The Fitzpatricks#ep11

{{Infobox television

| image = The Fitzpatricks.jpg

| caption =

| genre = Drama

| creator =

| starring = Bert Kramer
Mariclare Costello
Clark Brandon
Jimmy McNichol

| composer = John Rubinstein

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 13

| location = Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California

| runtime = 60 minutes

| editor =

| camera =

| cinematography =

| company = Warner Bros. Television

| network = CBS

| first_aired = {{Start date|1977|09|5}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1978|01|10}}

}}

File:The Fitzpatricks Brandon Kramer McNichol 1977.jpg, Bert Kramer, and Jimmy McNichol (1977) ]]

The Fitzpatricks is an American drama series which ran on CBS during the 1977–78 season.Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh. [https://books.google.com/books?id=DyS3t8z6_ckC&pg=PA414 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present]. 8th ed. Random House Digital; October 14, 2003 [cited September 27, 2011]. {{ISBN|978-0-345-45542-0}}. pp. 414–415. The series premiered on September 5, 1977; it lasted thirteen episodes, and was cancelled on January 10, 1978, failing in the faces of established ABC competitors Happy Days (in its first 30 minutes) and Laverne & Shirley (in its last 30 minutes), which both aired in the show's time-slot of 8:00-9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific on Tuesday nights.

Plot

The focus was on the Fitzpatricks, an Irish Catholic family of six who lived in Flint, Michigan. The father, blue collar Mike Fitzpatrick, (Bert Kramer) worked overtime as a steelworker to provide a life for the family; while his pregnant wife, Maggie (Mariclare Costello) also worked part-time at a diner as a waitress to help support the family's income. They had four children, eldest son Sean (Clark Brandon); introspective second son, Jack (Jimmy McNichol); only daughter Maureen (nicknamed Mo) (Michele Tobin) and youngest son, Max (Sean Marshall). At various times, all of the Fitzpatrick children had held down part-time jobs to help the often cash-strapped family. They also owned a dog, aptly named Detroit. Also involved in the family was R.J. (Derek Wells), who was Max Fitzpatrick's African-American best friend. A young Helen Hunt played neighbor Kerry Gerardi, supposedly a friend of Mo's, who was interested in the older Fitzpatrick brothers, Sean and Jack, which sparked a bit of a rivalry between the two. Much of the stories deal with moral lessons and also with growing up.

Cast

Bert Kramer as Michael Fitzpatrick, a steelworker, and the patriarch of the family.
Mariclare Costello as Margaret "Maggie" Fitzpatrick, the matriarch, works part-time at a diner to supplement the family income.
Clark Brandon as Sean Fitzpatrick, the oldest son (16)
Jimmy McNichol as Jack Fitzpatrick, the second oldest (15)
Michele Tobin as Maureen "Mo" Fitzpatrick, the only daughter (14)
Sean Marshall as Max Fitzpatrick, the youngest at 10, delivers newspapers.
Helen Hunt as Kerry Gerardi, the girl next door, who intensified the rivalry between Jack and Sean.
Derek Wells as R.J., Max Fitzpatrick's best friend.

Episodes

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! style="background:#FFA500"| Title

! style="background:#FFA500"| Directed by

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! style="background:#FFA500; width:135px"| Original air date

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = Pilot

| DirectedBy = Gene Reynolds

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|09|05}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = FitzJo Co.

| DirectedBy = Harvey S. Laidman

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|09|20}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = The Shark

| DirectedBy = Marc Daniels

| WrittenBy = Rod Peterson & Katharyn Powers & Claire Whittaker

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|09|27}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = Superman

| DirectedBy = Harvey S. Laidman

| WrittenBy = Dana Reno Andrews & Katharyn Powers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|10|04}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = Halloween

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy = Dana Reno Andrews & Katharyn Powers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|10|11}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = The Cheerleader

| DirectedBy = Harvey S. Laidman

| WrittenBy = Rod Peterson & Claire Whittaker

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|10|25}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = A Love Story

| DirectedBy = Peter Tewksbury

| WrittenBy = Johnny Bonaduce

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|11|08}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = Marijuana

| DirectedBy = Stuart Margolin

| WrittenBy = Dana Reno Andrews & Katharyn Powers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|11|22}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = The Sacrament

| DirectedBy = Lawrence Dobkin

| WrittenBy = Herman Groves & Kathryn Powers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|11|29}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = Say Goodbye to Buddy Bonkers

| DirectedBy = Robert Totten

| WrittenBy = Michael A. Hoey & Bruce Belland

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|12|06}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = Runaway

| DirectedBy = Peter Tewksbury

| WrittenBy = Dennis Landa

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1977|12|20}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = A Living Wage

| DirectedBy = Joseph Manduke

| WrittenBy = Carmen Culver

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1978|01|03}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| Title = The New Fitzpatrick

| DirectedBy = Georg Stanford Brown

| WrittenBy = Dana Reno Andrews & Katharyn Powers

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1978|01|10}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = FFA500

}}

References

External links

{{IMDb title|0075507|The Fitzpatricks}}

Category:1977 American television series debuts

Category:1978 American television series endings

Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios

Category:1970s American drama television series

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Irish-American mass media

Category:Television series about families

Category:Television shows set in Michigan

Category:CBS television dramas