Remembering Tom Bosley on The Dean Martin Show

HAPPY DAYS BEFORE “HAPPY DAYS”: Tom Bosley (l.) opens the door to guest star Elaine Stritch on an episode from the 6th season of The Dean Martin Show.

In a running sketch that aired weekly during the 1971-72 season of Dean’s series and presented a fictitious “family” for Dean’s pianist, Ken Lane, Bosley played the boyfriend of Marian Mercer (far left, standing), who was supposed to be Kenny’s sister. Kay Medford (second from right) was cast as Kenny’s kvetching mother (a part she actually originated on the series the previous year, antedating the creation of the larger “family” unit); and Lou Jacobi (far right) rounded out the ensemble as next-door neighbor, widower, and Mrs. Lane’s aspiring suitor, Mr. Kapopolis.

In what now stands as a poignant moment frozen in time, Tom Bosley shares a toast with Lou Jacobi, who passed away almost exactly a year earlier, at the age of 95.