Three's Company: The Best of Three's Company

Three's Company: The Best of Three's Company
ABC
May 18, 1982
Sitcom
DVD
C+

It's funny, I remember very little about the last season of Mork & Mindy but I can pretty clearly remember this clip show.  Maybe it's the difference in the level of syndication, or maybe I did miss some of Mork with the hiatuses and all.  Anyway, it was a big deal to get a comedy icon like Lucille Ball to host a clip show for a series that the critics then hated.  The clips selected range from classic (like Jack waking up with Mr. Roper) to OK.  But it is a clip show and there's only so much you can do with that, especially at an hour's length.  Also, in '82, it was great to see the early episodes again, which you couldn't other than when they'd air in syndication, while now, after watching six seasons on DVD (and having seen the episodes many times over the years anyway), it's not such a big deal.  Note that this couldn't have aired at the end of the previous season, because the behind the scenes drama had not yet quieted down.

Besides the people I've tagged, the following appear in clips: Paul Ainsley (Jim the Bartender), Frank Aletter (Mr. Latham), Leon Askin (Mr. Hoffmeier), Michael Bell (as Michael the dance instructor, not as the guru), Jordan Charney (as Mr. Layton rather than as Mr. Angelino), Gina Conforti (Felipe), Cynthia Harris (Mrs. Layton), Sally Kemp (Mrs. Latham), Shell Kepler (Didi), Jillian Kesner (the Sister who beats up "David Miller"), Heather Lowe (Brenda), Tori Lysdahl (Shirley), William Pierson (Dean Travers), Irene Tedrow (Martha), and Isabelle Wolfe (Waitress).  I think I would've included Loni Anderson and more recognizable guest stars, but maybe they didn't want to take too much attention away from the main cast.

Three's Company in its sixth season ranges from two C-s to three Bs, averaging just barely over the B- side of the C+/B- border.  As at the time, it took me awhile to warm up to the Terri character, and I don't think the writers quite knew what to do with her at first, or with Cindy as a drop-in friend.  As I recall, in Season Seven I was reconciled to Terri but not as invested in the show as I was a few years earlier.  (And this clip show would've confirmed my belief that the series was better in the Chrissy days.)  That said, I kept watching to the end (and even beyond, with Three's a Crowd).

Three's Company: Night of the Ropers

Three's Company: Night of the Ropers
ABC
March 17, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B

This George Burditt story brings the Ropers back on their 25th wedding anniversary.  (Which I'm sure doesn't match up to previous episodes with their anniversaries.)  Mrs. Roper is upset that Mr. Roper didn't want to do anything to celebrate, so she wants to stay with the "kids."  Janet advises her to make Mr. Roper jealous, and Helen soon has an opportunity when she stays in Mr. Furley's apartment while he's supposed to be away for the weekend.  He comes back early and of course Mr. Roper finds them innocently in bed together.  Jack tracks Mr. Roper down to the Regal Beagle and convinces him to make up with Mrs. Roper.  But she overhears Stanley saying he expects her to apologize.  So she gets back into bed with Mr. Furley.  And the two landlords end up fighting, which makes her happy.  And then the Ropers go to bed together, which Stanley is ambivalent about.  (He seems to like how she's necking with him, but he resents being tricked.)

Cindy is introduced as Chrissy's cousin but of course the biggest cast change for the purposes of this episode is the addition of Don Knotts, and it's fun to see him play off of Lindley and Fell.  The funniest part is probably Fell's "You know what, you know why, you know why what, you know what why," delivered twice.  I suppose objectively, this is really a B- or C+ episode, but it's so nice to see the Ropers again (in fact, in some ways nicer than it was to see them when they were regulars), that my enjoyment level is B.

Three's Company: An Anniversary Surprise

Three's Company: An Anniversary Surprise
ABC
March 13, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Shulman & Baskin story, Mr. Roper sells the apartment building, but of course the trio jump to the conclusion that the real-estate lady, Mrs. Dawson (Ruta Lee, who'd very recently guested on Mork & Mindy, here in her first of two 3'sC roles), is his mistress and he's going to leave Mrs. Roper.  This marked the end of the Ropers as regulars on 3'sC, since they spun off to their own series.  (As did their British prototypes of course.)  Note that this is the Roper's 22nd anniversary and they've been in the building for 14 years.  And Paul Ainsley returns as Jim the Bartender.

