document_title: Soap (TV series)

question_text: who killed peter on the tv show soap

question_tokens: who killed peter on the tv show soap

text: Soap (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Soap is set in the fictional town of Dunn's River, Connecticut.

text: In the opening sequence of the first installment, the announcer says "This is the story of two sisters—Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell". The Tates live in a wealthy neighborhood (the announcer calls it the neighborhood known as "Rich"). Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and her husband, Chester (Robert Mandan), are hardly models of fidelity, as their various love affairs result in several family mishaps, including the murder of her sister Mary's (Cathryn Damon) stepson, Peter Campbell (Robert Urich). Even though everyone tells Jessica about Chester's continual affairs, she does not believe them until she sees his philandering with her own eyes: while out to lunch with Mary, Jessica spots Chester necking with his secretary Claire (Kathryn Reynolds). Heartbroken, she sobs in her sister's arms. On later occasions, it becomes clear Jess has always known on some level about Chester's affairs but never allowed herself to process the information.

text: The wealthy Tate family employs a sarcastic butler/cook named Benson (Robert Guillaume). Benson clearly despises Chester, but has a soft spot for their son, Billy (Jimmy Baio). He also gets along with the Tates' daughter, Corinne (Diana Canova) as well as their mother, Jessica; but doesn't speak to the other daughter, Eunice (Jennifer Salt), although that later changed. Benson became a popular character and in 1979 left the Tates' employ to work for Jessica's cousin, Governor Gene Gatling, on the spin-off series, Benson, wherein his last name, DuBois, was revealed. The Tates had to hire a new butler/cook named Saunders (Roscoe Lee Browne), whose attitude is similar to that of Benson, but has a more formal personality.

text: Mary's family, the Campbells, are working-class, and as the series begins, her son Danny Dallas (Ted Wass), a product of her first marriage to Johnny Dallas, is a junior gangster-in-training. Danny is told to kill his stepfather, Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan), Mary's current husband, who, Danny is told, murdered his father Johnny, who was also a mobster. It is later revealed that Danny's father was killed by Burt in self-defense. Danny refuses to kill Burt and goes on the run from the Mob in a variety of disguises. This eventually ends when Elaine Lefkowitz (played by Dinah Manoff in one of her earliest roles), the spoiled daughter of the Mob Boss (played by Sorrell Booke), falls in love with Danny and stops her father, who then tells Danny he will have to marry Elaine or he will kill him. In the fourth season, it is revealed that Chester is Danny's true father, the product of a secret affair between him and Mary before his marriage to Jessica. Mary's other son, Jodie (Billy Crystal, in an early role), is gay, having a secret affair with a famous professional football quarterback, and contemplating a sex-change operation.

text: The first season ends with Jessica convicted of the murder of Peter Campbell. The announcer concludes the season by announcing that Jessica is innocent, and that one of five characters—Burt, Chester, Jodie, Benson, or Corinne—killed Peter Campbell. Chester later confesses to Peter's murder and is sent to prison. He is soon released after a successful temporary insanity defense.

text: Other plot lines include Jessica's adopted daughter Corinne courting Father Tim Flotsky (Sal Viscuso), who ended up leaving the priesthood, and the two eventually marrying and having a child who is possessed by the Devil; Chester being imprisoned for Peter's murder, escaping with his prison roommate Dutch, and being afflicted with amnesia after a failed operation; Jessica's other daughter, Eunice, sleeps with a married congressman, and then falls in love with Dutch; Mary's stepson Chuck (Jay Johnson), a ventriloquist whose hostilities are expressed through his alter ego, a quick-witted dummy named Bob; Jessica's love affairs with several men, including Donahue, a private investigator hired to find the missing presumed-dead Chester, her psychiatrist, and a Latin American revolutionary known as "El Puerco" ("The Pig"; his friends just call him "El"); Billy Tate's confinement by a cult called the "Sunnies" (a parody of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, called the "Moonies" by its critics), and then his affair with his school teacher who becomes unhinged; Danny and his romantic trials with the daughter of a mobster (Elaine, who is murdered in a botched kidnapping), black woman, a prostitute, and Chester's second wife, Annie; and Burt's confinement to a mental institution, his abduction by aliens while being replaced with an oversexed alien lookalike on Earth, and getting blackmailed by the Mob after becoming sheriff of their small town.

text: At the beginning of each episode, off-camera announcer Rod Roddy gives a brief description of the convoluted storyline and remarks, "Confused? You won't be, after this week's episode of...Soap." At the end of each episode, he asks a series of life-or-death questions in a deliberately deadpan style—"Will Jessica discover Chester's affair? Will Benson discover Chester's affair? Will Benson care?" and concludes each episode with the trademark line, "These questions—and many others—will be answered in the next episode of...Soap."

text: Characters[edit]

