{"id":54206,"date":"2026-07-31T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T11:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=54206"},"modified":"2026-07-29T18:56:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T22:56:53","slug":"the-bootleg-files-thats-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/31\/the-bootleg-files-thats-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bootleg Files: That’s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOOTLEG FILES 944:<\/strong> \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d (1968-69 television series starring Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker). <\/p>\n

LAST SEEN:<\/strong> Bits and pieces are scattered on YouTube.
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\nAMERICAN HOME VIDEO:<\/strong> None.
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\nREASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:<\/strong> It is complicated
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\nCHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: <\/strong>None. <\/p>\n

Earlier this week, I was very sad to learn about the passing of actress E.J. Peaker. She was a vivacious blonde who came to prominence in the late 1960s by playing the perky dress shop salesgirl Minnie Fay in the film version of \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d and as the female lead in a strange television sitcom called \u201cThat\u2019s Life.\u201d
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Everyone knows \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d and just thinking of Peaker in her scene-stealing moments gives me great happiness. But \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d was unknown to me. It only ran for a single 26-episode season on ABC from 1968 into 1969 and then abruptly vanished, never to turn up in reruns or any home entertainment format. <\/p>\n

The concept for \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d was bold and experimental for its era. It was a sitcom about the evolving relationship between two young people, played by Peaker and Robert Morse. In the course of the series, they meet, fall in love, get married, become parents, and deal with the trials and tribulations of life together. But what made \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d very unusual was having the cast break into song \u2013 six tunes per episode. Three of the songs were covers of pop music standards and three were original works created for the show.<\/p>\n

The show was also unusual for having a considerable input of guest stars. Some of the stars who showed up could be found in any number of 60s programs, such as Sid Caesar, Jackie Vernon, Tim Conway and Paul Lynde. But others were nice surprises, such as The Turtles, Mahalia Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Terry-Thomas, Shelley Winters, Dick Shawn, and Agnes Moorehead. Rodney Dangerfield, whose comedy career was just starting to take off, had a recurring role as Morse\u2019s co-worker.<\/p>\n

To be frank, I cannot provide an in-depth critical analysis of \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d since none of the complete episodes are available for online review. It is not a lost show \u2013 the full episodes with the commercials survive intact \u2013 but it is impossible to re-release them until the music rights are cleared up. And with six songs per episode over a 26-episode span, that will take a lot of time, energy and money to clear up \u2013 especially for a show that was considered a flop.<\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d find success? It is difficult to imagine that the competition pummeled it \u2013 ABC slotted it for Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, opposite \u201c60 Minutes\u201d on CBS and the second half of \u201cNBC Tuesday Night at the Movies.\u201d And while the program never cracked the Top 30, neither did such shows as \u201cGet Smart,\u201d \u201cHogan\u2019s Heroes,\u201d \u201cStar Trek\u201d or \u201cHawaii Five-O\u201d \u2013 and those shows are considered classics today.<\/p>\n

From the clips that are available via unauthorized uploads to YouTube, the show comes across as awkward and contrived. The musical numbers are either silly or weird, with vain attempts to put on a Broadway show-stopper or try to catch a contemporary vibe. One particularly embarrassing segment online has the show\u2019s stars joining the Doodletown Pipers (a multiracial pop ensemble) in a bland rendition of \u201cA Little Help from My Friends.\u201d Equally strange is Agnes Moorehead singing (well, sort of) while treating Morse like a child, even instructing him to blow his nose in her handheld tissue. <\/p>\n

However, the concept works when old pros who know how to create alchemy by turning leaden material into comic gold are on camera. This includes Ethel Merman doing the \u201cThink Pink\u201d tune from \u201cFunny Face\u201d and Paul Lynde doing an original song called \u201cPeople\u201d that plumbs his misanthropic persona while taking a swipe at Barbra Streisand. Videos for those scenes can be viewed below.<\/p>\n

But the big problem with \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d was the very obvious lack of chemistry between Peaker and Morse. Truth be told, I was not a fan of Morse\u2019s 1960s work, and I find his attempts to be winsome or cute to be annoying. But Peaker, who was adorable in \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d, came across as flat and dull in \u201cThat\u2019s Life.\u201d Yes, she\u2019s very pretty and has a decent singing voice, but she doesn\u2019t generate any sparks in the clips that are available for review. The show\u2019s failure may have doomed her from going on to A-list stardom \u2013 although, in fairness, she had a long and respectable career as a working actress in films and television.<\/p>\n

Of course, maybe I\u2019m looking at this the wrong way. Take a look at some of the available clips from \u201cThat\u2019s Life\u201d and share your comments on this page. And if you recall the show from its original run, please let us know what you thought of it back in the day.<\/p>\n