My Living Doll was a 1964 American TV series about a womanlike robot and the man she was forced to live with.
Dr. Bob MacDonald (Bob Cummings) is a psychologist working for the U.S. Air Force. When a friend of his, who is working on an android named Rhoda (Julie Newmar) for the space program, is sent over to Pakistan, he leaves it under Bob's care, on the condition that no one must know its true nature. Hilarity Ensues as Bob tries to teach Rhoda to pass for human.
The show suffered from low ratings, due to airing against shows such as Bonanza. This caused Cummings to leave, explained in-universe as his also being reassigned to Pakistan, with his neighbor Peter [Jack Mullaney] taking over as Rhoda's guardian. The series was cancelled after one season, and today is remembered best for launching Newmar's television career.
Not to be confused with the Living Toys trope.
Tropes in My Living Doll:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Subverted; Rhoda was totally obedient, but got easily confused by human behavior.
- The Casanova: Both male leads are hinted to be this, but both have their love lives put on hold by Rhoda's presence.
- Catchphrase: According to The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, My Living Doll is the source of the science fiction phrase "Does not compute".
- Meaningful Name: Rhoda's true name is "AF 709" a reference to an early model of IBM computers.
- Old Maid: Bob brings in his older, single sister to live with them so his neighbors won't think he and Rhoda are "living together" by themselves. Later on Peter's housemaid fills in this role.
- Repeat After Me: Unintentional; Rhoda has a tendency to repeat things she's been told by others, usually at the most inconvenient moment.
- Robot Girl: Rhoda, of course.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Rhoda is instantly deactivated if her eyes are covered or a button in her back is pressed. Also, the poetic metrics of Alice in Wonderland confused her own so much it gave her vertigo.
