SEASON 1 – NBC
Created by Hal Kanter
Theme music composed by Jeff Alexander
- 001. By Way of Introduction – 9/19/1971
- Professor James “Jimmy” K. Howard (Jimmy Stewart) is an Anthropology professor at the Josiah Kessel College in Easy Valley, California, which was named after Howard’s grandfather. Jimmy lives with his wife Martha (Julie Adams) and his young son Jake (Kirby Furlong). He also has an adult son named Peter (Jonathan Daly) who has a wife Wendy (Ellen Geer) and son Theodore “Teddy” (Dennis Larson) of his own. Teddy, despite being Jake’s uncle, is actually five days younger than him. His best friend is his co-worker, Nobel Prize winning chemist Luther Quince (John McGiver). Through flashback to the 1890’s we see Josiah Kessel (Jimmy Stewart) discussing with his wife (Gloria Stewart) his decision to donate his home and money to start a college in Easy Valley. On the night that Peter and Wendy head to the opera, Martha works on painting Luther, while Jimmy goes over to Peter’s house to babysit Teddy. When Jimmy falls asleep while smoking, he burns the house down. Despite Peter’s objections, his family has no choice but to move in with his parents while Peter plans the building of a new house. It soon becomes apparent that combining the families will present many challenges. Richard Annis is Karpopolis, and Melissa Newman is Ida Levin, both students of Jimmy’s. Lou Manor is Norman Lansworth. 6/30/16
- 002. Love in a Briefcase – 9/26/1971
- Since Jimmy has lost his briefcase in the fire, Martha suggests that he buy a new one. Jimmy and Martha visit leather salesman Clyde Fister (William Lanteau), but Jimmy decides that he doesn’t really want one. Wendy suggests that she and Peter buy him one to thank him for letting them live with him. Peter balks at this since it was Jimmy who burnt down the house in the first place. Peter later changes his mind and buys him a sealskin briefcase, while Wendy also goes forward with buying one. Luther also gets Jimmy a briefcase, so after Jimmy returns from taking Teddy to a baseball game, he is presented with three briefcases. Jake also gives his father a bag that he made to carry his papers. Meanwhile Jimmy teaches Jake to play the accordion, and Martha continues her portrait of Luther. 6/30/16
- 003. The Price of Plumbing Is Numbing – 10/3/1971
- The Howard family wakes up every day to the sound of the neighbors the Humbolts’ alarm clock, but Jimmy keeps getting shut out of the bathroom, so often that he resorts to getting ready each day at the gas station by a dim lightbulb. Jake suggests that they build another bathroom, and Jimmy likes the idea of Peter will do it. Peter first mistakes his father’s irritation for wanting them to move out, which upsets Teddy. Once they clear up the misunderstanding, Peter refuses to build the bathroom because it is not worth putting that much money into a 60-year old house. Jimmy gets rival contractor Millard Tishboy (Ned Wertimer) to give them an estimate. When it comes in at $4000, Peter is outraged and figures out how he can perform the job for under a thousand. However Peter finds that the city won’t approve the construction unless they replace all the plumbing, which will cost $7000. Jimmy decides he agrees with Peter that it’s not worth sinking money into the house and apologizes for doubting him. Teddy and Jake present Jimmy with a brighter lightbulb. Jimmy’s solution is to have the Humbolts set their alarm clock for earlier so that he can beat the rush to the bathroom… but he finds it occupied, nonetheless. 8/14/16
- 004. The Father and Son Game – 10/10/1971
- While fishing with Teddy, Jimmy finds out that his son wishes that he could play baseball as good at Jake, who is practicing with his father for a Boosters father and son game. Peter tries to tutor Teddy, but soon Teddy ‘procrastinates’ instead of practicing. Jimmy tries to get him re-focused by having him practice by beating a rung with a baseball bat. They return to practice with Luther and Peter, but when Teddy strikes out this time, he storms off and retreats to his room and skips dinner. Jimmy tries to find something that Teddy can do to be part of the team, even suggesting playing the Star-Spangled Banner on his accordion, but Peter insists that the role is already taken. Later at the Booster Club awards dinner, emcee Garvey Hike (Brett Parker) gives the senior MVP trophy to Fred Shimmel (Rickie Layne), and the junior MVP trophy to Jake. A special award is given to Teddy for the enterprising way he sold peanuts at the game, resulting in a profit for the event. Jake gives a long speech as he accepts the award. 8/14/16
- 005. Another Day, Another Scholar – 10/17/1971
