Mr. Smith (partially found NBC sitcom; 1983): Difference between revisions

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|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
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'''''Mr. Smith''''' is a sitcom aired on NBC from September 23rd to December 16th 1983, for a total of 13 episodes. The premise follows a talking orangutan, named "Mr. Smith", who develops superintelligence and subsequently becomes a top-level political advisor in Washington D.C. (hence his name, a play on the classic movie ''Mr Smith Goes to Washington''). The series was executive produced by Ed Weidenberger<ref name="cast">[https://imdb.com/title/tt0085059/?ref_=ttmc_mc_tt Cast for Mr. Smith]</ref>, who also provided the voice for the lead character.
'''''Mr. Smith''''' is a sitcom aired on NBC from September 23rd to December 16th 1983, for a total of 13 episodes. The premise follows the titular character, a superintelligent talking orangutan who becomes an advisor to the President. The series was executive produced by Ed Weidenberger<ref name="cast">[https://imdb.com/title/tt0085059/?ref_=ttmc_mc_tt Cast for Mr. Smith]</ref>, who also provided the voice for the lead character.


It has become notorious in the years since as its premise was not only very silly but very poorly executed. Critics roasted it for being altogether too dependent on its single not-very-funny gimmick, and viewers apparently agreed; it eventually ranked 47th out of the 52 new shows that aired in that time period.<ref>[https://themoviedb.org/tv/10316-mr-smith TheMovieDB page for ''Mr. Smith]</ref><ref name="wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Smith_(TV_series) Wikipedia page for Mr. Smith]</ref><ref>[https://tvobscurities.com/articles/10outlandish/ TVObscurities article on shows with unusual premises, that includes Mr. Smith, giving additional information on it.]</ref> Thanks largely to these factors, '''no full episodes of the show have resurfaced online'''.
It has become notorious in the years since as its premise was not only outlandish (even for American television) but very poorly executed. Critics roasted it for being altogether too dependent on its single not-very-funny gimmick, and viewers apparently agreed; it eventually ranked 47th out of the 52 new shows that aired in that time period.<ref>[https://themoviedb.org/tv/10316-mr-smith TheMovieDB page for ''Mr. Smith]</ref><ref name="wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Smith_(TV_series) Wikipedia page for Mr. Smith]</ref><ref>[https://tvobscurities.com/articles/10outlandish/ TVObscurities article on shows with unusual premises, that includes Mr. Smith, giving additional information on it.]</ref> Thanks largely to these factors, '''several episodes have yet to resurface online'''.


==Premise==
==Premise==
Former street performer ChaCha the orangutan is taken into custody by a government research team in Washington D.C. after after escaping his owner Tommy Atwood, (played by Tim Dunigan<ref name="tomimdb">[https://imdb.com/name/nm0242313/?ref_=tt_ov_st Tim Dunigan's filmography]</ref>) In the course of bouncing between labs, ChaCha comes across a serum designed to increase human intelligence.<ref name="wiki />After drinking the entire concoction, ChaCha develops an IQ of 256 (far beyond even genius-level human intelligence) and acquires speech along with other human attributes and customs (wearing clothes, for example).  
Former street performer ChaCha the orangutan is taken into custody by a government research team in Washington D.C. after escaping his owner Tommy Atwood. While bouncing between labs, ChaCha comes across a serum designed to increase human intelligence.<ref name="wiki />After drinking the entire concoction, ChaCha develops an IQ of 256 (beyond even genius-level human intelligence) and acquires speech along with other human attributes and customs, for instance wearing clothes.  


The newly-renamed Mr. Smith is installed as a top-secret advisor to the White House (strongly implied to be the then-current Reagan administration<ref>[https://washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/09/23/flat-mr-smith/491b1678-a59f-4ec0-8215-2da10c838050/ Washington Post Article about ''Mr. Smith'']</ref>) handling various political issues and controversies. His erstwhile owner Atwood is appointed as his assistant and companion. <ref name="wiki /> At least one episode featured Mr. Smith imitating then-president, Ronald Reagan.
The newly-renamed Mr. Smith - as a play on the classic movie ''Mr Smith Goes to Washington'' - is thus decked out in a tiny power suit and installed as a top-secret advisor to the White House (strongly implied to be the then-current Reagan administration<ref>[https://washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/09/23/flat-mr-smith/491b1678-a59f-4ec0-8215-2da10c838050/ Washington Post Article about ''Mr. Smith'']</ref>) handling various political issues and controversies. His erstwhile owner Atwood is appointed as his assistant and companion.


