| Sam McGuire | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Gender: | Male |
|---|---|
| Hair Color: | Brown |
| Occupation(s): | Attorney (implied) |
| Family & Friends | |
| Family: | Jo (wife) Lizzie (daughter) Matt (son) Gammy McGuire (Mother) Heather (niece)[1] Ree Ree (cousin)[2] |
| Pet(s): | Lizzie the Lizard |
| Other Information | |
| Interests: | Softball |
| Series Information | |
| Portrayer: | Robert Carradine |
Samuel Lewis[3] McGuire is Lizzie's father. He could best be described as a bit goofy and quite clueless about raising his kids. However, he always tries his best to help Lizzie and understand her, and is always available to lend a helping hand.
Early Life[]
Sam was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan[4] in approximately 1961.[5] He was a nerdy child and teenager, president of the Audiovisual Club[6], a Mathlete, and a hall monitor[7]. He built a soap box racer which he still keeps in a shed outside the house, and his aptitude test revealed him to have "untapped mechanical ability."[8]
He is afraid of heights because of a "bad rope-climbing incident."[9]
In 1976 Sam won a trip to Washington, D.C. for his Bicentennial essay, "America: It's More Than Just Amber Waves of Grain."[10]
Sam did not like cheerleaders in school, thinking they were snooty.[11]
As a youth, Sam had an extensive baseball card collection that he kept into adulthood.[12]
While in high school, Sam played the guitar in a garage band named Midnight Sam and the Love Patrol with his cousin Ree Ree and Ree Ree's buddy, Stucco.[2]
Professional Life[]
Although rarely seen in practice, he appears to be a successful attorney.[13]
Personality[]
Sam is often clueless about what his children are really up to, leaving it to Jo to deal with issues of children and family. But he sometimes enjoys clever schemes of the children when he finds out about them (much to the distress of Jo, who may find them to be a bad idea). He is portrayed with a good deal of clumsiness—which Lizzie apparently inherited.
Sam pretends to hate the fact that Lizzie is growing up and tries his best to stop her. However, in Bye Bye Hillridge Junior High, he shows he's learned to accept that growing up and getting older is inevitable when he calmly tells Lizzie she grew up in middle school. He also tells her about all the things he remembered her doing (namely, running for class president, rhythmic gymnastics, helping to save the environment and getting her first job). After she explained to him how she failed at every one of those things, he assures her she tried her best, and that the only time she failed at something was when she didn't try. He then says he thinks she will do just fine in high school.
Sam likes to eat whole jalapenos.[14]
Sam enjoys working with garden gnomes.[15]
Sam is a big fan of Chinese food.[16]
Sam plays on a local softball team, but he only gets on base when he gets hit by a pitch.[17]
Sam frequently pitches in with Jo to prepare meals.[7]
Sam is an excellent bowler. He has his own bowling ball, and a ball bag labelled "Striking Sam."[18]
References[]
- ↑ Night of the Day of the Dead
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Facts of Life
- ↑ A flashback in Election shows Sam wearing a name badge that says "Lewis." (The photograph is from the 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds, where Carradine plays a character named Lewis.)
- ↑ El Oro De Montezuma
- ↑ In Gordo's Bar Mitzvah, he said he was 15 1/2 years old in 1976.
- ↑ Election
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Obsession
- ↑ Jack of All Trades
- ↑ Party Over Here
- ↑ Between a Rock and a Bra Place
- ↑ Rumors
- ↑ First Kiss
- ↑ In When Moms Attack, the book West's Annotated California Codes, a very expensive reference book on the laws of California, appears in the background of an Animated Lizzie segment.
- ↑ Picture Day
- ↑ Misadventures in Babysitting
- ↑ As shown in Misadventures in Babysitting, Sam and Jo have a "regular table" at a Chinese restaurant, and they know the hostess by name.
- ↑ Random Acts of Miranda
- ↑ Lizzie Strikes Out