- Jimmy runs into a beautiful, divorced student at the college named Joyce Gibbs (Margaret Markov) who flirts with him and tries to get into his class. While Jimmy is hanging out with his friend Luther and Lionel Atkins (M. Emmet Walsh) at the Bottlecap and Gown pub, he notices that Joyce has followed him inside, and then continues to follow him throughout the day. When she comes to see him in his office to seduce him, Jimmy tries to get Luther to talk to her, and when she accidentally falls into his arms, it is witnessed by student Donna Haley (Bonnie Boland). The rumor gets spread around campus that there is a professor carrying on with a student, and Jimmy assumes it is him. Joyce goes to see Martha to assure her that Jimmy did nothing wrong, but Martha is still furious since Jimmy never told her about the incident. Jimmy then finds out that it was actually Luther that Donna had spread the rumor about. Donna finally calms down and then finds it funny that a student would make a pass at either of the men. Alice Nunn is Big Mother. 10/29/16
- 006. A Hunch in Time – 10/24/1971
- Luther and Jimmy discuss with faculty who a smaller percentage of student follow in the profession of their father, with Jimmy being a prime example since his son Peter is in real estate. Peter invests in a visiting developer named Harris Crofton (Cesar Romero) who has come to Easy Valley to build a housing development. Peter has a tough time competing with the larger real estate firms, so invites him to dinner at his parents’ house thinking he might like a home-cooked meal. Peter struggles to make sure that Jimmy doesn’t put him off since Jimmy is largely in favor of slowing progress rather than mowing it down. Crofton confides that he intends to develop is Hunters Woods, and also asks Peter if his father might want into the investment. Jimmy has a vague memory about Hunters Woods and then realizes that his mother still owns it, meaning that Crofton is actually a swindler. Peter has Crofton arrested. Meanwhile Jake tries to get out of a test, first by having his uncle Teddy sign a permission slip, then tries to get his father to blindly sign permission for him to skip it. Hal Williams is Officer Quiqley. Michael Audley is Harris. Jane Aull is a professor. 10/30/16
- 007. The Identity Crisis – 10/31/1971
- While Jimmy is on semester break, he looks forward to relaxing by himself, but soon his quiet is interrupted by Teddy and Jake asking questions about frogs, a beautiful student named Janice Morton (Kate Jackson), and Martha trying to get him to fix a clogged sink. When he laments to Luther about never having any time to himself, Luther suggests that the two of them take off for San Francisco for a sabbatical under the auspices of attending a conference. They have dinner and many drinks at the Fisherman’s Grotto and then wind up at The Purple Henhouse nightclub. Jimmy ends up passing out in his hotel lobby and then the next morning tries to nurse a hangover while visiting his mother (Beulah Bondi). He is forced to take a charter flight home when the boys turn up missing. They end up being down at the lake, having overheard Jimmy’s desire to have time to be himself. Marth is on to what actually happened in San Francisco but assures him that it is okay to feel boxed in at times and that she will provide him leeway. Jimmy has realized that he can never truly be himself without his family. Snag Werris is the waiter. Dick Winslow is the butler. 1/25/17
- 008. Guest of Honor – 11/7/1971
- Jimmy struggles with trying to fix an electrical problem that has knocked out his electricity, while expecting a guest professor Josef Lokacs (Alan Oppenheimer) from his home country of Bratislava from behind the Iron Curtain. As Lokacs tries to learn about the country, he accompanies Jimmy to do his laundry and witnesses him get a parking meter ticket from Officer Gadboy (Jackie Coogan). Meanwhile Jake camps outside in silent process because he is tired of sharing his room with Teddy. The family has a cookout, and Josef is a hit with his stories, and manages to reconcile the boys by telling them stories. Agatha Dwiggins (Jeff Donnell) stops by to tell them that there has been a mix-up and Josef is supposed to have been staying with a different family. Jimmy and the family have enjoyed Josef so much that he insists that he stay with them for the night. However, Jimmy begins to regret it when they realize how load Lokacs snores. Fran Ryan is the laundry manager. 1/25/17
- 009. Pro Bono Publico – 11/14/1971