==Cast==
==Cast==
Mr. Smith was played by veteran orangutan performer "C.J.", best-known for starring alongside Clint Eastwood in 1978's ''Every Which Way But Loose'' and its sequel, ''Any Which Way You Can''. [https://imdb.com/name/nm3718205/ IMDB page for CJ the Orangutan]</ref><ref>[https://dbpedia.org/page/Mr._Smith_(TV_series) dbpedia page for ''Mr. Smith'', with CJ The Orangutan's previous film roles.]</ref>. C.J. is commonly dressed in a tuxedo and eyeglasses for his appearance as "Mr. Smith". Other cast included:
Mr. Smith was played by veteran orangutan performer "C.J.", best-known for starring alongside Clint Eastwood in 1978's ''Every Which Way But Loose'' and its sequel, ''Any Which Way You Can''. <ref>[https://imdb.com/name/nm3718205/ IMDB page for CJ the Orangutan]</ref><ref>[https://dbpedia.org/page/Mr._Smith_(TV_series) dbpedia page for ''Mr. Smith'', with CJ The Orangutan's previous film roles.]</ref>. Other cast included:


*Ed Weidenberger (voice) as Mr. Smith / ChaCha<ref name="cjimdb" /><ref name="cast" />
*Ed Weidenberger (voice) as Mr. Smith / ChaCha<ref name="cast" />
*Leonard Frey as Raymond Holyoke<ref name="cast" />
*Leonard Frey as Raymond Holyoke<ref name="cast" />
*Tim Dunigan as Tommy Atwood<ref name="tomimdb" /><ref name="cast" />
*Tim Dunigan as Tommy Atwood<ref name="tomimdb">[https://imdb.com/name/nm0242313/?ref_=tt_ov_st Tim Dunigan's filmography]</ref><ref name="cast" />
*Terri Garber as Dr. July Tyson<ref name="cast" />
*Terri Garber as Dr. July Tyson<ref name="cast" />
*Laura Jacoby as Ellie Atwood<ref name="cast" />
*Laura Jacoby as Ellie Atwood<ref name="cast" />
Line 25: Line 25:


==Availability==
==Availability==
Given the series' notoriously poor reception and quick cancellation, it is not surprising that it has never been re-released in any official format, and while home recordings were defeinitely becoming mainstream by 1983, no full episodes of ''Mr. Smith'' have resurfaced online to date. Some clips are preserved in resurfaced NBC bumpers and other promotional materials of the period, and Delores Cantú has posted some additional clips of the series featuring her character on her Twitter account.<ref name="delores" />
Given the series' notoriously poor reception and quick cancellation, it is not surprising that it has never been re-released in any official format. While home recordings definitely had become mainstream by 1983, no full episodes of ''Mr. Smith'' had resurfaced on video sharing sites to date prior to November 2022. Some clips are preserved in resurfaced NBC bumpers and other promotional materials of the period, and Delores Cantú has posted some additional clips of the series featuring her character on her Twitter account.<ref name="delores" /> In addition, an eBay listing of the script for the pilot of the series [https://ebay.com/itm/125040593759 is available online].


A blog post by ReverseShot, archived from the Wayback Machine, announced that they had the entire series of 13 episodes on DVD.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070208081430/http://blogs.indiewire.com/reverseshot/archives/012005.html Archived ReverseShot blogpost about the DVD release]</ref>This was shared on various forums<ref>[https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5607 CriterionForums comment about the DVD release, redirecting from the archived ReverseShot blog post.]</ref> but ultimately has never surfaced, and no support for the claim can be found.
A blog post by ReverseShot, archived from the Wayback Machine, announced that they had the entire series of 13 episodes on DVD.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070208081430/http://blogs.indiewire.com/reverseshot/archives/012005.html Archived ReverseShot blogpost about the DVD release]</ref>This was shared on various forums<ref>[https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5607 CriterionForums comment about the DVD release, redirecting from the archived ReverseShot blog post.]</ref> but ultimately has never surfaced, and no support for the claim can be found.  


An eBay listing of the script for the pilot of the series[https://ebay.com/itm/125040593759 is available online].
On December 9th, 2022, the 3rd, 6th-9th, and 12th episodes of the series were uploaded complete to YouTube (down to the original commercials) by [https://youtube.com/@JamesDavidPatrick James David Patrick]. The 4th and 10th episodes were also uploaded but are missing a few minutes each. Per the video descriptions these are original VHS home recordings, newly digitized in response to demand.


