Mr. Merlin
Mr. Merlin is an American sitcom that ran for one season, from 1981 to 1982, about Merlin the wizard (played by Barnard Hughes), who is immortal, living in modern-day San Francisco, and disguised as Max Merlin, a mechanic. Mr. Merlin was produced by Larry Rosen and Larry Tucker, working as the Larry Larry Company, in association with Columbia Pictures Television.
| Mr. Merlin | |
|---|---|
 Mr. Merlin Title Card | |
| Genre | Situation comedy, Fantasy |
| Created by | Larry Rosen Larry Tucker |
| Written by | Larry Rosen Larry Tucker Tom Chehak |
| Directed by | Bill Bixby Harry Winer James Frawley |
| Starring | Barnard Hughes Clark Brandon Elaine Joyce Jonathan Prince Phil Morris |
| Composer | Ken Harrison |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Larry Rosen Larry Tucker |
| Producer | Joel Rogosin |
| Cinematography | Chuck Arnold Ronald W. Browne |
| Editors | Robert F. Shugrue John Farrell Kenneth R. Koch |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Larry Larry Productions |
| Distributor | Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Film |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 7, 1981 – March 22, 1982 |
Premise
Merlin hires Zachary Rogers (Clark Brandon) to work in his garage, and when Zac pulls a crowbar out of a bucket of cement, the crowbar is revealed to be Arthur's sword Excalibur and Merlin must reveal himself to Zac and make him an apprentice. Leo Samuels (Jonathan Prince) is Zac's best friend, who naturally has no idea his best buddy is a "wizard in training". Elaine Joyce is Alexandria ("Alex"), Max's equally magical liaison with an unseen "council" (who insisted Merlin take on an apprentice or lose both his powers and immortality).
Cast
Main
- Barnard Hughes as Max Merlin, Merlin the Magician who now works as a mechanic in San Francisco.
- Clark Brandon as Zachary Rogers, Merlin's apprentice.
- Jonathan Prince as Leo Samuels, Zac's best friend.
- Elaine Joyce as Alexandria, Merlin's fellow magician.
- Phil Morris as the Kid.
Guest cast
- DeAnna Robbins in "Pilot" (Episode 1)
- Richard Basehart in "A Moment in Camelot" (Episode 7)
- Stacy Keach Sr. in "Take My Tonsils... Please!" (Episode 9)
- Scott McGinnis in "Not So Sweet Sixteen" (Episode 11)
- Mel Stewart in "Alex Goes Popless" (Episode 14)
- Catherine Mary Stewart and Rita Wilson in "Everything's Coming Up Daisies " (Episode 15)
- Eugene Roche in "Change of Venue: Part 1" (Episode 18)
- Holly Gagnier in "I Was a Teenage Loser" (Episode 22)
Episodes
Note: A Mr. Merlin strip ran briefly in the British TV Comic.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | John Astin | Larry Tucker, Larry Rosen | October 7, 1981 | TBA |
| 2 | "The Cloning of the Green" | Bill Bixby | Larry Tucker, Larry Rosen | October 14, 1981 | TBA |
| 3 | "Starsand" | Herbert Kenwith | Larry Tucker, Larry Rosen | October 21, 1981 | TBA |
| 4 | "The Music's in Me" | Harry Winer | Tom Chehak | October 28, 1981 | 183402 |
| 5 | "All About Sheila" | Harry Winer | Larry Tucker, Larry Rosen | November 4, 1981 | 183401 |
| 6 | "The Two Faces of Zac" | Bill Bixby | Tim Maschler | November 11, 1981 | 183403 |
| 7 | "A Moment in Camelot" | Harry Winer | William J. Keenan | November 18, 1981 | TBA |
| 8 | "A Message from Wallshime" | Alan Myerson | Jeffrey Scott | December 2, 1981 | TBA |
| 9 | "Take My Tonsils... Please" | Bill Bixby | Parke Perine | December 9, 1981 | TBA |
| 10 | "The Ache" | Larry Elikann | Stephanie Garman, Hollace White | December 23, 1981 | TBA |
| 11 | "Not So Sweet Sixteen" | Alan Myerson | Tom Chehak | December 30, 1981 | TBA |
| 12 | "Romeo and Dreidelwood" | James Frawley | Larry Tucker, Larry Rosen | January 6, 1982 | 183419 |
| 13 | "Getting to Know You" | Leo Penn | Ann Woodall, Paula Lintz | January 18, 1982 | TBA |
| 14 | "Alex Goes Popless" | James Frawley | Tom Chehak | January 25, 1982 | 183420 |
| 15 | "Everything's Coming Up Daisies" | Jeffrey Hayden | Don Tait | February 1, 1982 | 183421 |
| 16 | "The Egg and Us" | Howard Storm | George Geiger | February 8, 1982 | 183417 |
| 17 | "How to Help a Gymnast in a Foreign Country" | Leo Penn | Martin Donovan | February 15, 1982 | 183416 |
| 18–19 | "Change of Venue: Parts 1 & 2" | Bill Bixby | Tim Maschler | February 22, 1982 | TBA |
| Originally presented as an hour-long episode. | |||||
| 20 | "An Absence of Amulets" | Harry Winer | Paul Haggis, Michael Mauer | March 1, 1982 | 183413 |
| 21 | "Arrivederci, Dink" | Alan Myerson | Julie Kirgo, Dinah Kirgo | March 15, 1982 | 183424 |
| 22 | "I Was a Teenage Loser" | Bill Bixby | Tom Chehak | March 22, 1982 | 183425 |
References
- From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Mister Merlin"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 22, 2017.