The Good Life

... tonight in a (thinly disguised promotional) biographical programme about Donna Mills. According to him, the show was cancelled after 13 weeks because it was put up against All In The Family, "in its hey-day" as he said. He said that nowadays it would only have lasted two weeks in similar circumstances, which sounds about right.

For what it's worth, I fondly remember this show as being a favourite of mine at the time, although I am very unclear now about its content. I do remember it being warm and fuzzy, not to mention funny. That's not unlike my recollection of That Girl or Nanny and the Professor from the same era, although The Good Life was more mature than either of those shows.

I still remember the melody to the theme song from this show, but only the first two verses. That's not saying much; I think I could do a complete rendition of the Love Theme from Nanny and the Professor. "Or is love the only magic thing that Nanny brings?" Sounds lascivious in retrospect.

But I have to be careful not to conflate my memories of this show with those of Larry Hagman's next sitcom, "Here We Go Again", which I remember as cuter but lighter, and not one of my great favourites, although I did like Diane Baker in that one. I still know two verses from that theme as well, and I can picture the title sequence.

Question: If trivia is so "forgettable", then why is it always so hard to forget?

Larry Hagman and Donna Mills play a young couple who, seeing they can't afford it themselves, decide to work as a butler and maid so they can sample "The Good Life". Quite a funny sitcom with fine characters. Series is set on the mansion of the Dutton family along with their politically active hippie son. Not as slapstick or goofy as Hagman's earlier I Dream of Jeannie sitcom but has some fine bumbling moments, especially trying to hide the fact that they aren't really servants.