==Episode Listing==
==Episode Listing==
Line 57: Line 57:
|2||Welcome To Washington Part 2||September 23rd, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|2||Welcome To Washington Part 2||September 23rd, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|-
|-
|3||Mr. Smith Operates||September 30th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|3||Mr. Smith Operates||September 30th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/bNnvtuZptOs <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|4||Mr. Smith Finds His Brother||October 14th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|4||Mr. Smith Finds His Brother||October 14th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/GvYDDQNc1ek <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>]
|-
|-
|5||Goodbye, Mr. Smith||October 21st, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|5||Goodbye, Mr. Smith||October 21st, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|-
|-
|6||Mr. Smith Rescues Bobo||October 21st, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|6||Mr. Smith Rescues Bobo||October 21st, 1983||[https://youtu.be/8XpZgKJA5bI <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|7||Mr. Smith Falls In Love||October 28th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|7||Mr. Smith Falls In Love||October 28th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/U8EI-hbAq44 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|8||Mr. Smith Gets Physical||November 4th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|8||Mr. Smith Gets Physical||November 4th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/ApaLI6IkthU <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|9||Mr. Smith Loses A Friend||November 11th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|9||Mr. Smith Loses A Friend||November 11th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/HeJE2GnZwq4 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|10||Mr. Smith Makes A Commercial||November 18th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|10||Mr. Smith Makes A Commercial||November 18th, 1983||[https://youtu.be/RLGKabtDnXo <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>]
|-
|-
|11||Mr. Smith Plays Cyrano||November 25th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|11||Mr. Smith Plays Cyrano||November 25th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|-
|-
|12||Mr. Smith Goes Public||December 2nd, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|12||Mr. Smith Goes Public||December 2nd, 1983||[https://youtu.be/nyQEE6AWC6M <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|-
|13||Mr. Smith Goes To Court||December 16th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|13||Mr. Smith Goes To Court||December 16th, 1983||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
Line 82: Line 82:
===Images===
===Images===
<gallery mode=packed heights=250px>
<gallery mode=packed heights=250px>
MrSmithCLIPPINGS.jpg| A newspaper clipping, featuring the series.
MrSmithCLIPPINGS.jpg| Ad for an upcoming episode.
MrSmithCLIPPINGS2.jpg| A newspaper clipping, featuring a synopsis for the series.
MrSmithCLIPPINGS2.jpg| Episode synopsis.
MrSmithDRIP.png| C.J. the orangutan as ''Mr. Smith''
MrSmithDRIP.png| C.J. the orangutan as Mr. Smith.
</gallery>
</gallery>
===Videos===
===Videos===
{{Video|perrow  =4
{{Video|perrow  =3
   |service1    =youtube
   |service1    =youtube
   |id1          =1Sk7Ib1Gp2I
   |id1          =1Sk7Ib1Gp2I
   |description1 =One of the opening credits for the show.
   |description1 =Opening credits for the show.
   |service2    =youtube
   |service2    =youtube
   |id2          =tRg-n5nKQAQ
   |id2          =83tW1wy5il4
   |description2 =One of the opening credits for the show.
   |description2 =Promotional bumper, starring Mr. Smith himself.
   |service3    =youtube
   |service3    =youtube
   |id3          =83tW1wy5il4
   |id3          =nYTsPvQXLv4
   |description3 =A bumper to promote the show, starring Mr. Smith himself.
   |description3 =A promo for the show (0:00-0:10)
  |service4    =youtube
  |id4          =nYTsPvQXLv4
  |description4 =A promo for the show (0:00-0:10)
}}
}}
==External Links==
==External Links==

Latest revision as of 00:28, 23 March 2023

MrSmithPOSTER.jpg

Promotional poster for Mr. Smith.

Status: Partially Found

Mr. Smith is a sitcom aired on NBC from September 23rd to December 16th 1983, for a total of 13 episodes. The premise follows the titular character, a superintelligent talking orangutan who becomes an advisor to the President. The series was executive produced by Ed Weidenberger[1], who also provided the voice for the lead character.

It has become notorious in the years since as its premise was not only outlandish (even for American television) but very poorly executed. Critics roasted it for being altogether too dependent on its single not-very-funny gimmick, and viewers apparently agreed; it eventually ranked 47th out of the 52 new shows that aired in that time period.[2][3][4] Thanks largely to these factors, several episodes have yet to resurface online.

