The Smith Family (TV series)
The Smith Family is an American comedy-drama television series starring Henry Fonda and Ron Howard and produced by Don Fedderson Productions. The series aired on ABC from January 20, 1971, to June 7, 1972, for 39 episodes.[1]
| The Smith Family | |
|---|---|
 Cast photo | |
| Created by | Edmund Hartman Bob Sorrentino |
| Directed by | Herschel Daugherty |
| Starring | Henry Fonda Janet Blair Darleen Carr John Carter Ron Howard Michael-James Wixted |
| Theme music composer | George "Red" Callender Wayne Shanklin |
| Opening theme | "Primrose Lane" performed by Mike Minor |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Don Fedderson |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Don Fedderson Productions |
| Distributor | Worldvision Enterprises Paramount Television CBS Paramount Television CBS Television Distribution (current as of 2007) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | January 20, 1971 – June 7, 1972 |
Synopsis
Chad Smith is a police detective in Los Angeles. The show covered the exploits of Sergeant Smith and his relationships with his wife Betty and their three children: 18-year-old Cindy, 15-year-old Bob and 7-year-old Brian.
The opening season theme song was an adapted version of "Primrose Lane", composed by Red Callender (as George Callender) and Wayne Shanklin.[2][3]
Cast
- Henry Fonda as Detective Sergeant Chad Smith, the father of the Smith family
- Janet Blair as Betty Smith, Chad's wife
- Darleen Carr as Cindy Smith, the daughter
- John Carter as Sgt. Ray Martin
- Ron Howard as Bob Smith, the elder son
- Vince Howard as Sgt. Ed Thomas
- Michael-James Wixted as Brian Smith, the younger son
Episodes
Season 1: 1971
| Nº | Ep | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Cindy" | Herschel Daugherty | Edmund L. Hartmann | January 20, 1971 | |
| Chad is asked by the mother of one of Cindy's friends to investigate her daughter's apparent use of marijuana, which leads to Cindy being shunned by her friends. Guest star: Heather Menzies | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Ex-Con" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | January 27, 1971 | |
| An ex-convict seeks Chad's help in getting back on his feet in society, but Chad discovers it's hard to change other people's attitudes towards ex-cons. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Chicano" | Herschel Daugherty | Blanche Hanalis | February 3, 1971 | |
| Brian's new friend is the younger sister of a Latino activist---which Chad arrests in connection with a series of barrio bombings. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Blue Tie" | Herschel Daugherty | Sydney Boehm | February 10, 1971 | |
| Betty worries when Chad's partner calls him, during a time where someone is ambushing policemen. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "All the Good Neighbors" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | February 17, 1971 | |
| Chad's identity as a policeman seems to come in handy when his neighbors need him...until some hippies rent a house in the neighborhood, and the neighbors expect Chad to evict them. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Strangers" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | February 24, 1971 | |
| On a stakeout, Chad becomes the target of a pair of gun runners with a personal vendetta against him. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "One More Goodbye" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | March 3, 1971 | |
| When one of Cindy's friends runs away from home to find herself, Chad discovers her wealthy parents gave her all the material possessions they could, but left one vital component out. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Another Day, Another Dollar" | Herschel Daugherty | Edmund Beloin & Henry Garson | March 10, 1971 | |
| Chad spends the day as a technical advisor on a Hollywood set, while at home the family is taken in by a man claiming to be Chad's old army buddy, who in reality holds a bitter grudge against him. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Desk Job" | Herschel Daugherty | Preston Wood | March 17, 1971 | |
| After getting roughed up on the job, Chad is temporarily reassigned to desk duty; while Betty hopes the move might become permanent, Chad becomes restless and more interested in a case of dynamite theft than his desk work. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Brian and the Sheriff" | Herschel Daugherty | Blanche Hanalis | March 24, 1971 | |
