El congresista

By the mid-'60s I was a young "political junkie," so SLATTERY'S PEOPLE appealed to me. The grandeur of it all, you know.

Slattery was a legislative minority leader in an un-named state, and his "people" were the various sorts such a man would encounter, including -- a precocious note -- his girlfriend, a TV anchorwoman. There was nothing spectacular about this series, nor could any of its characters achieve a "following," all of which no doubt contributed to its quiet demise. To be fair, however, every episode involved a bona fide public issue important then and even now. One story was about wiretapping, another was cancellation of commuter train service.

In an interview a few years later, Crenna opined that SLATTERY'S may have been ahead of its time. Things would have to wait until the late 1960s and the blooming of "social conscience" and "getting involved." The fate of this programme probably influenced another proposal's stillbirth, I believe called THE POWER. Raymond Burr was to be a state governor, but he soon found gainful employment regardless.

In its humble way, SLATTERY'S PEOPLE foreshadowed the much celebrated WEST WING: Important people with the subliminal civics lesson. It is too bad the viewing audience was not ready for some low-key political drama.

And I loved it. Fourteen at the time and still grieving my hero JFK, this program was wonderful. Crenna was perfect and the weekly issue-oriented scripts were decades ahead of their time. I will always remember Slattery's People

I saw it, too. I watched it regularly during its brief run (my senior year in high school). I, too, was a political junkie-to-be. I remember enjoying the show and being sorry when it was canceled. The show seemed to be modeled on the California Assembly and I lived in southern California.

One of the first political dramas on television that I recall is Slattery's People. The only other show I recall with a political tint to it was The People's Choice and that was anything, but serious.

Though it only lasted for a season Slattery's People attracted quite a cult following, unfortunately not big enough of a cult to keep it on the air or develop a cottage industry like Star Trek.

Previous to this show Richard Crenna had done nothing but comedy in Our Miss Brooks and The Real McCoy. I'm told Crenna embraced this show as his big attempt to have him be taken as a serious actor. Even though the show didn't last Crenna was never forced to play squeaky voiced adolescents or country bumpkins ever again. You have to credit the man with destroying his typecasting.

Bing Crosby produced this show and it is set in the state legislature of an unnamed state where Richard Crenna functions as the minority leader of an unnamed party. That Republicans and Democrats aren't used is not completely off base, a small group of states do have nonpartisan legislatures.

Crenna was an honest crusader and he was aided and abetted by Alejandro Rey as his Mexican-American administrative assistant. It was the first time that a Latino was cast in a serious role in a prime time drama.

Hopefully these shows will see the light of day again.

I was a teenager in high school when Slattery's people aired. I remembered the show and that Richard Crenna was the star, but I did not remember that Ed Asner was on the show also. I remembered that I liked the show and that it was very well-written. I would not have watched it if it had not been. (not a typical air-head teen.) But I could not remember the subject of any of the episodes until I read the synopsis of the show in which a man fought city hall to build the kind of house he wanted instead of the one the zoning board wanted. It then clicked in the dusty recesses of my ancient (grandmother of eight) brain, and I actually did remember the episode. I wish that some cable station would show the great dramas of TV's history instead of constant repeats of inane comedies over and over again.