Hail to the Chief

1985
Hail to the Chief

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Episode One Apr 09, 1985

General Oliver Mansfield, the President's husband who is unable to make love to her, has an argument with his mistress. Randy confronts Oliver about it telling him if he hurts Julia, he will ruin him. Julia is told that an Air Force General named Brower has gone crazy and has taken control of a launch command center and will launch a pre-emptive stike against the (as it then was) Soviet Union if his demands are not met. Julia contacts Premier Zolotov to warn him and while he is touched by her concern he warns her that he will have to launch a second strike if Julia can't stop the crazy Major. Julia's advisors discuss possible solutions. After the nation is put on alert, Oliver confesses all his past affairs which makes Julia mad and she walks out on him.

EP2 Episode Two Apr 16, 1985

Julia's advisors still discuss how to dissarm the crazy Major. Head of Defense, General Stryker tells Head of Security, Helmut Luger, that his daughter is pregnant and has claimed he is responsible, not knowing Julia's son Doug, is really the father. Rev. Billy Joe Bikerstaff, a powerfull,courupt tele- evangelist starts plotting to find a way to empeach the President. Julia's daughter Lucy is smitten with Raoul, the butler. Oliver's mistress Darlene threatened to ruin Oliver when he tried tried to end their relationship. In a attempt to make up for past mistakes, Oliver promises God he will save the world by going to the launch command center and stopping Brower.

EP3 Episode Three Apr 23, 1985

Oliver confronts Brower and is gets shot in the process. While the news reports this Ivan Zolotov, the head of the KGB and who happens to be twin brother of the Premier, arrives to the Russian Embassy. There he sends for his top agent, Darlene, who has been having an affair with Oliver to get information. He instructs her to keep by his side, should he survive. Later Julia tells a comotosed Olivier that all is forgiven.

EP4 Episode Four Apr 30, 1985

Oliver recovers from his coma and tells his family of how he went to heaven and was given a second chance. Lucy and Raoul sleep together. Raoul tells Lucy he loves her but can't commit to her untill his people in Contrapointa, South America are free. Darlene offers Oliver her own brand of TLC in the hospital. General Styker tells Luger that he has to marry his daughter Muffin or he will kill him. Julia tells her son Doug, a professioanl tennis player to stop making off color remarks on the tennis court. Rev Billy Joe finds two wealthy oil barons, Clovis and Lamar, who are willing to help him with his plan.

EP5 Episode Five May 07, 1985

Oliver who is now home from the hospital still can't make love to Julia because he feels guilty about cheating on her again. Clovis and Lamar find some dirt on the President's personal accountant and force him to help them plot against Julia. Oliver breaks it off with Darlene but not before having ""one last time together"" and not knowing all the time that the KGB is secretly filming the whole time.

EP6 Episode Six May 14, 1985

Clovis and Lamar give the President's accountant some money to secretly put (in the names of Julia's family) into Government contracts as personal investments to make it appear that she gave her family inside information. They then tell Rev. Bikerstaff to attack Julia on his talk show. Ivan Zolotov confronts Oliver letting him know that if he doesn't do what he says that the world will see the film of him and a Russian Agent.

EP7 Episode Seven May 21, 1985

Raoul leaves for South America and Lucy follows after him. Luger has dinner with Stryker's family and after seeing how crazy it is, decides to marry Muffin if for no other reason than to get her out of the house. Ivan gives Oliver a list of demands. Later Ivan admits to a colleage that if Oliver doesn't come through for them that his a better plan- a plan to put a Soviet Agent in the White House, at which point he introduces his newest secret agent...Rev Billy Joe!!!
7.3| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 09 April 1985 Ended
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Synopsis

Hail to the Chief is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from April 9, 1985 until May 21, 1985. It centered on the first woman President of the United States, portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke. The series was created by Susan Harris, and was produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. It featured one of the few recurring gay characters in a 1980s television series.

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dallas4214 This was the funniest show of 1985 and it was tragic when they canceled it. I wish it was on DVD or video. I would buy it today. I believe it was so controversial that it scared the southern baptist coalition and republican party of things come. Obviously it was exactly 23 years ahead of its time. When President H. Clinton takes office I hope she will invite Patty Duke to the inauguration. The show touched on many issues that have come to life in recent years. Why was it canceled? If anyone has a tape of the show I would like to buy it. The characters were extremely realistic. If anyone knows when this show will be available on video please let me know.
dcjimd In her autobiography, Patty Duke claimed that this series failed because "Viewers couldn't accept the idea of a woman President." Not hardly, it just wasn't a very good show overall. But it did have one great comedy scene in one episode that I still remember and laugh inside when I do.The scene took place at KGB headquarters in an office where two Russian agents were talking about something or other. People were going in and out of the office and every time the door was opened you would hear someone off-camera screaming in pain (obviously some poor soul being interrogated in one of the KGB's torture chambers.) The conversation between the two agents went on until finally someone opened the door and there was no screaming to be heard. When that happened, one of the two KGB men jumped up, ran to the door and shouted down the hallway, "Get back to work!" Immediately the screaming resumed.Priceless.
haildevilman But I still laughed.Fans of Soap will dig it. There was clearly a lot of inspiration there.And the satire was brilliant.Patty Duke was the eye of this hurricane. The only normal one. The rest were your regular stereotypes.Philandering first husband. Friendly but slightly unhinged Russian Premier. (Shawn was excellent in the role.) Loose daughter. Gay assistant. War monger General. Right wing secretary of state. (Herscel Bernardi's last role?) Southern gentleman democrat. And Glynn Thurman playing and over-the-top version of Jesse Jackson nearly stealing the show.The humor was a bit off color, but that's what made me laugh. I think people liked it despite themselves.
John English I remember this show being pretty funny. It would air well on Trio or Bravo back-to-back with Soap, as the two are similar in style and humor. Patty Duke was a good lead as Pres. Mansfield, and I remember Dick Shawn (LSD from the movie The Producers) having a blast as the Russian premier. Richard Paul was also good as a reverend who thought it was blasphemy to have a female president. It gave him good practice for when he'd start playing Rev. Jerry Falwell. (He played Falweel in The People vs. Larry Flynt and also in the 1990 TV-movie Fall from Grace, starring Kevin Spacey and Bernadette Peters and Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker.) Hopefully someday a cable channel will tire of the usual sitcom reruns and give this one a shot.