- Martha and Wendy head out for a Woman’s Action Group meeting with her friend Jo Bullard (Mary Wickes), who hope to introduce a swimming pool to Easy Valley. Meanwhile Peter and his fellow Boosters Leo Garvey (Royce D. Applegate) and Fred Shimmel (Rickie Layne) are making plans of their own. Mrs. Bullard agrees to donate the land for the pool, but the Boosters have plans of their own for that area: to get Belko Corporation to build a plant in that location. When Jimmy finds out about it, he implores Martha to talk to Mrs. Bullard, but the stubborn Bullard won’t hear of it. Jimmy encourages Peter to fly to San Diego and speak to executives from Belko, Mr. Bell (Herbert Anderson), Mr. Halstead (Doodles Weaver), and Mr. Danton (Claude Stroud), and using one of his father’s articles, convinces them that they can retain more workers in town such as Easy Valley, which places a community park and pool ahead of industry. Peter ends up winning the Man of the Year award from the Boosters. Jack Soo is deliveryman Woodrow Yamada. 5/19/17
- 010. A Bunk for Unk – 11/21/1971
- The Howard family hears a prowler in the house in the middle of the night, but when Jimmy and Peter go down to check it out, they find that it is actually Jimmy’s Uncle Everett (Will Geer), who has recently returned from sea. Martha feels obliged to invite him to stay. The family find him interesting, but he begins quickly getting on Jimmy’s nerves by doing the cooking, interrupting the Women’s Action Group meeting of Martha’s, teaching the boys to meditate, and planning a luau that includes. When Uncle Everett begins building a patio planned for the following month, Jimmy decides to kick him out of the house… but finds that Everett has souped up his bike and added a satchel with his initials in appreciation for being one of the few people who is patient with him. Jimmy doesn’t have the heart to ask him to leave, but soon Everett claims to be heading off to New Mexico to enter a retirement home. They later find out that there is not such place, indicating that Everett is continuing his traveling adventures. Before he leaves, he assists by donating land for a daycare center to the woman’s group for the daycare center they were planning. Judy March is Mrs. Mills. 5/20/17
- 011. A Vote for Howard – 11/28/1971
- The Women’s Action Group meets to discuss a potential candidate to replace the retiring City Commissioner Abner Troskins. At the same time Mayor Bodeen (Jack Bernardi) visits Jimmy to get his feeling about Martha running. When Jimmy expresses his distaste for the idea, the mayor convinces Peter to run…but then he learns from Wendy that the women have nominated Martha. With Jimmy’s wife and son competing, he does his best to remain neutral, getting on the nerves of each when he won’t publicly support either, not even to his students Norman and Janice. Jo Bullard leads Martha’s campaign which they run out of the Howard house. The boys disagree on who to vote for, but Jimmy is more concerned about having to rely on Luther to make their dinner. Martha considers dropping out when she finds out that Salvador Vega (Valenin de Vargas) is running, as she feels that there needs to be more of a minority presence in the community, but Luther advises her that it might appear insulting if she drops out. As the Howards throw a party to celebrate the winner, Vega comes to visit and thanks Jimmy for his assistance in advising him to knock on every door to get his face in front of the people, so that even if he loses, there is more of a chance for him to win next time. Vega does in fact win, and the Howards invite his family over to celebrate his victory. The Mayor tries to talk Martha and Peter into accepting some appointed posts, but they both decline. Jimmy and Martha confess to each other that they both voted for Vega. 1/8/18
- 012. Period of Readjustment – 12/5/1971
- Jimmy Stewart tells the audience that they’ve received several notes from viewers inquiring why the family is all living under one roof, so he flashes back to just after Peter and Wendy’s house burnt down and they have moved in with Jimmy and Martha. As they contemplate their next move as to whether to move out and rent a place, or to save up and build a new house, everyone in the family has their own opinion. Wendy has concerns and confides in Martha, who gives her a pep talk about asserting her own opinions about where they live. Peter finds a one-bedroom house for them to occupy from their real estate and insurance representative Jo Bullard, who questions Jimmy to ensure that Jimmy didn’t perform an act of arson in order to get his family to move back home. Jimmy has a meltdown and throws her out, followed by a meltdown by Wendy declaring that she has no intention of moving into a leased house she’s never seen and allowing Peter to make all the decisions. Meanwhile Martha and the boys begins to question Jimmy talking to himself every time he addresses the audience. 1/8/18
- 013. Luther’s Last Love – 12/12/1971