This may feel like a season-closer but there will be a couple May episodes coming up, one of them an old favorite of mine, so I'm curious to see how it measures up on this reviewing.

Three's Company: The Bake-Off

Three's Company: The Bake-Off
ABC
February 27, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Wayne & Burditt episode, based on a story submitted by someone with no other credits, might've gotten a B or higher from me, but I really can't get past that Janet and Chrissy never seriously consider telling Jack the truth until it's too late.  Still, I like the "making it" misunderstanding about the bed and the cartoonish but cute Chrissy-pie-swallowing shots.  As for the pie fight, it always seems like this kind of scene is more fun to be in than to watch.  William Pierson again appears as Dean Travers, and is still titillated by Jack's living situation.

Three's Company: The Harder They Fall

Three's Company: The Harder They Fall
ABC
February 20, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Gordon & Mendelsohn episode is one of the best of the season.  It's got a good level of farce, including of course an overheard conversation, and Jack isn't as manipulative of women as he's been lately.  (Well, he is a little bit but it's forgivable.)  We also see how Janet asks out a man, Gregg Halliday (Rod McCary in his first of two appearances on the show), and proves that this doesn't mean she's a "pushover."

Three's Company: The Best Laid Plans

Three's Company: The Best Laid Plans
ABC
February 13, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Shulman & Baskin adapted the Man About the House episode "Of Mice and Women" at a time when 3'sC was depending less and less on its British predecessor.  In thinking it over, I guess it's about equivalent in quality, as well as in the underhandedness of the men's scheming.  Note that Chrissy says she practically grew up on her grandfather's farm, and I'm guessing that Cindy's Aunt Becky with the farm is also Chrissy's aunt.  Also, Mrs. Roper's mother then lived in Sacramento, but I recall her as guesting more than once on The Ropers.

Jenny Sherman, who plays Larry's date Diane, would return as Ginger.

Three's Company: The Catered Affair

Three's Company: The Catered Affair
ABC
February 6, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Gordon & Mendelsohn story would get the standard B- but it's a bit creepy that not only does the President of Chrissy's company, Mr. Penrose (Macon McCalman), hit on her, but her boss, JC Braddock (Emmaline Henry again), and roommates let her risk "losing something besides her job" just so his wife can catch him making a pass at Chrissy.  And at the risk of sounding pervy myself, I do have to note that Chrissy is wearing a sheer dress which is very revealing during the moments when the front ruffles are raised.  Even though this aired almost three months after the previous Braddock episode, she's only been working for JC a couple weeks.

Macon McCalman had played Dr. Malcolm on The Bob Newhart Show and it adds to the creepiness of this episode that he'd come back, twice, as Janet's father!

Three's Company: Stanley's Hotline

Three's Company: Stanley's Hotline
ABC
January 30, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is perhaps the only sitcom to ever use a farcical mix-up between wart removal and abortion.  Schedeen does a better job filling in for DeWitt than Leland Smith did filling in for Fred Berry a few days earlier.  (And I think it was for similar reasons, contract renegotiations with ABC.)

Three's Company: The Older Woman

Three's Company: The Older Woman
ABC
January 16, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Wayne & Burditt story has Jack involved with Mrs. Roper's cousin, Barbara (41-year-old Claudette Nevins, who had been a Hostess on The Bob Newhart Show).  She's an archaeologist who "digs him," and the feeling is mutual.  The girls approve, until they mistake Barbara's mother, Martha (71-year-old Irene Tedrow, who had recently played Mr. Drummond's mother, here making her first of two 3'sC appearances), for Jack's new girlfriend.  So Larry volunteers to seduce the woman, to prove she's just into young guys.  I'd like the episode better if it didn't go in that farcical direction and actually explored Jack's new relationship and reaction to it.

