Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (TV series)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an American sitcom that aired on ABC starring Fess Parker. The series, which aired from October 1962 to March 1963, was based on the 1939 Frank Capra film of the same name, starring James Stewart in the title role.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Sandra Warner and Fess Parker as Pat and Eugene Smith.
GenreSitcom
Created byHal Stanley, based on the 1939 theatrical movie
StarringFess Parker
Sandra Warner
Red Foley
Theme music composerIrving Taylor
Hal Stanley
Opening theme"Mr. Smith Goes To Washington"
ComposerJimmie Haskell
Country of originUSA
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes25
Production
ProducerHal Stanley
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time24 mins.
Production companyStarstan-Fespar Productions
DistributorScreen Gems
Columbia Pictures Television
Colex Enterprises
Columbia Tri-Star Television
Sony Pictures Television (current)
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 29, 1962 (1962-09-29) –
March 23, 1963 (1963-03-23)
Chronology
Preceded byMr. Smith Goes to Washington

Synopsis

Fess Parker was Eugene Smith, an honest but unsophisticated U.S. senator from an unidentified small-populated state. According to the story line, Eugene Smith is elected to a Senate vacancy after the death of an incumbent. The series also features Sandra Warner as Parker's wife, Pat Smith; country music singer Red Foley as the senator's Uncle Cooter, Rita Lynn as Smith's secretary, Miss Kelly, and Stan Irwin as Smith's chauffeur, Arnie.[1]

Guest stars

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

Production notes

The series, a Screen Gems Production (Screen Gems was owned by Columbia Pictures, which produced the film), aired at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday. It followed ABC's short-lived The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show, a Western comedy and variety show, and preceded the long-running The Lawrence Welk Show. Its competition on CBS was the legal drama The Defenders and NBC's The Joey Bishop Show.[2]

References
  1. Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 561
  2. Total Television, appendix
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