show. How it lasted only a couple of seasons is beyond me. I am waiting for it to come out on DVD and I will definitely grab the whole set of episodes. An all-time comedy classic.
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7/10
I didn't appreciate it when I was younger,,,
grizzledgeezer3 May 2015
Nat Hiken's "You'll Never Get Rich" (later renamed "The Phil Silvers Show", but commonly known as "Sgt. Bilko") was the first //really good// American sitcom. It was actually funny. (The same basic premise -- a con man in the Army -- would later be "borrowed" by "F Troop".)

I was 14 when "Car 54...", Hiken's follow-up series, premiered. It just wasn't up to "You'll Never Get Rich". Oh, there was a great episode or two (the one in which T&M attempt to get tickets for a play remains a classic), but the show, as a whole, disappointed me. Nothing in it matched Phil Silver's constant conniving.

Watching reruns, I realize how unappreciative I was of the generally smart writing. The humor is mostly character-based, not the piling on of lame jokes and forced humor. New York, being the city it is, offered plenty of room for oddball situations (a lode which would further be mined by "Barney Miller".)

"Car 54..." isn't a truly great sitcom, but it's better than 95% of the sitcoms that have (dis)graced American television. It's worth an occasional viewing.
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10/10
Just Amazing
kelly-anne31218 January 2010
I'm fourteen and I've always said I've grown up in the wrong times. Car 54 just proves it.

I'm known for loving the classic TV shows, especially ones none of my friends have heard of or have never seen. I'm a huge fan of Car 54 and The Munsters.

There's just something about programmes like them. My friends wouldn't watch them at all because they're in black and white and because some bits of humour I understand more than them.

I'm also a huge fan of the classic Batman. It makes me think I should've grown up in the 50's and 60's, so I was around to watch them all when they first aired.

Car 54 is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing TV shows in history!
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10/10
Easily one of the best-written, best performed and best produced sitcoms in television history
garytheroux30 August 2011
Easily one of the funniest sitcoms in television history. Everything about this show worked -- from the superb, rapid-fire writing and lightning-fast editing to the absolutely flawless cast performances. Way, way, way ahead of it's time, every FRAME of every episode of "Car 54" dazzles and delights. You watch and are amazed that so many perfectly crafted and performed gags plus so much story and vivid characterizations were crammed into every 22 minute outing. It's hard to pick a favorite episode, but one of the best features non-actor game show host Jan Murray judging an all-cop barbershop harmony contest in which every quartet entered sings the same song: 1910's "By The Light of the Silv'ry Moon." Murray's resulting slow descent into insanity is unbelievably funny and marked the high water mark of his career. After the high-rated show won an Emmy in 1963, everyone connected to "Car 54" expected it to be picked up for a third season -- but that never happened. Why? Because the wife of NBC's head at the time loved "The Virginian" -- and insisted that her husband expand that western to 90 minutes. That meant something 30 minutes long had to be dropped from NBC's prime-time schedule. Unbelievably, they chose to axe "Car 54" -- the best show on NBC at that time. Series star Fred Gwynne moved on to "The Munsters" and brought along his best friend from the "Car 54" cast, Al Lewis. Joe E. Ross teamed with Imogene Coca to star on the short- lived series "It's About Time." Both of those shows, of course, were enormous steps down from the brilliant insanity of "Car 54." The cancellation broke the heart (and creative drive) of eight-time Emmy winning series creator and chief scriptwriter Nat Hiken. After "Car 54," Nat's only major project was "The Love God," a minor Don Knotts movie. Hiken died of a heart attack in 1968 at age 54. The only good thing about Nat's early passing was that he didn't have to wince like the rest of us did when his "Car 54" concept was ruined by the producers, writers and cast of the insultingly bad 1994 feature film version. Of the original TV cast, only minor players Al Lewis and Nipsey Russell turned up in the movie via cameos (even though other original cast members were still around). Lewis later said he knew the film version was crap but needed the money.
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1/10
Pure crap.
flackjacket20 March 2016
Wow, what an utter pile of steaming poop. Decades is showing a weekend "series binge" of this show, which I've never seen before. I usually like the old black and white shows, but this is pure crap. First is the annoying theme song, "Car 54 where are you?" The obvious answer based on the helium induced vocals would be, "Pushing in someone's stool."