Premise

Former street performer ChaCha the orangutan is taken into custody by a government research team in Washington D.C. after escaping his owner Tommy Atwood. While bouncing between labs, ChaCha comes across a serum designed to increase human intelligence.[3]After drinking the entire concoction, ChaCha develops an IQ of 256 (beyond even genius-level human intelligence) and acquires speech along with other human attributes and customs, for instance wearing clothes.

The newly-renamed Mr. Smith - as a play on the classic movie Mr Smith Goes to Washington - is thus decked out in a tiny power suit and installed as a top-secret advisor to the White House (strongly implied to be the then-current Reagan administration[5]) handling various political issues and controversies. His erstwhile owner Atwood is appointed as his assistant and companion.

Cast

Mr. Smith was played by veteran orangutan performer "C.J.", best-known for starring alongside Clint Eastwood in 1978's Every Which Way But Loose and its sequel, Any Which Way You Can. [6][7]. Other cast included:

  • Ed Weidenberger (voice) as Mr. Smith / ChaCha[1]
  • Leonard Frey as Raymond Holyoke[1]
  • Tim Dunigan as Tommy Atwood[8][1]
  • Terri Garber as Dr. July Tyson[1]
  • Laura Jacoby as Ellie Atwood[1]
  • Stuart Margolin as Dr. Klein[1]
  • Delores Cantú as Laraine Sanchez[9][1]

Availability

Given the series' notoriously poor reception and quick cancellation, it is not surprising that it has never been re-released in any official format. While home recordings definitely had become mainstream by 1983, no full episodes of Mr. Smith had resurfaced on video sharing sites to date prior to November 2022. Some clips are preserved in resurfaced NBC bumpers and other promotional materials of the period, and Delores Cantú has posted some additional clips of the series featuring her character on her Twitter account.[9] In addition, an eBay listing of the script for the pilot of the series is available online.

A blog post by ReverseShot, archived from the Wayback Machine, announced that they had the entire series of 13 episodes on DVD.[10]This was shared on various forums[11] but ultimately has never surfaced, and no support for the claim can be found.

On December 9th, 2022, the 3rd, 6th-9th, and 12th episodes of the series were uploaded complete to YouTube (down to the original commercials) by James David Patrick. The 4th and 10th episodes were also uploaded but are missing a few minutes each. Per the video descriptions these are original VHS home recordings, newly digitized in response to demand.

Episode Listing

Pilot

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
n/a Pilot n/a Lost Script can be found here.

Episodes

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 Welcome To Washington Part 1 September 23rd, 1983 Lost
2 Welcome To Washington Part 2 September 23rd, 1983 Lost
3 Mr. Smith Operates September 30th, 1983 Found
4 Mr. Smith Finds His Brother October 14th, 1983 Partially Lost
5 Goodbye, Mr. Smith October 21st, 1983 Lost
6 Mr. Smith Rescues Bobo October 21st, 1983 Found
7 Mr. Smith Falls In Love October 28th, 1983 Found
8 Mr. Smith Gets Physical November 4th, 1983 Found
9 Mr. Smith Loses A Friend November 11th, 1983 Found
10 Mr. Smith Makes A Commercial November 18th, 1983 Partially Lost
11 Mr. Smith Plays Cyrano November 25th, 1983 Lost
12 Mr. Smith Goes Public December 2nd, 1983 Found
13 Mr. Smith Goes To Court December 16th, 1983 Lost

Gallery

Images

  • Ad for an upcoming episode.

    Ad for an upcoming episode.

  • Episode synopsis.

    Episode synopsis.

  • C.J. the orangutan as Mr. Smith.

    C.J. the orangutan as Mr. Smith.

Videos

Opening credits for the show.

Promotional bumper, starring Mr. Smith himself.

A promo for the show (0:00-0:10)

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Cast for Mr. Smith
  2. ↑ TheMovieDB page for Mr. Smith
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wikipedia page for Mr. Smith
  4. ↑ TVObscurities article on shows with unusual premises, that includes Mr. Smith, giving additional information on it.
  5. ↑ Washington Post Article about Mr. Smith
  6. ↑ IMDB page for CJ the Orangutan
  7. ↑ dbpedia page for Mr. Smith, with CJ The Orangutan's previous film roles.
  8. ↑ Tim Dunigan's filmography
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Delores posting clips of her role as Laraine Sanchez in "Mr. Smith"
  10. ↑ Archived ReverseShot blogpost about the DVD release
  11. ↑ CriterionForums comment about the DVD release, redirecting from the archived ReverseShot blog post.
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