Me and the Chimp

Mike Reynolds is a dentist who lives with his wife, two children, and a chimpanzee named Buttons, who is a washout from the space program (a fact unknown to Mike and his family until an old army sergeant visits).

Episodes revolve around Buttons' doings or undoings, such as extending the line Mike drew on a map (to mark their driving route) onward to a ghost town, and stealing an alarm clock which gets Mike arrested for public indecency (in his pajamas).

• Ted Bessell as Mike Reynolds
• Anita Gillette as Liz Reynolds
• Scott Kolden as Scott Reynolds
• Kami Cotler as Kitty Reynolds
• Jackie as Buttons{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cGctAAAAIBAJ&pg=2211,2676611|title=Chimp Tells Of Stardom|author=|date=June 10, 1972|work=Schenectady Gazette}}

The series was created by Garry Marshall and Thomas L. Miller, both of whom are better known for their later work on Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. Bessell originally refused to participate when the title was first given as the "grammatically incorrect" (sic) "The Chimp and I".{{cite book|title=TV Guide. July 20 - 26, 2002. pg. 26}}

The chimpanzee who portrayed Buttons was owned by veteran animal expert Lou Schumacher and was trained by Bob Rydell who was responsible for teaching the chimpanzee to perform its "acting" tasks on cue by responding to various hand and voice signals.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=22xkAAAAIBAJ&pg=4429,2588682|title=Adjusting to life with chimpanzee|author=|date=January 28, 1972|work=The Calgary Herald}}

{{Episode table |background=FFFF00 |overall=5 |title=20 |writer=25 |airdate=18 |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|Title = Mike's Day With Buttons

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|01|13}}

|ShortSummary = Mike's life as a dentist becomes more complicated when his daughter brings home a chimpanzee named Buttons.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|Title = My Pet, The Thief

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|01|20}}

|ShortSummary = Mike fights a losing battle trying to convince his wife and children that they cannot keep Buttons.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|Title = Mike's Burglar Alarm

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|01|27}}

|ShortSummary = The effort of Mike to train Buttons to ring a bell when a stranger enters the house backfires when a burglar offers Buttons candy.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|Title = Mike the Matchmaker

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|02|03}}

|ShortSummary = Buttons meets a female chimpanzee named Mildred that he's attracted to, but when Mike attempts to discuss the situation with the other chimpanzee's owner, he's distracted by the chimpanzee's baby sitter, a beautiful Swedish blonde.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|Title = Mike's Big Act

|WrittenBy = Mickey Rose

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|02|17}}

|ShortSummary = Mike reluctantly agrees to use Buttons during his magic act before the PTA, which results in him trying to teach Buttons some entertaining tricks.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|Title = The Lost Flashlight

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|02|24}}

|ShortSummary = After Buttons loses his flashlight at a drive-in movie theater, the chimpanzee keeps the neighborhood in turmoil while the item is missing.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|Title = One Romantic Evening

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|03|02}}

|ShortSummary = Mike and Liz are all set to celebrate their wedding anniversary alone, but Buttons ends up causing havoc while Liz's mother watches the children.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|Title = Tennis Anyone?

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|03|16}}

|ShortSummary = Buttons helps Mike cure a small case of bigotry at the local country club.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|Title = The Paint Job

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|03|23}}

|ShortSummary = The Reynolds are chosen by a paint manufacturer as the ideal family to demonstrate their product on television, but Buttons ends up causing chaos.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 10

|Title = The Ghost Town

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|03|30}}

|ShortSummary = A planned weekend trip to the snow country ends up in a deserted ghost town.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 11

|Title = Mike's Night-In

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|04|06}}

|ShortSummary = The Reynolds family learn that Buttons was once part of the US space program and the government retains ownership. Mike is determined to fight to keep their beloved chimpanzee.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 12

|Title = Hoop-Lah

Gary Nelson

|WrittenBy = Ron Friedman

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|04|13}}

|ShortSummary = After Mike squabbles with his son's basketball coach, he takes over the coaching of the team, which eventually involves Buttons.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 13

|Title = Liz's Allergy

|WrittenBy = Garry Marshall & Thomas L. Miller

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|04|27}}

|ShortSummary = While Mike is out of town at a dentists' convention, Liz develops an allergy that appears to be connected to the presence of Buttons.

|LineColor = FFFF00

}}

}}

TV Guide listed the show at #46 on its 2002 list "The 50 Worst Shows of All Time".{{cite book|title=TV Guide Book of Lists|year=2007|publisher=Running Press|isbn=978-0-7624-3007-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/tvguidebookoflis0000unse/page/180 180]|url=https://archive.org/details/tvguidebookoflis0000unse/page/180}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{IMDb title|0068104}}
• [http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/me-and-the-chimp/203022 Me and the Chimp] at TVGuide.com

{{Garry Marshall}}

Category:1970s American sitcoms

Category:1972 American television series debuts

Category:1972 American television series endings

Category:American television series about families

Category:Television series by CBS Studios

Category:Television shows about chimpanzees

Category:Television shows set in California

Category:CBS sitcoms

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