The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = The Ghost and Mrs. Muir


caption =
genre = Situation comedy
creator =
director =
assistant director = Joseph E Rickards
developer =
presenter =
starring = Hope Lange
Edward Mulhare
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer = Dave Grusin
opentheme =
endtheme =
composer =
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 50
list_episodes =
executive_producer = David Gerber
producer = Howard Leeds
Gene Reynolds
Stanley Rubin
asst_producer = Lew Gallo
editor =
script consultant = Tom August
location =
camera =
runtime = 30 min.
network = NBC (1st season)
ABC (2nd season)
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_run =
first_aired = September 28, 1968
last_aired = March 13, 1970
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
imdb_id = 0062565
tv_com_id =

"The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" is a situation comedy based on the 1947 film of the same name. It starred Hope Lange as a young widow who rents Gull Cottage, one of Claymore's properties on Gregg Road, near Schooner Bay (a fishing village). It is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain (Born 1829. Died November 13, 1869) played by Edward Mulhare. He calls the cottage (which he built himself) his "ship" and it has a reputation amongst the locals so that they don't want to be there after dark. A painting of him (once said to be 1832, which would make him 3 at the time) resides over the fireplace and he is usually nearby.

This series is based on a book by R. A. Dick. It was developed for TV by Jean Holloway and filmed at the Hollywood Studios. Lange won two Emmy Awards for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The show ran for two seasons, starting in 1968, part of a spate of supernatural TV shows in the 1960s which included "Bewitched", "I Dream of Jeannie" and others.

Cast

*Hope Lange as Carolyn Muir. She is a writer.
*Edward Mulhare as Captain Daniel Gregg. The captain is a poltergeist, able not just to affect things in the house, but also at a distance, and can appear and disappear at will. He can only be seen and heard by the people he chooses. His bad temper can affect the weather.
*Charles Nelson Reilly as Claymore Gregg, the town clerk among many other jobs and Captain's descendant (he calls himself the Captain's nephew). Also Mrs. Muir's landlord.
*Reta Shaw as Martha Grant, the housekeeper
*Kellie Flanagan as 9 year old Candace 'Candy' Muir, Mrs. Muir's daughter. A tomboy with short hair.
*Harlen Carraher as Jonathan Muir, Mrs. Muir's son

Episodes

eason One

* 1. Pilot. Claymore Gregg has had to rent his great uncle's cottage to pay the taxes on it, much to the captain's anger. Claymore, tormented by the ghost, reveals it would have been pulled down otherwise. Mrs Muir, her two children, housekeeper, and dog Scruffy arrive and start settling in. The captain talks only to Jonathan originally. In the series, Candy thinks her younger brother is making up things about the ghost, just to scare her. Mrs. Muir has her first run in with the ghost that night. He is a male chauvinist who never married, but had a girl in every port. He died in his sleep, his foot having kicked the lever on his gas heater, turning the gas on while the window was shut.
The captain reveals that he wanted to turn the place into a home for retired seamen, but left no will, as he did not expect to die so young. Mrs. Muir doesn't like his attitude and though it is the middle of the night, packs and drives away. However, the captain brings them back by taking over the car's steering. He softens his attitude as he missed her and Mrs. Muir decides to stay. When the family is asleep, the ghost regrets that she had not been born 100 years ago when he sailed his ship.
* 2. Haunted Honeymoon. On their way to get married, Gladys (Yvonne Craig) and Harvey's (Jonathan Daly) car breaks down outside Gull Cottage on a very wet night. Mrs. Muir puts them up, much to the captain's annoyance as he wants to update his sea charts and Harvey is to sleep in his alcove (room). As Claymore is a justice of the peace, the Captain gets him to marry the couple so they can sleep together in the spare room.

* 3. Treasure Hunt. The water heater breaks down and skinflint Claymore won't repair it, so the captain hits upon a scheme of burying treasure maps around the grounds, so Claymore will fix things as a cover for digging up treasure.
* 4. The Ghost Hunter. Paul Wilkie (Bill Bixby) takes some photos of the house saying he is just interested in old houses but he is really a parapsychologist. After the captain gives him a few nasty surprises, Wilkie comes back with two colleagues to see the ghost he has discovered.
* 5. Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow. Gregg becomes upset when Captain Horatio Figg is named the town hero, as he remembers him as anything but heroic. It turns out that the person proposing it is his great grand-niece (Mabel Albertson) but it is an uphill battle to expose Figg, as there are no records. This episode reveals that Gregg was at the Siege of Veracruz in 1847.

* 6. Vanessa. A woman turns up in Schooner Bay with some old love letters from Captain Gregg to her great great grandmother, who was also named Vanessa. The captain finds himself falling for her, as he did for her ancestor in the 1840s. The woman wants to buy Gull Cottage, which would mean the Muirs would have to leave.