text:
Jessica Tate (née Gatling) (Katherine Helmond)—The sister of Mary Campbell and one of the two main characters of the show. She is married to wealthy Chester Tate but separates from and later divorces him in the latter seasons of the series. Sweet-natured, extremely naïve and sheltered, she is often in a world of her own. Her flirtatious nature and hourglass figure make her a frequent target of male attention, but she is honest and loyal to her marriage. She is in denial of her husband's blatant infidelities throughout Season 1, although everyone repeatedly tells her about him and must listen to her increasingly absurd excuses. In Season 2 when she is accused of murder, she has no concept of the seriousness of her trial, flirting and making jokes with the judge. Later seasons show Jessica as still very sweet, but also stronger and less naïve in that she finally throws Chester out of her life. Helmond is one of the two actors to appear in every episode of the series.
Chester Tate (Robert Mandan)—A wealthy stock broker and Jessica's constantly philandering husband. According to Benson (and nearly everyone else) he will "jump on anything that breathes!" He had affairs with his secretary, Claire (Kathryn Reynolds), and, later, with another woman known as "Pigeon". It was later revealed that he had an affair with his wife's sister, Mary, and was the biological father of Danny Dallas. Chester and Jessica separate in Season 3 and divorce in Season 4. Although Chester later falls in love with Eunice's friend Annie, and marries her, he still loves Jessica enough to duel for her honor.
Billy Tate (Jimmy Baio)—The youngest child and only son of Jessica and Chester (according to Benson, "the only one in this family worth a damn"). He gets caught up in a cult, the Sunnies, (from which Benson has to rescue him), and later has an affair with his high school teacher, Leslie Walker. After he breaks off the affair, she makes multiple failed (and laughable) attempts to kill him and/or his family. He later becomes a general in El Puerco's revolutionary army after rescuing him and Jessica from being lost in the ocean, learning Spanish and becoming very devoted to the revolutionaries' anti-Communist cause, though his family members do not take this seriously.
Corinne Tate Flotsky (Diana Canova)—Jessica and Chester's daughter, who acknowledges she slept with most of the male population of Dunn's River. It is later revealed that she is adopted and is really the daughter of Jessica and Mary's long-lost brother Randolph Gatling and family maid Ingrid Svenson. After a disastrous affair with Peter Campbell, Corinne marries ex-priest Tim Flotsky and gives birth to a baby named Timmy who turns out to be demon-possessed (due to Tim's outraged mother, Flo, cursing the marriage). She later has an affair with Dutch Leitner and then leaves Dunn's River for California to raise Timmy, after Dutch leaves her to get back together with Eunice.
Father Timothy Flotsky (Sal Viscuso)—A former Catholic priest who leaves the priesthood to marry Corinne Tate, then later leaves her. Father of Timmy, who was possessed by a demon due to Timothy's possessive unhinged mother (Doris Roberts)'s cursing of her son's marriage.
Eunice Tate-Leitner (Jennifer Salt)—Jessica and Chester's daughter. A spoiled social climber, Eunice dates a married congressman in Season 1 and then falls in love with convicted murderer Dutch Leitner and ultimately marries him. (She also enjoys wearing garter belts.) She is looked down upon by Benson, who only speaks to her to zing or insult her, for much of Season 1, although he does begin to talk to her before he leaves the Tate's employ.
Dutch Leitner (Donnelly Rhodes)—An escaped convict who hides out with the Tates after helping Chester break out of prison. He falls in love with, and eventually marries, Chester's daughter Eunice. Though coarse in his manners, Dutch is grateful for the Tates' acceptance and is genuinely devoted to the family, even while struggling to choose between Eunice and Corinne.
The Major (Arthur Peterson Jr.)—The father of Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell. The Major suffers from dementia and believes he is in the midst of fighting World War II. He often refers to Chester as "Colonel". The Major is always in uniform and often irritates Benson and Saunders with his obliviously racist remarks.
Mary Campbell (née Gatling, previously Dallas) (Cathryn Damon)—The sister of Jessica Tate and one of the two main characters of the show. Down-to-earth, sensual and much brighter than her sister, she provides a comic foil to her sister's spaced-out antics. At the start of the series she is married to her second husband, building contractor Burt Campbell. Her first husband, Johnny Dallas, was a mobster who (unknown to Mary) was killed by Burt in self-defense. Eventually, she has a baby with "alien" Burt, and by the series' end has slowly become an alcoholic, as no one else (besides Chuck and Bob) sees the baby manifesting alien-esque qualities, such as being able to fly.
Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan)—Burt is the second husband of Mary Campbell. In contrast to Chester, Burt is a loving family man who has a strong marriage with Mary. Burt is a high-strung building contractor who later becomes sheriff and is under consideration for a run as lieutenant governor. In Season 1, Burt suffers from mental illness due to his guilt over accidentally killing Mary's first husband, and the murder of his son Peter. For a time, he believes he can make himself invisible by snapping his fingers. He is also at one point abducted by aliens and replaced with X-23, an alien Burt lookalike (also played by Mulligan). Only Mary and Jodie know that Burt's abduction was real. At the end of Season 3, Burt becomes sheriff and gets increasingly involved in politics, leading him to ignore his family, putting his marriage at risk. Mulligan is also one of the two actors to appear in every episode of the series.
Chuck and Bob Campbell (Jay Johnson)—Chuck is Burt Campbell's son by his first marriage. A ventriloquist, he is always accompanied by Bob, his dummy and alter ego. The pair dress alike and are always referred to as "Chuck and Bob". While Chuck is mild-mannered, introverted, and polite, Bob is aggressive, rude and abrasive. All of the main characters with the exception of Benson and Saunders find themselves conversing with or referring to Bob as a real person, even in the face of fierce determination not to. Also, the dummy was often threatened with or has been the target of physical violence by nearly everyone, due to its obnoxiousness.
Danny Dallas (Ted Wass)—Mary Campbell's eldest son. Sweet-natured, good-looking but not particularly bright, he is a low-level gangster due to his late father's membership, not due to any aptitude or desire of his own. He is given the task of killing his stepfather Burt, but can't bring himself to do so, and as a result spends most of Season 1 on the run, popping up in ludicrous disguises. It is widely assumed that he is the son of Mary's first husband Johnny Dallas but in later episodes it is revealed that his real father is Chester Tate (born from an illicit affair Chester had with his mother, Mary). He is very protective of his younger half-brother Jodie, but is initially in denial about Jodie's homosexuality. Danny is forced to marry Elaine, the mob boss's daughter. He eventually falls in love with her; she was later kidnapped and killed. Danny later gets involved in a series of failed relationships, including a girlfriend of one of Elaine's kidnappers, an African-American woman, a prostitute, and Chester's new wife, Annie. When Chester finds them [clarification needed] in bed together, he plans to shoot them both (this was a series cliffhanger).[why?] Danny also becomes Burt's enthusiastic but inept deputy sheriff.
Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal)—The son of Mary Campbell and her first husband Johnny Dallas. An openly gay man, he shares his mother's common sense and pleasant temperament. He at first is dating a closeted football player but later fathers a daughter (Wendy) with Carol, an attorney who seduces him after meeting at his aunt Jessica's murder trial. After Carol runs off to join the rodeo, Wendy is left with Jodie, triggering a custody battle and a kidnapping. The series ends with Jodie believing himself to be an old Jewish man, Julius Kassendorf, due to a failed hypnotherapy session.
Peter Campbell (Robert Urich)—Burt Campbell's sleazy tennis pro son by his first marriage, he is carrying on affairs with both Jessica and Corinne, as well as numerous other women around town. His murder in Season 1 leads to the first-season cliffhanger: the question of who killed Peter Campbell.
Benson (Robert Guillaume)—The Tates' wisecracking African-American cook/butler in the early seasons, who shows utter contempt for Chester. He is frequently the target of the Major's racist quips, but Benson has a soft spot for Jessica, Corinne, and most notably Billy. He completely ignores Eunice while she is secretly dating the Congressman, but this changes after Season 1. In 1979, Benson leaves to be the head of household affairs for Jessica's cousin, Governor Eugene Gatling, in the spin-off, Benson, wherein he is later revealed to have the last name of DuBois. Benson makes a brief re-appearance when Jessica is diagnosed with a fatal disease.
Saunders (Roscoe Lee Browne)—Benson's African-American replacement as the Tates' cook/butler, with a disdainful attitude similar to Benson's, although with a more cultured and polished personality.

text: Rod Roddy (Originally slated to be Casey Kasem, who left after the pilot episode due to the show's content)

