The Slap Maxwell Story

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The Slap Maxwell Story (sometimes seen in print as The "Slap" Maxwell Story) was a situation comedy broadcast in the United States by ABC as part of its 1987-88 lineup.

The Slap Maxwell Story starred Dabney Coleman as "Slap" Maxwell, an egocentric sportswriter for a newspaper called The Ledger, somewhere in the American Southwest. The Ledger was a very old-fashioned newspaper (Slap still composed his colum, "Slap Shots", on a typewriter), and Slap was a very-old fashioned guy. Despite the newly-litigious environment of journalism, Slap insisted on filling his column with rumor and innuendo, drawing lawsuits and Slap's frequent termination, to be followed by a grovelling apology and his rehiring. He had an on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend Judy (Meagan Gallagher), one of the paper's secretaries, due primarily to his off-putting personality. Annie (Susan Anspach) was Slap's ex-wife Annie, who nonetheless retained a (small) soft spot for him.

This was one of several efforts to make a comedic character out of Coleman's gruff persona (others included Buffalo Bill and Drexell's Class); none were to last for over a year.