- With Luther coming over to babysit the boys while Jimmy, Martha, Peter, and Wendy head off to an event, Martha gets the idea that she needs to fix up Luther with his own woman. She offers him tickets to The Matchmaker play with another woman, and although he accepts one ticket, he refuses to go on a blind date. Martha tries to foil his refusal, by giving the other ticket to the spinster Minerva Walbash (Maida Severn). This causes Luther to leave the play immediately. Jimmy and Peter come up with an idea to thwart Martha and Wendy’s matchmaking, so the first have the new milkman Oscar Pettywhistle (Pat Buttram) let it slip to Martha that Luther has been carrying on with a woman. They then invite Luther and his date Roxy (Nita Talbot) over for dinner. Roxy is completely unrefined and obnoxious, arousing the ire of Martha and Wendy, who insist that Jimmy force Luther to break it off with her. Jimmy agrees to do so only if they stop trying to set him up. It works like a charm, but then Jimmy, noticing how well that Dr. Scott at he university ‘played’ the role of Roxy, thinks that Dr. Scott herself would make a great date for Luther, until Luther can only plead with Martha to get Jimmy off his back. 9/15/18
- 014. Cockadoodle Don’t – 12/26/1971
- The family has been facing an issue with a rooster that keeps waking them up in the morning. Meanwhile the milkman Mr. Yamada mentions to Jimmy that he would advise not letting Peter and his family staying there long as it will ultimately lead to hard feelings. This notion seems to be coming to pass when Martha starts to feel resentful with Wendy taking over her kitchen. Teddy and Jake begin fighting over usage of the bathroom. Martha offers Jake a reward of a silver dollar if he can catch the rooster. Jimmy espouses to not believe in exams to his class, who mention that he seems disorganized. Peter is irritated with his father for riding his bicycle over town, so Jimmy informs him of the Generation Gap. Jake offers Teddy 20 cents if he helps him catch the rooster. When Wendy tries to cook for the family, Martha refuses to allow her, so Wendy is moved to tears. Martha and Jimmy just avoid the issue by going out to eat, where they run into Mr. Yamada. He advises that hey come up with an alternating schedule over who will cook. This seems to settle their issue. Martha finds out that Jake is cheating Teddy out of his share of the rooster ‘reward’, she heads out to correct him. Jimmy admits that he actually gave Jake $2 to catch it. 9/15/18
- 015. As the Escrow Flies – 1/2/1972
- Peter and Wendy work on blueprints for the new home they plan to rebuild. Real estate agent Abigail Dwiggins tries to talk them into buying a house she’s found for them rather than build, so convinces them to take a look at it, and meet the current owner’s father Mr. Grover (Eddie Quillan). While looking at it, Jake meets the single female neighbor Sally Hunt (Abigail Kanter), who is anxious to meet Jake’s single uncle Teddy. Naturally she is disappointed when she gets dressed up, then learns he’s a child. Peter and Wendy love the house, but Jimmy and Martha seem to be nitpicking at it, only to realize that they selfishly don’t want the kids to move out. The finally admit they like the house, which works out because Peter was in the process of buying it. When Peter overhears the boys telling one another how much they’ll miss each other, and Wendy starts to get emotional thinking about leaving Martha, they all start to have second thoughts about the move. Luther realizes that no one is happy about it, so he shows the house to fellow teacher Mr. Greenleaf, who makes an offer on the house that will leave the Howards a slight profit. NOTE: Abigail Dwiggins was previously and later named Agatha “Aggie” Dwiggins. 6/6/19
- 016. Eighty-Nine Pounds of Love – 1/9/1972
- Jimmy criticizes Jake’s substitute teacher Bertha Lang (Lurene Tuttle) when she keeps Jake after class and puts him in a ‘dunce’ hat for getting a bad grade. She apologizes but the stigma sticks with him and soon he’s fighting classmate Perry (Robbie Wolcott). Even Teddy gets on his case and calls him a dunce, to the point that he doesn’t come home after school one day. However it turns out he had found a stray dog that he names Calvin. Jimmy wants to send him to the pound, but reluctantly gives the dog two days to be claimed by the owner. Jake continues to get closer to the Calvin, as does everyone else in the household, even Jimmy who finally warms up to him when the dog listens to him play accordion. Eventually they get a call from the rightful owner. Jake tries to run away with the dog to China or Massachusetts, but Jimmy uses reverse psychology to convince him that Calvin’s rightful owner might miss him. When the father and son comes to pick up the dog, whose real name is actually Ezra, it turns out that the boy is in crutches. 6/7/19
