The Real McCoys
The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus' "Westgate" company. The series aired for five seasons on the ABC-TV network from 1957 through 1962 and then for its final year on CBS from 1962 to 1963. The series, set in the San Fernando Valley of California, was filmed in Hollywood at Desilu studios.
Grandpa arranges for Tilda Hicks from Smokey Corners to join the McCoy family as housekeeper, and she immediately sets her cap for widower Luke McCoy. The arrangement proves highly successful until Tilda attends the neighborhood dance with Luke and scores an immediate hit with the local masculine populace.
George MacMichael's big moment during his election as commander of the local VFW post is shattered when Grandpa brings to the ceremonies three of George's buddies who know the real story of his ""heroic"" battlefield actions.
Grandpa becomes involved with diplomatic relations and the U.S. State Department when a foreign nation's farm tour visits neighbor George's ranch and Grandpa pursuades the group to detour by the McCoy farm. At first it appears Grandpa has committed a colossal faux pas, but his apparent blundering develops unexpected consequences.
Grandpa becomes romantically entangled with three matrimonially inclined widows when he encourages their interest just enough to promote some free housecleaning chores and a few well-laundered shirts. Luke and Pepino take a dim view of his scheme when it becomes apparent that the three marriage-minded women are literally doing all the McCoy housework in separate shifts.
Grandpa proves an easy target for Mrs. Gaylord, an ambitious housekeeper who hopes her new position in the McCoy household may lead to a more permanent position for her unmarried daughter. The daughter, Mary, turns out to be an extremely healthy specimen who immediately makes a play for Luke.
Taina Engstrom, a Hollywood actress escaping from her hectic existence, finds peace and quiet at the McCoy farm and discovers that Luke has developed a strong attachment to her. Grandpa grasps the true situation and plans, with Tiana, to prevent Luke from receiving a major disappointment.
Grandpa thinks he has discovered a gold mine in the sky when an Army paratrooper lands with destructive force on a dilapidated chicken coop that was already marked for the scrap heap. When an Army captain arrives to assess the damages, Grandpa paints a black picture. Luke, however, takes a dim view of Grandpa's shenanigans and bluntly tells him so.
The wiles of a smooth-talking saleswoman embroil Luke in a roofing paint swindle that involves several of the McCoys' neighbors. Luke soon finds himself in such an embarrassing predicament that he needs the help of Grandpa to rescue him from it.
Luke feels he has discovered a new source of income when he reports the gossip he overhears at the laundromat to the reporter of the local newspaper and is paid for the items. He runs into trouble with Pat Clemens, who runs a local gas station, when he reports that Pat is getting married.
Afraid that Grandpa will disapprove, Luke pretends that the girl veterinarian secretly treating their ailing cow is one of his new girlfriends. When Grandpa learns that Luke's ""romance"" is actually only trying to cure Agnes, the sick cow, he explodes, ordering the girl off his property.
Grandpa and Luke are left with an unproductive hired helper when Pepino apparently inherits a valuable Arizona estate. He warms up his romance with an old girlfriend and brings a flood of salesmen to his doorstep.
Uncle Rightly McCoy starts courting Flora, hoping she will finance his musical milker. When Luke informs George that Uncle Rightly is only interested in Flora's money, they decide to step in and break up the romance. Their scheme doesn't quite work out as they had planned.
Grandpa and George take turns at playing Cupid when their respective farmhands, Pepino and Pedro, find themselves competing for the same girl. Grandpa steps into the romantic triangle because it turns out that Pepino's working efficiency suffers as he loses favor with his girlfriend, Chiquita.
Luke lands the enjoyable job of teaching calisthenics at a ladies' health club. Grandpa decides that Luke's presence there may attract some business for the McCoy roadside fruit stand. Grandpa then surreptitiously tempts the dieting health club enrollees with a variety of tasty fruit products, thus undermining the efforts of unsuspecting Luke.
Luke is horrified when Uncle Rightly promotes a corn growing contest at the Grange and is so carried away he volunteers a $500 award to the winner in Grandpa and Luke's name. When Luke learns Uncle Rightly doesn't have the $500, it becomes a major problem of raising the money and saving face with the Grange members, but Rightly solves the problem in an unusual way and comes up with the prize money.
A winsome dance instructor tricks Luke into signing up for a 20-year dance course. It is up to Grandpa to rescue him from this embarrassing situation with a devious plan that involves Grandpa's signing up for the course, too. He also saves George, who likewise was tricked into taking the course.
Luke gets a hair-raising ride in an airplane that leaves him dizzy when he tangles with a crop duster over the affections of a wealthy girl from Texas, and winds up on the short end.
Grandpa bristles at Sir Fergus, head of the Scottish branch of the McCoy family, when he arrives and proceeds to exercise all the authority of the Laird of the Clan. Grandpa's anger erupts when Sir Fergus extends his influence to Grandpa's pet goose, Floyd. Grandpa begins one of his devious plots to oust the Scotch usurper from his position of power.
Luke and Louise feel they have a real problem with Greg, who is addicted to telling fantastic stories about imaginable playmates and people. When they return home from a day's outing, after leaving Greg with Pepino, he tells them three escaped convicts had been captured by the police at their home, and they decide it is just another one of his tall tales.
Luke discovers a new romance when he meets an attractive widow, Louise Howard, after her runaway cow tramples the McCoy cornfield. Grandpa connives to promote a romance between Luke and Louise in a most surprising way.
The McCoys get a hot stock-market tip, but Grampa stubbornly refuses to invest.
