The Jimmy Stewart Show

2025-07-08T03:15:48Z

172.56.234.20:

{{short description|American television series 1971-1972}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox television
| image = The Jimmy Stewart Show - Title Card.jpg
| camera = [[Single-camera setup|Single-camera]]
| runtime = 25 minutes
| creator = [[Hal Kanter]]
| producer = [[Hal Kanter]] Bernard Wiesen
| starring = [[James Stewart|Jimmy Stewart]] [[Julie Adams]] [[Jonathan Daly]] [[Ellen Geer]] Dennis Larson Kirby Furlong [[John McGiver]]
| theme_music_composer = [[Jeff Alexander]]
| composer = Jeff Alexander
| company = J-K/Ablidon Productions [[Warner Bros. Television]]
| narrated =
| country = United States
| network = [[NBC]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1971|09|19}}<ref name="brooks">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Jimmy+Stewart+Show+The+Situation+Comedy%22&pg=PA703 |first1=Tim |last1=Brooks |author-link1=Tim Brooks (historian) |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |year=2007 |edition=9 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present |page=703 |publisher=Random House Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |access-date=2024-07-01 }}</ref><ref name=ctva>[http://ctva.biz/US/Comedy/JimmyStewartShow.htm The Classic TV Archive The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971-72) Accessed 30 April 2021]</ref>
| last_aired = {{End date|1972|03|12}}<ref name=ctva/>
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 24
| list_episodes =
}}
[[File:Cast of The Jimmy Stewart Show.PNG|thumb|right|263px|A publicity photo of cast members of ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'': '''Back row, left to right:''' [[Ellen Geer]], [[Jonathan Daly]] and Kirby Furlong. '''Front row, left to right:''' [[Julie Adams]], Dennis Larson, and [[James Stewart]].]]
'''''The Jimmy Stewart Show''''' is an American [[sitcom]] starring [[James Stewart]] as a college professor in a small town who shares his home with three generations of his family. Twenty-four episodes of the show were broadcast during the [[1971–72 United States network television schedule|1971–72 season]] on [[NBC]].

== Synopsis ==
Dr. James K. Howard, known as Jim, is an anthropology professor at Josiah Kessel College, the small-town institution of higher learning founded by his grandfather Josiah Kessel in the fictional town of Easy Valley in [[Northern California]]. Jim — whose middle name is Kessel — lives with his wife of 30 years, Martha, and their eight-year-old son Teddy. Jim also has a 29-year-old son, Peter J. Howard, Sr., known as "P.J.," who owns the Easy Valley Construction Company, where his pretty and perky wife Wendy assists him. P.J. and Wendy also have an eight-year-old son, Peter J. "Jake" Howard, Jr., who is Teddy's nephew but finds it strange to refer to Teddy as his uncle; the two boys often bicker over what to call one another and who should show greater respect to whom.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/><ref name=barrett>[https://www.popmatters.com/189763-the-jimmy-stewart-show-from-tvs-never-never-land-2495570805.html Barrett, Michael, "The Jimmy Stewart Show Emerges From TV's Never-Never Land," Pop Matters, 24 February 2015 Accessed 30 April 2021]</ref> Jim's easygoing life becomes complicated when he inadvertently burns down P.J. and Wendy's house and he and Martha invite P.J., Wendy, and Jake to move in with them temporarily. Jim is good-natured, and the two families do the best they can to get along in the overcrowded house, but conflicts are inevitable.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/><ref name=barrett/>

Dr. Luther Quince, a [[Nobel Prize]]-winning [[chemistry]] professor, is a faculty colleague of Jim's at the college<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/><ref name=barrett/> and quite a contrast to Jim — Luther drives a [[Rolls-Royce]] while Jim rides a bicycle to class, and Luther thinks of himself as having refined tastes, while Jim plays the [[accordion]].<ref name=hofstede>Hofstede, David, "Peace, Love, and Laughter: The Jimmy Stewart Show," Comfort TV, 9 September 2014</ref> Nonetheless, the two men are good friends.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/><ref name=barrett/><ref name=hofstede/> One of Martha's projects is a portrait of Luther, which she has been painting for a long time but never seems to finish.<ref name=barrett/> Woodrow Yamada is the Howards' talkative [[milkman]].<ref name=barrett/>

