WEBSTER: MCGRUFF {FOURTH SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The fourth season premiere in this comedy series about a diminutive African-American child and his white guardians. In this episode, Webster requests lunch money in place of a brown-bag meal, choosing not to tell his parents that he is being bullied by a mean classmate, Roger, who takes his and other students' belongings on a daily basis. Katherine and George are surprised when Webster's teacher calls to report that he has not been seen in the lunchroom for several days, and Webster finally spills the truth about having to pay the daily "medical insurance" to save himself from beatings, though he refuses to give the bully's name. When Katherine and George visit the teacher, Mr. Moorepark, he states that he is overwhelmed with the kids' behavioral issues and can do nothing about the "extortion" if the students do not speak up about it. Webster is upset to learn of his parents' actions, sure that he will be "killed" for tattling, but George urges him to stand up to Roger.
Katherine gets the idea to have a policeman visit the classroom and talk to the students about their bad behavior, though they are surprised when the officer dons a costume and addresses the kids as Scruff McGruff, the well-known "crime dog" character. McGruff assures the students that they are right to tell a teacher or policeman when they feel scared by someone else's actions, and Webster finally musters the courage to tell on Roger, prompting many other kids to speak up about similar incidents. Later, Webster invites Roger to help better the school with McGruff's advice and posters, choosing to forgive him for his past meanness, and McGruff and Mr. Moorepark happily observe that the two boys have become friends and that the school is headed for better days. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:23:22
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:08309
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; Comedy
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1983-1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bruce Johnson … Executive Producer
- Ken Hecht … Executive Producer, Writer
- Bob Brunner … Executive Producer, Writer
- Fred Rubin … Supervising Producer
- Nancy Steen … Producer
- Neil Thompson … Producer
- Judy Pioli … Producer
- Claire Witt … Co-Producer
- Art Dielhenn … Director
- Stu Silver … Created by
- Steve Nelson … Music by
- Madeline Sunshine … Theme Music by
- Susan Clark … Cast, Katherine Calder-Young Papadapolis
- Alex Karras … Cast, George Papadapolis
- Emmanuel Lewis … Cast, Webster Long
- Harold Sylvester … Cast, Mr. Moorepark
- Danny McMurphy … Cast, Andy
- Carl Steven … Cast, Roger
- Larry P. Manley … Cast, "McGruff"
- Charles Hoyes … Cast, Officer Shanley
- Vaughn Jelks … Cast, Ben
- Olivia Burnette … Cast, Carol
- Damon Clark … Cast, Robbie
- Hakeem … Cast, Eddie