Joe E. Ross's character is like a three stooges reject, with his constant annoying, "Ew, ew, ew." And Fred Gwynne is a total idiot. Sad to say, he looked better with all the makeup he wore on the Munsters. They really should take all of the episodes of this train wreck, soak them in gasoline and set them on fire.
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Hey! Cops really are human!
crazy-1215 September 2004
This is the only police show I remember from those earlier days that shows members of a professional police force in such a light hearted way. As a retired cop myself, I know it was obviously not to be taken seriously of course. In my opinion, a lot of things on that show, though not all, could happen in real life. This is especially true when the cops are off duty and get into situations which include their personal life. Even a lot of the on duty antics are not out of touch with reality, such as when the guys are alone in the locker room. It truly shows law enforcement in a relaxing, humorous way. Cops really are human!
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10/10
CAR 54 (on DVD) where are you?
Little-Mikey19 September 2009
I remember watching this show when I was 7, and it was still on prime time. I thought the show was a riot back then.

I also remember watching this show when it was on NICK AT NITE in 1987. I was older and wiser, but that didn't stop me from laughing till it hurt every time I watched this show.

As if this show isn't funny enough, each episode had a story line that ended just before the final commercial break. Then, following the commercial break, came a new twist to the plot with a surprise ending that was just as hilarious (if not more so), just before the start of the closing theme and credits.

This show had the mark of Nat Hiken, a true comic genius. The show was as loud as the screaming matches that often occurred between 2 or more of the main characters (and often involving the guest stars as well).

The main characters consisted of Toody, who was experienced and street-wise (but dim witted) along with his partner, Muldoon, who was educated and cultured (but hopelessly shy and naive), who still lived with his mother.

One of the classic episodes featured Larry Storch, who would later find fame on F-TROOP. Storch played as a drunk who kept falling off the wagon.

CAR 54 (on DVD), where are you?
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8/10
Ooh, ooh!
ExplorerDS678912 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The 1960s seemed the era of "silly comedies". Shows that feature an idiot or idiots as main characters, they get themselves into mischief because of their naiveté, and get out of it due to pure luck. Officers Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon of the 53rd Precinct in a little show called Car 54, Where Are You are no exceptions. Toody and Muldoon have hearts of gold, but little in their heads. Each episode seems to revolve around these two looking to do something nice for somebody, but there's always something they either overlook or don't know about, or somebody else interferes and blows it out of proportion, and the whole misunderstanding usually ends in the boys achieving their goal. Other characters on the show include Captain Paul Block, head of the 53rd, a man who strives to be recognized as the best police captain ever to don a badge, and he seems to only slightly tolerate Toody and Muldoon. Leo Schnauzer, one of the more sharper characters, in terms of both wit and brains, and of course, Toody's loud-mouthed, under-appreciated wife, Lucille. Schnauzer has an annoying wife too: Sylvia, who really loves to chew the scenery every time she's on screen.

The premise of this show is supposed to be about two dumb guys, or rather one dumb guy and one who is not as dumb, but in fact, everybody is an idiot. This is never more clearly defined when there is an episode featuring Mrs. Bronson. Apparently the episode with her in the first season was so funny, they decided to repeat the premise twice in the second. Bronson is a woman who ignores what is said to her and instead preys upon her speaker's conscience. She is infuriating as a character, because it shows just how stupid everybody is, even more-so than Toody and Muldoon. Why did they think that concept was worth doing three times?! It was barely funny the first. Now despite their stupidity, Toody and Muldoon get the job done. They are portrayed as two of the nicest guys in New York, and given the reputation of the NYPD, it's nice to see a good side to them. They act how cops should: look to solve problems in ways that don't include brute force. However, most episodes of Car 54 don't really center around the boys doing police work...I guess that's why the title asks where Car 54 is. These two are usually trying to help a friend in need, trying to find a gift for Captain Block or Lucille, or try to solve a complicated case that's so simple a child could do it... in fact, there was an episode where one did!

