CBS: September 9, 1978 - July 17, 1979
Showtime Cable Network: 1983-1986
Legal Drama
Cast:
| Professor Charles W. Kingsfield, Jr.: | John Houseman |
| James T. Hart: | James Stephens |
| Franklin Ford III: | Tom Fitzsimmons |
| Thomas Craig Anderson: | Robert Ginty |
| Willis Bell: | James Keane |
| Jonathan Brooks: | Jonathan Segal |
| Elizabeth Logan: | Francine Tacker |
| Asheley Brooks: | Deka Beaudine |
| Ernie: | Charles Hallahan |
| Carol: | Carole Goldman |
| Mrs. Nottingham: | Betty Harford |
| Dean Rutherford: | Jack Manning |
| Mallison: | Jessica Salem |
| Gagarian: | Stanley DeSantis |
| Connie Lehman: | Jane Kaczmarek |
| Gerald Golden: | Michael Tucci |
| Rita Harriman: | Clare Kirkconnell |
| Laura: | Andra Millian |
| Vivian: | Penny Johnson |
| Rose Samuels: | Lainie Kazan |
| Tom Ford: | Peter Nelson |
| Professor Tyler: | Diana Douglas |
Although the show was based on the movie of the same
name and Harvard was the school, no specific university
was ever mentioned on the TV series. John Houseman
(who reprised his role on the series) won an
Academy Award for best supporting-actor.
James T. Hart was a first year law student whose rural
Iowa upbringing had not prepared him for the intensity
that he found at his highly competitive law school.
His nemisis was Professor Charles Kingsfield, the
world's leading authority on contract law, who
inspired both awe and fear in his students.
To help cope with the heavy workload, James joined a
study group consisting of other students who worked
together sharing notes and assignments. The group was
organized by Franklin Ford - III, a would-be third
generation lawyer from a socially prominent family.
Others in the group included: Anderson, Bell, Logan and
Brooks - who was the only married person in the group -
and who left school after he got caught cheating.
Hart also had a part-time job at Ernie's Pizza. There he
met Carol, a waitress who admired him but couldn't
understand his deep dedication to his studies. Mrs.
Nottingham was Professor Kingsfield's secretary.
Despite being hailed by critics as the best new series
of the 1978-79 season, The Paper Chase never attracted
the audience it was looking for. It was cancelled at the
end of the year. PBS aired reruns for a few years
following its departure from CBS.
In the first case of its kind, cable network Showtime
brought it back in the Spring of 1983 under the new title
The Paper Chase: The Second year. These new episodes
introduced James' new love, Connie Lehman, as well as
fellow students Rita, Laura, Vivian and Gerald Golden,
who was editor of the Law Review for which
Hart was writing.
Then in 1985, a title change appeared again... this time:
The Paper Chase: The Third Year - and two new first-year
law students were added: Franklin Ford's younger brother
Tom and former housewife Rose Samuels.
When James Hart finally graduated in 1986, he hoped to get
a teaching position at the law school he had attended.
His appointment never happened and he joined a
law firm in the last original episode.
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Scroll down for links and TV Guide covers when available.
By Des Martin
John Houseman Obituary
By New York Times
The Paper Chase
From The Internet Movie Database
The Paper Chase
From TV.com
These links were last tested March 2004.
Check out this classic TV Guide cover...
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