text:
Barney Gerber (Harold Gould)—elderly hospital patient who shares a room with Jodie in Season 1, and whose story gives Jodie the inspiration to continue living after a suicide attempt.
Detective Donahue (John Byner)—hired by Jessica to find the missing amnesiac Chester in Season 2, he falls for Jessica, forcing her to choose between the two when Chester returns home.
Dennis Phillips (Bob Seagren)—A quarterback who is dating Jodie secretly in Season 1 and more openly in early Season 2 after the failure of his sham marriage.
Ingrid Svenson (Inga Swenson)—Corinne's biological mother, who was the former maid of Jessica and Mary's parents, and who was in love with Jessica and Mary's brother, Randolph Gatling. She attempts to carry out revenge upon the Tate/Campbell family for opposing her romance with Randolph. She tries to influence Jessica's murder trial by sleeping with the judge and blackmailing Sally into trying to break up Burt and Mary's marriage.
E. Ronald Mallu, Esq. (Eugene Roche)—High priced attorney who defends Jessica in her murder trial. Mallu returns in Season 3 to represent Jodie in his custody case, and attempts to date the newly separated Jessica as well. Mallu is a thinly veiled caricature of the defense attorney F. Lee Bailey.
The Godfather (Richard Libertini), mob over-boss who orders Danny to kill Burt (the killer of Danny's father) in Season 1. When Danny fails to do so, The Godfather eventually forgives him as Danny is clearly an incompetent gangster.
Chief of Police Tinkler (Gordon Jump)—Responsible for the investigation of the murder of Peter Campbell, Tinkler always seems to arrive at the Tate house in time to share their dinner. Apparently also serves as the court bailiff in Dunn's River. (Routinely misidentifies himself as "Piece of Cholief" Tinkler)
Congressman Walter McCallum (Edward Winter)—secretly sees Eunice until his wife, Marilyn, blackmails him into ending the relationship.
Judge Anthony Petrillo (Charles Lane)—the judge presiding over Jessica's murder trial. Lost $40,000 in a bad investment deal because of Chester, and clearly holds a grudge against him for it.
Claire (Kathryn Reynolds)—Chester's secretary and mistress in Season 1. She had been with Chester as his secretary for twelve years, and had been his mistress for almost as long. During the first season, she blackmails Chester, ordering him to divorce his wife or go to prison for Securities Fraud. During one of her lunchtime dates with Chester, Jessica saw them kissing and cuddling and she finally realizes that Chester was not to be trusted (upon seeing the two, Jessica breaks down in her sister, Mary's arms). Chester later dumps and then fires Claire to support Jessica during the trial, which sends Claire into a screaming rage in the restaurant, trashing their meal in the process. She made good on her threat to call the Securities and Exchange Commission and blows the whistle on Chester.
Sally (Caroline McWilliams)—Burt's secretary who attempts to seduce Burt, then lies to Mary about sleeping with him, all of which was due to blackmail pressure from the family's enemy, Ingrid Svenson. (Due to their performances on Soap, Caroline McWilliams and Inga Swenson were given roles on the spin-off, Benson, playing Governor's secretary Marcy Hill and Cook Gretchen Kraus, respectively)
Polly Dawson (Lynne Moody)—An African-American woman who considers marriage to Danny in Season 3.
Leslie Walker (Marla Pennington)—a young school teacher who falls for Billy, but becomes suicidal and then homicidal after he breaks it off. One of her attempts to kill Billy ends up injuring Saunders.
Millie (Candice Azzara)—girlfriend of one of Elaine's kidnappers, she rescues Danny, and comes home with him, but cannot deal with the Campbell family and thus leaves.
Gwen (Jesse Welles)—a prostitute who falls for Danny in Season 4, but leaves him to protect them both from a death threat.
Elaine Lefkowitz (Dinah Manoff)—daughter of Danny's mob under-boss, her obnoxious, pushy personality makes a coerced marriage painful for Danny at first. After they genuinely fall in love, and her personality softens, Elaine is kidnapped and killed, which fuels Danny's quest for revenge.
Charles Lefkowitz (Sorrell Booke)—Elaine's mob-boss father and Danny's under-boss, who calls off the contract on Danny in exchange for marrying Elaine, then cuts her off and refuses to pay the ransom when she is kidnapped.
Dr. Alan Posner (Allan Miller)—Jessica's somewhat disturbed psychiatrist in Season 3, he briefly dates her once she is separated from Chester, but becomes clingy and hysterical when she dumps him.
El Puerco (Gregory Sierra)—an anti-communist revolutionary who initially kidnaps Jessica, but later falls in love with her. (Character name translation is "The Pig")
Mr. Franklin (Howard Hesseman)—the smarmy prosecuting attorney in Jessica's murder trial, and is a strong rival of Mallu.
Mrs. Lurleen David (Peggy Pope)—Carol's mother, who takes care of Jodie and Carol's baby when Carol runs away to join the rodeo. She leaves the baby with Jodie, but then becomes part of the custody battle, initially lying for her daughter on the witness stand, but eventually telling the truth.
F. Peter Haversham (Michael Durrell)—ruthless attorney who represents Carol in the custody battle. Arch-nemesis of E. Ronald Mallu.
Alice (Randee Heller)—a lesbian who lives with Jodie in Season 2, but who leaves after finding out Mrs. David's reluctance to leave Jodie's child with a lesbian as well as a gay man. (Alice is American television's first recurring lesbian character).[4]
Juan One (Joe Mantegna)—The second in command to El Puerco, one of 3 soldiers named Juan.
Carol David (Rebecca Balding)—attorney & mother of Jodie's child, who leaves Jodie at the altar, then leaves their baby with her mother. Carol fights for custody in Season 3, then is responsible for kidnapping the baby when she loses the custody case.
Annie Selig Tate (Nancy Dolman)—a former friend of Eunice, Annie becomes Chester's second wife, and soon has an affair with Danny.
Maggie Chandler (Barbara Rhoades)—A private investigator who helps Jodie search for his daughter and then has a relationship with him.
Judge Betty Small (Rae Allen)—judge presides over the Carol David/Jodie Dallas custody case, who formerly had a strong rivalry with Mallu.
Marilyn McCallum (Judith-Marie Bergan)—Walter's wife, who blackmails Walter into ending the relationship with Eunice.
Dr. Hill (Granville Van Dusen)—the doctor who diagnoses Jessica with a fatal disease at the end of Season 3; he falls in love with her.
Saul (Jack Gilford)—a four-thousand-plus-year-old man who lives in the spacecraft but helps Burt escape from the aliens in Season 3.
Flo Flotsky (Doris Roberts)—Tim's unhinged mother, who curses her son for leaving the priesthood to marry Corinne, then after making a scene at the wedding, dies on their wedding night.
Mrs. Sheila Fine (Nita Talbot)—housewife who has an affair with Peter Campbell and provides crucial testimony against Jessica in the Season 1 murder trial.
Dr. Medlow (Byron Webster)—psychiatrist for Burt Campbell in Season 1, he attempts to assist Burt with his impotence and then his perceived invisibility.
Professor Anatole Martins (Lee Bergere)—Mary's college professor, in Season 2. He makes unwelcome passes at Mary, and later attacks her, which Burt witnesses, and mistakes for an affair.
Elmore Tibbs (Hamilton Camp)—Mid-level mobster who runs a prostitution ring in town, blackmails Burt and Danny to force them to stop from shutting him down.
Eddie (Kene Holliday)—Polly's brother, who does not approve of her dating Danny.
Nurse Nancy Darwin (Udana Power) Jodie's nurse who takes in interest in him, when he is planning a sex-change operation.

text: Nielsen ratings and time slots[edit]

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text:
Season
No. of
episodes
Season premiere
Season finale
Time slot
Rank
Rating
Households
(in millions)

1) 1977–1978
25
September 13, 1977
March 28, 1978
Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.
#13
22.0
16.0

2) 1978–1979
23
September 14, 1978
March 15, 1979
Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
#19
21.3
15.9

3) 1979–1980
23
September 13, 1979
March 27, 1980
#25
20.5
15.6

4) 1980–1981
22
November 12, 1980
April 20, 1981
Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.
Not in the Top 30

text: Pre-broadcast protests and controversy[edit]

text: In early March 1977, ABC screened the first two episodes of Soap for the executives of its 195 affiliate stations, many of whom were instantly appalled by the show's emphasis on sex and infidelity. Two of the affiliates, neither in a major market, privately told ABC that the show was "raunchy" and its subject matter not fit for television.[5]

text: In June 1977, a Newsweek preview of the fall season written by Harry F. Waters panned the show while mischaracterizing some of its basic plot elements and offering exaggerated reports of its sexual content. Despite having not seen the pilot, Waters called the show a "sex farce" and claimed (erroneously) that the show included a scene of a Catholic priest being seduced in a confessional.[6] Waters also stated:

text: Soap promises to be the most controversial network series of the coming season, a show so saturated with sex that it could replace violence as the PTA's Video Enemy No. 1.

text: Whether Waters' errors and misrepresentations were intentional or accidental is unknown.

text: Within days of the Newsweek report, a number of local and national religious organizations began to quickly mobilize against Soap, despite the fact that they also had not seen the pilot. Among these were the National Council of Churches, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the National Council of Catholic Bishops and the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention,[8] the latter of which went so far as to divest itself of 2,500 shares of ABC stock "because the board does not approve of programming related to the abuse of human sexuality, violence and perversion".[9]

text: The Roman Catholic Church, led by its Los Angeles Archdiocese, also condemned the show and asked all American families to boycott it saying "ABC should be told that American Catholics and all Americans are not going to sit by and watch the networks have open season on Catholicism and morality. [Soap] is probably one of the most effective arguments for government censorship of TV that has yet come along."[10] In August, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California representing three branches of Judaism, joined the Catholic protest saying that the as-yet unaired show "reached a new low".

text: Dr. Everett Parker of the United Church of Christ called Soap "a low-life, salacious program" and complained that the show would be airing when children would be able to watch it. (ABC had scheduled it on Tuesdays after Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, two of the most popular family television shows being broadcast at the time.)[11]

text: These religious groups organized a letter-writing campaign designed to pressure the show's sponsors not to advertise on the network.[12] Although some of the religious groups asked their members to watch the show first, and then inform ABC of their feelings about it,[8] others began working hard to get ABC to cancel the show before it premiered. One ABC vice president was shocked to learn that his 11-year-old child was required by a parochial school teacher to write a letter of protest to ABC to take the show off the air.[13] In the end, 32,000 people wrote letters to ABC,[8] all but nine of them against it.[14]

text: In addition to the religious protest, Soap also faced substantial pre-broadcast criticism from the International Union of Gay Athletes[15] and the National Gay Task Force,[16] both of which were concerned about the way the gay character Jodie Dallas and how his professional football player lover would be portrayed.