* 7. The Real James Gatley. Stafford Repp plays an antiques expert who with his wife want the Gatley barometer in Gull Cottage (the only other one being in the British Museum) and offer Claymore $2,000 for it. He has a copy made and changes it for the original, but the captain, who doesn't want to part with it, changes it back, which leads the couple having Claymore put in jail for selling them a fake. The barometer mirrors the Captain's moods; for example, it reads "stormy" when he is angry. Dabbs Greer plays recurring character Sheriff Norris Coolidge. The local jail is the store room in "Norrie's Lobster House".
* 8. Uncle Arnold the Magnificent. Travelling salesman Jack Gilford visits his relatives at Gull Cottage for a few days. The kids want him to stay for the birthday party at the weekend to show off his magic tricks and jokes, but they quickly get tired when they become repetitious and fear the party will be a flop with him there. The captain teaches Jonathan that people should not be discarded just because you are bored of them.
* 9. Way Off Broadway. Claymore decides to put on a play with Mrs Muir as his leading lady. The captain disapproves and a mediocre play ends up a success as an unintentional comedy.
* 10. The Monkey Puzzle Tree. Claymore finally makes it into the start titles, but not again until episode 16 which suggests that, though produced later, this episode was shown earlier. With threats of her leaving, the captain reluctantly agrees to let Mrs. Muir replace his old furniture with new furniture to modernize the cottage. But when she has his favourite monkey puzzle tree, which he planted 137 years ago, chopped down, that is too much for him and it seems that he has left the house for good.
* 11. Captain Gregg's Whiz-Bang. Mrs. Muir needs some money to pay for a new plumbing system, but cannot think of any new stories, so the captain literally becomes a ghost writer. She tones down his risque storylines, but before she can send it off, the captain puts the risque stuff back in and the magazine publisher (Feminine View, Boston) love it. However, it does give Mrs. Muir a bit of a reputation. The captain smokes a cigar in this episode and appears as real to a stranger.
* 12. Madeira, My Dear? The captain invites Mrs Muir for a glass of Madeira wine in his wheelhouse (the attic) at 4 p.m., but her busy family life means she has trouble getting there every time it is arranged.

* 13. Love is a Toothache. Martha starts dating the local dentist (Jonathan Harris), but he turns out to be a mama's boy.
* 14. Mister Perfect. Mrs. Muir's old boyfriend turns up on his yacht and wants to marry her. First the captain tries to stop them; then he decides to help them get together.

* 15. Dear Delusion. On a weekend visit, family doctor Jim Meade sees Mrs. Muir talking as though someone invisible is there. He gets her to see a psychiatrist, who convinces her that the captain is a delusion. She tries to deny the captain and tells Jonathan to do the same. The captain appears without his make-up beard and mustache as Danny, a fisherman. Danny is listed in the end credits.

* 16. Dog Gone! Scruffy does not get on well with the captain (though there was no problem in previous episodes). When Scruffy vanishes, Jonathan thinks the captain is to blame. This episode stars Larry Hovis (a regular on "Hogan's Heroes").

* 17. A Pain in the Neck. After a prank by the captain, Claymore slips a disc and cannot be moved, so he becomes a very unwelcome and demanding guest at Gull Cottage. This is based on the story "The Man Who Came to Dinner".Fact|date=July 2008
* 18. Strictly Relative. Mrs. Muir's in-laws (Ralph and Marjorie Muir) turn up. They don't like her and the children living in such a remote place and want them to go back to Philadelphia with them. The only way the captain can stop this is to show that she has a man in her life, which means Claymore dressing up and acting like a modern Captain Gregg.
* 19. Chowderhead. The captain gets upset when he finds his face (from an old photo) is used to advertise clam chowder.
* 20. It's a Gift. The captain is a bit of a bad influence on Jonathan, so the captain decides to buy Mrs. Muir a present to make it up to her. However, he has no money. J. Pat O'Malley stars.
* 21. Buried on Page One. To make ends meet, Mrs Muir gets a job on "The Beacon", a weekly local newspaper run by Richard Dreyfus, which once libelled the Captain. Mrs Muir finds she is doing all the work there.

* 22. Make Me a Match. Aggie (Alice Ghostley) comes for a visit. A boyfriend has let her down so Mrs Muir and the captain try to match her with Claymore.
* 23. Jonathan Tells it Like it Was. Jonathan wins an essay competition on John Adams and Benjamin Franklin being friends. The Captain tells him they weren't and his new account does not impress the descendant, Rutledge Adams who wants the prize taken away and given to the runner up.

* 24. Medicine Ball. Mrs Muir has a mystery illness. The Captain does not trust the doctor so he gives her some of his medicine. She dreams and finds herself in a party, in the Captain's time period.

* 25. Son of the Curse. The kids find a clock in the attic and start it up, not knowing it has a curse on it that the last of the Gregg's (Claymore) will die by midnight.
* 26. The Music Maker. A musician (Harry Nilsson) stays at the cottage for a few days and the Captain has him put a poem he wrote to Mrs Muir to music.

eason 2

* 27. The Great Power Failure. The cursed ghost ship "Sea Vulture" drifts into the area and while it remains there, the Captain loses most of his powers so can do nothing about the woman's PTA meeting held at the cottage.

