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What a Dummy is a syndicated television sitcom that lasted for one season in 1990. The premise of the show was that the Brannigan family of Secaucus, New Jersey was getting advice from a talking, thinking ventriloquist’s dummy named Buzz, who had been locked in a trunk for fifty years before being discovered by the family. Kaye Ballard played the family’s next-door neighbor, Mrs. Treva Travalony.
Original Release
09/29/1990
US Release
09/29/1990
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Stephen Dorff | Tucker Brannigan |
| Joshua Rudoy | Cory Brannigan |
| David Doty | Ed Brannigan |
| Annabel Armour | Polly Brannigan |
| Janna Michaels | Maggie Brannigan |
| Loren Freeman | Buzz |
| Kaye Ballard | Mrs. Treva Travalony |
| Hilary Van Dyke | Joanna |
| Pat Morita | Lucky Ernesto |
| Megan Ward | Tracy |
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What a Dummy | Saturday, 29 September 1990 |
| 2 | My Hero | Saturday, 06 October 1990 |
| 3 | The Contractor from Hell | Saturday, 13 October 1990 |
| 4 | Whose Life Is It Anyway? | Saturday, 20 October 1990 |
| 5 | The Champ | Saturday, 27 October 1990 |
| 6 | Good Neighbor Brannigan | Saturday, 03 November 1990 |
| 7 | Car Wars | Saturday, 10 November 1990 |
| 8 | Grandpa Lou | Saturday, 17 November 1990 |
| 9 | What I Did for Love | Saturday, 24 November 1990 |
| 10 | The Substitute | Saturday, 01 December 1990 |
| 11 | Unmarried... with Children | Saturday, 08 December 1990 |
| 12 | Bringing Up Baby | Saturday, 26 January 1991 |
| 13 | Buzz Is Loaded | Saturday, 02 February 1991 |
| 14 | Fear Itself | Saturday, 09 February 1991 |
| 15 | The Babysitter | Saturday, 16 February 1991 |
| 16 | Tucker's on the Air | Saturday, 23 February 1991 |
| 17 | Mrs. Grumbacher's Talent Show | Saturday, 02 March 1991 |
| 18 | My Imaginary Friend | Saturday, 09 March 1991 |
| 19 | The Vacation That Never Was | Saturday, 16 March 1991 |
| 20 | Buzz for Sale | Saturday, 27 April 1991 |
| 21 | The Nudge Who Came to Dinner | Saturday, 04 May 1991 |
| 22 | The Treasure of Sierra Secaucus | Saturday, 11 May 1991 |
| 23 | Knock on Wood | Saturday, 18 May 1991 |
| 24 | Toys Aren't Us | Saturday, 25 May 1991 |
Directors
Writers
Leslie Eberhard, Michael Davidoff, Barbara Hobart, Jeffrey Russel, Scott Redman, David Silverman, Thomas Trafelet, Craig Kellem, Mark Miller, Stephen Sustarsic, Bill Rosenthal, Alan Moskowitz, Noah Taft, Lynn Malchow, Carol Croland, Michael Lyons, Mark Cassutt, Kim Wells
Creators
Craig Kellem, Arthur L. Annecharico, Barbara Hobart, Leslie Eberhard
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Stephen Dorff | Tucker Brannigan |
| Joshua Rudoy | Cory Brannigan |
| David Doty | Ed Brannigan |
| Annabel Armour | Polly Brannigan |
| Janna Michaels | Maggie Brannigan |
| Loren Freeman | Buzz |
| Kaye Ballard | Mrs. Treva Travalony |
| Hilary Van Dyke | Joanna |
| Pat Morita | Lucky Ernesto |
| Megan Ward | Tracy |
| Shelley Berman | Grandpa Lou |
| George Murdock | Judge Waver |
| Matt Levin | Neal |
| Foster Brooks | Jackie Clark |
| Pat Paulsen | Martin Taft |
| Andrew Bloch | Ralph |
| Justin Burnette | Billy Slater |
| Frank Patton III | (as Frank Patton) |
| Bo Sharon | Louie |
| Michelle Mann | Chris |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Barbara Hobart | Executive Producer |
| Arthur L. Annecharico | Executive Producer |
| Leslie Eberhard | Producer |
| Dustin Nelson | Producer |
