History Trivia / OurMissBrooks

** Mary Ann Croft voices the reporter in "The Model School Teacher" before taking the role of rival English teacher Daisy Enright on radio and television.

* On the format change. Had this not happened, the fourth season would have been based at Madison High School as usual, and Walter Denton, Harriet Conklin and Mr. Boynton would have remained major characters. As it was, in the 1955-56 broadcast year, the radio show was still producing new episodes set at Madison High School under the show's old format. TheMovie GrandFinale had also been released resolving the show's storylines in line with the previous continuity. So, really, ''What Might Have Been?'' '''was''', at least on the radio and in the movies, just not on television.

** Mary Jane Croft voices the reporter in "The Model School Teacher" before taking the role of rival English teacher Daisy Enright on radio and television.

** Child actor Ricky Vera guest starred as Ricky Velasco during the high school episodes and then had a reoccurring role as Benny Romero during the elementary school episodes.

** Happily averted with the surviving radio episodes (1948-1956), which have lapsed into The public domain and are available online. Also averted with TheMovie, which is available from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection and occasionally airs on Turner Classic Movies.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Shirley Booth and Creator/LucilleBall were considered for the role of Miss Brooks before it was given to Eve Arden. Booth actually recorded an audition show, but ultimately took the plight of working-class teachers too seriously to have fun with it and turned the part down. Ball also turned it down, having already committed to ''My Favorite Husband'', and some sources claim she actually suggested Arden for the role.

** [[ExecutiveMeddling CBS tried to do this]] with Walter Denton, feeling Richard Crenna was too old to reprise the role on television. Crenna actually agreed with this assessment and didn't want to carry over to TV anyway. Eve Arden protested this, feeling he looked and sounded younger than his years and insisted that nobody else could play the role as well. CBS ultimately had her do screentests with several other candidates, which Arden agreed to on the proviso that Crenna be tested as well. The network ultimately relented after realising Arden was right. (Crenna's appearance as a lovesick high-schooler on ''Series/ILoveLucy'' also influenced his decision to ultimately join the cast, and provided CBS with further proof he was still capable of passing as a teenager.)

** Averted on the radio, where ''Our Miss Brooks'' aired Sunday nights.

** Happily averted with the surviving radio episodes (1948-1956), which have lapsed into public domain and are available online. Also averted with TheMovie, which is available from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection and occasionally airs on Turner Classic Movies.

** [[ExecutiveMeddling CBS tried to do this]] with Walter Denton, feeling Richard Crenna was too old to reprise the role on television. Crenna actually agreed with this assessment, and didn't want to carry over to TV anyway. Eve Arden protested this, feeling he looked and sounded younger than his years and insisted that nobody else could play the role as well. CBS ultimately had her do screentests with several other candidates, which Arden agreed to on the proviso that Crenna be tested as well. The network ultimately relented after realising Arden was right. (Crenna's appearance as a lovesick high-schooler on ''Series/ILoveLucy'' also influenced his decision to ultimately join the cast, and provided CBS with further proof he was still capable of passing as a teenager.)

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Shirley Booth and Creator/LucilleBall were considered for the role of Miss Brooks before it was finally given to Eve Arden. Booth actually recorded the first pilot, but ultimately took the plight of working-class teachers too seriously to have fun with the role and turned the part down. Ball also turned down the role, having already committed to ''My Favorite Husband'', and some sources claim she actually suggested Arden for the role.

** [[ExecutiveMeddling CBS tried to do this]] with Walter Denton, feeling Richard Crenna was too old to reprise the role on television. Eve Arden protested, stating he looked and sounded younger than his years and that nobody else could play the role as well. CBS ultimately made her do screentests with several other candidates, which Arden agreed to on the proviso that Crenna be tested as well. The network ultimately relented after realising Arden was right - Crenna alone was Walter Denton.

** [[ExecutiveMeddling CBS tried to do this]] with Walter Denton, feeling Richard Crenna was too old to reprise the role on television. Eve Arden protested, stating he looked and sounded younger than his years and that nobody else could play the role as well. CBS ultimately made her do screentests with several other candidates, which Arden agreed to on the proviso that Crenna be tested as well. The network ultimately relented after realising Arden was right - Crenna alone was Walter Denton.

** Happily averted with the radio episodes (1948-1956), which have lapsed into public domain and are available online. Also averted with TheMovie, which is available from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection and occasionally airs on Turner Classic Movies.
* TheOtherDarrin: Jeff Chandler played Mr. Boynton in the first few radio seasons, then was replaced by Robert Rockwell on both radio and TV.

** Mary Ann Croft voices the reporter in "The Model School Teacher" before taking the role of rival English teacher Daisy Enright on radio and television.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Shirley Booth and Creator/LucilleBall were considered for the role of Miss Brooks before it was finally given to Eve Arden.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: ''Our Miss Brooks'' was a winner in the Neilsen ratings during its 1952-1956 television run, however only the episodes "Home Cooked Meal" and "The Big Jump" have been released on ''legitimate'' DVD. Happily averted with the radio episodes (1948-1956), which have lapsed into public domain and are available online. Also averted with TheMovie, which is available from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection and occasionally airs on Turner Classic Movies.

* FakeAmerican: Three, all born in the UsefulNotes/BritishEmpire.

* FakeAmerican: Well, not exactly. Jane Morgan, who played Mrs. Davis, was born in London to Welsh parents. She moved to Boston before her first birthday.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: An interesting example in the radio episode "Reckless Driving''.
** Miss Brooks, Mrs. Davis, Mr. Conklin, Mr. Boynton, Harriet and Walter are on Mrs. Davis' porch listening to the radio.
*** Creator/SteveAllen suddenly drives up asking for the way to Hollywood - turns out he's going to host the summer replacement for ''Our Miss Brooks''.
*** The radio is tuned to ''Our Miss Brooks''. Miss Brooks refers to the program as the one "with the school teacher with my name".
*** Miss Brooks, incidentally, thinks Eve Arden is "a doll". Mr. Conklin hates the program's pompous principal, while Walter Denton likes "one character in particular."
*** Eve Arden announces her summer replacement, saying she would be listening to Steve Allen's show that summer. Everybody on the porch commending her nice speech. Allen, however, wonders if she'll really be listening. Cue Eve Arden saying of course she would, he has her job!
** This scene wasn't duplicated in the television remake, ''Trial by Jury''. Here, the episode ended with Miss Brooks pleading her innocence in court, before a jury with Mr. Conklin as a member.

** Joseph Kearns plays a conservative school board official in "Lulu the Pinup Boat" before assuming the role of Mr. Stone in subsequent episodes and the [[TheMovie cinematic]] [[GrandFinale series finale]].

*** The radio is tuned to ''Our Miss Brooks'' Miss Brooks calling it the show "with the school teacher with my name".
*** Miss Brooks, incidentally, thinks Eve Arden is "a doll". Mr. Conklin hates the pompous principal, while Walter Denton likes "one character in particular."

** This scene wasn't duplicated in the television remake, ''Trial by Jury''. There, the program ended with Miss Brooks pleading her innocence in court, before a jury with Mr. Conklin as a member.

** Different actors portrayed head of the board of education Mr. Stone on the radio. Two different actors played Mr. Stone on television.