* 28. Centennial. Claymore gives the Captain's Georgian Tea Service (awarded him by the British Admiralty) for a prize at the coming Centennial celebrations at Schooner Bay. The Captain makes him win all the events so he can get it back. Candy now knows about the Captain. The Captain takes over Claymore's body so he can dance with Mrs Muir.

* 29. There's a Seal in My Bathtub. The kids find a seal which has escaped from a circus. Claymore and Norrie want to scare it off till they find it is worth money then they steal it for themselves.
* 30. Double Trouble. The Captain has been getting rid of Mrs Muir's suitors. The latest one, Sean Callahan, is his double and claims to be a descendant of the Captain. Mulhare played both parts.
* 31. Today I Am a Ghost. An incompetent member of the Captain's crew is now an incompetent ghost and wants the Captain to teach him how to scare people. Stars Dom DeLuise.
* 32. Madam Candidate. The local elections are coming up and the women are fed up with Claymore who never gets anything done, so ask Mrs Muir to stand against him. Stars Ed Begley.
* 33. Not So Desperate Hour. Three escaped criminals hide out at Gull Cottage at a time when Mrs Muir has asked the Captain not to interfere, so he doesn't. Stars Guy Marks and Elisha Cook.

* 34. Medium Well-Done. Mrs Muir invites a touring medium (Shirley Booth) to the Cottage to get a story. The medium then holds a seance to get rid of the Captain's ghost. The Captain talks of his "Spectral Fraternity".
* 35. Surprise Party. The kids want to hold a surprise birthday party for the Captain but how to make it a surprise when he often cannot be seen so might be listening in? Scruffy provides the answer.
* 36. The Firehouse Five Plus Ghost. Schooner Bay's fire engine No.17 is as much a joke as the local firemen, with Claymore as their chief. Mrs Muir thinks the town should get a new engine and gets them to take a proficiency test.
* 37. The Spirit of the Law. A power company wants 7/12 of Gull Cottage land to put up electricity pylons on the grounds and they have the law on their side. Mrs Muir is willing to go to prison to try and stop them. Stars Jack Burns with J. Pat O'Malley as Judge Hickox.

* 38. Puppy Love. Candy falls for the new English boy at her school (Mark Lester) but her tomboy appearance counts against her. She is insulted when he thinks she is a boy. Candy and Mark sing "Lavender Blue" song together in a dream sequence.
* 39. Host to the Ghost. Mrs Muir desperately needs some work done on her kitchen. The only way she can get workmen to stay is if the Captain leaves for a while, so he goes to stay with Claymore and turns into a very unwelcome guest.

* 40. The Ghost and Christmas Past. For Xmas, the Captain gives the Muirs, Martha and Claymore a dream of when he was alive 100 years ago (they all play parts), loosely based on Scrooge.
* 41. Ladies' Man. Cheapskate Claymore doesn't do well with the ladies so Mrs Muir tries to boost his confidence with 2 friends of hers, but it backfires and he thinks she is after him.
* 42. Not So Faust. After Claymore tries to cheat Mrs Muir, the Captain decides to teach him a lesson by giving him a dream about an old enemy of his, the Devil. Stars Joe Flynn.
* 43. Tourist, Go Home. A millionaire (Kenneth Mars) wants to make the town into a tourist site, starting with the museum. The Captain is against it till he finds out that his memory will play an important part. The revamped museum ends up as a sideshow mocking the Captain, which angers him.
* 44. No Hits, No Runs, No Oysters. The Oysters are the local baseball team, of which Claymore is the manager. The family and the Captain want Jonathan to play for the team but even he realises that he's no good.
* 45. Dig for the Truth. The Captain tells Candy that his ancestor founded the local grammar school in 1741 instead of another man in 1770 as everyone else believes. She gets in trouble at school when she repeats this.

* 46. Pardon My Ghost. Not realising he still wants them, Claymore sells some of the Captain's possessions so using Claymore's voice, the Captain gives all Claymore's furniture away to a charity shop. The Captain freezes 2 people so he can talk with Claymore.
* 47. Martha Meets the Captain. Martha has to go to Florida permanently to look after her mother. The only way the Captain can stop her leaving before her surprise party is to appear to her. The show ends with her staying.
* 48. Amateur Night. After a Seaman's home burns down, the Captain "persuades" Claymore to donate a warehouse for a new home but it needs $2,000 to do it up so they decide on a benefit to raise the money.
* 49. Curious Cousin. Cousin Harriet (Alice Ghostley) interferes in Mrs Muir's personal life so to keep her quiet, Claymore pretends to be her suitor, Captain Gregg.
* 50. Wedding Day ?????. Cousin Harriet has told Mrs Muir's parents (Emily and Bradford Williams) about "Captain Gregg" so they come to visit and think she is going to elope with him (as she did with her first husband) so they arrange a marriage for her and Claymore.

External links

*imdb title|id=0062565|title=The Ghost & Mrs. Muir