About this season
Arnie is a television sitcom that ran for two seasons on the CBS network. It stars Herschel Bernardi, Sue Ane Langdon, and Roger Bowen. Bernardi played the title character, Arnie Nuvo, a longtime blue collar employee at the fictitious Continental Flange Company, who overnight was promoted to an executive position. The storylines mainly focused on this fish out of water situation, and on Arnie's sometimes-problematic relationship with his well-meaning but wealthy and eccentric boss, Hamilton Majors Jr.. Because he still held his union card, Arnie could negotiate tricky management/labor situations that no one else could. Arnie's surname was presumably a pun on nouveau riche, and possibly also on Art Nouveau. In addition to Bernardi, Bowen, and Langdon, cast members included Del Russel and Stephanie Steele as Arnie's son and daughter, Richard and Andrea; Elaine Shore as Arnie's secretary, Felicia; and Herb Voland as sour-tempered executive Neil Ogilvie. In its first season, despite being the lead-in to The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Saturday nights and winning an Emmy nomination as best comedy series, Arnie received only fair Nielsen ratings. For its second season, in order to increase its viewership, CBS made a major cast change in the show's format. Charles Nelson Reilly joined the cast as Randy Robinson, a TV chef who called himself "The Giddyap Gourmet," apparently a reference to The Galloping Gourmet.
Episodes (24)
1. Honey, I'm Sorry But...
Aired 13 September 1971
Arnie endangers his position, by giving a share of company stock to his son.
2. Nuvo Riche
Aired 7 September 1971
Charles Nelson Reilly joins the cast as Arnie's new neighbor, a gourmet chef.
3. Well There Goes the Neighborhood
Aired 14 September 1971
Lil is tired of waiting for her late hubby and she comes up with a solution.
4. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blew
Aired 22 September 1971
Reta Shaw plays a maid who takes over the Nuvo home - lock, stock, and barrel (TV Guide)
5. Boom or Bust
Aired 13 October 1971
Snobbery is the target as Arnie tries to join his boss' polo club (TV Guide)
6. Pushing Pinky Out of the Treehouse
Aired 19 October 1971
Arnie tries to make Majors' wedding perfect (TV Guide)
7. The Maid
Aired 29 September 1971
Arnie anonymously sends a poem to Felicia.
8. A Poem for Guess Who
Aired 19 October 1971
9. Welcome to the Club
Aired 12 October 1971
Arnie wins an award Majors wanted.
10. The Return of Fingers Ferguson
Aired 27 October 1971
11. Et tu Arnie
Aired 8 November 1971
12. This Land is My Land
Aired 18 November 1971
13. Let Ham Put You in the Driver's Seat
Aired 30 November 1971
14. The Gift of the Majors
Aired 2 December 1971
The no-bra look leads Arnie into a research project to save a faltering company (TV Guide)
15. The Only Way to Go
Aired 31 December 1971
Choosing a final resting place can be a downer. Majors wants the Nuvos as roommates in his Taj Mahal-like mausoleum.
16. Guess Who's Coming to Our House?
Aired 7 January 1972
Arnie's boss stays at his house.
17. What's Up Doc?
Aired 17 January 1972
Arnie is in trouble when he persuades boss Majors to hire a drunken doctor.
18. The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth
Aired 21 January 1972
Attorney Melvin Belli plays a flamboyant lawyer defending Majors for a speeding ticket (TV Guide)
19. Room at the Top
Aired 31 January 1972
A toupee for Arnie, as the corporation tries to impress a mod young executive (TV Guide)
20. Surprise, Surprise!
Aired 12 February 1972
Boss Majors wants Arnie to arrange a surprise party for him.
21. Uncle Nikko
Aired 11 February 1972
Arnie's uncle may upset Majors' dinner party.
22. Wilson Tastes Good Like a Candidate Should
Aired 21 February 1972
Local politics create a dilemma for Arnie.
23. Now You Take Teddy Roosevelt
Aired 28 February 1972
Majors tries to prove that he is as good a salesman as his employees.
24. Star Trekking
Aired 6 March 1972
A story about Arnie's frustrating attempt to get the comic for an awards ceremony.