''The Slap Maxwell Story'' (sometimes seen in print as ''The "Slap" Maxwell Story'') is a

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 ...

broadcast in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

by ABC as part of its 1987–88 lineup. It starred

Dabney Coleman Dabney Wharton Coleman (born January 3, 1932) is an American actor. Coleman's best known films include ''9 to 5'' (1980), '' On Golden Pond'' (1981), ''Tootsie'' (1982), '' WarGames'' (1983), '' Cloak & Dagger'' (1984), ''The Beverly Hillbillies ...

as "Slap" Maxwell, an egocentric

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

for a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

called ''The Ledger'', somewhere in the American Southwest. ''The Ledger'' is an old-fashioned newspaper, and Slap is an old-fashioned man, who composes his "Slap Shots" column on a

typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

. Despite the newly litigious environment of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

, Slap insists on filling his column with rumor and innuendo, which draws

lawsuits - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil acti ...

and frequently results in Slap's termination. After each termination, Slap makes groveling apologies and is rehired. The title character's nickname comes from the fact that someone else always ends up hitting him in every episode. Slap has an on-again, off-again relationship with Judy (

Megan Gallagher Megan Gallagher (born February 6, 1960) is an American theater and television actress. Having studied at the Juilliard School under the supervision of John Houseman, Gallagher began her career on stage, and has appeared in several Broadway thea ...

), one of the paper's secretaries. The series also featured Annie ( Susan Anspach) as Slap's ex-wife, who retains a soft spot for him. The show was created by

Jay Tarses Michael Jay Tarses (born July 3, 1939) is an American screenwriter, producer, actor. He created and produced '' The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' and '' The Slap Maxwell Story'', co-created ''Buffalo Bill'' (with Tom Patchett), and was an e ...

, who in 1983 was co-creator of ''

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years ...

'', an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom in which Coleman starred as an off-putting

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

host.

Cast

as "Slap" Maxwell *

as Judy *Brian Smiar as Nelson Kruger *

Bill Cobbs William Francisco Cobbs (born June 16, 1934) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in movies such as Louisiana Slim in '' The Hitter'' (1979), Water in '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), and as Lewis Coleman on ''I'll Fly A ...

as The Dutchman *Bill Calvert as Charlie Wilson * Susan Anspach as Annie

References

External links

* American Broadcasting Company original programming 1980s American sitcoms 1980s American workplace comedy television series 1987 American television series debuts 1988 American television series endings Television series about journalism Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in New York City {{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub

Cast

Further reading

References

External links