Mr. Smith (TV series)

Mr. Smith is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23 through December 16, 1983. The title character was a talking orangutan. Mr. Smith was canceled after thirteen episodes were aired.

Mr. Smith
GenreSitcom
Created byStan Daniels
Ed. Weinberger
Written byDari Daniels
George Kirgo
David Lloyd
Douglas Wyman
Directed byStan Daniels
Ralph Helfer
Gerald Hirschfeld
Ed. Weinberger
StarringLeonard Frey
Tim Dunigan
Terri Garber
Laura Jacoby
Stuart Margolin
Voices ofEd. Weinberger
Composer(s)Patrick Williams
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producer(s)Stan Daniels
Ed. Weinberger
Producer(s)Ralph Helfer
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Weinberger/Daniels Productions
Paramount Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 23 (1983-09-23) –
December 16, 1983 (1983-12-16)

The orangutan who played Mr. Smith had previously been featured in the 1978 film Every Which Way But Loose and its 1980 sequel Any Which Way You Can.[1]

Synopsis

Originally a part of a traveling act called the Atwood Orangutans, Cha Cha and Bobo are separated from their trainer Tommy Atwood (Tim Dunigan) after he is knocked unconscious in a car accident while the act is traveling from Arizona to California. Frightened by the commotion caused by the accident, Cha Cha and Bobo both run away. Cha Cha is eventually found and sent to a government research center in Washington, D.C.. Weeks later, Cha Cha escapes from the center and ends up in a research lab where he finds an experimental mixture to increase human intelligence being developed. After drinking the mixture, Cha Cha is able to talk (his voice was provided by series executive producer Ed. Weinberger)[2] and is later determined to have an I.Q of 256. He is then renamed Mr. Smith and, due to his high intelligence, becomes a political adviser. Mr. Smith's old trainer Tommy later becomes his assistant while Mr. Smith attempts to solve various political problems and his surrounding staff, which includes his secretary Raymond Holyoke (Leonard Frey), attempt to keep his identity hidden from the general public.

Mr. Smith's premiere episode brought in a weak 12.1/22 rating/share and ranked 47th out of 57 shows that week [3] and was panned by critics. Viewership decreased as the season progressed and the series was canceled (along with seven other NBC series) in December 1983.[4][5]

Cast
  • Leonard Frey as Raymond Holyoke
  • Tim Dunigan as Tommy Atwood
  • Terri Garber as Dr. July Tyson
  • Laura Jacoby as Ellie Atwood
  • Stuart Margolin as Dr. Klein

US Television Ratings
Season Episodes Start Date End Date Nielsen Rank Nielsen Rating[6] Tied With
1983-84 13 September 23, 1983 December 16, 1983 95 9.8 N/A

Episode list
Nº Title Air date
1"Welcome to Washington: Part 1"September 23, 1983 (1983-09-23)
2"Welcome to Washington: Part 2"September 23, 1983 (1983-09-23)
3"Mr. Smith Operates"September 30, 1983 (1983-09-30)
4"Mr. Smith Finds His Brother"October 14, 1983 (1983-10-14)
5"Goodbye, Mr. Smith"October 21, 1983 (1983-10-21)
6"Mr. Smith Rescues Bobo"October 21, 1983 (1983-10-21)
7"Mr. Smith Falls in Love"October 28, 1983 (1983-10-28)
8"Mr. Smith Gets Physical"November 4, 1983 (1983-11-04)
9"Mr. Smith Loses a Friend"November 11, 1983 (1983-11-11)
10"Mr. Smith Makes a Commercial"November 18, 1983 (1983-11-18)
11"Mr. Smith Plays Cyrano"November 25, 1983 (1983-11-25)
12"Mr. Smith Goes Public"December 2, 1983 (1983-12-02)
13"Mr. Smith Goes to Court"December 16, 1983 (1983-12-16)

Awards and nominations
Year Award Result Category Recipient
1984Emmy AwardNominatedOutstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)Patrick Williams
(For episode "Mr. Smith Falls in Love")
1984Young Artist AwardsNominatedBest Young Actress in a New Television SeriesLaura Jacoby
NominatedBest New Television Series
-
1985NominatedBest Young Actress in a Television Comedy SeriesLaura Jacoby
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gollark: > using quotes

References
  1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 789. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  2. Brant, Marley (2006). Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms, 1974-1984. Billboard Books. p. 260. ISBN 0-8230-8933-9.
  3. http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/10outlandish/
  4. "Television Obscurities - 10 Of The Most Outlandish TV Concepts Ever". tvobscurities.com. 2004-01-01. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  5. Shah, Diane K. (1987-10-25). "Starting Over: TV's Grant Tinker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  6. "1983-84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps". Archived from the original on December 5, 2017.
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