by the beginning of August 1954 it was called The Artful Miss Dodger. It finally became Willy before it premiered in September 1954. Willy had low ratings during its first few months, and in January 1955, press reports indicated that Willy′s sponsor, General Mills, wanted to replace the show. In a February 1955 interview, June Havoc said the show was having trouble convincing television viewers of the mid-1950s that there was such a thing as a female lawyer and that female lawyers did not "all look like Victorian spinsters." In an attempt to boost Willy′s ratings, the Willy Dodger character moved from rural New Hampshire to New York City in March 1955, the show′s producers hoping that the new premise would give June Havoc a better opportunity to display her comedic and dancing talents. Havoc visited the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) to prepare for her portrayal of her character as working for the AGVA, although in the show the Willy character apparently worked for the Bannister Vaudeville Company rather than the AGVA. In April 1955, Willy moved from Saturday to Thursday nights. Neither the change of premise or the change of schedule saved the show, and by early May 1955 General Mills had dropped its sponsorship of the series. Willy completed production in May 1955 after 39 episodes, and June Havoc checked into a hospital for five days of rest and relaxation after production wrapped. Reception When Willy debuted in September 1954, critic Larry Wolters of the Chicago Daily Tribune described the Willy Dodger character as “a young Portia,” a reference to the heroine of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Associated Press radio and television editor C. E. Butterfield wrote that the premiere episode suggested that “the story sounds as if it might develop, although it may take a little time to build up an audience.” Willy never found that audience. It was rated the lowest of all new CBS shows and one of the lowest of new programs on any network in December 1954, and the third-lowest of new CBS shows and one of the lowest of new situation comedies on any network in January 1955. In 1957, June Havoc said that she believed Willy had failed because it had been designed as a show for a family to sit together and watch, something that she thought no family would do during Willy′s time slot at