- 017. The Quarterback Ache – 1/16/1972
- It’s Homecoming week, and the students and faculty at Josiah Kessel College are preparing for the big game between the Kessel Cougars and their fierce rivals, the Cobb Aggies. Cheerleader Susie Rodgers (Marilyn Rodgers) warns Jimmy and Luther that there may be a spy on campus trying to poison the Cougers with ‘Cougar-Ade,’ which is the energy beverage that Luther has been working on. Coach Chris Wylie (Jack Somack) comes pleading to Jimmy in tears because he is afraid the team will lose due to the fact that Dr. Scully (Jerry Hausner) won’t clear their star player Karpopolis to play unless he loses ten pounds. Jimmy confront Karpopolis to try and determine why he is eating so much, and Karpopolis tells him that he eats more when he worries, and he is worried about everything. Coach Wylie threatens to tell everyone that Scully has been paid off by the Aggies to keep Karpopolis out of the game, while Luther, who has bet a large sum of money on the game, promises a good grade in Jimmy’s class. Luther puts Karpopolis through a workout, but Karpopolis stops at bakery while running and eats three pies. Jimmy explains the history of the rivalry between Kessel and Cobb that dates back to a feud between Josiah Kessel and Phineas Cobb (William Bouchey). Jimmy and Luther come up with a plan to have members of the team and the cheerleaders to react whenever Karpopolis wants to eat by feeding him Cougar-Ade, which acts as an appetite suppressant. As Karpopolis approaches his goal weight of 220, Luther and Karpopolis spend the night at Jimmy’s and take shifts in guarding the refrigerator. In the end, Kessel wins the game 28-6, and Luther wins a big was to put toward his retirement. Later Luther realizes that Cougar-Ade is fattening and Karpoplis is back up to 265 pounds, so Luther works on adjusting the drink to get him eating normal again before the track meet. 2/20/20
- 018. Aunts in My Plans – 1/23/1972
- A messenger dressed in a Kiddie Land space suit identifying himself as Captain Roy (Ken Sansom) delivers a telegram to Martha from her Aunt Lydia Harper (Ruth Hussey) announcing she will be arriving in town from Washington D.C. en route to Japan. Jimmy and Martha decide to meet her at the airport using Luther’s Rolls Royce. Luther fears they might be setting him up with her, but they had no intention of doing such. However he immediately asks her out for a lunch date, and they have an intimate conversation about his regrets about never setting down with a wife. Lydia assures him that it is never too late and there are plenty of women who would be proud to have him as a husband. Luther tells Jimmy that he’s fallen in love with Lydia and is thinking of asking her for her hand in marriage. That night the four of them have dinner, and Lydia likens Luther to her late husband, but then announces that she is heading to Tokyo where she will meet and marry her business partner Carter Fairhaven. Lydia admits that she knew Luther was planning to propose and wanted to make sure she let him know as soon as possible. She tells Luther that he is still worth of being loved, and they continue with dinner as friends. Martha later gets a message delivered by Captain Roy indicating that Lydia and Carter didn’t get married because they were invited to have the wedding at the White House in the Rose Garden. Rolfe Sedan is the waiter. 2/21/20
- 019. Paper Work – 1/30/1992
- The boys are learning about ecology and recycling in school and are getting ready to contribute with a paper drive. They even call out a pair of deliverymen, Bart Hart (Norman Grabowski) and Kenny Gold (John Lawrence) when they toss paper out their car window. The men apologize and pick the paper up, but then toss it out again as they drive on. Meanwhile Luther is pleased to be off for the weekend, and follows the suggestion of Jimmy and heads to San Francisco. He leaves some exam books that he intended to grade at Jimmy’s house, and they wind up in the paper drive and are take to the recycling drop-off station #4. Once Jimmy realizes this, he and the boys visit Hobart Holly (Jack Dodson), the man who manages the flow of recycling. After some reluctance to have any interruptions to said flow, he finally tracks down the location of the mountain of paper that came from station #4, and gives them a 4:00 deadline before the paper will start being shredded. Jimmy calls in the family, with Martha bringing along here Women’s Action group, and Peter brings along his golf caddy (Patrick Campbell). Everyone searches all day long, but in the end, they do not find the exams before the deadline. When the caddy overhears that they are looking for exam books, he is surprised and said that he had seen them in the box with the comic book he has been reading. They locate the exams in the nick of time and thank Holly profusely for his cooperation. Once Luther and Jimmy return to school, Jimmy tells Luther that he forgot to bring the exam books from home. Luther exclaims that he needs to get them before the kids mistakenly put them in the paper drive. Back home Bart and Kenny show up and apologizes for their recycling attitude and bring along an entire station wagon full of papers and begins to unload them in Jimmy’s yard. 6/3/20