When Grandpa is entrusted with $200 belonging to Pepino, he can't resist the temptation to settle a few of the McCoy's past due bills. Luke and Kate berate him for violating his trust. Then an unexpected liquid asset turns to straighten things out.
The McCoys hire Nikko, a Japanese girl, to help around the house.
Luke and Kate have a spat when Luke and Grampa show their disgust for public kissing by the Emerys, who have been married over five years. It takes Grampa to clear up the situation by explaining that there's a time and place for kissing, and that a public display of affection doesn't necessarily denote love.
Grampa is upset when he finds Hassie learning to dance to rock and roll music and using makeup in order to attract the attention of Tommy, the most popular boy in her class. When Kate convinces Grampa his ideas are old-fashioned, he and Luke decide to assist Hassie in her conquest.
When Kate is unsuccessful in trying to teach Luke to dance, she finally talks him into taking dancing lessons, much to Grampa's disgust. When Kate discovers the dancing teacher is a very attractive young lady, she becomes jealous.
Luke and Kate decide the McCoys should have a new car and trade in their old Ford. When Grampa learns of the transaction, he's heartbroken at losing a ""member of the family"" and tries to get it back. Flora MacMichael, knowing how Grampa feels about the old car, has bought it from the junk man and returns it to Grampa.
Grampa becomes involved with a couple of con men over a dog. He realizes they are trying to cheat him, and with the help of George MacMichael, they turn the tables on the crooks. Meanwhile, the entire McCoy family has become so attached to the dog, Mac, he becomes a member of the family.
The McCoys move from Smokey Corners, West Virginia., to a ranch in Fernando Valley, Calif., which Grampa McCoy has inherited from his brother Ben. They have also inherited Pepino, a ranch hand, and they meet their neighbors, Flora and George MacMichael. But Grampa finds himself homesick for ""West Virginny.""
When Grampa thinks Luke is being henpecked by Kate, Luke decides to prove him wrong—and ends up sleeping on the couch in the living room.
Luke and Kate urge Grampa to invite Flora MacMichael as his date to attend the Valley Ranchers annual fall dance and box supper. Grampa will have none of it until he hears that Flora is the best cook in the county.
The male McCoys try to outwit the female members by using money in the cookie jar to buy a shotgun rather than a dress for Kate to attend the PTA meeting. When the men concede defeat and they buy Kate a dress, things get even worse. Fortunately, the PTA president is able to correct their choice of dress.
The McCoys start a roadside eggstand and, inadvertently, an egg war with neighbor Harry Poulson.
Grampa thinks he's made a sharp business deal when he sells some useless farm land, until he finds out the freeway is going through that part of their land. Luke and Kate feel Grampa has been swindled -- but Grampa's native honesty saves the day for the McCoys.
The McCoys find themselves in trouble when they need $150 to meet a mortgage payment. Checking through all their wordly goods, they discover their only valuable asset is a rifle handed down to Grampa by his great-grandfather. Grampa finally decides parting with his treasure is better than borrowing money from his neighbor George.
Grampa McCoy takes over the supervision of Hassie and Little Luke when, after getting bad grades in school, Kate starts to discipline them. He soon learns it isn't as easy as he thought and is happy to turn the job back to Kate.
The McCoys' neighbor Mrs Webster asks their support in her race for a seat on the City Council, but Grampa feels women have no place in politics. When he learns it is necessary to read and write in order to vote, he tries various subterfuges to pass the reading test. His innate honesty prevails, and he also assists the neighbor in her political ambitions.
When Little Luke gets into a fight after classmates call him a ""hillbilly,"" the entire McCoy family becomes involved. Grampa finally sets things right when he is asked by the teacher to address the class, and he proceeds to tell them about the ""dumb hillbillies"" who helped build the country they are living in.
Luke and Kate join a young people's recreation group and suggest Grampa join the ""Young Old Timers."" He refuses, saying they are all old fuddy-duddies with no family interests. After consistently being left alone, he finally decides to investigate the old-timers group and is acclaimed by them as an artist at whittling.
A hunting dog wanders onto the McCoy ranch, and when the owner, Joe Johnson, appears to claim him, Grampa tries to make a trade with him for the dog. Joe refuses until Grampa promises he will arrange a date for Joe with Flora MacMichael.
Luke becomes jealous when a photographer for a national magazine comes to their ranch to use Kate as a model and is over-attentive to Kate from Luke's viewpoint. Grampa eggs him on, and they are both humiliated when they learn the photographer is a happily married man. He tells Luke how lucky he is to have Kate for his wife.
Grampa McCoy and his archrival George MacMichael enter a fishing contest. With the discovery that California fish are elusive if not intelligent, Grampa almost resorts to cheating.
When Luke and Kate learn mailman Mr. Perkins is retiring at the insistence of his children, they decide Grampa should take things easy. Grampa feels he is not needed on the ranch, and he pretends to be ill. The family decides he is not yet ready for retirement.
Grampa and Luke invite their minister to the house for dinner to help Kate get on a church committee. Before the minister shows up, Grampa has given a billboard salesman permission to use the barn roof for an advertisement for a gambling house in Las Vegas. Luke solves the dilemma by painting out some of the letters in the advertisement.
The McCoys are visited by Frank Goody and his attractive daughter from Smokey Corners, West Virginia. When Elvira starts playing up to Luke, Kate becomes jealous.
Grampa's jealousy leads him to court and a confrontation with his romantic rival---the judge. Grampa finds a stranger beating his time with Flora and takes his revenge on Flora's apple tree. When Flora hauls him into court for refusing to pay damages, Grampa recognizes the judge as the ""stranger.""
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Release | 1957-10-03 |
| Producer | Marterto Productions |