|
|
Remembering Jimmy || Special Features || Mr. Novak || Season 1 SEASON ONE First Year, First Day (09-24-63) On his first day as a HS teacher, Mr. Novak faces a tough challenge: a top student defies him to give one good reason why he should bit drop out of school. When Novak refuses to discuss the matter during class time, the boy walks out and the class appears to be waiting to size up their teacher. To Lodge and Dislodge (10-1-63) When Novak become the object of a young girl's undeclared "first love" the problem is far more delicate than the usual crush: The girl is one of group of blind students attending regular class at Jefferson. When she suddenly confesses her feelings to him, Novak knows she's desperately in need of help that only the right answer can provide. I Don't Even Live Here (10-8-63) Mr. Otis, the funny man of the English Dept., is a man whose fear of teaching has left him with a comic fa�ade, his lessons are more like a comedian doing a monologue. Novak is envious of his popularity with the students, but is puzzled when Otis's "A" student barely pass when Novak is teaching them English. X is the Unknown Factor (10-15-63) A problem in modern morality hits Novak when a student is caught cheating in English Lit. When the boy, a brilliant scientist, is named as a possible scholarship recipient. Novak and Vane are faced with powerful pressure groups who insist that the matter of cheating is unimportant in this particular case. A Single Isolated Incident (10-22-63) A serious crisis looms at Jefferson High as it experiences its first racial incident. A black student is accosted by a gang of youths. When it is learned that other black students have received similar threats, newspapers seize the incident to create sensational headlines. Fighting to keep the situation from mushrooming, Vane is aided by the faculty in solving the problem within the school. The Risk (10-29-63) Loyalty to an old HS teacher causes Novak to gamble with his position when he recommends that Vane hire the man, whom he still remembers as being an alcoholic. But Novak plays an even riskier game when he unexpectedly meets his old teacher's young wife. Hello, Miss Phipps (11-5-63) A sharply outspoken biology teacher of four decades is a constant source of irritation to the faculty and the object of various complaints due to her insistence on student discipline to the letter. One of her prime antagonists is Novak, who is too new to realize that her traditional ways and systems are sound. To promote better understanding between then, Vane assigns them as "buddies" under the school policy of pairing an experience teacher with a novice for guidance and comfort. When the woman come under attack by parents for teaching sex education, Novak finds himself making a surprising decision in the face of odds seemingly stacked against him. One Way To Say Goodbye (11-17-63) It's love at first sight when Novak spots a beautiful former Jefferson HS Student wandering through the halls to kindle fond memories of her years there. They find they have a lot in common, especially when they find themselves facing real danger with a belligerent, law-defying student and his equally arrogant girlfriend. To Break a Camel's Back (11-12-63) Novak tries to cope with a beautiful but willful student who makes her own rules in and away from the classroom. The girl whose itinerant worker-father has moved her to 15 different HS in two years, thinks she knows all the answers - until she runs headlong into Novak, who has his own ideas on what makes this teenager tick. A Feeling For Friday (11-19-63) On a hectic Friday, Novak is saved by a welcome invitation to spend the weekend at the family estate of a cormer college flame. Mingling at a party there with doctors, lawyers and top business executives, and in so doing he discovers some happy truths about himself and his colleagues. Pay The Two Dollars (11-26-63) When Novak breaks up a scuffle between two boys in the school yard, one boy, who suffers a broken arm, claims that the injury was caused by Novak treating him roughly. His parents file suit and Novak is faced with the choice of allowing the school lawyer to settle out of court, thus implying guilt, or fight the false accusations. Love In The Wrong Season (12-3-63) Interested in a glamorous young teacher, Novak is puzzled by her hot and cold attitude towards him. Then he inadvertently discovers that he has a rival, the woman is falling in love with one of her students, with the resulting gossip endangering two reputation, Novak seeks to unravel the strange romance. The Boy Without A Country (12-10-63) A hero's welcome is prepared by Vane and Novak for a new student, a Russian defector who is quick to show that he's not so easy to get along with. The boy's misunderstanding of kindness for weakness come near to ruining his life in his new land where freedom of choice is a principle difficult for him to comprehend. A Thousand Voices (12-17-63) Student non-conformism causes problems when an off-campus car club finds itself without a sponsor and facing disbandment. Novak defends the club's members who've run into trouble, but locks horns with the president. My Name Is Not Legion (12-24-63) Novak regards a new student as a troublemaker, until he pieces together an essay, which the boy wrote and then