The Ghost & Mrs. Muir is an American sitcom based on the 1947 film of the same name, which was based on the 1945 novel by R. A. Dick. It premiered in September 1968 on NBC. After NBC cancelled the series at the end of its first season, it was picked up by ABC for its second season before being cancelled a final time.
Premise
The series stars Hope Lange as Carolyn Muir, a young widow and writer who rents Gull Cottage, near the fictional fishing village of Schooner Bay, Maine, along with her two children, a housekeeper, and their dog. The cottage is haunted by the ghost of its former owner Daniel Gregg, a 19th-century sea captain, played by Edward Mulhare. Charles Nelson Reilly plays wacky local man and great-nephew to the captain Claymore Gregg, who rents the cottage to Mrs. Muir without telling her it is haunted by his ancestor. The book of the same name, by R.A. Dick, was published in 1945. It was brought to the silver screen in 1947 with Gene Tierney playing Mrs. Muir and Rex Harrison as Captain Gregg. While the movie had been a romantic fantasy combining comic and dramatic elements, the series focused much more on laughs.
Production and reception
The story was developed as a TV series by Jean Holloway and filmed at the Hollywood Studios. Hope Lange won two Emmy Awards for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for 1968–1969 and 1969–1970. Despite Lange's consecutive Emmy wins, the show struggled in the ratings and only ran for two seasons. During its first year on NBC, it followed Get Smart; its Big Three competition was My Three Sons on CBS and The Lawrence Welk Show on ABC. In spring 1969, NBC cancelled the series. ABC picked it up and scheduled it to be shown on Thursday nights at 7:30 pm in September 1969, followed by That Girl and Bewitched. The series was again unsuccessful in beating out another hit CBS series, Family Affair. As a result, ABC cancelled The Ghost & Mrs. Muir in spring 1970. The following year, Family Affair was cancelled by CBS after a five-year run because it was in the same time slot as the NBC hit variety seriesThe Flip Wilson Show.
Cast
Hope Lange, as Carolyn Muir, is a widowed writer with two children.
Edward Mulhare, as Captain Daniel Gregg, is a poltergeist, able to affect things not only 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, is the town clerk among other jobs, a great-nephew of Captain Gregg, and Mrs. Muir's landlord. He is one of the few who knows of the captain's continued presence, and is usually terrified of his ancestor. Reilly made this terror of "The Captain" a running gag during his appearances on The Hollywood Squares.
Reta Shaw, as Martha Grant, is the housekeeper. Towards the end of the series, the captain reveals himself to her, but during most of the series, she is unaware of the ghost.
Kellie Flanagan, as nine-year-old Candace "Candy" Muir, is Mrs. Muir's daughter. Starting in the second episode of season two, she can also see and hear the captain.
Harlen Carraher, as Jonathan Muir, is Mrs. Muir's son; from the beginning, he can see, hear, and talk to the captain.
On April 16, 2014, Madman Entertainment released both seasons on DVD in Region 4 for the first time. In July 2014, amazon.com started selling both seasons of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir in the United States. On 1 November 2018, Madman Entertainment released the "Complete Collection" box set. This box set contains the same individual Season 1 and 2 sets.
