The Governor & J.J.
| The Governor & J.J. | |
|---|---|
 Jessie Royce Landis and Julie Sommars, 1970. | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by |
Leonard Stern Arne Sultan |
| Starring |
Dan Dailey Julie Sommars James T. Callahan Neva Patterson Nora Marlowe |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | Paramount Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Talent Associates-Norton Simon |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | 23 September 1969 – 30 December 1970 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | All in the Family |
The Governor & J.J. is a television series that ran from September 1969 to December 1970 on CBS in the United States and in Canada, where it ran on CBC Television. Selected episodes were rerun by CBS during the summer of 1972. It was produced by Talent Associates and CBS Productions. CBS Television Distribution now owns the distribution rights to the program.
The series starred Dan Dailey and Julie Sommars. It focused on William Drinkwater (Dailey), a governor in an unnamed Midwestern state, who, in lieu of his late wife, had a "first lady" in his 20-something year-old daughter, Jennifer Jo (Sommars). J.J., as Jennifer Jo was called, had a regular job as an assistant curator at a zoo in the capital city and had a love for animals. She was bright and opinionated and could debate political issues with her father as well as anyone else. Despite their difference in opinions (she was more liberal, and he was more conservative), William really loved J.J., and she proved herself to be charming and efficient in her duties being "first lady" for her father. J.J. often gained support and advice from Maggie McLeod (Neva Patterson), the governor's secretary; George Callison (James T. Callahan), the governor's press secretary; and from Sara Andrews (Nora Marlowe), the housekeeper at the governor's mansion.
Broadcast history
| Season | Time slot (ET) |
|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Tuesday at 9:30 pm |
| 1970–71 | Wednesday at 8:30 pm |
Trivia
The series won three Golden Globe Awards in 1970 for Best Comedy Series, Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical TV series for Sommars and Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical TV Series for Dailey.
Francis De Sales guest-starred as Senator Loomis in the 1970 episode "Charley's Back in Town".
The series sometimes featured guest appearances by then current governors, including Robert Docking of Kansas and Deane C. Davis of Vermont.
In real life, Sommars has been involved in politics, mostly behind the scenes with the Republican Party.
When the program was canceled by CBS, it was replaced in its Wednesday timeslot by To Rome with Love, which had moved from Tuesdays to make room for All in the Family. To Rome with Love was canceled at the end of the 1970-71 season.
Episodes
Season 1: 1969–70
| Nº | Ep | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Second 1st Lady" | September 23, 1969 |
| 2 | 2 | "There Go the Judge" | September 30, 1969 |
| 3 | 3 | "Romeo and J.J." | October 14, 1969 |
| 4 | 4 | "One Little Indian" | October 21, 1969 |
| 5 | 5 | "Cat on a Hot Tin Mansion" | October 28, 1969 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Butterfly Man of Alcazar" | November 4, 1969 |
| 7 | 7 | "Come Fly Without Me" | November 11, 1969 |
| 8 | 8 | "Rhyme with Reason" | November 18, 1969 |
| 9 | 9 | "My Good Friend, What's His Name?" | November 25, 1969 |
| 10 | 10 | "Springtime for Maggie" | December 2, 1969 |
| 11 | 11 | "State of Reunion" | December 9, 1969 |
| 12 | 12 | "Bunky's Buddy" | December 16, 1969 |
| 13 | 13 | "The Governor's Portrait" | December 23, 1969 |
| 14 | 14 | "Profile in Discourage" | December 30, 1969 |
| 15 | 15 | "Once Upon a War" | January 6, 1970 |
| 16 | 16 | "Never Judge a Book by Its Naked Cover" | January 13, 1970 |
| 17 | 17 | "The Last Weekend" | January 20, 1970 |
| 18 | 18 | "The Tic Toc Tale" | January 27, 1970 |
| 19 | 19 | "Luv the Guv" | February 3, 1970 |
| 20 | 20 | "Bye, George" | February 17, 1970 |
| 21 | 21 | "Abe Lincoln Slept Here" | February 24, 1970 |
| 22 | 22 | "Son of the Bride" | March 3, 1970 |
| 23 | 23 | "The Governor Gets the Chair" | March 10, 1970 |
| 24 | 24 | "The Return of Doctor Livingston" | March 17, 1970 |
| 25 | 25 | "Charley's Back in Town" | March 24, 1970 |
| 26 | 26 | "Second Opinion" | March 31, 1970 |
Season 2: 1970
| Nº | Ep | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "And the World Begat the Bleep" | September 16, 1970 |
| 28 | 2 | "Ben and Her" | September 23, 1970 |
| 29 | 3 | "Read That Leg to Me Again" | September 30, 1970 |
| 30 | 4 | "Run Ballerina, Run" | October 7, 1970 |
| 31 | 5 | "File Safe" | October 14, 1970 |
| 32 | 6 | "Fawcett Is Running" | October 28, 1970 |
| 33 | 7 | "Maid for Sara" | November 11, 1970 |
| 34 | 8 | "Check the Check" | November 18, 1970 |
| 35 | 9 | "The Making of the Governor" | November 25, 1970 |
| 36 | 10 | "A Day in the Life" | December 2, 1970 |
| 37 | 11 | "Twice in a Lifetime" | December 9, 1970 |
| 38 | 12 | "P.S. I Don't Love You" | December 16, 1970 |
| 39 | 13 | "From Here to Maternity" | December 30, 1970 |