text: To allay the concern of advertisers, some of whom had begun to cancel sponsorship of the program, ABC reluctantly dropped the price for commercial time from $75,000 per spot to $40,000 per spot. When Soap premiered on September 13, 1977, 18 out of 195 ABC affiliates had refused to air the program with others choosing to broadcast it after 11pm. By its second week on the air, two more affiliates dropped out, bringing the boycott to 20 stations.[13]

text: "The Soap Memo"[edit]

text: Aside from the external protests, Soap was also subject to heavy internal revisions from ABC's Broadcast Standards & Practices department, which monitors the content of programs. Writer/creator Susan Harris had developed a story arc for Soap in the form of a "show bible" which traced all the major characters, stories and events for five seasons. The Standards & Practices executives (commonly referred to as "censors") reviewed this extensive bible as well as the script for the two-part pilot and issued a long memo to Harris voicing their concerns about various story lines and characters. In addition to the sexual material that was widely reported in the press, the censors also took issue with the show's religious, political, and ethnic content.[17]

text: "The Soap Memo" was leaked to the press before the show premiered and was printed in its entirety in the Los Angeles Times on June 27, 1977. Among their notes were:

text:
"Please delete [the lines] '...the slut', 'that Polish slut,' 'get your clothes off,' 'it doesn't grow back,' 'transsexual,' 'Oh my God,' 'did it hurt?'"
"Substitute [the words] 'fruit,' 'slut,' 'tinker bell.'"
"The CIA or any other government organization is not to be involved in General Nu's smuggling operation." (This character and storyline, which dealt with a Vietnamese opium smuggler who becomes involved in the Tate family through Jessica's long-lost son, was eventually removed from the show bible.)
"In order to treat Jodie as a gay character, his portrayal must at all times be handled without 'limp-wristed' actions"
"The colloquy between Peter and Jessica...which relates to cunnilingus/fellatio is obviously unacceptable"
"The relationship between Jodie and the football player should be handled in such a manner that explicit or intimate aspects of homosexuality are avoided entirely."
"Father Flotsky's stand on liberalizing the Mass will have to be treated in a balanced, inoffensive manner. By way of example, the substitution of Oreos for the traditional wafer is unacceptable."

text: "The Soap Memo" also contained notes that were subsequently disregarded by the producers including:

text:
"Please change Burt Campbell's last name to avoid association with the Campbell Soup Co."
"Corinne's affair with a Jesuit priest, her subsequent pregnancy as a result, and later exorcism, are all unacceptable."
"Please direct Claire to dump the hot coffee in some part of Chester's anatomy other than his crotch." (Susan Harris later responded to this note: "so we didn't—we poured it in his lap.")

text: "The Soap Memo" was a rare public look into the behind-the-scenes process at a major network and copies of the document were often found posted on the bulletin boards of television production companies and on studio sets as a rallying point against censorship. In addition, the specific details in the memo further fueled the growing debate regarding the controversial content of Soap.

text: Premiere and critical reception[edit]

text: Soap premiered on Tuesday, September 13, 1977 at 9:30pm. The show was preceded by a disclaimer that the show "was part of a continuing character comedy" that included adult themes and that "viewer discretion" was advised. The disclaimer was both displayed on the screen and read by Soap announcer Rod Roddy. It would remain throughout the first season before being dropped.

text: Much of Soap's controversy, among liberals and conservatives alike, ironically actually helped to sell the series to the general public. Fueled by six months of pre-show protests (as well as a solid lead-in from the hit shows Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Three's Company), the first episode swept its time slot with a 25.6 rating and 39% share (39% of the national audience). Although ABC received hundreds of phone calls after the premiere, executives at the network described initial public reaction as "mild" with more calls in favor of the show than in protest. A University of Richmond poll found that 74% of viewers found Soap inoffensive, 26% found it offensive, and half of those who were offended said they planned to watch it the next week.[6]

text: Initial reviews—somewhat clouded by the controversy—were mixed, with negative reviews predictably focusing on the show's racy content. The Los Angeles Times called the show "a prolonged dirty joke" that "is without cleverness or style or subtlety. Its sex jokes are delivered by the shovelful, like manure." Variety called the show "forced and derivative", "bland" and "predictable and silly" while conceding that the sex is "no more outrageous than daytime soapers, no more outspoken than Three's Company."[18]

text: Time magazine praised the "talented cast" and singled out Jimmy Baio and Billy Crystal as "sharp young comedians", but felt the show suffered from "nastiness" and "lacked compassion".[12]

text: On the more positive side, TV Guide gave the show a good review saying that there was "a heap of talent" in the cast and asking "It is funny? Yes it is...and I guess that constitutes redeeming social value".[19]

text: Harry F. Waters' 1977 Newsweek review proved prescient of conservative reaction when the following year, the National PTA declared Soap one of "ten worst" shows in television. In spite of this designation, Soap ranked #13 for the 1977–78 season[6] and went on to gain positive critical reviews and high ratings over the rest of its four-year run.

text: Later seasons and cancellation[edit]

text: This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Although the uproar against Soap died down shortly after its premiere, the program continued to remain somewhat controversial, often generating additional criticism for its relatively frank depictions of homosexuals, racial and ethnic minorities, the mentally ill as well as its treatment of other taboo topics such as social class, marital infidelity, impotence, incest, sexual harassment, rape, student-teacher sexual relationships, kidnapping, organized crime, and new age cults. Much of the criticism focused on the openly gay character of Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal). Soap was among the earliest American prime time series to include an openly gay character who was a major part of the series. Social conservatives opposed the character on religious grounds, while some gay rights activists were also upset with the character of Jodie, arguing that certain story developments reinforced negative stereotypes, e.g. his desire to have a sex change operation, or represented a desire to change or downplay his sexual orientation.

text: Before the start of the second season, ABC ran a 90-minute retrospective clip show called "Who Killed Peter?" in which Burt Campbell visits Jessica Tate in prison as she awaits the verdict of her murder trial. The two discuss each of the show's individual characters and their possible motives for killing Burt's son Peter using flashbacks to illustrate specific story lines. The show was designed to remind viewers of what happened in Season 1 to prepare them for the upcoming season.

text: At the start of season three, another 90-minute retrospective aired in which Jessica says goodbye to Benson, using the flashback clips to try to explain why he should stay. This show also served to help launch the spinoff Benson, which was premiering at the start of the 1979–80 season.

text: A third 90-minute retrospective titled "Jessica's Wonderful Life" aired at the start of Season 4. Jessica, who had just died in hospital, found herself in heaven speaking to an angel (played by Bea Arthur). Jessica explained via the flashback clips why she was not ready to die and had to return to earth to help her family.

text: Although Susan Harris had planned for five seasons of Soap, the program was abruptly canceled by ABC after its fourth season. Therefore, the final one-hour episode, which originally aired on April 20, 1981, did not serve as a series finale and instead ended with several unresolved cliffhangers. These involve a suicidal Chester preparing to kill Danny and Annie (his son and wife) after catching them in bed together, an irreversibly hypnotized Jodie believing himself to be a 90-year-old Jewish man, Burt preparing to walk into an ambush orchestrated by his political enemies, and Jessica about to be executed by a Communist firing squad. Vlasic Foods pulled their sponsorship of the program shortly after this episode aired and ABC announced that the program was not picked up for its planned fifth season. The official reason given by the network was its declining ratings. However, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Soap "ended under suspicion that resistance from ad agencies may have caused ABC to cancel [it] at that point" because its still controversial content was negatively affecting its relationship with sponsors.[6]

text: A 1983 episode of Benson mentions Jessica's disappearance, noting the Tate family is seeking to have her declared legally dead. In the episode, Jessica appears as an apparition that only Benson can see or hear and reveals to him that she is not dead, but in a coma somewhere in South America. No other incidents from the final episode of Soap are mentioned.

text: Legacy[edit]

text: Since its cancellation, Soap's reputation has grown and it is often considered one of the best shows in television history.[2] Much praise has been given to its "exceptionally rich cast"[20] of performers "such as was seldom seen on any serious dramatic show".[21]

text: In a 1982 post-series analysis in The Village Voice published just as the series was first entering syndication, TV critic Tom Carson lauded the ensemble saying that "the cast matches the best TV series rep troupes ever." Carson went on to note that Soap "patently started out intended as a lampoon of middle-class values, and ended up instead as a weirdly offbeat celebration of them".[22]

text: In 2007, Time magazine, which initially panned the show, named it one of the 100 Best Shows of All-Time.[2] The Museum of Broadcast Communications said that Soap is "arguably one of the most creative efforts by network television before or after".[6]

text: In 2010, The Huffington Post called Soap a "timeless comedy" and concluded: "Rarely does a show come along with such a unique voice and vision from the first episode". [23]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Soap was nominated for a total 17 Emmy Awards including:

text:
Outstanding Comedy Series—nominated: 1978, 1980, 1981
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Richard Mulligan)—won: 1980, nominated: 1981
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Cathryn Damon)—won: 1980, nominated: 1978, 1981
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Katherine Helmond)—nominated: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Robert Guillaume)—won: 1979
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (Jay Sandrich)—nominated: 1978, 1979
Outstanding Art Direction in a Comedy Series—won: 1978
Outstanding Achievement in Video Tape Editing in a Comedy Series—nominated: 1978

text: At the 1981 Golden Globe Awards, Katherine Helmond won Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series—Musical/Comedy. That same year, the program was also nominated for Best TV Series—Musical/Comedy.

text: Director Jay Sandrich was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series' at the DGA Awards in 1978 and 1979.

