HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN: HEAVEN NOSE, MR. SMITH (TV)
Summary
One in this fantasy series about an angel named Jonathan, who helps people in trouble, and his human sidekick, Mark, a former police officer.
In between assignments, Jonathan gets an emergency message from the Sycopomp, an angelic dispatcher who gives out assignments, forcing Jonathan to return to heaven in order to meet with him. It turns out that there has been a major breakdown in heaven’s computer systems, and due to an error there is an angel who has been put on the wrong assignment. The Sycopomp explains that a wealthy married couple, Stanley and Constance Richbourne, have been experiencing problems: she wants a child and he doesn’t, and the stress is endangering their marriage. The angle mistakenly assigned to them is Max Richbourne, Stanley’s father, who was opposed to the marriage up until his death on the wedding day. Now he seeks to use the opportunity to separate Stanley and Constance, and Jonathan is asked to stop him.
Jonathan and Mark drive up to the Richbourne estate under the pretense of getting Mark a job there as a chauffeur. Max Richbourne made his fortune by inventing the pay toilet, a fact which Mark finds hysterically funny. They are greeted by the butler, whom Jonathan correctly recognizes as Max in disguise. Jonathan reveals his identity to him and Max insists on staying, still angry that his son married a maid instead of a wealthy woman. He wants to fix Stanley up with another woman so that he can have grandchildren. He allows Mark to take the chauffeur job and Jonathan stay and observe so that he can prove to them that he is right about Stanley. Max has kept his true identity secret from Stanley, and Jonathan believes it is because Max is afraid that Stanley wouldn’t listen to him otherwise. Max wishes to set Stanley up with Nel Pritchard, his childhood friend, and uses divine intervention to arrange a meeting between the two of them, an act that leaves Jonathan appalled. Nel encounters Stanley while he’s out running and they meet for the first time in many years. They were once childhood friends, and Nel admits that she used to have a crush on him. She informs him that she recently divorced her husband and invites Stanley and Constance to a party she’s hosting that Saturday, which he accepts. Max is pleased that his plan is working, but Jonathan vows to stop him.
Mark, now working as the Richbourne chauffeur, meets Constance and at her request takes her for a drive. Mark believes she is feeling sad, and suggests that she go shopping to cheer herself up, a suggestion which she decides to take up. She buys new clothes and gets a makeover, changing her look entirely; Mark approves and believes Stanley will as well. Meanwhile, Max reveals his true identity to Stanley, but Stanley does not believe him. He tries to convince Stanley to leave Constance for Nel, and implies that he was responsible for getting Nel to leave her first husband. Stanley comes to believe Max is genuine about his identity just before Jonathan arrives to tell him himself. Constance returns, but Stanley is preoccupied and barely notices her new appearance, much to her dismay. Max and Stanley argue about his life choices, including his lack of real accomplishments and his running hobby. Jonathan arrives to try to discourage Max, but Max is convinced Nel will go for Stanley due to his money, and is more concerned with having grandchildren than Stanley’s own well-being. Jonathan tells Max that Stanley chooses to run in order that he might become a great runner, making it an accomplishment for him to achieve in his life.
Later, Jonathan visits Stanley while he’s exercising. He informs him of an upcoming charity cross-country race, but Stanley doesn’t think he would be good enough to compete. Jonathan points out that he’ll never truly know how good he truly is unless he races against someone else. When Stanley denies that, he challenges Stanley to a race between the two of them. When Stanley not only beats Jonathan but sets an impressive time, he reconsiders Jonathan’s idea. Mark becomes frustrated at their apparent lack of progress, but Jonathan is more confident, and decides to observe Nel’s party invisibly. Constance doesn’t want to attend the party, feeling like an outsider, but Stanley brings her along anyway. He tells her that he intends to run in the race, and she is dismissive of the idea, believing that he can’t possibly win. Stanley is frustrated by this and Max uses this as an opportunity to further manipulate Stanley into embracing Nel instead of Constance.
At the party, Nel soon drives Constance away with her veiled insults, and takes the opportunity to take Stanley aside in private. Watched by an invisible and inaudible Jonathan, Nel comes on to Stanley. He mentions the upcoming race and she feigns excitement, announcing that she’ll bring all her friends to help cheer him on. When Constance arrives and sees Nel throwing herself at Stanley, she becomes highly upset and runs off crying. Jonathan is angry at Max for his machinations, but Max doesn’t care as long as his plan is functioning. Jonathan returns to the Sycopomp to ask for assistance, but the computer systems are still down. Jonathan asks for backup, and the only available candidate is Sarah Richbourne, Max’s wife who passed away five years after he did. Despite Sycopomp’s warnings otherwise, Jonathan requests her presence, as he feels she may be able to resolve the situation.
On the morning of the race, Stanley and Constance try to make up for what happened the previous night, but it fails and Stanley leaves for the race without her. A maid comes in to fix up the room, and advises Constance to go to the race anyway, that Stanley will need her support if he loses. She reveals that she is Sarah, and notes that Constance used to be more strong-willed than she is now. At the race, Nel brings a cheering section of her friends to encourage Stanley. The race begins and Stanley takes an early lead. Sarah gets Constance to change her mind and she has Mark drive her to the race. In the middle of the race, Stanley takes a bad fall and injures himself, falling far behind the other runners. He feels as though he should give up, but Jonathan appears and encourages him to show his father that he can finish what he started for once in his life. The other runners begin to cross the finish line, and Nel and company are dismayed to find that Stanley is not among them. They gradually start leaving, and Max’s protestations are interrupted by the arrival of Sarah.
Constance arrives and waits for Stanley at the finish line. Stanley continues to falter, but with further encouragement from Jonathan he continues running despite his injuries. Eventually Nel departs and Stanley finally crosses the finish line, greeted by Constance. She tells him that she’s proud of him for accomplishing one of his goals, and they embrace. Max is surprised at Stanley’s tenacity, and Sarah points out that he was always hard on him because he had little faith in himself; he felt that the way he made his fortune was embarrassing, although Sarah begs to differ. The two of them begin to reconcile their differences as they return to heaven together. In heaven, the computer system is finally repaired, much to Sycopomp’s relief. Commercials deleted.
(This program contains technical problems. This represents the best copy of this program currently available to the Museum.)
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: March 30, 1988 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:14
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:52596
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1984-1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Michael Landon … Executive Producer, Director
- Kent McCray … Producer
- Marvin Coil … Associate Producer
- Gary Wohlleben … Associate Producer
- Lan O'Kun … Writer
- David Rose … Music by
- Michael Landon … Cast, Jonathan Smith
- Victor French … Cast, Mark Gordon
- Murphy Cross … Cast, Constance
- Bob Hope … Cast, Sycopomp
- Patti Karr … Cast, Sarah
- Bill Macy … Cast, Max
- John Pleshette … Cast, Stanley
- Anna Stuart … Cast, Nel
- Edgar Justice … Cast, Workman #1
- Herb Willis … Cast, Workman #2
- Colin Drake … Cast, Maitre D'
- Richard Parker … Cast, Man at Race
- Joseph Cousins … Cast, Faith
- Christian Cousins … Cast, Hope
- Sarah Martineck … Cast, Charity