The Pruitts of Southampton

The Pruitts of Southampton

1966
The Pruitts of Southampton
The Pruitts of Southampton

The Pruitts of Southampton

7.3 | en |

The Pruitts of Southampton is a situation comedy that aired during the 1966-67 season on the ABC network. The show was based on the novel House Party by Patrick Dennis. It was ABC's futile attempt to turn female stand-up comic Phyllis Diller into a sitcom comedienne very much in the style of Lucille Ball. The program starred Diller as Phyllis Pruitt, and featured Gypsy Rose Lee and Richard Deacon in supporting roles with Diller feeling the series was an inverted version of The Beverly Hillbillies. The show's producers originally sought comic actress Beatrice Lillie in the Diller role. The premise was that the Pruitts, a supposedly incredibly wealthy family living on Long Island in the Hamptons, were approached by the Internal Revenue Service about overdue taxes. An audit revealed that the Pruitts were in fact broke; rather than reveal this fact publicly and cause the economic depression which would presumably result from this revelation, an improbably charitable IRS allowed them to continue living in their mansion and maintaining the pretensions of great wealth, which was difficult given their reduced circumstances. By mid-season, in order to raise more money, Phyllis had opened the mansion to boarders, attracting a "nutty" collection of tenants as well, a group that included Paul Lynde as her hopeless brother, John Astin as her brother-in-law, and Marty Ingels as a handyman.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP30  The House is Not a Zoo
Apr. 07,1967
The House is Not a Zoo

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EP29  Phyllis, the Beauty Queen
Mar. 31,1967
Phyllis, the Beauty Queen

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EP28  Krump, the Playboy
Mar. 24,1967
Krump, the Playboy

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EP27  My Sister-in-Law Phyllis
Mar. 17,1967
My Sister-in-Law Phyllis

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EP26  Goddess of Love
Mar. 10,1967
Goddess of Love

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EP25  Marry a Million
Mar. 03,1967
Marry a Million

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EP24  Phyllis the Bat Girl
Feb. 24,1967
Phyllis the Bat Girl

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EP23  Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Feb. 17,1967
Nobody Here But Us Chickens

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EP22  How to Rob a Millionaire
Feb. 10,1967
How to Rob a Millionaire

An Internal Revenue agent helps Phyllis locate a secret room in the Pruitt mansion, where they're soon awash in a tide of champagne, romance, and burglars.

EP21  Portrait of Krump
Feb. 03,1967
Portrait of Krump

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EP20  The Ghost of Pruitt Mansion
Jan. 27,1967
The Ghost of Pruitt Mansion

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EP19  Learn to Be a Millonaire
Jan. 20,1967
Learn to Be a Millonaire

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EP18  Little Miss Fixit
Jan. 13,1967
Little Miss Fixit

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EP17  My Brother Harvey
Jan. 03,1967
My Brother Harvey

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EP16  Phyllis, Queen of the Road
Dec. 27,1966
Phyllis, Queen of the Road

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EP15  The Hubcap Caper
Dec. 20,1966
The Hubcap Caper

Phyllis turns private eye to lift a curse from the house of Pruitt. Someone has stolen the family good-luck charms: the Rolls Royce hubcaps.

EP14  Santa Was a Lady
Dec. 13,1966
Santa Was a Lady

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EP13  Phyllis Goes Arty
Dec. 06,1966
Phyllis Goes Arty

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EP12  Phyllis, the Dress Maker
Nov. 29,1966
Phyllis, the Dress Maker

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EP11  Phyllis, the General Stealer
Nov. 22,1966
Phyllis, the General Stealer

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EP10  Phyllis, the Upstairs Girl
Nov. 15,1966
Phyllis, the Upstairs Girl

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EP9  Phyllis Entertains Royalty
Nov. 01,1966
Phyllis Entertains Royalty

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EP8  Phyllis Goes Commercial
Oct. 25,1966
Phyllis Goes Commercial

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EP7  Phyllis Saves the Day
Oct. 18,1966
Phyllis Saves the Day

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EP6  Phyllis Fires the Butler
Oct. 11,1966
Phyllis Fires the Butler

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EP5  Phyllis, the Cookie Tycoon
Oct. 04,1966
Phyllis, the Cookie Tycoon

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EP4  Phyllis Takes a Letter
Sep. 27,1966
Phyllis Takes a Letter

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EP3  Phyllis Beats the Rap
Sep. 20,1966
Phyllis Beats the Rap

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EP2  Phyllis, the Milkmaid
Sep. 13,1966
Phyllis, the Milkmaid

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EP1  Phyllis Goes Broke
Sep. 06,1966
Phyllis Goes Broke

During a party, an IRS agent arrives to inform the Pruitts that they are $10 million in debt and that their possessions now belong to the United States government. But they are going to allow the Pruitts to maintain the illusion that they are wealthy, rather than risk a stock-market collapse with the news that they are bankrupt. Phyllis is forced to let the entire staff go and stand by as her priceless art is taken from their home. It isn't long before Phyllis comes up with a scheme to pay off the IRS – by marrying a wealthy general who's been pursuing her for years. The General is overjoyed, but in the end, of course, her plan backfires.

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7.3 | en |
Synopsis

The Pruitts of Southampton is a situation comedy that aired during the 1966-67 season on the ABC network. The show was based on the novel House Party by Patrick Dennis. It was ABC's futile attempt to turn female stand-up comic Phyllis Diller into a sitcom comedienne very much in the style of Lucille Ball. The program starred Diller as Phyllis Pruitt, and featured Gypsy Rose Lee and Richard Deacon in supporting roles with Diller feeling the series was an inverted version of The Beverly Hillbillies. The show's producers originally sought comic actress Beatrice Lillie in the Diller role. The premise was that the Pruitts, a supposedly incredibly wealthy family living on Long Island in the Hamptons, were approached by the Internal Revenue Service about overdue taxes. An audit revealed that the Pruitts were in fact broke; rather than reveal this fact publicly and cause the economic depression which would presumably result from this revelation, an improbably charitable IRS allowed them to continue living in their mansion and maintaining the pretensions of great wealth, which was difficult given their reduced circumstances. By mid-season, in order to raise more money, Phyllis had opened the mansion to boarders, attracting a "nutty" collection of tenants as well, a group that included Paul Lynde as her hopeless brother, John Astin as her brother-in-law, and Marty Ingels as a handyman.

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Cast

Phyllis Diller , Reginald Gardiner

Director

Producted By

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