The Headmaster (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Headmaster is a half-hour television comedy-drama
starring Andy Griffith
and broadcast by CBS
in the United States
during the 1970-71 season
.
Headmaster marked the return to series television of Griffith, whose previous
eponym
ous show had been one of CBS's major hits of the 1960s prior to his voluntary departure and a program which was still in production (as Mayberry R.F.D.
), when Headmaster was launched. With Headmaster, Griffith fulfilled his desire to be cast in a television series as something other than a rural
bumpkin dispensing folksy wisdom; here his character, Andy Thompson, was the headmaster of a prestigious California
private school
, the Concord School. His wife, Margaret (Claudette Nevins), was an English
teacher; his best friend was the school's main athletic coach
, Jerry Brownell (Jerry Van Dyke
). Mr. Purdy (Parker Fennelly
) was the school's caretaker.
Despite being aired in the Friday night 8:30 Eastern time slot vacated by the popular Hogan's Heroes
, a theme song sung by Linda Ronstadt
, and featuring arguably the biggest CBS star of the 1960s, Headmaster did not prove to be popular and was routinely beaten in the Nielsen ratings
by both The Partridge Family
on ABC
and The Name of the Game
on NBC
. When this pattern became apparent, production of Headmaster was terminated, with the last first-run show being broadcast January 1, 1971, and the program replaced by a new situation comedy
starring Griffith, The New Andy Griffith Show
. This replacement program met with little more success than Headmaster, and was last broadcast on May 21, 1971. In June 1971, Headmaster returned to the time slot in rerun
s, with the last repeat episode being aired on September 10, 1971.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
starring Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
and broadcast by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the 1970-71 season
1970-71 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three United States commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1970. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
.
Headmaster marked the return to series television of Griffith, whose previous
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous show had been one of CBS's major hits of the 1960s prior to his voluntary departure and a program which was still in production (as Mayberry R.F.D.
Mayberry R.F.D.
Mayberry R.F.D. is a spin-off and direct continuation of The Andy Griffith Show under a new title, for the same sponsor, General Foods...
), when Headmaster was launched. With Headmaster, Griffith fulfilled his desire to be cast in a television series as something other than a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
bumpkin dispensing folksy wisdom; here his character, Andy Thompson, was the headmaster of a prestigious California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, the Concord School. His wife, Margaret (Claudette Nevins), was an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
teacher; his best friend was the school's main athletic coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, Jerry Brownell (Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke
Jerry Van Dyke is an American comedian and actor. He is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke, and made his acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother, Stacey...
). Mr. Purdy (Parker Fennelly
Parker Fennelly
Parker Fennelly was an American actor who appeared in ten films, numerous television episodes and hundreds of radio programs.-Allen's Alley:...
) was the school's caretaker.
Despite being aired in the Friday night 8:30 Eastern time slot vacated by the popular Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
, a theme song sung by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, and featuring arguably the biggest CBS star of the 1960s, Headmaster did not prove to be popular and was routinely beaten in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
by both The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game (TV series)
The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes. It was a pioneering wheel series, setting the stage for the likes of The Bold Ones and the NBC Mystery Movie in the 1970s...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. When this pattern became apparent, production of Headmaster was terminated, with the last first-run show being broadcast January 1, 1971, and the program replaced by a new situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring Griffith, The New Andy Griffith Show
The New Andy Griffith Show
The New Andy Griffith Show is an American situation comedy broadcast in the United States by the CBS television network in 1971.-History:...
. This replacement program met with little more success than Headmaster, and was last broadcast on May 21, 1971. In June 1971, Headmaster returned to the time slot in rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
s, with the last repeat episode being aired on September 10, 1971.
Episode list
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "May I Turn On?" (pilot) | September 18, 1970 |
| 1-2 | "The Battle of the Mini" | September 25, 1970 |
| 1-3 | "Valerie Has An Emotional Gestalt For the Teacher" | October 2, 1970 |
| 1-4 | "Bridge That Gap" | October 9, 1970 |
| 1-5 | "One For the Gipper" | October 16, 1970 |
| 1-6 | "Will the Real Mother Of Tony Landis..." | October 23, 1970 |
| 1-7 | "The Experiment" | October 30, 1970 |
| 1-8 | "Nobody's Perfect" | November 6, 1970 |
| 1-9 | "Bach Rock" | November 13, 1970 |
| 1-10 | "Let's Try It Mr. Hiller's Way" | November 20, 1970 |
| 1-11 | "Harvard Or Bust" | November 27, 1970 |
| 1-12 | "Count the Ways I Love You" | December 4, 1970 |
| 1-13 | "Romeo & Juliet & Gary & Hilary" | December 18, 1970 |
| 1-14 | "Guess Who's Not Coming To Dinner" | January 1, 1971 |