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all four seasons of Soap on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 has been released on DVD in Region 2 in Norway (as Forviklingar), Sweden (as Lödder), Spain (as Enredo) and the UK. Seasons 1 and 2 have been released in Australia (Region 4).

text:
DVD Name
No. of
episodes
Region 1
Region 2 (Norway, Sweden, Spain, UK)

The Complete First Season
25
September 16, 2003
February 25, 2009

The Complete Second Season
23
July 20, 2004

The Complete Third Season
23
January 25, 2005

The Complete Fourth Season
22
October 11, 2005

The Complete Series
93
June 10, 2008

text: Some of the episodes on these DVD collections are edited or replaced with the syndicated versions, shortened by as much as 2 to 3 minutes. Season 1 is also missing the disclaimer at the start of the show.

text: In addition, the DVDs omit the three 90-minute Soap retrospective clips shows, which aired before each season began to remind the audience of what happened in the story during the previous season. The season 1 retrospective "Who Killed Peter Campbell?" and season 3 retrospective "Jessica's Wonderful Life" were released on VHS in the 1990s.

text: On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including Soap.[24] They subsequently re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on September 2, 2014.[25]

text: On June 2, 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released Soap: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[26]


document_title: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

question_text: where did our lady of mount carmel appear

root

text: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

text: History[edit]

text: The Carmelite Order was the only religious order to be started in the Crusader States. In the 13th century, some of its people migrated west to England, setting up a chapter and being documented there about 1241-1242. A tradition first attested to in the late 14th century says that Saint Simon Stock, believed to be an early English prior general of the Carmelite Order soon after its migration to England,[3][4] had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in which she gave him the Brown Scapular. This formed part of the Carmelite habit after 1287.[5] In Stock's vision, Mary promised that those who died wearing the scapular would be saved.[3]

tag: p

text: The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is known to many Catholic faithful as the "scapular feast," associated with the Brown Scapular of the Carmelite order. This is a devotional sacramental signifying the wearer's consecration to Mary and affiliation with the Carmelite order.

text: Based on available historical documentation, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel did not originally have a specific association with the Brown Scapular or the tradition of Stock's vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This tradition grew gradually, as did the liturgical cult of St. Simon. The latter has been documented in Bordeaux, where Stock died, from the year 1435; in Ireland and England, from 1458; and in the rest of the Order, from 1564. Historians have long questioned whether Stock had the vision of Mary and the scapular.[1][6] Although Simon Stock was never officially canonized, his feast day was celebrated in the church.[7]

text: In 1642, a Carmelite named Fr. John Cheron published a document which he said was a 13th-century letter written by Saint Simon Stock's secretary, Peter Swanington. Since the early 20th century, historians have concluded that this letter was forged, likely by Cheron himself.[6][7][8]

text: But Stock's vision was long embraced by many promoters of the scapular devotion. The forged Swanington letter claimed that 16 July 1251 was the date of the vision (16 July being the date of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), which led for centuries to a strong association between this feast day and the scapular devotion.

text: Also associated with Our Lady of Carmel was a papal bull saying that there was a Sabbatine privilege associated with devotion to the saint; that is, that Until the late 1970s, the Catholic liturgy for that day expressed the scapular devotion. Vatican II resulted in scrutiny of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as that of Saint Simon Stock, because of the historical uncertainties about the origins. The liturgies were revised and, in the 21st century, neither, even in the Carmelite proper, makes reference to the scapular.[7] The Carmelite convent of Aylesford, England, was restored and a relic of Saint Simon Stock was placed there in 1951. The saint's feast is celebrated in the places dedicated to him.[6]

text: In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, there has been particular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who has been adopted as a patron saint of several places, as she has been in other Catholic-majority countries. In addition, Carmen and María del Carmen have been popular given names for girls in Spanish-speaking countries. For example, an annual festival, known as Mamacha Carmen, is held in the highland Paucartambo District, Peru, featuring a procession with the Virgin and traditional dancers. Veneration of the Virgen del Carmen (often also associated with the Stella Maris) is particularly strong in coastal towns of Spain.

text: Carmelite devotion to Mary[edit]

text: The Carmelites consider the Blessed Virgin Mary to be a perfect model of the interior life of prayer and contemplation to which Carmelites aspire, as well as a model of virtue, in the person who was closest in life to Jesus Christ. She is seen as the one who points Christians most surely to Christ. As she says to the servants at the wedding at Cana, "Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you." Carmelites look to the Virgin Mary as a Spiritual Mother.[9] The Stella Maris Monastery (Star of the Sea) on Mount Carmel, named after a traditional title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is considered the spiritual headquarters of the order.

text: Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, OCD, a revered authority on Carmelite spirituality, wrote that devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel means:

text: a special call to the interior life, which is preeminently a Marian life. Our Lady wants us to resemble her not only in our outward vesture but, far more, in heart and spirit. If we gaze into Mary's soul, we shall see that grace in her has flowered into a spiritual life of incalculable wealth: a life of recollection, prayer, uninterrupted oblation to God, continual contact, and intimate union with him. Mary's soul is a sanctuary reserved for God alone, where no human creature has ever left its trace, where love and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind reign supreme. [...] Those who want to live their devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the full must follow Mary into the depths of her interior life. Carmel is the symbol of the contemplative life, the life wholly dedicated to the quest for God, wholly orientated towards intimacy with God; and the one who has best realized this highest of ideals is Our Lady herself, 'Queen and Splendor of Carmel'."[1]

text: Prayer to the Blessed Mother of Mount Carmel[edit]

text: O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. Amen.

text: Church teaching[edit]

text: A 1996 doctrinal statement approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments states that

text: "Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is bound to the history and spiritual values of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and is expressed through the scapular. Thus, whoever receives the scapular becomes a member of the order and pledges him/herself to live according to its spirituality in accordance with the characteristics of his/her state in life."[10]

text: According to the Church on the Brown Scapular:

text: "The scapular is a Marian habit or garment. It is both a sign and pledge. A sign of belonging to Mary; a pledge of her motherly protection, not only in this life but after death. As a sign, it is a conventional sign signifying three elements strictly joined: first, belonging to a religious family particularly devoted to Mary, especially dear to Mary, the Carmelite Order; second, consecration to Mary, devotion to and trust in her Immaculate Heart; third, an urge to become like Mary by imitating her virtues, above all her humility, chastity, and spirit of prayer."[11]

text: Association with Purgatory[edit]

text: Since the Middle Ages, Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been related to Purgatory, where souls are purged of sins in the fires. In some images, she is portrayed as accompanied with angels and souls wearing Brown Scapulars, who plead for her mediation. In 1613, the Church forbade images to be made of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel descending into purgatory, due to errors being preached about certain privileges associated with the Brown Scapular (known as "the Sabbatine Privilege").[12]

text: That privilege appears in the noted Decree of the Holy Office (1613). It was inserted in its entirety (except for the words forbidding the painting of the pictures) into the list of the indulgences and privileges of the Confraternity of the Scapular of Mount Carmel.[13] In the 21st century, the Carmelites do not promote the Sabbatine Privilege. They encourage a belief in Mary's general aid and prayerful assistance for their souls beyond death, especially her aid to those who devoutly wear the Brown Scapular, and commend devotion to Mary especially on Saturdays, which are dedicated to her.

text: Apparitions[edit]

text: Our Lady of Mount Carmel was seen in the apparitions of Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portugal, by Lúcia Santos during the Miracle of the Sun. She also appeared to Saint Simon Stock to whom she gave the Brown Scapular.[14] The Garabandal apparitions, in Spain, were reported to be images of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

text: Acquafondata, italy, the apparition of the Virgin of Mount Carmel, on July 16, 1841. There is today a small sanctuary on the site.

