Car 54, Where Are You?

1961 - 1963

The 53rd precinct is full of wacky characters, but the wackiest by far are the occupants of Car 54, Officers Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon, two best friends who always seem to get mixed up in hilarious hijinks.

Stars: Joe E. Ross, Fred Gwynne, Paul Reed, Beatrice Pons
Created by: Nat Hiken

Where to Watch :

Episode Tropes

Season 1

I Won’t Go: Episode 5, "I Won’t Go" (1961). A loveable old woman refuses to leave her condemned apartment so the city can demolish it.
Landlord from Hell: Episode 10, "Thirty Days Notice" (1961). The Toodys' apartment is falling apart: the electricity only works intermittantly, the windows get stuck, the refrigerator door won't open, and the stove explodes whenever Lucille lights it. Gunther gets fed up and tells the landlord they're moving out, but he immediately regrets it when he realizes they can't afford any other apartment in New York.
No Joke: Episode 11, "Catch Me on the Paar Show" (1961). Toody thinks a fellow officer named Charlie could make it as a stand-up comic, and he manages to get him a spot on The Jack Paar Show, but just as he's about to go on, Charlie freezes from stage fright, and Toody walks out on stage and does his act for him. The audience thinks Toody's so funny that Jack Paar wants to have him on again, but on his big night, Toody freezes just like Charlie, and Muldoon takes over and does his act for him.
Accidental Bank Robbery: Episode 14, "Get Well, Officer Schnauzer" (1961). Muldoon accidentally hands a bank teller a note written by the notorious bank robber, No Face, so the teller thinks he's robbing the bank.
The Magician: Episode 15, "Christmas at the 53rd" (1961). At the annual 53rd precinct Christmas party, Lucille's brother, Al, and his wife, Rose, perform a comically inept magic act.
Vacation All I Never Wanted: Episode 26, "The Beast Who Walked the Bronx" (1962). Captain Block is ordered to take a two-week vacation while his precinct is falling apart.
Will You Marry Me Again?: Episode 27, "The Courtship of Sylvia Schnauser" (1962). Sylvia demands a vow renewal from Leo because she was disappointed with their quickie courthouse wedding.
Auction Mishap: Episode 28, "The Auction" (1962). The gang attends an auction to bid on an antique chair for Captain Block's anniversary gift. They encourage Leo to bid on every item as a strategy to keep the price low, and he ends up winning everything.
Bottle Blonde: Episode 30, "I Love Lucille" (1961). In an attempt to get Gunther's attention, Lucille bleaches her hair, and her new blonde look drives Gunther crazy.

Season 2

Tonsillectomy: Episode 5, "Toody & Muldoon Sing Along with Mitch" (1962). Toody learns that everyone in his family has a gravelly singing voice until they get their tonsils out, so he gets a tonsillectomy so he can sing with the precinct's group on TV.
Séance: Episode 7, "Remember St. Petersburg" (1962). A fake fortune teller holds séances in an attempt to find descendants of royalty and con them out of their family fortunes, and she unwittingly convinces Toody and Sylvia that they're descended from Russian royalty.
Hyp-NO-sis: Episode 10, "I Hate Captain Block" (1962). When Toody accidentally teaches Captain Block's parrot to say "I hate Captain Block!" he tries to hypnotize the bird to forget Captain Block, but he accidentally hypnotizes himself and completely forgets who the captain is.
Commercial Star: Episode 11, "A Star is Born in The Bronx" (1962). Sylvia Schnauser is asked to star in a commercial for cookies, but her increasing demands ruin the opportunity for her.
The Star Boarder: Episode 21, "The Star Boarder" (1963). Lucille buys a piano on a whim, and to cover the cost, she and Gunther decide to take in a boarder.
Author, Author: Episode 28, "The Loves of Sylvia Schnauser" (1963). The Captain asks Sylvia to go undercover to a scam publishing house to pose as a writer. She gets a little too into character and writes a book about the "loves" of her life, which turn out to be her favorite foods.
Raging Bull&@!: Episode 29, "Raging Bull&@!" (1963). Toody and Muldoon try to convince a hairdresser to give up his dream of being a prizefighter because his girlfriend is afraid he'll get hurt. Real-life boxers, Rocky Graziano and Sugar Ray Robinson, guest star.

Character Tropes

Brainiac: Francis Muldoon - Played by Fred Gwynne.
Longsuffering Boss: Captain Paul Block - Played by Paul Reed.