The series was created by Nat Hiken, who had just come off The Phil Silvers Show, or Bilko. Co-starring was Joe E. Ross who went on to play Toody on Car 54, opposite Fred Gwynne as Muldoon. Gwynne and co-star Al Lewis, who played Schnauzer, went on to The Munsters. Interesting bit of trivia there. Car 54 was decommissioned in 1963, because the premise was really wearing thin. The last few episodes of Season 2 were more annoying than funny and removed from any facet of reality. Then in 1994, some people thought it would be a good idea to make a movie out of it. And they did...and it sucked. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a remake or continuation. Al Lewis re-prised his role of Schnauzer, opposite David Johanssen as Toody. No explanation is given whether or not this is the original Toody's nephew or the same character. If so, why is Schnauzer now old, and why is Anderson, a background cop in the first season, now captain? If this were a remake, they'd need a Captain Block to play off Muldoon and Toody. Regardless, the movie was god-awful, and I think Nat Niken, Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne would be grateful they didn't live to see it. As for surviving cast members today, I believe Charlotte Rae is the sole-surviving cast member, but I could be wrong. So regardless of its flaws, its absurdity and often times stupidity, Car 54 was a pretty good show. I watch it every Sunday morning when it comes on, and that theme song is catchy as hell! I recommend Car 54, if you're into this kind of thing.
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9/10
Extremely funny tv series !
ronnybee21127 April 2021
This is a very funny show,all the episodes are hilarious-every single one! Well worth watching,this is a very enjoyable show.
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9/10
OOH! OOH!
crayfish-8359118 January 2020
CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? followed the hilarious hijinx of excitable, none too bright NYPD cop GUNTHER TOODY (JOE E. ROSS, who played a similar role as kooky SGT. RITZIK on BILKO) and quieter, more sensible mama's boy FRANCIS MULDOON (FRED GWYNNE, pre-HERMAN MUNSTER). The loud, eclectic cast was rounded out by AL LEWIS (the future GRANDPA MUNSTER) as Officer LEO SCHNAUSER, CHARLOTTE RAE as his wacky wife SYLVIA, and PAUL REED's long suffering CAPTAIN BLOCK, not to mention many familiar BILKO faces in smaller roles. The unorthodox procedures and general chaos that ruled NYPD's 53rd precinct doubtedly served as inspiration for BARNEY MILLER many years later. Filmed on location in the Bronx and armed with fast-paced, preposterous plots, an unforgettable theme song, and a razor sharp cast, CAR 54 was "just the ticket" among early sixties sitcoms.
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10/10
60 years later, still hilarious!
andyrichtx28 July 2021
I was 7 years old when I first watched this - thought it was hysterical. Watching it again, it still is.

So well written and perfectly cast. Also, in retrospect, pretty groundbreaking in being racially integrated and offering Jewish story lines. Comedy, but at no one's expense.

Fantastic cast - with two future Munsters, Nipsey Russell and Charlotte Rae. One character who I didn't appreciate then was Paul Reed as Captain Block. Oh those eye rolls when it came to Gunther Toody. Priceless!

Toody - with his "ooh ooh" and "Do you mind? DO. YOU. MIND?" may be the funniest character of all time. The hammy portrayal by Joe E. Ross was PERFECT - only Don Knotts as Barney Fife compares in the 60s comedies.

Too bad it was cancelled after two seasons - to give an extra half hour to the 90 minute The Virginians, of all things. Great show...
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Often Ignored Classic...
tksaysso30 July 2005
Car 54 Where are You? is one of the funniest TV series to ever appear on television. The chemistry between the dim-witted but affable Gunther Toody (played by Borscht-belt stand-up comic Joe E. Ross ) and his cultured but painfully shy bachelor partner Francis Muldoon ( played by the pre-Munsters Fred Gwynne ) rings true in every episode. You definitely get the feeling watching this comedy that these two cops are closer than brothers. What really makes this series outstanding though is the superior writing and the supporting actors. Wally Cox, Nipsey Russell, Godfrey Cambridge, Charlotte Rae, Ossie Davis, Jake LaMotta ( the subject of Scorcese's 'Raging Bull' ), Rocky Graziano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Gilford..these are just a handful of some of the well-known actors and personalities you'll see when watching this series.