- 020. Song of the Jailbird – 2/6/1972
- Peter attends a Builders Association dinner at Hardy’s Tavern, which Jimmy finds out has topless waitresses when Peter and the others are arrested during a police raid. Jimmy bails him out and Peter assures Wendy that he didn’t know what type of entertainment they had there. Meanwhile students Sid Ranforth (Whitney Rydbeck) and Lloyd (Dale Williams) are throwing a bachelor party for Archie Freedman, and ask Luther to be the chaperon and Jimmy to play his accordion, hoping to keep the party dignified after the recent arrests. The party seems dull, even to Jimmy and Luther, but once Jimmy takes the stage and begins playing Anything Goes on the accordion, an exotic dancer named Candy Jar (Chanin Hale) enters behind him and performs her fan dance act. Just as soon as Jimmy realizes what is going on, the police raid the place and arrest Candy and Jimmy. He tries to plead his innocence to the Sergeant (Norman Grabowski), but he is hauled off to the station. Luther manages to escape and sneaks over and informs Martha what happened. When Captain Meyer (Barney Phillips) tells Jimmy that his bail is $100, he refuses to pay it and insists on being locked up until he is vindicated. He is held in a cell with Candy and and burglar named Andy (Eddie Quillan), but Luther and Peter try to talk him into letting them post bail. Martha supports Jimmy for standing up for his principles, but she bails out Candy so Jimmy won’t be in the cell with her. On the day of the trial, Luther brings along a law teacher from the college named Ralph Handley (Early Eby), but Jimmy is hellbent on defending himself. However when he finds out that Judge Frances McCauley (Sara Seeger) is a woman, he has second thoughts. However Jimmy asks to recreate the performance for the judge in order to reveal the truth. When the judge sees it and is told that Candy never disrobes any further than she did during the demonstration, and believing that anyone as naive as Jimmy believing that the students were applauding his accordion playing would never lie, the Judge dismisses the case. She also asks to see Candy in her chambers, but only wants to know how Candy made her fan. Luther punishes the students for the practical joke by having them attend mandatory fan dancing classes taught by Candy. 6/3/20
- 021. Price Is Right – 2/13/1972
- Martha has been working on a portrait of Luther for months and is ready to enter it into the Easy Valley Festival of Art contest, but unfortunately busybody Aggie Dwiggis announces that the art contest judge Ray Vedderhoof broke his glasses and can no longer judge. Both Jimmy and Luther could step in, but it would be a conflict of interest for both of them considering Martha painted Luther. Meanwhile actor Vincent Price (himself) sends a letter to Jimmy and the college and requests that he can come to see the painting of Josiah Kessell painted by Sir Murdoch McKenzie. Peter and Luther think that Price will want to buy the painting and offer him counsel on how much to charge. Jimmy refuses to sell it and later reveals that the painting is now owned by Jake since Josiah had asked that it be passed on to Peter and then to Peter’s son. With no hard feelings, Price offers to judge the art festival, and to return each year to do the same as long as he can view the McKenzie painting. He also agrees to sign multiple autographs for them so that they can sell them and make some money. Martha is disappointed that she doesn’t even place in the contest… but it is only because Price considers her a professional and offers to buy the painting for $600, even outbidding Luther. She agrees to paint him another one, while the boys take to the street to get local man Mr. Beck (Rolfe Sedan) to hire Martha to paint him. Jimmy takes the boys to see a Vincent Price triple feature at the Bijou. Lynette Mettey is student Joyce Cone. Cynthia Pepper is festival committee member Harriet Kluth, Rhoda Williams is festival co-chair Fanny Silverman. 9/17/20
- 022. Jim’s Decision – 2/20/1972