| Arthur O'Connell plays a sheriff from the Old West, who takes up arms (with Chad and Brian near his side) in order to preserve his home from being bulldozed. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Remember Lisa" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | March 31, 1971 | |
| An old flame seeks Chad's help when her son is found in a crashed stolen car, while Betty and the kids start to wonder if there's still some fire left between the old flames. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Rookie" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | April 7, 1971 | |
| Chad's new partner is a gung-ho detective he tries to tame, a task made more difficult when he starts dating Cindy. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Peer Group" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | April 14, 1971 | |
| Bob's caught in a dilemma when he discovers the identities of some classmates that vandalized a classroom---and plan to move on to arson next. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Greener Pastures" | Herschel Daugherty | Burt Styler | April 21, 1971 | |
| Chad, recuperating from some minor injuries after serving a warrant, contemplates a job offer with a private detective agency. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "No Place to Hide" | Herschel Daugherty | Blanche Hanalis | April 28, 1971 | |
| A narcotics investigation hits very close to home for Chad: it's at Brian's school. | ||||||
Season 2: 1971–72
| Nº | Ep | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | "Anniversary" | Herschel Daugherty | Sydney Boehm | September 15, 1971 | |
| A busy day at the precinct threatens an anniversary dinner for Chad and Betty, and the day only gets worse when a bomb threat is phoned into the station house. | ||||||
| 17 | 2 | "State's Witness" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | September 22, 1971 | |
| A friendship gets sorely tested when Chad's friend, a successful trial attorney, puts Chad under an intense cross-examination at trial for a murder suspect that Chad arrested. | ||||||
| 18 | 3 | "Stakeout" | Herschel Daugherty | Sydney Boehm | September 29, 1971 | |
| Bob and Cindy jump to conclusions when Chad embarks on a stakeout at a local lovers' lane...with a pretty female detective. | ||||||
| 19 | 4 | "Lost Lady" | Herschel Daugherty | Burt Styler | October 6, 1971 | |
| When Chad discovers a faded, alcoholic actress at the precinct and brings her home, Cindy and Bob take it upon themselves to try and rehabilitate her. | ||||||
| 20 | 5 | "Father's Day" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | October 13, 1971 | |
| Fresh off a successful stakeout, Chad's plan for a relaxing day at home is compromised by the kids' personal problems: Bob's due in juvenile court, and Cindy deals with a suitor reluctant to ask out a cop's daughter. | ||||||
| 21 | 6 | "Blind Chance" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | October 20, 1971 | |
| Chad switches shifts with another officer to attend Brian's Parents Night at school, but the officer he swapped with winds up dying in the line of duty that night. | ||||||
| 22 | 7 | "Mac" | Herschel Daugherty | Alan J. Levitt & Sydney Boehm | October 27, 1971 | |
| Brian is rescued from being hit by a car, but the man who saved him harbors a secret: he's a prison escapee convicted of murder. | ||||||
| 23 | 8 | "Rumpus Room" | Herschel Daugherty | Sydney Boehm & Joseph Bonaduce | November 3, 1971 | |
| To finance some home improvements, Chad moonlights as a bodyguard for a wealthy man concerned about being robbed, but the man raises suspicions in Chad. | ||||||
| 24 | 9 | "Ambush" | Herschel Daugherty | Preston Wood | November 10, 1971 | |
| The sole witness to the shooting of two policemen, a young girl, is taken in by the Smiths. | ||||||
| 25 | 10 | "The Weekend" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | November 17, 1971 | |
| Chad's advice to the father of one of Cindy's friends---trust your daughter---is put to a stern test when Cindy plans an overnight trip with friends. | ||||||
| 26 | 11 | "Man in the Middle" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | November 24, 1971 | |
| The bombing of an underground newspaper creates suspicion from the radicals publishing it, and discussions about press freedoms from the Smith kids, who read that newspaper. | ||||||