text: Miracles[edit]

text: In Palmi, Italy, the anniversary of the earthquake of 1894 is observed annually on 16 November.[15] The earthquake had its epicenter in the city. An associated event has been classified as the "miracle of Our Lady of Mount Carmel." For 17 days preceding this earthquake, many of the faithful had reported strange eye movements and changes in the coloring of the face in a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The local and national press reported these occurrences.

text: In the evening of 16 November, the faithful improvised a procession carrying the statue of the Virgin of Carmel on their shoulders through the streets. When the procession reached the end of the city, a violent earthquake shook the whole district of Palmi,[16] ruining most of the old houses along the way. But, only nine people died out of a population of about 15,000 inhabitants, as almost all of the population had been on the street to watch the procession and were not trapped inside the destroyed buildings. Therefore, the city commemorates the 1894 procession each year, accompanied by firecrackers, lights, and festive stalls.

text: The Catholic Church has officially recognized the miracle.[17] On November 16, 1896 the statue of the Virgin was crowned, based on the decree issued September 22, 1895 by the Vatican Chapter.

text: Use in the peace movement[edit]

text: The first atomic bomb was exploded in the United States at the Trinity test site on 16 July 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The Catholic anti-war movement has built on the coincidence between this date and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In 1990, the Rev. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, a priest of the Eastern Rite (Byzantine-Melkite) of the Catholic Church, initiated the "16 July Twenty-Four Hours Day of Prayer," for Forgiveness and Protection with Our Lady of Mount Carmel, at Trinity Site in the New Mexico desert. Each year on 16 July, a prayer vigil is conducted at the Trinity site to pray for peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

text: Gallery of statues[edit]

text:
Part of a series on

Scapulars
of the Catholic Church

Sacramental garments

General

Saint Simon Stock
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Rosary and scapular
Sabbatine Privilege

Specific scapulars

Mount Carmel (Brown)
Fivefold Scapular
Passion (Red)
Passion (Black)
Seven Sorrows of Mary (Black)
The Archangel (Blue/Black)
Good Counsel (White)
Sacred Heart of Jesus (White)
Immaculate Heart of Mary (White)
Immaculate Conception (Blue)
Green Scapular (Green)
Scapular of Our Lady of Walsingham
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

 Catholicism portal

v
t
e

tag: table

text: Statues of Our Lady of Mount Carmel usually depict her with a Brown scapular.

text:
Beniaján, Spain

Chile

Chile

Biscay, Spain

Medellín, Colombia

Paucartambo, Peru

Boston, USA

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico

Pattada, Sardegna

tag: ul


document_title: Governor of Oklahoma

question_text: how many terms can a governor serve in oklahoma

text: Governor of Oklahoma

text: History[edit]

text: Territorial period[edit]

text: Before statehood in 1907, modern day Oklahoma was composed of Oklahoma and Indian territories. While Indian Territory was semi-independent of the federal government as Indian nations land, Oklahoma Territory was an organized territory under the supervision of the United States Congress. Within the Oklahoma Territory, a tripartite government existed, including a territorial legislature, a territorial supreme court, and a territorial governor.

text: The President of the United States appointed territorial governors to four-year terms.[3] Despite a set term, the governor served at the pleasure of the U.S. president, meaning that the president could replace him before his term was up.

text: The governor was the head of the territorial government. He had the power to veto legislation proposed by the territorial legislature and the power to appoint members to his cabinet, who in turn had to be ratified by territorial lawmakers. The governor had the power to appoint justices to the territorial high court. The governor was responsible to the U.S. president on addressing issues in the territory and served as the representative as the federal government of the United States. He was also the Commander in Chief of the territorial militia.

text: George Washington Steele served as the first governor of Oklahoma Territory.[3] He vetoed the territorial legislature's attempts to move the state capital from Guthrie to Oklahoma City or Kingfisher. He was instrumental in the establishment of two universities that would become the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. After only seventeen months in office, Steele resigned effective October 18, 1891. In his place, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Abraham Jefferson Seay to the governorship. Robert Martin, Secretary of Oklahoma Territory, served as acting governor from October 18, 1891, until February 1892, when Seay took the oath of office.

text: Frank Frantz served as the final governor of Oklahoma Territory.[4] He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the first state gubernatorial election.[4]

text: Statehood-Present[edit]

text: After the Oklahoma Constitution was written and accepted in 1907, the Oklahoma and Indian territories joined to form the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The office of the governor of Oklahoma replaced the office of territorial governor. The new office was similar, but designed with new restrictions, limits, and legislative and judicial oversight. It was crafted as a “weak governor system” to defend the state against abuses of power that had occurred under the territorial government.

text: Oklahoma's first governor, Charles N. Haskell, wielded executive power effectively, but in the first 20 years after he left office in 1911, the Oklahoma Legislature further limited the governor's office of its powers and impeached governors John C. Walton and Henry S. Johnston. It was not until William H. Murray took office in 1935 that the governorship expanded its powers.

text: In 1927, the state legislature appropriated $75,000 for the construction of a governor's mansion and $25,000 for furnishings. In 1928, the governor and his family moved in.[5]

text: As Oklahoma grew and the state government expanded, the office of the governor became gradually more powerful. As more agencies were introduced, the governor gained greater indirect influence through the power of appointment.

text: Initially the governor was not eligible to immediately succeed himself. It was not until 1966 that Oklahoma amended the state constitution to allow the governor to serve two consecutive terms.

text: Election[edit]

text: The governor of Oklahoma is elected directly by the voters of Oklahoma during gubernatorial elections held in November during the final year of each four-year gubernatorial term. The candidate with the highest number of votes becomes governor following the election. The Oklahoma Constitution requires the Oklahoma Legislature to choose the governor in the case of a tie vote.

text: Section Three of Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution establishes that gubernatorial candidates must be citizens of the United States, at least 31 years old, and residents of Oklahoma for at least ten years prior to their candidacy.

text: Under Section Four in Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves a four-year term in office beginning on the second Monday in January. Section Four also states that no person may hold the office for more than two consecutive terms. On November 2, 2010, voters passed a ballot initiative to limit governors to only eight years in office in a lifetime. The initiative also set the gubernatorial term of a lieutenant governor who becomes governor upon the death of the previous governor; upon the lieutenant governor's succession, he or she is to serve out two years of the governor's term.

text: Oath of office[edit]

text: "I, ........., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, and that I will not, knowingly, receive, directly or indirectly, any money or other valuable thing, for the performance or nonperformance of any act or duty pertaining to my office, other than the compensation allowed by law; I further swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully discharge my duties as Governor of the State of Oklahoma to the best of my ability."

text: Last election[edit]

text:
2014 Oklahoma gubernatorial election results[6]

Party
Candidate
Votes
%

Republican
Mary Fallin
458,788
55.8

Democratic
Joe Dorman
337,728
41.0

Independent
Kimberly Willis
17,143
2.1

Independent
Richard Prawdzienski
9,102
1.1

Total votes
823,761
100.0

text: Powers and duties[edit]

text: Executive powers[edit]

text: The governor, according to the Oklahoma Constitution, must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The governor is vested with "supreme executive power" as the state's "Chief Magistrate" and acts as head of the executive branch of Oklahoma. The governor has the power to issue executive orders that have the effect of law. The governor is the "conservator of the peace throughout the State," making him or her the chief peace officer in the state. In the position of chief peace officer, the governor commands state and local law enforcement agencies. In the event that law enforcement entities cannot execute the law, the governor, acting as Commander-in-Chief of Oklahoma’s state militia, may call out the Oklahoma National Guard to "execute the laws, protect the public health, suppress insurrection, and repel invasion." The governor is assisted in managing the military of Oklahoma by the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, who he or she appoints to office.

text: The governor has the power to commission officers not otherwise commissioned by the law of Oklahoma and has the power of appointment. When any office at the state level becomes vacant for any reason, the governor, unless otherwise provided by law, has the power to appoint a person to fill such vacancy, who shall continue in office until the election or appointment of a successor. If the office of an Oklahoma member of the United States House of Representatives or United States Senate becomes vacant the governor calls a special election to fill the remainder of the term. In the case of United States senators, the governor is empowered by the U.S. Constitution to appoint someone immediately to fill the vacant Senate seat temporarily until a special election can be held.