Three's Company: Eleanor's Return

Three's Company: Eleanor's Return
ABC
December 12, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Shulman & Baskin story is very farcical, especially when Larry streaks, but it also gets at Jack's basic insecurities.  Eleanor is newly divorced and ready to move to San Diego.  (What happened to the baby?  Did he die?  Does her "jerk" husband have custody?  Is the baby staying with her parents till she resettles?)  Jack, egged on by Larry, thinks that Eleanor is going to move back in, so he agrees to sabotage her surprise party, not realizing that the party is for him for passing his comprehensive exams.  (He has two more years of school left.)  I like the dynamic among the girls and how Eleanor fits in, and not just because of hair color.  This is one of those episodes that's not quite a B+ but is definitely one of the best of the series.

Three's Company: The Party's Over

Three's Company: The Party's Over
ABC
December 5, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Although on my earlier blog, I said that the Man About the House episode of the same name was better, I think that while this isn't as funny, I do prefer that Mr. Roper doesn't commit borderline adultery with Mrs. Hollins from the pet shop (Diana Herbert, who played a Secretary on That Girl).  I don't think I mentioned it before, but it does seem odd to me now that the kids think they can get away with throwing a party without their landlord who lives right below finding out.  In any case, both versions get B-s and, yes, this adaptation is by NRW as usual.

Three's Company: The Kleptomaniac

Three's Company: The Kleptomaniac
ABC
November 28, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

This NRW story has a continuity error but is otherwise solid.  Mr. Roper offers Jack $50/day to paint the outside of the apartment building, although he's only giving him the weekend.  That's not the error.  Helen receives a COD package and says that Jack and Stanley went to the paint store.  But only a minute later, Jack is on the ladder, looking into his own bedroom.  He's just in time to see Chrissy take money out of his bureau in order to loan it to Mrs. Roper.  (There's a line about not giving an IOU to the UPS for a COD.)

There are more sight gags than usual, from Ritter but also from his teamwork with DeWitt.  I like that the misunderstanding is (relatively) plausible.  And Jack and Janet's concern for Chrissy is sweet.  Note that the date Chrissy types on Jack's letter has eight characters, so I'm guessing it was M/D/1978 format.

Three's Company: The Crush

Three's Company: The Crush
ABC
November 21, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Gordon & Mendelsohn story has a girl who's visiting the Ropers develop a crush on Jack.  At 10, I could relate to 13-year-old Laurie (played by Lauri Hendler, around the time she was doing ABC Weekend Specials as Little Lulu but about three years before her long-running role on Gimme a Break).  I think I had a crush on Jack myself by then, although I wouldn't have sunk to her methods.  She sends Janet and Chrissy a fake telegram and she keeps interrupting Jack's time alone with Rita (Lois Areno, who'd return as Katy Williams).  I've never been crazy about her twice saying, "I love a man who's forceful!", but otherwise it's a pretty good episode, with Chrissy's dumb-blondeness not yet crossing over into certifiable.   Note that Jack says he's almost twice Laurie's age, so I assume he turned 25 on the Loni Anderson episode.

Three's Company: Chrissy's New Boss

Three's Company: Chrissy's New Boss
ABC
November 14, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Gordon & Mendelsohn story, Chrissy envies Jack and Janet's recent work successes, so they encourage her to speak up for herself and move out of the secretarial pool after two years.  Since she's wearing a very low-cut dress (as Jack had jokingly suggested) when she comes home with a promotion, they (Janet especially) assume that her cleavage swayed her boss.  Little do they know that the title character, JC Braddock, is a woman, well played by Emmaline Henry in her first of two appearances.  Meanwhile, Jim the Bartender (Paul Ainsley) has a chef uncle who might hire Jack for $30/night.   Misunderstanding ensues at the Regal Beagle, and it's nice to see Ainsley have a little more to work with, including downing a drink after Jack pisses the uncle off.  Note that much of the episode is set in the kids' apartment and it's weird to see Mr. Roper do not one but two takes to the camera in that setting.

