Lucille Ball's Desilu Productions created this show based on the Frank Merriwell books. Cast was Beau Bridges, and Ann Sothern's daughter Tisha Sterling. Lucille Ball always regarded Ann Sothern as one of her best friends and likely was favorable to casting Ms. Sterlling.
'Frank Merriwell' was in line to be a mid season replacement for a failed show on CBS but 'Frank Merriwell' failed to make the mid season schedule. The show was funded by the CBS Desilu pilot program that Lucille Ball flexed her clout and had CBS underwrite several pilots a year for Desilu, Ms. Ball took her comedy series off the air during the summer and used that time slot to air un sold Desilu comedy pilots and to amortize the costs of the pilots.
Ms. Ball wanted Desilu to be a comedy factory but in fact while Lucille Ball was President of Desilu that studio- so well regarded-was anything but and produced dramatic series such as smash hits such as Mission Impossible, Star Trek, and Mannix, but did have the comedy smash hit movie Yours Mine and Ours
'Frank Merriwell' was in line to be a mid season replacement for a failed show on CBS but 'Frank Merriwell' failed to make the mid season schedule. The show was funded by the CBS Desilu pilot program that Lucille Ball flexed her clout and had CBS underwrite several pilots a year for Desilu, Ms. Ball took her comedy series off the air during the summer and used that time slot to air un sold Desilu comedy pilots and to amortize the costs of the pilots.
Ms. Ball wanted Desilu to be a comedy factory but in fact while Lucille Ball was President of Desilu that studio- so well regarded-was anything but and produced dramatic series such as smash hits such as Mission Impossible, Star Trek, and Mannix, but did have the comedy smash hit movie Yours Mine and Ours
