Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (TV series)

*Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
	Sandra Warner and Fess Parker as Pat and Eugene Smith.
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Hal Stanley, based on the 1939 theatrical movie
Starring	Fess Parker; Sandra Warner; Red Foley
Theme music composer	Irving Taylor; Hal Stanley
Opening theme	"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington"
Composer	Jimmie Haskell
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	25
Production
Producer	Hal Stanley
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	24 mins.
Production company	Starstan-Fespar Productions (in association with Screen Gems)
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 29, 1962 –; March 23, 1963
Related
	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an American sitcom that aired on ABC starring Fess Parker. The series, which aired from September 29, 1962 to March 30, 1963, was based on the 1939 film of the same name, starring James Stewart in the title role.^[1]

Premise

The title character is a "small-town idealist who becomes a United States senator"^[2] who was elected to fill the unexpired term of the incumbent who died.^[3] Although Smith seemed naive, he disappointed his backers.^[4] Smith's small-town background led him to use a "low-keyed, homespun approach" to problems within his family and at the national level.^[5]

Regular characters in the series, in addition to Smith, were his wife Pat, his Uncle Cooter, Miss Kelly (a secretary), and Arnie (a chauffeur).^[1]

Cast

Eugene Smith - Parker^[1]
Pat Smith - Sandra Warner^[1]
Uncle Cooter - Red Foley^[1]
Miss Kelly - Rita Lynn^[1]
Arnie - Stan Irwin^[1]

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Washington Hostess"	Unknown	Unknown	September 29, 1962 (1962-09-29)
2	"Bad Day at Cuttin' Corners"	Unknown	Unknown	October 6, 1962 (1962-10-06)
3	"...But What Are You Doing for Your Country?"	Oscar Rudolph	Earl Hamner Jr.	October 13, 1962 (1962-10-13)
4	"The Musicale"	Unknown	Unknown	October 20, 1962 (1962-10-20)
5	"The Country Sculptor"	Unknown	Unknown	October 27, 1962 (1962-10-27)
6	"The Senator and the Paperboy"	Unknown	Unknown	November 3, 1962 (1962-11-03)
7	"The Fork in the Road"	Unknown	Unknown	November 10, 1962 (1962-11-10)
8	"First Class Citizen"	Unknown	Unknown	November 17, 1962 (1962-11-17)
9	"The Senator Baits a Hook"	Unknown	Unknown	November 24, 1962 (1962-11-24)
10	"For Richer or Poorer"	Unknown	Unknown	December 1, 1962 (1962-12-01)
11	"Man's Best Friend"	Unknown	Unknown	December 8, 1962 (1962-12-08)
12	"The Sleeping Sentry"	Unknown	Unknown	December 22, 1962 (1962-12-22)
13	"Without a Song"	Unknown	Unknown	December 29, 1962 (1962-12-29)
14	"That's Show Business"	Unknown	Unknown	January 5, 1963 (1963-01-05)
15	"Miss Ida's Star"	Unknown	Unknown	January 12, 1963 (1963-01-12)
16	"Think Mink"	Claudio Guzmán	Howard Snyder & Jack Harvey	January 19, 1963 (1963-01-19)
17	"The Resurrection of Winesap Corners"	Unknown	Unknown	January 26, 1963 (1963-01-26)
18	"Oh, Pioneers!"	Unknown	Unknown	February 2, 1963 (1963-02-02)
19	"Grand Ol' Opry"	Unknown	Unknown	February 9, 1963 (1963-02-09)
20	"And Still the Champ"	Unknown	Unknown	February 16, 1963 (1963-02-16)
21	"Citizen Bellows"	Unknown	Unknown	February 23, 1963 (1963-02-23)
22	"Kid from Brooklyn"	Unknown	Unknown	March 2, 1963 (1963-03-02)
23	"To Be or Not to Be"	Unknown	Unknown	March 9, 1963 (1963-03-09)
24	"High Society"	Unknown	Unknown	March 16, 1963 (1963-03-16)
25	"The Lobbyist"	Unknown	Unknown	March 23, 1963 (1963-03-23)

Production

Hal Stanley was the producer^[4] and creator of the series, which was filmed in black-and-white with a laugh track. Claudio Guzman and Oscar Rudolph were two of the directors. Earl Hamner, Jack Harvey, and Howard Snyder were three of the writers. Stanley and Irving Taylor wrote the theme song.^[3] The show was broadcast from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays.^[5] Sponsors included Camel cigarettes, Metrecal, and U. S. Royal tires.^[3]

Critical response

John P. Shanley, writing in The New York Times, commented that much of the initial episode was "obvious and unnecessary."^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 561
^ ^a ^b Shanley, John P. (October 1, 1962). "TV: Simplicity Rescues One of 4 Weekly Comedies". The New York Times. p. 63. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Leszczak, Bob (2 November 2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7864-6812-6. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "'Mr. Smith' series to begin in fall". The New York Times. February 20, 1962. p. 51. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 674. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.