text: Within the executive branch of Oklahoma government, the governor is assisted by the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, the Secretary of State of Oklahoma, the Attorney General of Oklahoma, and the State Treasurer of Oklahoma, among others. While the other high level executive offices are elected directly by the people of Oklahoma, the Secretary of State is appointed by the governor with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate for a four-year term. Due to the large number of state agencies, the governor is assisted in running the government through the use of the Oklahoma State Cabinet. Through the Cabinet, the Governor can address the assembled heads of Oklahoma's executive branch departments which oversee Oklahoma's agencies. A secretary appointed by the governor heads each department and carryies out his executive orders through that department.

text: The governor is an ex officio chair of numerous state commissions and committees, including the Oklahoma Commissioners of Land Office and the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. While there are executive and state commissions of which the governor is not a member, he or she has appointment power to those entities with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate, such as with the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma.

text: The governor is also responsible for preparing the proposed Oklahoma state budget presented to the Oklahoma Legislature in February for the next fiscal year beginning in July. After state legislators negotiate the terms of the budget with the governor, the Oklahoma House of Representatives drafts a general appropriations bill that must be approved by the legislature and signed by the governor.

text: Legislative and judicial powers[edit]

text: Like the President of the United States, the governor plays a major role in the legislative process. Every bill that is passed by both the Oklahoma Senate and Oklahoma House of Representatives, and every resolution requiring the assent of both chambers of the legislature, must, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor. The governor may choose to sign it or veto it and send it back to the legislature. The governor’s veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds approval vote from each house.[7]

text: The governor has the power of the line-item veto, which allows them to sign part of appropriation bills into law, while sending appropriations items they disagree with back to the legislature. Items disapproved by the governor in this manner become void, unless the legislation is re-passed in both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate with a two-thirds vote in favor of overriding the veto.

text: Bills that are part of the governor's agenda are often drafted at the initiative of the governor or governor's staff. In annual and special messages to the Oklahoma Legislature, the governor may propose legislation. The most important annual message to state lawmakers takes place in the annual State of the State address. Before a joint session of the Oklahoma Legislature, the governor outlines the status of the state and legislative proposals for the upcoming year. The governor is in a strong position to influence public opinion and thereby to influence the actions of state legislators.

text: The governor has the power to convoke the legislature, or the Oklahoma Senate only, on extraordinary occasions. During extraordinary sessions, state legislators can only act on subjects the governor recommends for consideration. When ever a vacancy occurs within the state legislature, the governor shall issue a writ of election to fill such vacancies. In case of a disagreement between the two houses of the legislature, at a regular or special session, the governor may adjourn them to such time as he shall deem proper, not beyond the day of the next stated meeting of the legislature. He or she may convoke the Oklahoma Legislature at or adjourn it to another place, when, in his opinion, the public safety or welfare, or the safety or health of the members require it. Such a change or adjournment must be concurred by two-thirds votes in all branches of the legislature.

text: The governor plays an active role within the judicial branch of Oklahoma government. Oklahoma has a Judicial Nominating Commission consisting of thirteen members that review all potential justices and judges of Oklahoma's appellate courts, such as the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and review them to determine if they qualify to hold their respective positions. Of these thirteen members, the governor appoints six without the consent of the Oklahoma Legislature. The governor's appointments serve for a term of six years each; the terms are staggered so that approximately one-third of the appointments become vacant every two years.

text: In the event of a vacancy upon the Oklahoma Supreme Court or on the Court of Criminal Appeals, the Judicial Nominating Committee submits three nominees to fill the vacancy to the governor and Oklahoma Supreme Court chief justice. The governor must appoint one to fill the vacancy within 60 days or the appointment is turned over to the chief justice.

text: The governor also possess the power to grant commutations, pardons and paroles for all offenses, except cases of impeachment, upon such conditions and with such restrictions and limitations as he may deem proper, subject to such regulations as may be prescribed by law. The governor does not have the power to grant paroles if a convict has been sentenced to death or sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In order to grant a pardon to an individual, he must submit the name of the individual to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board composed of five members, three of which are appointed by the governor at the beginning of his term in office to serve a term that coincides with his own. After reviewing the applicant for clemency, and a favorable vote from the majority, the board may empower the governor to make such acts of as he deems necessary.

text: The governor has the power to grant after conviction, reprieves, or a leave of absence not to exceed sixty days, without the action of the board. The governor is required to communicate to the Oklahoma Legislature, at each regular session, each case of reprieve, commutation, parole or pardon, granted, stating the name of the convict, the crime of which he was convicted, the date and place of conviction, and the date of commutation, pardon, parole and reprieve.

text: Foreign relations[edit]

text: The governor, as Oklahoma’s head of state, serves as the chief representative of Oklahoma to the United States and to the world. Deals between Oklahoma and foreign powers (including other U.S. states and the United States) are negotiated by the governor. This reflects the governor's position as the spokesman for the state and the state’s interests to other state and world leaders. However, the governor may not make treaties with other nations or other U.S. states, as this is prevented by the United States Constitution.

text: In discharging his duty as chief spokesman, the governor may be required to testify before the United States Congress or meet with the President of the United States to address national issues that may affect the state. It is the governor’s responsibility to promote Oklahoma’s industries to the world economy as the spokesman for industrial development within the state. Along with those responsibilities comes the role of chief promoter of Oklahoma’s goods and services to foreign consumers.

text: The governor plays a significant role in national politics. As the representative of Oklahoma, the governor heads, on a state level, his or her political party. In this position, the governor serves as the state’s leader in selecting a party candidate to run for the office of President of the United States. As Oklahoma's head of state, the governor may travel through the country to promote Oklahoma in a general interest or travel abroad to serve as proponent of America’s interests.

text: Emergency powers[edit]

text: Pursuant to the Oklahoma Emergency Management Act of 2003 and the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act, in the event that a natural or man-made emergency or a catastrophic health emergency occurs or is anticipated in the immediate future, the governor gains emergency powers to better respond to the emergency and combat the threat. Either the governor through executive order or the Oklahoma Legislature through concurrent resolution may declare a state of emergency. Once declared, the governor may exercise his or her additional emergency powers. At any time, the governor (through executive order) or the state legislature (through concurrent resolution) may declare an end to the state of emergency and suspend the governor's emergency powers.

text: Upon the declaration of an emergency, the governor is allowed a limited-form of rule by decree. He assumes direct regulatory control over essential resources of the state. It will then be the responsibility of the governor to determine the priorities of such resources and allocate them as the governor may deem necessary. These resources include, but are not limited to, food, manpower, health and health manpower, water, transportation, economic stabilization, electric power, petroleum, gas, and solid fuel, industrial production, construction and housing.

text: The focus of the governor's emergency powers is to ensure the security and stability of the state and he or she receives comprehensive police powers in an emergency. In discharging those power to enforce laws, rules and regulations relating to emergency management, the governor assumes direct operational control of emergency management forces of the state, including the Oklahoma National Guard, state police agencies, state and local health departments, as well as county sheriff's offices and local police departments. These emergency police powers extend to providing for the evacuation of the state’s population from any affected or threatened area or areas within the state, regulating the conduct of civilians and the movement of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, and regulating public meetings and gatherings. The governor is responsible for providing for the care of all those regulated by his or her orders.

text: During a state of emergency, the governor is authorized to utilize the services, equipment, supplies and facilities of all departments, offices and agencies of the state to the maximum extent practicable. State, county, and local officers and personnel must cooperate with the governor in emergency management upon his or her direction. Any state, county, or local official that willful fails to obey any order, rule or regulation issued by the governor may be removed from office by the governor. However, before removal, officers must receives the charges against them and have an opportunity to defend themselves. Pending the presentation of charges, the governor may suspend such officers for a period not to exceed thirty days. Any vacancy resulting from removal or suspension shall be filled by the governor until it is filled as provided by state law. However, according to the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor may not remove from office the elective state executive officers, the justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the judges of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and members of the Oklahoma Legislature.

text: When carrying out the functions of his or her emergency powers, the governor is immune from civilly liable for any loss or injury resulting from any decision, determination, order or action in the performance of his/her assigned duties and responsibilities during a stated emergency. However, this immunity does not apply when such loss or injury is caused by the gross negligence, or willfully and unnecessarily act by the governor.

text: Relationship with lieutenant governor[edit]

text: The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is elected at the same election as the governor, but not jointly as the running mate of the gubernatorial candidate. Oklahoma currently has a governor and a lieutenant governor of the same party, as both Governor Mary Fallin and Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb are of the Republican Party.

