''Mr. Dugan'' is an American
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
about a
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
Congressman that was scheduled to air in March 1979 on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, but was pulled at the last minute and never shown.
History
In early 1978, producer
Norman Lear felt his long-running comedy ''
Maude'' was getting stale, so he decided to enliven things by moving the show to Washington, D.C., and making the title character a congresswoman. After two episodes in this new setting, star
Beatrice Arthur
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...
decided not to continue, and the show abruptly left the air. Lear, however, still believed in the concept and filmed a new
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
titled ''Onward and Upward'', with essentially the same script and cast—except with
John Amos
John Allen Amos Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series ''Good Times''. Amos's other television work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', a recurring role as Admi ...
(as a black former professional football star running for the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
) replacing Arthur. Creative differences between Amos (who had co-starred in Lear's ''
Good Times'') and the producers led to the actor bowing out; the show was renamed ''Mr. Dooley'' and finally ''Mr. Dugan''.
Cleavon Little
Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of '' Purlie'', for which he earned both ...
(best known as the sheriff in the classic movie comedy ''
Blazing Saddles'') was hired as the title character, a fledgling black congressman. The supporting cast remained the same.
''Mr. Dugan'' had been scheduled for a March 11, 1979, premiere, and was heavily promoted by CBS, complete with ads and listings in ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' and other publications. However, a special screening for ''real'' black members of Congress proved to be an unmitigated disaster, as several members of the
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce B ...
criticized the show.
The sitcom was especially galling for freshman Congressman
William Gray III, who, like the fictional Dugan, represented a district in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
: "The impact would be disastrous, showing a congressman who was a silly, incompetent man ruled by his staff."
Lear subsequently pulled the plug on ''Mr. Dugan'', saying, "We have not yet totally fulfilled our intention for the series."
The concept was eventually reworked again into the short-lived series, ''
Hanging In
''Hanging In'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for four episodes on CBS on Wednesday nights from August 8, 1979, to August 29, 1979.
Summary
After his failed attempt to launch the sitcom ''Mr. Dugan'', Norman Lear reworked th ...
'', which aired on CBS in the summer of 1979.
See also
*
List of television series cancelled before airing an episode
References
External links
Programs Cancelled Before They Premiered, 1963-1988at Television Obscurities
{{Maude
Unaired television pilots
Television pilots not picked up as a series
Fictional American politicians