Scarecrow and Mrs. King
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by |
Brad Buckner Eugenie Ross-Leming |
| Starring |
Kate Jackson Bruce Boxleitner Beverly Garland Mel Stewart Martha Smith Greg Morton Paul Stout Sam Melville |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 88 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Production company(s) |
Shoot the Moon Enterprises B&E Enterprises (episodes 1-11) Warner Bros. Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | October 3, 1983 – May 28, 1987 |
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series[1] that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance, after encountering one another in a train station.
Cast
- Kate Jackson as Amanda King
- Bruce Boxleitner as Lee Stetson ("Scarecrow")
- Beverly Garland as Dotty (Amanda's mother)
- Paul Stout as Philip King (Amanda's son)
- Greg Morton as Jamie King (Amanda's son)
- Mel Stewart as Billy Melrose
- Martha Smith as Francine Desmond
- Sam Melville as Joe King (Amanda's ex-husband)
Plot
Amanda King is a divorced housewife who lives with her mother, Dotty, and her young sons, Philip and Jamie.
One morning, Agency operative Lee Stetson, codenamed "Scarecrow", hands her a package while he is being pursued. He instructs her to "give it to the man in the red hat", but she is unable to complete the assignment, as there are many men in fezes (red hats) in the train car at the time. Scarecrow later has to track her down to recover the package, inadvertently getting her involved with his case. When Stetson is captured by his pursuers and marked for elimination, Amanda ends up solving the secret behind the package, finding and rescuing Stetson, and even taking down their opponents, thereby getting introduced to the Agency.
Inquisitive, Amanda seeks to learn more about the organization and ends up working for them, first in an office role and later receiving training to become a full agent, while keeping her new job a secret from her family. She works under Lee's boss Billy Melrose and with dismissive fellow agent Francine Desmond. Amanda and Lee work together even though he is initially reluctant to work with the "rookie" but eventually they become a good team.
The "team" travels to places like Germany and England, and help each other as they pose as other people, even posing as husband and wife. Escapades involving cruise ships and even getting "married" are some of their assignments, and the KGB or other enemies of the United States are always involved. Amanda's ex-husband Joe King (played by Sam Melville, also Jackson's husband on The Rookies) is still friendly with Amanda and is later suspected of murder.
Lee and Amanda develop a friendship during the beginning that turns into a romantic relationship. While many suitors for Amanda or Lee pop up, in the end they fall for each other. Lee professes his love for Amanda before going into hiding from The Agency, and he then pops the question after her kidnapping. However, because of safety for Amanda's family, they must keep the marriage secret from their employer, friends, and families.
Production
Due to Jackson being treated for breast cancer during the latter half of the fourth season, her role was drastically reduced in later episodes and the series was canceled after the season was over.
Guest stars
- Hildegard Knef, Russian Princess targeted by assassins, 1.21, "Waiting for Godorsky" (credited as Hildegard Neff).
- Jean Stapleton, British spy Lady Emily Farnsworth, two episodes, #2.4, "The Legend of Das Geisterschloss", and #2.11, "The Three Faces of Emily".
- Raleigh Bond, information man T.P. Aquinas, 11 episodes.
- Howard Duff, Lee's mentor Captain Harry Thornton, two episodes, 3.4, "Tail of the Dancing Weasel", and 4.22, "The Khrushchev List".
- James Cromwell, Lee's nemesis Gregory, two episodes, 3.4, "Tail of the Dancing Weasel", and 3.18, "Wrong Number".
- Arlen Dean Snyder, Colonel Robert Clayton, the tough Uncle who raised Lee after his parent's death, episode 2.15, "A Relative Situation".
- Thomas Babson, Amanda's weatherman boyfriend, Dean, three episodes, 1.1, "The First Time", 1.5, "The ACM Kid", and 2.16, "Life of the Party".
- John Saxon, Agency man Dirk Fredericks, two episodes, 1.1, "The First Time", and 1.8, "Saved by the Bells".
Media
The entire series was made available for online viewing through AOL's SlashControl service from January through August 2009.[2]
As of June 2011, the entire series is currently available for online viewing through Amazon Instant Video.[3]
Warner Home Video has released all four seasons on DVD in Region 1.[4]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 21 | March 9, 2010 |
| The Complete Second Season | 23 | March 22, 2011 |
| The Complete Third Season | 22 | March 20, 2012 |
| The Complete Fourth and Final Season | 22 | January 22, 2013 |
Reception
Scarecrow and Mrs. King won a 1986 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for the episode "We're Off to See the Wizard". It was nominated for multiple awards during its four-year run, including two Emmy award nominations in 1985 for "Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series" and "Outstanding Achievement in Costuming" and another nomination in 1986 for "Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Series". It was nominated for a 1985 Golden Globe award for "Outstanding Cinematography for a Series" for the episode "D.O.A.: Delirious On Arrival",[5] and in 1988 the American Society of Cinematographers nominated it for the "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series" award. Paul Stout was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1985 for "Best Young Supporting Actor in a Daytime or Nighttime Drama" and "Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Drama Series", respectively.
The series is also noted as the last American television show as of 2014 to use a full orchestra during the series opening credits.
References
- ↑ "Scarecrow and Mrs. King". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Scarecrow and Mrs. King". AOL. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ↑ "Scarecrow and Mrs. King on Amazon Instant Video". Amazon. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ↑ Lambert, David (October 20, 2009). "Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Spies Leak Warner's Press Release for The Complete 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Scarecrow and Mrs. King". TV.com.