Rollie Pruitt

In a special one-hour episode, the folks at WENN are performing traditional Yuletide programming when they are surprised by unexpected visitors: Gloria Redmond, a famous singing star who ended her career abruptly a year earlier; Gil Martin, a English performer "on loan" (in exchange for Victor and Jeff having broadcast at the BBC); and Mr. Pruitt, the tight-fisted financier of Globe Enterprises, the company that owns WENN.
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It's Pruitt who causes the most havoc: he orders that the station broadcast no Christmas programming at all, enraging WENN's sponsors and thwarting Betty's plans to go home for the holidays. (59'46")
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Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.
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Surprisingly there's no little magical character who visits to turn Mr. Pruitt into a saint, and Gil Martin isn't revealed to be Grace Redmond's long-lost nephew, there to restore her faith in living-- WENN's salvation comes from everyone doing what they do best, working together to try to turn the situation around.
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Pruitt will turn up again, like the bad penny he is, in season 3. The man playing the bass during the band sequences isn't cast credited, but thanks to an e-mail I discovered he's Michael Roberts, who's listed in the "Music" credits.  (Hmm--sounds like neither Pruitt nor Scott were paying attention to the events at the World's Fair [despite that gorgeous poster in Scott's office, which I want!]; Scott's pitching television ["visio"] to Pruitt when it was already publicly introduced by RCA the previous year at their exhibit and national broadcast of television began in 1939 [although NBC was broadcasting to a handful of New York homes as early as 1936].

After Rollie Pruitt orders a surprise audit on the WENN books, Scott is fired, and the entire staff rallies to his side--save Betty, whose encounter with Victor has left her unable to defend him.
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Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.
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(Both of them have standout scenes of their own as well: Betty's grim interview with Pruitt and Scott's revelation during his dismissal.) The staff's solution to the Pruitt problem echoes back to "A Capital Idea," but with a dark twist suitable to the mood of an episode marking Scott's departure as station manager (although it's considerably less "fun").Jonathan Freeman earns the rank of WENN's Moriarty with his chillingly gloating portrayal of Pruitt. (Check out the engraving on the wall behind Pruitt in Scott's dismissal scene; is that meant to be Scrooge?) The music in this episode is by Paul Schwartz, and, yes, that is Pachebel's Canon you hear in the background during part of Pruitt's opening scenes.
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Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.
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{Betty and Mackie are in the office with Pruitt; Betty is hoping to get him a
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Pruitt: "Mr.Mackie Bloom." Mackie {stiffly}: "That's what my friends call me, but you can call me that, too." Pruitt: "As you know, the enterprising Mr. Scott Sherwood has departed WENN-" Mackie: "Yes, well, you can't win them all." Pruitt {continues}: "-and I, for the time being, will serve as business manager for this station."
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privilege to serve as Mr. Pruitt's right hand."
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Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.
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Jonathan Freeman has some marvelous moments as Pruitt (one might think the man's heart occasionally does do more than circulate blood), and the sociopolitical commentary that runs through his scripts is especially funny.
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Rollie Pruitt either has offices in or lives in Boston.
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Betty acts as station manager when Pruitt is gone.
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Guest Cast: Rollie Pruitt: Jonathan Freeman.

Rollie Pruitt
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ROLLIE PRUITT, the financial manager for GLOBE Enterprises (the company that owns WENN), became a perpetual thorn in the side of the cast and crew when he took over the reins as station manager after Scott's embezzlement was revealed.His grasping, sarcastic, and callous-- and those were his positive points!-- manner made life at WENN a nightmare ... until his tenure was ended when he was revealed to by a Nazi sympathizer.

LESTER is the evening engineer who later takes C.J.'s place.He's an older gentleman with an eye for the ladies.