In the show's opening credits, Stewart (as Professor Howard) bicycles through the community. Stewart speaks directly to the camera and out of character at the beginning of each episode, introducing himself as "Jim Stewart" and telling the audience the title of the episode. At the end of each episode, he again speaks to the viewers, expressing the hope that they will return for the following week's show and wishing them "peace and love and laughter".<ref name=barrett/> In some episodes, he speaks to the viewers at other times as well, in character as Jim Howard, with any other actors in the scene behaving as if Jim is talking to himself.<ref name=barrett/>

Episodes occasionally include flashbacks depicting Jim Howard's grandfather, Josiah Kessel.<ref name=barrett/> In these flashbacks, Stewart portrays Kessel and Stewart's real-life wife, [[Gloria Stewart]], plays Kessel's wife.<ref name=barrett/>

==Cast==
* [[James Stewart|Jimmy Stewart]] as Professor James K. Howard and Josiah Kessel
* [[Julie Adams]] as Martha Howard
* [[Jonathan Daly]] as Peter J. "P.J." Howard, Sr.
* [[Ellen Geer]] as Wendy Howard
* Dennis Larson as Teddy Howard
* Kirby Furlong as Peter J. "Jake" Howard, Jr.
* [[John McGiver]] as Dr. Luther Quince
* [[Jack Soo]] as Woodrow Yamada

==Production==
The show is notable as the only television or film production in which Stewart allowed himself to be billed on-screen as "Jimmy."<ref name=nd>{{cite magazine|last1=Barrett|first1=Michael|title=The last career of James Stewart|magazine=Nostalgia Digest|date=Summer 2015|volume=41|issue=3|pages=42–46}}</ref> In all of his movies, he was billed as "James Stewart" (although he also used "Jimmy" for his book ''Jimmy Stewart and His Poems''<ref>{{cite book |first=Jimmy |last=Stewart |url=https://archive.org/details/jimmystewarthisp00stew |title=Jimmy Stewart and His Poems |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]] |isbn=978-0517573822 |date=August 19, 1989 |url-access=registration }}</ref>).

''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' had no [[laugh track]].<ref name=barrett/> [[Procter & Gamble]] sponsored the show.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In the episode "The Identity Crisis," [[Beulah Bondi]] portrayed James Stewart's mother.<ref name=ctva/> She also played his mother in four films: ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'', ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'', ''[[Of Human Hearts]]'', and ''[[Vivacious Lady]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

According to series producer [[Hal Kanter]], Stewart objected to a scene where [[African American]] actor [[Hal Williams]] played a police officer who would "lash out" at Stewart's character. Kanter claimed Stewart did not like the idea of an African American police officer "lecturing him" and threatened to dismiss Williams. However, once Kanter explained that Williams was to play an [[FBI agent]] in a different episode, Stewart felt "chagrined" by the mistake.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dewey|first=Donald|title=James Stewart: A Biography |pages=453–454|year=1996|location=Atlanta, GA|publisher=Turner Publishing|isbn=1-570-36227-0}}</ref><ref name="Allen">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Shannon |title=JIMMY STEWART WAS NOT RACIST. HERE'S WHY |url=https://vanguardofhollywood.com/was-jimmy-stewart-racist/?unapproved=3409&moderation-hash=0ec3e9f49a78ca22c0661cf36345e169#comment-3409 |website=Vangaurd of Hollywood |date= 11 June 2022|access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref> However, historian Shannon Allen disputes Kanter's account, noting that no FBI agent ever appeared on ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'', that Williams does play a police officer in Episode 6, and the two interactions that Stewart has with white police officers on the show do not fit Kanter's description of the scene.<ref name="Allen" />

==Reception==

The show fared poorly critically, was also a ratings disappointment, and was cancelled after only one season. It finished 44th out of 78 shows that season with a 17.7 rating.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/02/written-questioning-networks-changing.html |title = 1971-72 Ratings History - The TV Ratings Guide}}</ref>