- Jim has just finished and released his new book The Non-Violent Defense of Territorial Boundaries by Certain Primates and holds a book signing at the college, bringing in his helper Mr. Burrows, who turns out to be a chimpanzee. After the signing, Jim is called by an Oakland TV program on the Educational Channel and asked to do an interview on the air with Judson Hopkins (James Lydon). Despite overzealous makeup man Wes (Myron Natwick), Jim’s experience with host goes fairly well. In fact it results in him getting asked to appear on the national The Johnny Crown Show starring Johnny Crown (Regis Philbin) as the host, who thinks that having an archaeology professor on will be very dry. But in fact Jimmy saves the floundering show, whose guest Wanda Jurgensen (Ann Raymond) and her talking dog Teddy, who refused to talk was worrying host Johnny. This successful appearance not only helps increase book sales, but gets him an offer from USC to be the head of the Archaeology department. Jimmy’s family and Luther all convince him to accept the position, which would mean more money and prestige, so he does. Before he attends his farewell dinner, he looks at old speech delivered by his grandfather Josiah Kessel when he opened the college, about how it was designed to keep their kids from leaving so they could stay in one of all-time great towns. This causes Jimmy to change his mind and decline the job. He does however return to Los Angeles to do yet another episode of The Johnny Crown Show. Chanin Hale is Hungarian actress Lala Brodu. Alice Frost is Dr. Golden. 9/17/20
- 023. Old School Ties – 3/5/1972
- Peter is excited to get the contract for a new field house building at Josiah Kessel College, but Luther has to douse water on the excitement since they are $80,000 of the total donor pledges. They hold an alumni drive to raise funds, and one former fellow student of Jimmy’s named Claude Peebles (Arthur O’Connell), who now works at the Farm Union Bank in Stockton, brings along a check for $10,000 from an anonymous donor from the bank. Another alumni named Bronco Lewis (Jack Collins) pokes fun at Peebles, who was always clumsy and once lost them a big football game. What’s more, another donor named Michael ‘Milord’ Carruthers (William Windom) makes a pledge for the full $80,000. Carruthers was once engaged to Martha, and she agrees that they can all go out to dinner with his wife Lucy (Gloria DeHaven). During the dinner, Carruthers acts like a cad, constantly flirting with Martha, and bringing up embarrassing old times, embarrassing himself and his wife, while angering Jimmy. It also turns out that Lucy is a Goodpenny Tire and Rubber heiress and controls the money in the house. His philandering has ticked her off for the last time, and she refuses to write the check that he pledged. Jimmy then goes to see Claude to see if he could still get the donation, and perhaps see if Claude could solicit other donations. When he arrives, he finds out that Claude is merely a security guard with the bank, and had made the donation himself, which ate away two-thirds of his savings. However he had hoped that the donation might become his new legacy rather than his clumsy feet. Jimmy is able to get the remainder of the money from his mother. When they unveil the new Field House, it has been named after Claude Peebles. Lomax Study is the headwaiter. Beverly Carter is the cigarette girl. 1/3/21
- 024. A Bone of Much Contention – 3/12/1972
- Peter has been contracted to build a restaurant for Admiral Decker’s (Cesar Romero) Triple Decker Sandwich Shop. Shortly after Councilman Porter (Russ Grieve) and Decker ceremonially break ground, the construction foreman Ernest Digby (Walter Barnes) finds a human skull buried in the lot. Peter tells his father that the school archaeology department can have three days to dig, while Luther sends the skull out to be analyzed. The dig initially brings Detective Crandall (Hank Brandt) who believes that a body was found, but when he learns the age of the skull, he backs off. The skull turns out to be 30,000 years old, and Professor Henry Duncan (Michael Audley) wants to stretch the dig into four months. Peter is worried about delaying the project could mean he will lose further contracts from Decker if he chooses to build more. The archeology students at the school organize a ‘dig-in’ for protest, and Peter is unable to get them off the property. He tries to persuade Decker to allow the dig to continue, but he not only refuses, but insults Jimmy to Peter, angering him into telling him that he no longer wants to do business with Decker. Jimmy is worried that another contractor might force them off the land anyway, so he brings a reporter (Leonard Simon) to the site and offers to name the remains the ‘Decker-Man’, which could bring great publicity to his restaurant. Backed into a corner, Decker is happy to tell the reporter that he is going to let the dig continue. 1/3/21
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