The Jimmy Stewart Show
| The Jimmy Stewart Show | |
|---|---|
 1971/72 season title card | |
| Created by | Hal Kanter |
| Starring |
Jimmy Stewart Julie Adams Jonathan Daly Ellen Geer Dennis Larson Kirby Furlong John McGiver |
| Theme music composer | Jeff Alexander |
| Composer(s) | Jeff Alexander |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Hal Kanter |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | J-K/Ablidon Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 19, 1971[1] – August 27, 1972[1] |
The Jimmy Stewart Show is an American sitcom starring Jimmy Stewart. Twenty-four episodes of the show were broadcast in the 1971–1972 season on the NBC network's Sunday night schedule (8:30-9 pm ET), under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. The show is currently seen on the digital subchannel "GetTV."
Storyline
Stewart starred as James K. Howard, an anthropology professor at Josiah Kessel College, the small-town university founded by his grandfather in the fictional town of Easy Valley, California. His easy life became complicated when his son Peter's house burned down and he invited Peter's entire family to move in temporarily. The show's opening credits are seen while Stewart bicycles through the community.
The show received poor reviews and ratings in its only season and was not renewed.
Cast
- Jimmy Stewart: Prof. James K. Howard
- Julie Adams: Martha Howard
- Jonathan Daly: Peter Howard
- Ellen Geer: Wendy Howard
- Dennis Larson: Teddy Howard
- Kirby Furlong: Jake Howard
- John McGiver: Dr. Luther Quince
Notes
The show is notable as the only television or film production in which Stewart allowed himself to be billed onscreen as "Jimmy".[2] In all of his movies, he was billed as "James Stewart" (although he also used "Jimmy" for his book Jimmy Stewart and His Poems[3]).
On one program Beulah Bondi portrayed James Stewart's mother. She also played his mother in four films: It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Of Human Hearts, and Vivacious Lady.
According to series producer Hal Kanter, Stewart had African American actor Hal Williams dismissed from a guest appearance in one episode (in which Williams' character was to confront Stewart's) on racial grounds.[4]
Episode list
| Nº | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "By Way of Introduction" | September 19, 1971 |
| Series pilot. | ||
| 2 | "Love in a Briefcase" | September 26, 1971 |
| 3 | "The Price of Plumbing Is Numbing" | October 3, 1971 |
| 4 | "The Father and Son Game" | October 10, 1971 |
| 5 | "Another Day, Another Scholar" | October 17, 1971 |
| 6 | "A Hunch in Time" | October 24, 1971 |
| 7 | "The Identity Crisis" | October 31, 1971 |
| 8 | "Guest of Honor" | November 7, 1971 |
| 9 | "Pro Bono Publico" | November 14, 1971 |
| 10 | "A Bunk for Unk" | November 21, 1971 |
| 11 | "A Run for City Commissioner" "A Vote for Howard" | November 28, 1971 |
| 12 | "Period of Readjustment" | December 5, 1971 |
| 13 | "Luther's Last Love" | December 19, 1971 |
| 14 | "Cock-a-doodle Don't" | December 26, 1971 |
| 15 | "As the Escrow Flies" | January 2, 1972 |
| 16 | "Eighty-Nine Pounds of Love" | January 9, 1972 |
| 17 | "The Quarterback Ache" | January 16, 1972 |
| 18 | "Aunt's in My Pants" "Aunt's in My Plans" | January 23, 1972 |
| 19 | "Paper Work" | January 30, 1972 |
| 20 | "Song of the Jailbird" | February 6, 1972 |
| 21 | "Price Is Right" | February 13, 1972 |
| 22 | "Jim's Decision" | February 20, 1972 |
| 23 | "Old School Ties" | March 5, 1972 |
| 24 | "A Bone of Much Contention" | March 12, 1972 |
DVD release
On January 21, 2014, Warner Home Video released The Jimmy Stewart Show: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1, via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available via WBShop.com and Amazon.com.[5]
References
- 1 2 Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1979). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-25525-9. P. 307.
- ↑ Barrett, Michael (Summer 2015). "The last career of James Stewart". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (3): 42–46.
- ↑ Stewart, Jimmy (August 19, 1989). Jimmy Stewart and His Poems. Crown. ISBN 978-0517573822.
- ↑ Dewey, Donald (1996). James Stewart: A Biography. Atlanta, GA: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-570-36227-0.
- ↑ "The Jimmy Stewart Show: The Complete Series".