==Broadcast history==

''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' premiered on September 19, 1971.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/> Its 24th and last original episode was broadcast on March 12, 1972.<ref name=ctva/> Reruns of the show then aired in its regular time slot until August 27, 1972.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/> It was broadcast on [[NBC]] on Sundays from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. [[Eastern Time]] throughout its run.<ref name="brooks"/><ref name=ctva/>

==Episodes==
SOURCES:<ref name=ctva/><ref name=barrett/><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066673/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1 IMDb The Jimmy Stewart Show Episode List]</ref><ref>[https://www.ultimate70s.com/actor/-/The_Jimmy_Stewart_Show/707 1970-1982 Ultimate70s.com: Episode Guide for 'The Jimmy Stewart Show']</ref>
{{Episode table |background=#A42C1F |overall=6 |title=30 |airdate=20 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = By Way of Introduction
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|9|19}}
| ShortSummary = The [[Television pilot|pilot]] episode for the series. While Jim is babysitting his grandson Jake and grading papers at P.J. and Wendy's house, he falls asleep with a lit [[cigar]], causing a fire that destroys the house. Jim and Martha invite P.J., Wendy, and Jake to move in with them temporarily, but P.J. is reluctant to accept the offer.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = Love in a Briefcase
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|9|26}}
| ShortSummary = Jim's [[briefcase]] was destroyed in the fire at P.J.and Wendy's house. He does not want a new one, but his family and friends insist that a man of his academic stature should have a briefcase — but fail to coordinate with one another on buying one. As a thank you to him for letting P.J., Wendy, and Jake move into his house, Wendy wants to buy him a new one, but P.J. opposes the idea. Meanwhile, Luther also decides to buy Jim a new briefcase. Jim ends up with multiple new ones, and the comedy of errors shows him how much he is loved by his family and friends.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| Title = The Price of Plumbing Is Numbing
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|10|3}}
| ShortSummary = Jim and Martha's house has only one-and-a-half bathrooms, and the lack of a second full bathroom leaves Jim waiting too long for bathroom time each morning with three additional people now competing with him for it. This makes it hard for him to shave before heading to the college for the day, and his annoyance at the situation causes a breach between P.J.'s family and him, so Jim and Martha decide to add a second full bathroom — and are shocked at how much it will cost.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = The Father and Son Game
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|10|10}}
| ShortSummary = After P.J. and Jake make plans to play in the Booster Club's father-and-son [[baseball]] game, Teddy decides that he wants to play, too. But Teddy is clumsy and has no talent for baseball, and Jim faces a challenge in trying to find a way to include him in the game.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = Another Day, Another Scholar
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|10|17}}
| ShortSummary = A sexy female student begins to stalk Jim. When she arrives at his office and begins to flirt with him, he flees, and his colleague Luther is left with the task of getting her to leave the office and leave Jim alone. After rumors spread around campus about Jim and the student, the student visits Martha, and Martha learns that she is not pursuing Jim after all, and merely wants to charm her way into his class. Meanwhile, Teddy is invited to attend a girl's party, and does not want to go.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = A Hunch in Time
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|10|24}}
| ShortSummary = P.J. is excited by a potential land deal proposed by grandiose developer Harris Crofton, and the family tries to help make a good impression on Crofton. But the [[ecology]]-minded Jim thinks that something is not quite right about the deal. Meanwhile, Jake tries to get out of going to school.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| Title = The Identity Crisis
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|10|31}}
| ShortSummary = Feeling restless, Jim goes on a trip with Luther for an age-defying spree in [[San Francisco]] — but Jim's mother resides in San Francisco and leads an elegant life there, and the trip just leads to more trouble for Jim.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| Title = Guest of Honor
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|11|7}}
| ShortSummary = A visiting professor from behind the [[Iron Curtain]] stays at the Howard home and takes pleasure in the hectic nature of life there. He also confronts the Howards over American customs — such as arguing with a police officer.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| Title = Pro Bono Publico
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|11|14}}
