The Jimmy Stewart Show (The Complete Series)

Reviewed by Jason Lockard

James Stewart was an amazing human being, but most know him for his acting. He was nominated for best actor awards and won 2 Academy Award and 1 Golden Globe and was nominated for more. He was in so many iconic films it would be impossible to list them all here now.

Now interestingly enough in September of 1971 Jimmy Stewart made a journey from the big screen to the small screen with when he decided to star in his own sitcom. What would come forth was a very sweet and funny short-lived family comedy.

In this series Jimmy Stewart plays Professor James Howard, whose world is turned upside down when his son and his family must move back home after James accidentally burned down his son's house. Let's take a look at the episodes included in this series.

Our Rating System:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An Ok way to spend some time.
*=You haven’t missed anything.

(Disc One)
1. By Way of Introduction: The pilot episode has Professor James K. Howard introducing the characters and relationships of the series. Jim causes a fire when he falls asleep with a lit cigar while sitting for grandson Jake at his son's house. Jim and Martha invite Peter, Wendy, and Jake to move in with them for awhile, but Peter is reluctant. ****
2. Love in a Briefcase: Jim's briefcase was destroyed in the fire that burned down Peter and Wendy's house. He doesn't really want a new one, but nobody knows that. ***
3. The Price of Plumbing Is Numbing: Jim has a hard time getting bathroom time in the morning since he has to compete with three more people. Jim and Martha decide to add another bathroom which is more expensive than everyone expects. ***
4. The Father and Son Game: Peter and Jake are going to play in the Boosters' Father and Son baseball game. Teddy wants to play, too, but he has no talent for baseball. Jim tries to find a way to include him in the event. ***
5. Another Day, Another Scholar: A female student starts stalking Jim, and when she shows up in his office and flirts, he runs out leaving Luther to tell her off. Soon gossip breaks out all over campus involving some professor and a pretty student. ***
6. A Hunch in Time: Peter is excited by the prospect of getting involved with a land deal. The family tries to help make a good impression on developer Harris Crofton, but Jim has a hunch that something isn't right. ***
7. The Identity Crisis: A restless Jim goes with Luther on a trip to San Francisco. ***
8. Guest of Honor: The James K. Howard family of Easy Valley California host a guest from behind the Iron Curtain. ***


(Disc Two)
9. Pro Bono Publico: Peter and the Boosters hope to get a big company to build a factory in Easy Valley, but there's a conflict when the town hopes to build a community recreation area on the same land. ***
10. A Bunk for Unk: Jim is annoyed when his globe-trotting, lively Uncle Everett comes for a visit that seems to keep getting longer. ***
11. A Vote for Howard:  Jim is caught in the middle when Martha and Peter run against each other for City Commissioner. ***
12. Period of Readjustment: James re-tells the story of his son and his wife moved in after their house burned down. ***
13. Luther's Last Love: Martha and Wendy try to set up content bachelor Luthor on a blind date. ***
14. Cock-a-doodle Don't: Complications arise between Martha and Wendy while a rooster terrorizes the family. ***
15. As the Escrow Flies: Wendy and Peter are planning on rebuilding their house, but then they see a house that's move-in ready. Martha and Jim realize they don't really want Peter and his family to move out. ***
16. Eighty-Nine Pounds of Love: Jake is depressed after a teacher calls him a dunce in front of the class. The teacher's apology doesn't stop the subsequent teasing from other kids, and Jake feels like a loser. Then Jake finds a stray dog and brings him home, and begins to feel good again. But what will happen if the rightful owners turn up? ****


(Disc Three)
17. The Quarterback Ache: It's Homecoming week at Josiah Kessel College and everyone is excited for the big game against rival school Cobb. Potential victory is jeopardized, however, when the team doctor says Karpopolis, the quarterback, can't play unless he loses ten pounds. ***
18. Aunt's in My Plans: Luther finds himself falling for Martha's visiting Aunt Lydia. ***
19. Paper Work: Jake and Teddy are part of a school paper drive while learning about ecology. Unfortunately, they accidentally donate Luther's ungraded exam books. ***
20. Song of the Jailbird: Some students ask Luther to chaperon the bachelor party they're throwing for a friend, Jim is asked to play his accordion. But at the event Jim winds up arrested with a fan dancer after the police raid the party. He refuses to post bail and vows to fight the charge in court. ***
21. Price Is Right: Jim's latest anthropology book gets him a spot on an educational television show, which leads to a guest appearance on Johnny Crown's late night talk show. ****
22. Jim's Decision: Jim's latest anthropology book gets him a spot on an educational television show, which leads to a guest appearance on Johnny Crown's late night talk show. ***
23. Old School Ties: The college is fund-raising for a new indoor sports stadium which Peter will build, and several alumni are visiting. ***
24. A Bone of Much Contention: The construction of the newest Admiral Decker sandwich shop unearths a contentious delay. ***

In this series not only do we get Jimmy's everyman character. But the supporting cast is tremendous as well, top to bottom. Johnathan Daly who plays Peter Jimmy's Son is perfectly cast as he almost sounds like Jimmy at times. And John McGiver as James' friend and colleague, Dr. Luther Quince. There also was an amazing list of guest stars that showed up. We see TV's Uncle Fester, Jackie Coogan, Pat Buttram (Mr. Haney from Green Acres), Vincent Price, Ceasar Romero, Jack Soo (Barney Miller), Will Greer (The Waltons), and Regis Philbin, also Jimmy's real-life wife Gloria Stewart makes an appearance as well.


While the show may have some shortfalls, I found myself completely enthralled with this series. It truly is a snapshot into a simpler time. A time without smartphones, tablets and the internet. A time when everyone wasn't in such a hurry to go nowhere. Once I started watching it was hard to stop. I considered this series a binge-worthy one. End credits rolls, click the next episode and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

On a side note, it was very cool to see Jimmy Stewart as himself introduce the episodes. And at the end of each episode, he steps out of character, sort of like George Burns used to do on the old Burns and Allen Show. And wish the audience "Peace, love and laughter". This was a very sweet little sitcom!

The complete series DVD set from Warner Archive is a made-on-demand. The DVD set includes 3 DVD discs. The episodes is presented in it's original full-screen format. There is no stretch of the picture. Which I have seen in release and absolutely drive me crazy. The audio is 2.0 Mono. The episodes look and sound really good. There is little to no damage to these prints. Eight episodes fill each disc the perfect amount without losing picture quality.

As for the packaging, the each DVD case is a sturdy flipper case. Each DVD gets it's own disc tray. So there is no DVD stacking here. That can be a no go for many, but no worries here. This is a well-constructed release. 

So if you are a fan of James Stewart or 70's Television, I can not recommend The Jimmy Stewart Show enough. Head over to www.WBShop.com and pick up your copy today.


Objectional Material: none
Audience: family
Genre: Comedy, sitcom
Length: Over 10 hours
DVD Value Rating: A