tore to bits, which shows indications of a truly brilliant mind. He Who Can Does (12-31-63) Novak invites a famous novelist to address the Jefferson High Literary Club, despite the protests of Miss Pagano, who feels his unorthodox views will be a bad influence. The Song Of Songs (01-7-64) Novak realizes the full impact of a teacher's vulnerability when he's accused of lewd and pornographic teaching by a student's irate father. The Exile (01-14-64) Novak and Vane face the vital problem of HS dropouts when a student who left school three years earlier has nothing better to do than hang around school. Sparrow On The Wire (01-21-64) A brilliant student's anti-semitic needling of a fellow member of Novak's debating threatens to disband the squad. The boy claims his attack is simply a matter of debate strategy, but Novak senses a deeper significance to the slanted remarks, and the repercussions threaten to spread past those involved and through the entire school. Private Life of Douglas Morgan, Jr. (01-28-64) Through studying 'All Quiet On The Western Front,' the unintentional class clown develops an antipathy for war, and coincidentally, for ROTC, which is a compulsory class at Jefferson. He decides to attract attention and gets excused form ROTC by claiming to be a conscientious objector. But what starts out as a gag turns into something very real through assigned outside reading from Vane. Now really convinced of the futility of war, the boy faces an adult decision which can alter the course of his life. The Death Of A Teacher (02-04-64) When a teacher succumbs to a heart attack at school, a variety of reactions and emotions results form both students and faculty members. The tragedy's impact leaves such a vivid impression on the mind of one faculty member that he nearly ruins his career through a hasty, fear-born decision. I'm On The Outside (02-11-64) Vane wrestles with the problem of a moonlighting student who feels that his Mexican heritage is against him when it comes to getting a worthwhile job. The boy's hostile attitude towards an education, in what he considers his 'special' case, is directly pointed at Novak, whose attempts to help are misinterpreted, and report to Vane, as prejudice. Chin Up, Mr. Novak (02-18-64) Novak's having troubles with his English Literature class, but learns some lessons in classroom procedures and the handling of problem students when a dynamic 75-year-old exchange teacher comes to Jefferson from the British Isles. Fear Is A Handful of Dust (02-25-64) When Novak tries to help a shy, extremely bright girl by encouraging her to develop her talent for caricature, he learns that there are those who want and accept no help from any quarter. His efforts to crack the shell of introversion that surrounds her trigger a strange repercussion that startles everyone at school. How Does Your Garden Grow (03-03-64) When a flu epidemic strikes the faculty; Novak finds his double duties lightened by the presence of a young substitute. The inexperienced, frightened woman, who admittedly has trouble with her first class discovers through her friendship with Novak and the counseling of Vane that it takes more than a Phi Beta Kappa key to be a teacher. The Tower (03-10-64) After numerous complaints that an elderly geometry teacher is no longer effective, Vane is forced to retire her. She finds little comfort in the well meant philosophies of Novak and his contemporaries. It is only when Vane speaks to her from the he depths of his experience and memories, many similar to hers, that a tragedy at the school is adverted. Day In The Year (03-24-64) A girl in Novak's homeroom suddenly collapses and, shockingly, her illness is diagnosed as a narcotics overdose. Infuriated by this wanton waste of life, Novak and Vane cooperate with the Narcotics Bureau in attempting to track down the pusher, who is suspected of being a student at Jefferson HS. Moment Without Armor (03-31-64) Jean Pagano is attacked on the school grounds in the evening darkness by an unknown assailant, and her screams bring Novak to her rescue. Shaken, unnerved and unable to identify her attacker, her suspicion falls on an incorrigible student, whose father is politically powerful. During an interview about his falling classes, the boy's snide innuendoes pique her to the point where she loses control and slaps him across the face, followed by suspension without the customary formalities. Questions snowball with amazing rapidity and startling results. Fare Thee Well (04-7-64) Pregnant, a student is faced with leaving school and missing graduation with her class. She wants to stay and keep her condition secret form her parents. Her heartbreak is compounded when the baby's father, whom she has been shielding, comes forward demanding to assume his share of the responsibility. Novak and a pair of wise parents attempt to pick up the pieces of two shattered young lives. The Senior Prom (04-14-64) This year's prom is going to be a flaop unless the student chairman starts taking interest in the preparations. When Novak insists that she assume her full responsibility, he doesn't realize the price she'll pay for her sudden awakening to efficiency. She learns that friendships wilt quickly under the blaze of authority, but she and Novak both learn a valuable lesson in human values. |