| ShortSummary = P.J. and the Booster Club hope to get a big company to build a factory on a prime piece of real estate in Easy Valley, but Jim confronts the Boosters over their plan because the town hopes to build a community recreation area on the land. Taking some advice from Jim, Peter sets out to convince the company that Easy Valley nonetheless is the best place to locate its factory.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| Title = A Bunk for Unc
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|11|21}}
| ShortSummary = Jim's cheerful, lively, hard-driving, world-traveling Uncle Everett comes for a visit, annoying Jim by taking over the household and disrupting Jim's easy-going lifetsyle — and Uncle Everett shows no signs of leaving. Meanwhile, the Women's Action Group puts Wendy in charge of finding a location for a daycare center for the children of working mothers.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| Title = A Run for City Commissioner
| AltTitle = A Vote for Howard
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|11|28}}
| ShortSummary = Martha and P.J. run against one another for [[city commissioner]], with the Women's Action Group backing Martha, the mayor's office supporting P.J., and Jim caught in the middle. A minority third candidate enters the race and Martha hopes he wins, but the candidate behaves strangely by never showing up at any of the political events.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| Title = Period of Readjustment
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|12|5}}
| ShortSummary = P.J. decides that his family should have its own home. His decision upsets the Howard household, and as Wendy tries to protect Jim from an aggressive saleswoman, Jim tells the story of how P.J., Wendy, and Jake ended up moving into his house.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| Title = Luther's Last Love
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|12|19}}
| ShortSummary = Luther is perfectly happy to be a bachelor, but much to his dismay, Martha and Wendy decide to play matchmaker for him. After they set up him with a blind date, he hatches a counterplot intended to discourage further matchmaking by pretending to become engaged to a strange, hip-swaying, gum-chewing woman.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 14
| Title = Cock-a-doodle Don't
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1971|12|26}}
| ShortSummary = A [[rooster]] terrorizes the Howard family, leading to problems between Martha and Wendy. In a series of flashbacks, the two Howard families remember how they overcame the problems of all living together in Jim and Martha's house.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 15
| Title = As the Escrow Flies
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|1|2}}
| ShortSummary = P.J. and Wendy drop their plans to rebuild their house when they see another house for sale that is move-in ready. After Wendy tells them that she and P.J. bought the house, Martha and Jim try to be happy for them but realize they do not really want P.J., Wendy, and Jake to move out and would be lonely without them. P.J. and Wendy wonder if they made the right decision, but Luther comes up with a solution he thinks will make everyone happy.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 16
| Title = Eighty-Nine Pounds of Love
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|1|9}}
| ShortSummary = Jake's teacher calls him a dunce in front of the class, and even though the teacher apologizes, the other children tease him and make him feel like a loser. Jake feels better after he brings home a lovable stray dog, but the {{convert|89|lb|1|adj=on}} dog is so big that it threatens to take over the house. Concerned that the troublesome dog's real owners may show up to reclaim it, the Howards wonder about how to get rid of it without breaking Jake's heart.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 17
| Title = The Quarterback Ache
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|1|16}}
| ShortSummary = The big [[homecoming]] [[American football|football]] game against Josiah Kessel College′s archrival, Cobb, is coming up, but the football team's doctor says that Josiah Kessel's star [[quarterback]], Karpopolis, cannot play unless he loses {{convert|10|lb|1}}. Luther has bet on Josiah Kessel to win, so he sets out to ensure that Karpopolis loses the weight — with the help of Foodaholics Anonymous and everyone on campus.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 18
| Title = Aunt's in My Plans
| AltTitle = Aunt's in My Pants
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|1|23}}
| ShortSummary = Martha's charming Aunt Lydia comes to visit, and Luther finds himself falling for her.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 19
| Title = Paper Work
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|1|30}}
| ShortSummary = While learning about [[ecology]] at school, Jake and Teddy participate in a school paper recycling drive, and Jim drives them to the paper collection site with a [[station wagon]] full of paper. Then they discover that they accidentally donated 33 of Luther's ungraded exam books to the paper drive, and the Howards and some volunteers desperately search the recycling plant for the exams before the papers get shredded.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 20
| Title = Song of the Jailbird
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|2|6}}
