Peck's Bad Girl
Peck's Bad Girl is a forgotten American situation comedy which aired fourteen episodes on CBS television from May 5 to August 4, 1959. The title of the series comes from a now-lost 1918 comedy silent film. The series centers on 12-year-old, Torey Peck, played at the age of fourteen by Patty McCormack (born 1945). Torey lives with her parents, Steven and Jennifer Peck, played by Wendell Reid Corey (1914-1968) and Marsha Hunt (born 1917), and her younger brother Roger, played by Ray Ferrell (1949-2006). Torey's impulsiveness and curiousity often leads to trouble.
The series' executive producer was Norman Felton (1913-2012), with the music provided by Wilbur Hatch (1902-1969). It is unclear if Peck's Bad Girl was meant to be a female alternative to Leave It to Beaver then airing on ABC.
The series followed the To Tell the Truth quiz program on CBS and aired opposite Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford in The Rifleman.
Cast
Patty McCormack as Torey Peck Wendell Corey as the father, Steven Peck Marsha Hunt as the mother, Jennifer Peck Ray Ferrell as the brother, Roger Peck Reba Waters as Torey's friend Francesca [1]
Marsha Hunt starred in the film Pride and Prejudice. She was blacklisted by Hollywood in the early 1950s because of her leftist activism. The blacklist is believed to have stunted her overall growth of an actress [2]
Episode list
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate | Plot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "The Large Charge" | May 5, 1959 | Torey Peck develops a crush on her handsome teacher (Patrick O'Neal). Her parents let the "romance" play out, rather than to stop it. |
| 1-2 | "The Big Fib" | May 12, 1959 | Torey falsely tells her friends that the Pecks are going to Europe. |
| 1-3 | "Lips That Touch Lipstick" | May 19, 1959 | Torey's father refuses to allow her to wear lipstick. |
| 1-4 | "The Pet Rabbit" | May 26, 1959 | Torey searches frantically for her missing rabbit. |
| 1-5 | "The Visitor" | June 2, 1959 | Jacques Bergerac (1927-2014) arrives in town to check on Jennifer Peck, his former girlfriend. The visit creates jealousy from her husband Steve and curiosity from her children. |
| 1-6 | "Society v. Torey Peck" | June 9, 1959 | Torey is torn between loyalty to her best friends and duty to her girls' club. |
| 1-7 | "Spare the Rod" | June 16, 1959 | A psychologist (Lawrence Dobkin) tells Steve and Jennifer to allow Torey and Roger freely to express themselves. |
| 1-8 | "Feet of Clay" | June 23, 1959 | Torey's friends think her father is a marvelous dad. When Steve embarrasses her, he and Jennifer try to teach Torey to love them anyway |
| 1-9 | "Lady Bountiful" | June 30, 1959 | Torey snubs a classmate until she learns about the child's economic circumstances. She then tries to improve the student's situation. |
| 1-10 | "The Picnic" | July 7, 1959 | Torey turns down an invitation from her friend Norman because she has a crush on a 15-year-old new to town. |
| 1-11 | "Torey's Sibling Rivalry" | July 14, 1959 | Torey claims that her father really doesn't love her and is partial to herr brother, Roger. |
| 1-12 | "Slumber Party" | July 21, 1959 | Torey's friends come over to spend the night. |
| 1-13 | "The Breadwinner" | July 28, 1959 | Torey becomes a babysitter to get extra cash. Jane Withers guest stars. |
| 1-14 | "Treehouse of the Steven Pecks" | August 4, 1959 | Steve sets up a tree house for Torey and her friends. Soon he encounters opposition from the bird watching society, and the city inspector has questions about the tree house.[1][3] |