I recently found the entire series for sale on the internet and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Oooo.....Oooo!!"
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Car 54, Where did you go?
jimel987 September 2006
I was much too young to enjoy this when it was on (I was 3 when it went off the air) but was blessed to see it on Nick at Night. I wish they would bring it back again or if it's on DVD, I must have it! This show about two 'hard working' New York City cops was witty and intelligent. Many of my generation think of the sitcoms of the 1950s and early 1960s and picture simple, basic and not terribly funny humor. Picture "Small Wonder" in black and white. This show had heart and some very clever writing. The simplest of everyday situations that a cop can face were turned into comedy gold. It was the "Barney Miller" of it's day. If any of you dear readers ever get a chance to see any of these episodes, check out the one where Toody and Muldoon have a chance to go out fishing on a boat. The lengths they go to to arrange their schedule so as to be free to go out, and the ONE thing that fouls it up are complex and hilarious.

The cast was wonderful as well, and of course they would be, otherwise this terrific writing would have been wasted. It's not.
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Brings back Bronx memories
DANGELO13625 December 2001
I grew up in the Bronx when this was a prime time series in New York. In fact, I lived a block away from the old Biograph studio where the series was filmed; some of the location scenes were filmed in the Tremont section of the Bronx (the 53rd precenct). Watching the old episodes, you will see such actors as Maureen Stapleton, Nipsey Russell, Charlotte Rae, Mel Stewart, and Ossie Davis who were based in the New York area at the time. New York was the television broadcast capital at the time until the mid '60s before productions left for Hollywood. (Other studios like Filmways in Harlem produced shows like "Naked City"). The closing credits of the "53rd precinct" is actually the exterior of the Biograph studio-The show is still funny after all these years due to the writing of Nat Hiken and you can hear the old radio influence in the dialogue and story plots( A good book to read about Hiken: " King of the Half Hour" sold at Barnes & Noble). Thanks for the memories
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One of the best comedies ever!
Sue-543 July 1999
I agree with Gilda, Car 54 is a classic that has not been given the same credit as "I Love Lucy" or "The Honeymooners", also some of my favorites.

The writing on Car 54 was superb. One of my favorite episodes is about the evil landlord "Pocrass." I love it!
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The Funnest Sitcom of all Time
garak9916 December 2019
Before Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis went on to play Herman Munster and Grandpa Munster in The Munsters they both stared in "Car 54 Where are You" currently available on various streaming services.in what I think was the funniest sitcom of all time. The show is about the fictional NYC Police Department 53rd Precinct in the Bronx. The laughs never stop all 2 seasons of episodes are classics. Toody and Muldoon drive there Captian Block Nuts Just sit back and enjoy
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One Irish cop plus one Jewish cop equals a lot of laughs
bugsmoran2929 March 2017
Officers Francis Muldoon and Gunther Toody as played by Fred Gywnne and Joe E. Ross are still as funny in 2017 as they were back in 1962 when I watched them as a child. It's funny in a way to see the Irish cop being the smart one and the Jewish cop being the dumb one. The other day I saw an episode where Gunther disguised himself as a guitar-carrying beatnik and I don't believe I have laughed so hard in years. Al Lewis, who later was Grandpa to Fred Gywnne's Herman on The Munster, is always a scream on this program as Leo. Car 54 Where Are You? humanizes the Bronx's men in blue in a way that wasn't to be matched until Barney Miller a decade later. In a way it is sad to see the New York through Damon Runyon's eyes in the early Sixties before the Big Apple became rotten to core.
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great show
democratsforbush28 May 2005
i loved the theme song i wish it was on some cable or lptv channel i remember Nipsy Russel, was it his first TV gig? Fred Gwynne and Al lewis are a good comedy duo, later in the Munsters another cute show

i did not realize that the networks tried to remake show. A modern day producer is too into anti USA propaganda and anti family themes this show was pure, fun.

I would wait for it to come on and i would sing the theme song with them. I was very young and lived in the Bronx, so i was tickled when I heard the name Bronx, even though it was actually a negative comment about a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyns broken out in fights.

well , you know how it goes
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