| ShortSummary = When the police begin a crackdown on [[erotic dancing]], P.J. is arrested in a raid at a [[topless bar]] while he is eating with the Builders Association. After the raid, some students at the college ask Luther to chaperone a [[bachelor party]] they are having for a friend and ensure that it remains dignified, and they invite Jim to play his [[accordion]] at the party. It turns out to be a prank, the party is a [[stag party]] after all, and Jim winds up playing the accordion for a [[fan dance]]r. The police raid the party and arrest Jim, who refuses to post [[bail]] and pledges to fight the charges on the grounds that he has done nothing wrong.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 21
| Title = Price Is Right
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|2|13}}
| ShortSummary = After Martha finally completes her portrait of Luther, she plans to show it at the Easy Valley Festival of Art. The festival hits a snag when its usual judge is unavailable, but actor and art connoisseur [[Vincent Price]] arrives seeking to add the college's painting of Josiah Kessel to his art collection, and his friend Jim drafts him into assuming the judging duties. Meanwhile, Jake and Teddy experiment with various ways to make some money.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 22
| Title = Jim's Decision
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|2|20}}
| ShortSummary = Jim becomes a celebrity when he appears on an educational television show to discuss his latest [[anthropology]] book and then makes an appearance as a guest on Johnny Crown's late-night talk show. The publicity leads to increased sales of his book and prompts the [[University of Southern California]] to offer him a lucrative job. He accepts the job, but then wonders what his grandfather Josiah Kessel, who founded Josiah Kessel College, would have thought of his decision.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 23
| Title = Old School Ties
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|3|5}}
| ShortSummary = Josiah Kessel College is raising money to fund the construction of a new [[field house]] which P.J. will build, and several Josiah Kessel alumni visit for the fund drive. Among them is Claude Peebles, who faced ridicule for losing a big football game years earlier but shows up with a check for $10,000. When Martha's old college boyfriend — the boastful and shameless Mike Carruthers, who now has a wealthy wife, Lucy — pledges to donate the entire (and substantial) remaining amount needed to build the field house, Peebles's check is deemed unnecessary. But the Carrutherses annoy Jim, and Jim's annoyance jeopardizes their donation. Guest stars: [[Arthur O'Connell]], [[William Windom (actor)|William Windom]], [[Gloria DeHaven]], [[Jack Collins (actor)|Jack Collins]], [[Lomax Study]], and [[Beverly Carter]].
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 24
| Title = A Bone of Much Contention
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1972|3|12}}
| ShortSummary = After a rare [[fossil]] is found in Easy Valley, Admiral Decker — the flamboyant and egotistical founder of a fast-food restaurant chain — announces plans to build a restaurant on the site. P.J. favors construction of the restaurant and Decker hires him to build it, but Jim wants the location preserved as a historical site.
| LineColor = A42C1F
}}
}}

==Home release==
On January 21, 2014, [[Warner Home Video]] released ''The Jimmy Stewart Show: The Complete Series'' on DVD in [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]], via their [[Warner Archive Collection]]. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available via WBShop.com and Amazon.com.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Jimmy Stewart Show: The Complete Series|url=http://shop.warnerarchive.com/product/the+jimmy+stewart+show+the+complete+series+1000462637.do}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0066673}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnF9xXQ8pSo ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' opening credits on YouTube]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auuUF4z7Nzw ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' opening and closing credits (from the episode "Old School Ties") on YouTube]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVE1gQNqdTE Scenes from ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' episode "By Way of Introduction" on YouTube]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbZAgqbeNOA Opening scenes from ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' episode "The Identity Crisis" on YouTube]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5BuXWHtDQU Excerpt from ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'' episode "Pro Bono Publico" on YouTube]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimmy Stewart Show}}
[[Category:1971 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1972 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s American college television series]]
[[Category:1970s American single-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:American television series about families]]
[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios]]
[[Category:Television shows set in California]]
[[Category:NBC sitcoms]]

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The Jimmy Stewart Show