Three's Company: Larry's Bride

Three's Company: Larry's Bride
ABC
October 31, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Larry is going to marry a girl he's known a week, but she's had a crush on Jack since high school and she comes on to Jack in the kitchen.  The best things about this episode are how Ritter plays drunk and then hungover.  Note, this is one of those shows where people have a wedding someplace other than a church or City Hall.  (I always considered Mel's Diner to be the most ludicrous example in this era.)

Three's Company: Chrissy and the Guru

Three's Company: Chrissy and the Guru
ABC
October 24, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Wayne & Burditt episode is equal to the Welcome Back, Kotter and What's Happening!! episodes where the most naive character joins a cult.  In fact, the robes have the same color scheme as on What's Happening!! (apricot accented with light purple) but worn with variations.  Since Chrissy, unlike Horshack or Rerun (or Billy Tate when that thread appears on Soap), can't be lured into the cult by a pretty girl, the guru himself, Rama Mageesh (Michael Bell in his first of two sleazy roles on the show), persuades her.  But when he comes on to her, she figures out he's a fraud and she manages to get her money back without him realizing.

Paul Ainsley plays Jim the Bartender again and looks annoyed by Jack's antics but not by the cultists' begging.  Guru Girl #2, Diane Sommerfield, would be Ginger on What's Happening!! a few months later.

Three's Company: My Sister's Keeper

Three's Company: My Sister's Keeper
ABC
October 17, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

Franelle Silver joined Wayne & Burditt to write this episode that combines farce with character development.  Janet's college-age sister Jenny (25-year-old Devon Ericson, who had played a young married woman in "The Skating Rink" three years before) visits and sleeps in Jack's room.  When he groggily joins her, Janet of course jumps to the wrong conclusion.  It takes Chrissy's special brand of logic to open Janet's eyes.  DeWitt and Ericson have a nice, believable dynamic as sisters and I wish they'd brought Jenny back, as they did Chrissy's father.  Note that Larry is mentioned a couple times but not seen.

Three's Company: Helen's Rendezvous

Three's Company: Helen's Rendezvous
ABC
October 10, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Stanley has a fight with his best friend Jerry (somewhat based on Jerry on Man About the House, although he doesn't appear in any other 3'sC episode).  Helen tries to patch things up but Jack and Chrissy (who are on a date which is soon forgotten about) think she's having an affair.  Not only is plausibility stretched to the limit here-- among other things, why couldn't Mrs. Roper be found in the kids' apartment while Jerry hides?-- but Jerry is made even more unappealing than necessary.  Not just physically with his fat, combover, and wardrobe worse than Stanley's, but in his coming on to his best friend's wife, even when she tells him no.  That said, there are moments I like, including Jack and Chrissy's improvised Illicit Fling "disco dance," and Jack explaining that Janet and Chrissy stopped the water shortage by showering together.

Three's Company: The Fast

Three's Company: The Fast
ABC
October 3, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This had four writers: Al Gordon, who'd do six more for 3'sC; Jack Mendelsohn, who'd done the weakest Hong Kong Phooey episode and who'd write five more for 3'sC; and a couple writers who didn't write anything else I own.  So I'm not sure if any of them individually is to blame for the two aspects that keep me from giving this a B.  Even as a kid, I didn't like that Janet gets Jack and Chrissy involved in a bet that doesn't require her to do anything but police both of them.  And as an adult, I find Mrs. Roper trying to hypnotize her husband into being amorous to be a bit creepy.  That said, there are some fun moments, like the wordplay, including the girls singing the name of Jack's girlfriend.

Three's Company: The Love Diary

Three's Company: The Love Diary
ABC
September 26, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the only 3'sC story by Deborah Hwang, although her co-writer Gary Belkin also did "Stanley Casanova."  The plot is definitely a farcical misunderstanding, with Mr. Roper mistaking the diary that Chrissy is typing for her own, and him thinking that he's the very attractive but married downstairs neighbor.  But it seems excessive, even for a man who's upset, to want to evict not only Chrissy but her roommates to save his marriage.

Paul Barselou, who would be a nameless man five years later on the show, here turns out to be Wanda X, in a tag that disappeared in syndication.