text: The first instance of an Oklahoma governor serving alongside a lieutenant governor of a different political party began in 1963, when Republican Governor Henry Bellmon served alongside Democratic Lieutenant Governor Leo Winters. Since then, there have been three more instances. In 1967, Republican Governor Dewey F. Bartlett served alongside Democratic Lieutenant Governor George Nigh. In 1987, Bellmon served alongside Democratic Lieutenant Governor Robert S. Kerr III. Finally, in 2002, Democratic Governor Brad Henry served alongside Republican Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin.

text: The governor may appoint the lieutenant governor to her cabinet. For example, Governor Mary Fallin appointed Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb to serve as her small business advocate within her Cabinet – although Lamb later resigned that position due to disagreements with the Governor.

text: A lieutenant governor can also serve as Acting Governor. When acting as the governor, the Oklahoma Constitution provides all the powers of the governor to the lieutenant governor. This includes the power of signing or vetoing legislation, making political appointments, calling out the Oklahoma National Guard, or granting pardons. The need for the lieutenant governor to act as the governor may be due to the governor's absence from the state, or his inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office. When acting as governor, the lieutenant governor holds the powers of the governor until the governor returns to the state or she is found to be able to resume her powers and duties.

text: Office of the Governor[edit]

text:
Office of the Governor

Agency overview

Formed
1907

Preceding agency

Office of the Territorial Governor

Headquarters
Oklahoma State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Employees
39 unclassified

Annual budget
$1.98 million

Minister responsible

Mary Fallin, Governor

Agency executive

Denise Northrup, Chief of Staff

Website
Office of the Governor

text: The Office of the Governor is the state agency that supports the governor in the performance of gubernatorial duties. The agency consists of the governor's staff and is headed by the governor's chief of staff. The current chief of staff is Denise Northrup. Staffers are political appointees and serve at the pleasure of the governor. They work in the governor's Oklahoma State Capitol offices in Oklahoma City, the governor's Tulsa office and the Governor's Mansion.

text: As of 2013, the agency has an annual budget of approximately $1.98 million.[8] The budget provides funding for employee salaries and benefits, operation and upkeep of the governor's offices in the Oklahoma State Capitol and Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the operation and upkeep of the Governor's Mansion.

text: Residence[edit]

text: Since 1928, Oklahoma governors reside in the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion. Before its construction, governors lived in various locations around Guthrie and Oklahoma City. Governor Charles N. Haskell set up his administration's office and his official residence within a hotel in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Legislature provided for the construction of an official residence after years of debate in 1927. The next year, in 1928, the mansion was completed.[5]

text: Built by an Oklahoma City architectural firm, Layton, Hicks and Forsyth, the mansion is of Dutch-Colonial style.[5] Carthage limestone was used so the exterior of the Mansion would complement the Oklahoma State Capitol, which is located to the west of the mansion. The state legislature allocated $100,000 of state money ($75,000 for construction and $25,000 for furnishing) to the project. Two years later, another $39,000 was set aside to complete outbuildings and landscaping. Though originally having 19 rooms, today the 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) Mansion has 12, including a library, parlor, dining room, grand ballroom, kitchen, sunroom and five bedrooms.

text: The mansion also serves as an active museum. Throughout the mansion there are antiques and artwork from both museum and private collections. The museum is designed to provide a glimpse into Oklahoma's history and culture. Artists represented in oil and bronze include N.C. Wyeth, Charles Marion Russell, Thomas Moran and Albert Beirstadt.

text: Succession[edit]

text: As per the Oklahoma Constitution, if the governor is impeached, resigns, dies, leaves the state, fails to qualify or is unable to serve, the lieutenant governor fills the vacancy, either temporarily or for the remainder of the gubanatorial term.

text: If, during a vacancy of the office of governor, the lieutenant governor is impeached, displaced, resigns, dies, is absent from the state, or becomes incapable of performing the duties of the office, the president pro tempore of the state senate is the next official in the gubanatorial line of succession. The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is third in line of gubernatorial succession.[9]

text: If the governor, lieutenant governor, senate president pro tempore, and speaker are unable to act as governor, then the next official in the line of succession becomes the emergency interim successor. As the emergency interim successor to the governor, the officer may exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the governor until a new governor is elected or until the disability is removed from the governor or higher official. The emergency interim successor does not however inherit the title of governor, unless there is a man-made or natural emergency or disaster has occurred in the United States. The Oklahoma Legislature, by concurrent resolution, may terminate the authority of any emergency interim successor to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the governor.

text: Line of succession[edit]

text: As provided by the Oklahoma Constitution and the Oklahoma Emergency Interim Executive and Judicial Succession Act, the line of succession to the Governorship is as follows:

text:
#
Office
Current Officer

May succeed to Governorship

Governor of Oklahoma
Mary Fallin

1
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Todd Lamb

2
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Mike Schulz

3
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Charles A. McCall

May serve as Emergency Interim Successor

4
State Auditor and Inspector
Gary Jones

5
Attorney General
Mike Hunter

6
State Treasurer
Ken Miller

7
State School Superintendent
Joy Hofmeister

8
Labor Commissioner
Melissa McLawhorn Houston

9
Corporation Commissioner (by length of tenure)
Bob Anthony

10
Corporation Commissioner
Dana Murphy

11
Corporation Commissioner
Todd Hiett

text: Gubernatorial trivia[edit]

text:
Between the births of Charles N. Haskell in 1860 and Brad Henry in 1963, governors have been born in every decade

Ohio
Texas
Arkansas
Missouri
Pennsylvania
Alabama
Kentucky
Indiana
Washington, D.C.

Governors have been born in ten counties in Oklahoma

Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Marshall County, Oklahoma
Washita County, Oklahoma
Johnston County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Noble County, Oklahoma
Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma

Muskogee, Oklahoma, has produced more governors than any other location:

Charles N. Haskell
Martin E. Trapp
J. Howard Edmondson

The first governor born was Charles N. Haskell on March 13, 1860
The most recent governor born is Brad Henry on July 10, 1963
The shortest term in office was nine days by George Nigh in 1963 (January 6 – 14, 1963)
Sworn in at age 33, J. Howard Edmondson was the youngest governor
Sworn in at age 61, William H. Murray was the oldest governor
The oldest living former governor is George Nigh at age 90
The youngest living former governor is Brad Henry at age 54
Henry S. Johnston has the longest life span of any governor, 97 years
J. Howard Edmondson has the shortest life span of any governor, 46 years
No governor has died while in office
Three governors have been impeached, two were removed from office

Lee Cruce in 1912, found not guilty of charges
John C. Walton in 1923, removed from office
Henry S. Johnston in 1929, removed from office

Between the deaths of Lee Cruce in 1933 and David Hall in 2016, former governors have died in every decade except in the 1980s
Ten governors were actually born in Oklahoma
Governors have been born in ten states and the federal district

Oklahoma
Kansas

Born in 1896, Robert S. Kerr was the first governor born in what would become Oklahoma
Born in 1908, Raymond D. Gary was the first governor born in Oklahoma after statehood in 1907
E. W. Marland has the shortest post-governorship, 2 years
George Nigh has the longest post-governorship, 16 years between 1963 and 1979, and nearly 31 years between 1987 and today, for a total of nearly 47 years.
Of the 26 people to hold the office of governor through 2013, twenty-one have been Democrats and five have been Republicans.
Mary Fallin is the first, and currently, the only female governor.
Two governors are relatives:

William H. Murray was the father of Johnston Murray

There are currently five living former governors

George Nigh
David L. Boren
David Walters
Frank Keating
Brad Henry

Three Lieutenant Governors have been elevated to the governorship

Martin E. Trapp in 1923
William J. Holloway in 1929
George Nigh in 1963 and in 1979

Five governors have served more than one term

George Nigh
Henry Bellmon
Frank Keating
Brad Henry
Mary Fallin

Two governors have served nonconsecutive terms

George Nigh in 1963 and 1979
Henry Bellmon in 1963 and 1987

Four governors have served two consecutive terms

George Nigh from 1979 to 1987
Frank Keating from 1995 to 2003
Brad Henry from 2003 to 2011
Mary Fallin from 2011 to present

Two governors have resigned

J. Howard Edmondson in 1963 to become a United States Senator
David L. Boren in 1979 to become a United States Senator