The Liver Birds and Series 1 starred Pauline Collins as Dawn and Polly James as Beryl Hennessey. In Series 2, Nerys Hughes debuted as Sandra Hutchinson, replacing Dawn for the rest of the programme's run. The Beryl-and-Sandra pairing is generally regarded as the programme's best period. Beryl was the more 'common' one, while Sandra was soft-spoken and more refined, due to the influence of her snobbish, overbearing mother (Mollie Sugden). Carla Lane drew on her own mother for the character – "Mrs Hutchinson, I think she was my mother. I'm sure she was my mother". Beryl's 'common' mother (the Hennesseys live in Bootle,
The Polly Bergen Show The Polly Bergen Show The Polly Bergen Show was a half-hour 18-episode comedy/variety show, starring then 27-year-old Polly Bergen, which aired on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The program is remembered for its impressive guest-star lineup as well as its closing theme song, "The Party's Over" (1956)."The Polly Bergen Show" alternated in the 9 p.m. EST Saturday time slot with the equally short-lived "Club Oasis". In the premiere on September 21, 1957, the guests included Julius LaRosa, Jack Carson, Sylvia Sidney and Bud Collyer, the first emcee of CBS's "To Tell the Truth", on which Bergen was a long-term