''Slattery's People'' is a 1964–65 American

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

about local politics starring Richard Crenna as title character James Slattery, a state legislator, co-starring Ed Asner and

Tol Avery Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor who appeared in more than 100 separate works between 1950 and 1974. Biography Early in his career, Avery portrayed Lieutenant ...

, and featuring Carroll O'Connor and Warren Oates in a couple of episodes each. James E. Moser was executive producer. The program, telecast on CBS, was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

. ''Slattery's People'' is mainly notable for having been one of the few American television series spotlighting the travails of local politicians, a topic that other programs of the period mainly avoided. Episodes opened with the following admonition: "

Democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

is a very bad form of government. But I ask you never to forget: All the others are so much worse." Many television critics highly praised the series. Many politicians also approved of the program. U.S. Representative James C. Corman said in a ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

'' statement on September 30, 1964, “I am pleased that they have taken the high road to show a legislator’s life, and have not pandered to

sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emoti ...

or unreality to stimulate an audience following.” This series was a major career change for Crenna. Following more than a decade as a lead actor in two popular network comedies, ''

Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...

'' and '' The Real McCoys'', his role as Jim Slattery opened doors for later guest appearances in several dramatic programs and feature films. Moser's script for the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

("Question: What is truth?") was printed as an appendix in ''Teleplay; an introduction to television writing'' by Coles Trapnell. Television composer Nathan Scott wrote the

theme music Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for ''Slattery's People''.

Guest stars

* Philip Abbott in "Question: What is Honor? What is Death?" * Joan Blackman as Pat Allison in "Question: Remember the Dark Sins of Youth?" *

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number ...

in "Question: Bill Bailey, Why Did You Come Home?" *

Don Keefer Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of ...

as George Farnum in "Question: What Did You Do All Day, Mr. Slattery?" * Joyce Meadows as Gert in the episode "Question: Is Laura the Name of the Game?" * John M. Pickard as Vance Durant in "Question: How Long Is the Shadow of a Man?" * Judson Pratt as Harry Daniels in "Question: How Impregnable Is a Magic Tower?" * Robert F. Simon in "Question: What Did You Do All Day, Mr. Slattery?" * Joan Tompkins as Dorothy Ralston in "Question: What Time Is the Next Bandwagon?" * Arthur Hill as Dr. George Allison and Michael Constantine as Paul Hungerford in "Question: Remember the Dark Sins of Youth?" *

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...

as Ezra Tallicott on "What Ever Happened to Ezra?" * Tommy Sands in "Question: Why the Lonely, Why the Misbegotten?" * Ricardo Montalbán (credited as Ricardo Montalban) as Rodriguez in "Question: What Became of the White Tortilla?" *

Claude Akins Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor. He played Sonny Pruit in '' Movin' On'', a 1974–1976 American drama series about a trucking team; Sheriff Lobo on '' The Misadventures of Sheriff Lob ...

as Dr. Roy Kirk and

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress and singer, who starred as the title character in the sitcom ''I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965–1970). Her other roles included Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in ...

as Lucrezia Kirk in "Question: When Do We Hang the Good Samaritan?" * Forrest Tucker as Bill Bailey in "Question: Bill Bailey, Why Did You Come Home?"

Episode list

Season 1 (1964–65)

All episodes in black-and-white

Season 2 (1965)

All episodes in black-and-white

References

External links