My World... and Welcome to It
1969 NBC comedy series blending live action and deceptively simplistic animation to present a surreal, satirical and occasionally sarcastic view of the world. Based loosely on the stories and cartoons of James Thurber, it featured William Windom as "John Monroe", who was a thinly disguised version of Thurber. Monroe's life was complicated by his editor (who didn't understand his cartoons), his wife (who was amused by his inability to cope with the world), and his precocious daughter. His only relief was his writer friend Phil (based on author Robert Benchley) -- and the animated fantasy sequences he would frequently enter.
Innovative and intelligent during an otherwise unimpressive era of television, My World... and Welcome to It made extensive use of its source material, to the point of actually incorporating several of Thurber's short stories whole into its plots. And like George Burns before him and Garry Shandling after, Monroe would frequently turn to the audience and address them directly.
A classic series with all-too-short a run, despite it and Windom earning 1970 Emmy Awards (Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series). (The show was canceled simply so that NBC would have an open slot to offer Red Skelton after his popular CBS show was unexpectedly axed.)
As of late 2020, most if not all of the series can be found on YouTube.
- Animated Series: At least in part.
- Closer to Earth: Ellen, Monroe's wife.
- Credits Gag: The opening credits scroll past a "Thurber Hound" dog, which after a moment begins interacting with, laying on and climbing over the moving text, ending with it frightening Thurber's credit into running off the screen.
- Grumpy Middle-Aged Man: Monroe.
- Half-Hour Comedy
- Henpecked Husband: Monroe, somewhat, although never to the extent of a usual Thurber husband.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: John Monroe, based on James Thurber, and his friend Phil, based on Robert Benchley. One episode also featured a female writer apparently based on Dorothy Parker.
- No Fourth Wall: Monroe frequently addresses the audience to discuss the events in his life, or even just random musings.
- Panty Shot: Lydia (Monroe's daughter) in the debut episode.
- Precious Puppies: The show's animated credits featured one of the famous "Thurber Hounds".
- Roger Rabbit Effect: The live-action Monroe is frequently shown interacting with or as part of the animated sequences.
- Title Drop: Usually the final line of every episode's teaser, after an initial curmudgeonly observation and a setup for the plot of the episode.
- Too Good to Last