The Slap Maxwell Story
Encyclopedia
The Slap Maxwell Story (sometimes seen in print as The "Slap" Maxwell Story) was a situation comedy
broadcast in the United States
by ABC
as part of its 1987-88 lineup
.
The Slap Maxwell Story starred Dabney Coleman
as "Slap" Maxwell, an egocentric sportswriter for a newspaper
called The Ledger, somewhere in the American Southwest. The Ledger was a very old-fashioned newspaper (Slap still composed his column, "Slap Shots", on a typewriter
), and Slap was a very-old fashioned guy. Despite the newly-litigious environment of journalism
, Slap insisted on filling his column with rumor and innuendo, drawing lawsuit
s and Slap's frequent termination, to be followed by a groveling apology and his rehiring. He had an on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend Judy (Megan Gallagher
), one of the paper's secretaries, due primarily to his off-putting personality. Annie (Susan Anspach
) was Slap's ex-wife, who nonetheless retained a (small) soft spot for him.
The show was created by Jay Tarses
, who in 1983 was co-creator of Buffalo Bill
, an NBC
sitcom in which Coleman starred as a similarly off-putting character, the host of a TV talk show.
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...
broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by 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...
as part of its 1987-88 lineup
1987-88 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all four United States commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1987. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
.
The Slap Maxwell Story starred Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
as "Slap" Maxwell, an egocentric sportswriter for a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
called The Ledger, somewhere in the American Southwest. The Ledger was a very old-fashioned newspaper (Slap still composed his column, "Slap Shots", on a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
), and Slap was a very-old fashioned guy. Despite the newly-litigious environment of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, Slap insisted on filling his column with rumor and innuendo, drawing lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s and Slap's frequent termination, to be followed by a groveling apology and his rehiring. He had an on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend Judy (Megan Gallagher
Megan Gallagher
Megan Gallagher is an American actress.Gallagher was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Aileen Gallagher, was a model.Gallagher has largely worked in television and theatre...
), one of the paper's secretaries, due primarily to his off-putting personality. Annie (Susan Anspach
Susan Anspach
-Private life:Anspach was born in New York City and was raised in Queens, New York. She graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City in 1960. Paul Simon was a neighbor. She enrolled in the music department at the Catholic University of America...
) was Slap's ex-wife, who nonetheless retained a (small) soft spot for him.
The show was created by Jay Tarses
Jay Tarses
Jay Tarses is an American television comedy writer and producer. He created and produced The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and The Slap Maxwell Story, co-created Buffalo Bill , and was an executive producer for The Bob Newhart Show...
, who in 1983 was co-creator of Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill (TV series)
Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons...
, an 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...
sitcom in which Coleman starred as a similarly off-putting character, the host of a TV talk show.