| Grandpa Goes to Washington | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Starring | Jack Albertson Larry Linville Sparky Marcus Patti Deutsch |
| Composer | Artie Butler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Richard P. Rosetti Leonora Thuna |
| Producer | Robert Stambler |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 7, 1978 (1978-09-07) – January 16, 1979 (1979-01-16) |
Grandpa Goes to Washington is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC on Tuesday nights from September 7, 1978, to January 16, 1979.[1] The series was cancelled after a run of 11 episodes.
The series centered on Joe Kelley, a political science teacher who was forced to retire when he turned 66, who then got himself elected to the U.S. senate in spite of his not having any political experience. He won the election when the other candidates for office were tarnished by scandal. Kelley's style was unusual. He drove himself in an old Volkswagen (as opposed to being driven in a limousine), for relaxation he played the drums, and his earnest pledge was "Honesty in Government". He received his political information from former students, whom he considered his "friends in low places". His aim was to make the country a better place to live.
The senator lived with his son, Air Force General Kevin Kelley; Kevin's wife, Rosie; and their two children, Kathleen and Kevin, Jr. Joe thought Kevin was dull, bland and empty-headed (he called him, "My son, the Fathead'). Kevin tried to interfere with his father's position as a Senator, increasing the tension between them. Also seen was Madge, Joe's secretary, and Tony, Joe's aide. Another character was Patti who was played by comedian Patti Deutsch.
| Series # | Episode title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Richard Crenna | Lane Slate & Noel Baldwin | September 7, 1978 (1978-09-07) | |
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Retired college professor Joe Kelley is drafted to run for the U.S. Senate after the incumbent withdraws following the exposure of his affair with a stripper
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| 2 | "Birthday Party" | Michael Caffey | Richard Freiman | September 19, 1978 (1978-09-19) | |
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Kelley introduces a motion to investigate the spending of $27,000 for the President's birthday party at the same time his granddaughter is set to date the President's son.
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| 3 | "Kelley Inherits Tony" | Herbert Kenwith | Emily Levine & Harry Cauley | September 26, 1978 (1978-09-26) | |
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Kelley is joined by his predecessor's legislative assistant in his struggle to introduce a bill that would prevent the firing of federal employees who are living together without being married.
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| 4 | "Kelley at the Bat" | Larry Elikann | Lane Slate | October 3, 1978 (1978-10-03) | |
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Kelley matches wits with a crooked land developer to save the baseball field used by his grandson's little league team.
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| 5 | "Kelley's Best Friend" | Paul Stanley | Leonora Thuna | October 24, 1978 (1978-10-24) | |
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Kelley's oldest friend comes to Washington, supposedly to attend a convention, but instead intends to persuade the senator to do a political favor for him.
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| 6 | "The Senator's Widow" | George Tyne | Harry Spalding | October 31, 1978 (1978-10-31) | |
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A widowed interim senator shows more interest in Kelley than in politics when he asks her for her support of a bill.
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| 7 | "The Leak" | Larry Elikann | John Dunkel | December 5, 1978 (1978-12-05) | |
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Kelley lands in trouble when information in his personal files is published before it can be verified.
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| 8 | "A Star is Dead" | George Tyne | Paul West, Bruce A. Taylor, Harry Cauley, R.F. Siemanowski & Lane Slate | December 12, 1978 (1978-12-12) | |
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Kelley tries to help a silent screen star prove that a Social Security computer mistakenly declared her dead.
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| 9 | "The Red Hot Gift" | Allen Baron | John Dunkel | December 26, 1978 (1978-12-26) | |
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Kelley and his son are accused of accepting political favors after a new Rolls-Royce with the keys in it and a note saying "for your pleasure" is found in the senator's driveway.
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| 10 | "Grace" | Joseph Pevney | Barbara Avedon & Barbara Corday | January 9, 1979 (1979-01-09) | |
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While Kelley stirs up trouble on Capitol Hill with his Domestic Security Bill, his friend Grace is arrested for trying to help him.
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| 11 | "The Union Boys" | Larry Elikann | Paul West | January 16, 1979 (1979-01-16) | |
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Kelley calls for an investigation into the activities of a powerful union leader.[2]
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