| 27 | 12 | "Class of '46" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | December 8, 1971 | |
| Chad receives a tempting job offer from an old friend, just promoted to police commissioner; Cindy discusses the institution of marriage with her parents, who learn she's not exactly sold on the notion. | ||||||
| 28 | 13 | "Family Man" | Herschel Daugherty | Preston Wood | December 15, 1971 | |
| When Chad's temporary partner shows anger management issues stemming from his personal life, Chad invites him home to show him how family relations don't have to lead to anger on the job. | ||||||
| 29 | 14 | "Christmas Rush" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Pirosh | December 22, 1971 | |
| Ho, ho, ho: Chad gives up his Christmas for a fellow officer about to go on his honeymoon, but the kids plan a holiday away so Chad and Betty could spend a second honeymoon together, alone. | ||||||
| 30 | 15 | "Taste of Fear" | Herschel Daugherty | Preston Wood | December 29, 1971 | |
| Bob goes on a ride-along for his Explorer Scout training, but his reaction to getting caught in a shootout makes him question whether law enforcement is the right career path for him. | ||||||
| 31 | 16 | "Where There's Smoke" | Herschel Daugherty | Susan Silver | January 5, 1972 | |
| A woman, hoping to derail a jewelry-theft investigation of her boyfriend, falsely accuses Chad of assault. | ||||||
| 32 | 17 | "Off Duty Cop" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | April 12, 1972 | |
| Chad's actions, or lack thereof, during a supermarket robbery and shooting while he was off-duty lead to questions from the public about his bravery. | ||||||
| 33 | 18 | "Winner Takes All" | Herschel Daugherty | John McGreevey | April 19, 1972 | |
| Chad's investigation into the murder of an armed guard during a robbery leads to an old friend, an ex-cop, as the driver of the armored car. | ||||||
| 34 | 19 | "San Francisco Cop" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | April 26, 1972 | |
| Chad is enlisted to help a visiting San Francisco detective locate an 18-year-old runaway: his daughter. | ||||||
| 35 | 20 | "My Mother, the Star" | Herschel Daugherty | Blanche Hanalis | May 10, 1972 | |
| Dueling frustrations: Chad and his partner struggle to find a burglar who assaults elderly women, and Betty is stuck managing a PTA benefit talent show. | ||||||
| 36 | 21 | "Rogue Cop" | Herschel Daugherty | Austin & Irma Kalish | May 17, 1972 | |
| Chad becomes alarmed with a wealthy rookie's entitled attitude on the job: he also happens to be dating Cindy. | ||||||
| 37 | 22 | "Ten O'Clock and All Is Well" | Herschel Daugherty | S.A. Long | May 24, 1972 | |
| While Chad and Betty try to enjoy a night out, Bob and Cindy inadvertently leave Brian alone at home. | ||||||
| 38 | 23 | "Homecoming" | Herschel Daugherty | Paul West | May 31, 1972 | |
| Can you go home again? Chad and Betty figure the answer out while returning to Philadelphia on a working holiday: Chad's there to escort a prisoner back home. | ||||||
| 39 | 24 | "Father-in-Law" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Pirosh | June 7, 1972 | |
| Cindy's latest beau, a young man hoping for a career in law enforcement, meets with her parents' initial approval, only to lose it when a pattern of concerning behavior in the young man develops. | ||||||
References
- The Smith Family at IMDb
- The Smith Family synopsis & credits. WorldCat. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- Renewal registration for "Primrose Lane". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Kleiner, Dick (NEA). "Henry Fonda Turns to TV". The Fort Scott Tribune. August 11, 1970.
- Browning, Norma Lee. "Fonda Has No Worries About Series". The Chicago Tribune. January 17, 1971.
- Buck, Jerry. "Penguins More Like Real People Than Smith Family". The Free Lance-Star. January 21, 1971.
- Laurent, Lawrence. "'Smith Family' Gives Fonda Money, Time". The Washington Post. June 25, 1971.
- Peterson, Clarence. "On the Air: Henry Fonda's Working Hard, Clubbing His 'Family' into Line". The Chicago Tribune. July 12, 1971.
- "C.B.S. and A.B.C. Overhaul Schedules". The New York Times. November 17, 1971.
- Browning, Norma Lee. "Hollywood: Back to the Movies". The Bangor Daily News. November 26, 1971.
External links
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