Big Eddie

This mostly-forgotten 1975 sitcom deals with Big Eddie Smith (Sheldon Leonard), the new owner of New York's Big E Sports Arena. An ex-gambler trying to stay straight, he has to deal with the various mooks, goombahs, weirdos and heavies that cross his path. While this may seem an odd choice for a network sitcom, it just gets weirder. Big Eddie lives with his granddaughter Ginger (aw, that’s sweet) and his ex-stripper wife, Honey (Sheree North).  Erm… did anyone stop to think if mid-70’s Midwest audiences would find time in their busy day to watch the adventures of a mook, his ho and the ho’s granddaughter? I guess not… Sheldon Leonard had been an actor back in the 30’s, making his mark with films such as To Have and Have Not and It’s A Wonderful Life and by the time this project came around he’d been producing and directing for the best part of twenty years. Enticed back out of acting retirement for this one shot at the brass ring, the series was canned after nine episodes. I’m surprised it took that long!