The Bob Newhart Show: I Want to Be Alone

The Bob Newhart Show: I Want to Be Alone
CBS
December 2, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B

Jerry Mayer's second BNS script further solidifies the characterization, particularly that of Emily and Howard.  Daily's delivery on "God, I hope that's Bob!" is just right, and you can see how proud Emily is of herself for not only hosting but speaking up at a teachers' meeting.  Mayer can even be credited with initiating the running joke that Mr. Carlin wears a toupee.  Newhart gets some good scenes, on his own and with others, but that's less surprising.

Patricia Smith makes her last appearance as Margaret, claiming to have only two kids.  (Maybe she doesn't count the baby as a kid who knows about the facts of life.)  Helen Page Camp, who was Myrna Hoover on the Pilot, is Mrs. Prince here.  Nora Marlowe has her first of three BNS roles, as Mrs. Brandell.  Bernie Kopell makes his only appearance on the show, as swinging bachelor Dr. Arnold.  Thirty-one-year-old Archie Hahn makes his screen debut, as the Bellman.

That Girl: Stag Party

Suffice to say, my image search for
"that girl stag party" was not successful.

That Girl: Stag Party
ABC
February 26, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I didn't really care for this Turteltaub-Orenstein story, except for the last few minutes, where there's a twist in the plot, followed by a sort of sweet scene with Don and Ann.  Note the continuity error of Jerry having been married to Ruthie for seven years.  (And whatever happened to Margie, the woman he married in '67?)

Hal Williams makes his second appearance on the show, as Herbie Robinson, while Jerry Fogel's last TG role is as Frankie

That Girl: That King

More natural look

That Girl: That King
ABC
February 19, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
C+

In Warren S. Murray's last TG story, David Doyle sets Ann up on a date with a bratty preteen king who wears as much makeup as she does.  (So that's where glam rock started!)  Waiter Herbie Faye previously was Milton.

That Girl: A Limited Engagement

That Girl: A Limited Engagement
ABC
January 15, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

Turteltaub and Orenstein contribute a surprisingly dark (by TG standards) episode where Donald gets cold feet and the engagement is temporarily broken off.  Ann is confused and upset, but Lew offers some comfort.  And Donald and Ann make up of course.  I was particularly impressed by Kopell's acting here, doing well with the unaccustomed drama.

Buddy Lester makes his last TG appearance, as the man waiting for the elevator.

Lancelot Link: The C.H.U.M.P Code Caper/ Weather or Not

Lancelot Link: The C.H.U.M.P Code Caper/ Weather or Not
ABC
Approximately December 26, 1970
Children's
VHS
B-

This episode includes some odder than usual humor for the show, from a joke about smog to a reference to Nixon's Checkers speech.  Also, the musical sequence has the Ev Rev performing in a late '60s disco, with other chimps dancing.

That Girl: That Senorita

That Girl: That Senorita
ABC
December 11, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
C+

The topic of sensitivity to racial stereotypes is handled clumsily but sincerely in this Turteltaub-Orenstein story.  It's strange watching Jerry do ethnic humor, and then apologize for it, considering the stereotypes Kopell was then happily perpetuating on Lancelot Link.  Note, Ruthie has recently given birth, but that's the only mention since her pregnancy announcement nine months earlier.  Ann at one point wears a caftan that looks like a Twister board.

Army Archerd played himself earlier but this episode is a nameless TV Critic.  Sarah Fankboner is Miss Juanez here and would later appear on M*A*S*H.  Forrest Compton was the earlier actor for Jonathan Adams but here plays George Phillips.  Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., is Rudy Sanchez here and earlier was the P.A. Announcer.  Alejandro Rey was Eduardo Guzman before and is Felix here.  Dick Yarmy is Fred Thompson here and would later be a Cashier.  This is the 100th TV program I've given a C+ to.

That Girl: Super Reporter

That Girl: Super Reporter
ABC
December 4, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
C

Sigh, we're back to the disappointing sort of stories that Turteltaub-Orenstein too often cranked out. It starts out fine, with some farce of Ann actually hiding a man in her closet, and even the thing of Don being stuck in the superhero costume is OK, although I don't see why he can't send Ann to get other clothes from his apartment right away.  But then he behaves completely out of character, telling off an authority figure very rudely (when he's usually diplomatic, even when angry), and tricking his boss into giving a speech on not prejudging young people by their clothing.  "Relevancy" and hokey comedy is not a good combination.  (Unless you're working for Sherwood Schwartz of course.)

Jimmy Cross played a Policeman on Gidget but is the Drunk here (the sort of role he was much more often cast in).  Policeman Brad Trumbull was previously a Reporter.  Autograph Fan Florence Mercer was Estelle Webber before.

Lancelot Link: The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze/ The Great Bank Robbery

Lancelot Link: The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze/ The Great Bank Robbery
ABC
Approximately November 28, 1970
Children's
VHS
B-

This is an improvement, with slightly better scripts (even if they repeat the "What's your theory, Darwin?" joke) and definitely a better song (something about "hyperstatic instamatic" something or other).  Also, when you get to the point of a chimp ventriloquist, you've reached Krofft-level surrealism.

That Girl: Stop the Presses I Want to Get Off

That Girl: Stop the Presses I Want to Get Off
ABC
November 27, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ann gets some reporting assignments and Donald helps her more than he should.  No one mentions when she had the exclusive interview with the opera star.  And she wears some really awful outfits, from a tent-like caftan that Mrs. Roper would avoid to a T-shirt with Porky Pig waving the American flag.

Vernon Scott appeared as himself earlier but here is Reporter #1.  Bill Mullikin, who's George here, was Lance Pierce on The Brady Bunch, also a journalist character.  James Gregory makes his first of four appearances as Donald's boss Jonathan Adams.  This is Gordon Farr's only TG script but he'd write thirteen for The Bob Newhart Show.  And Saul Turteltaub directed this one.

Lancelot Link: The Great Great Race/ The Great Plane Plot

Lancelot Link: The Great Great Race/ The Great Plane Plot
ABC
Approximately November 14, 1970
Children's
VHS
C

Calling the adventures "great" doesn't mean they are.  Even with the introduction of mild romance (Mata kisses Lance to prevent film star Raquel Wench from kissing him, and the Ev Rev's song is about "rolling in the clover"), I found this episode a bit dull.  Also, if you're going to give your hero the voice of a Bogart impressionist, you probably shouldn't make him as stupid as Maxwell Smart.

That Girl: No Man Is a Manhattan Island

Alex Rocco going on to bigger things.

That Girl: No Man Is a Manhattan Island
ABC
October 16, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Despite all the friends that Ann has made with her neighbors over the years, we're supposed to believe, in this Arnold Horwitt story, that she doesn't know any of their full names except the Baumans.  It's still an entertaining episode, even if the biggest laugh for me was the unintentional humor of Ann and a flirtatious neighbor talking about tossing a salad.

Jerry Fogel has his third of four roles on the show, as Mr. Hale, while Don Eitner has his middle of three, as the Policeman.  Charles Lampkin was previously a Janitor and is Horace Hansen here.  Amzie Strickland was Mrs. Chatsworth before and is Ann's game show rival Ella Tansy here.  And, yes, that is 34-year-old Alex Rocco as Biff Johnson.

Lancelot Link: The Great Brain Drain/ The Great Double Double Cross

Lancelot Link: The Great Brain Drain/ The Great Double Double Cross
ABC
Approximately October 10, 1970
Children's
VHS
C+

Unlike the Krofft productions, this was not something I grew up watching, and in fact I didn't encounter it till the late '80s, on Nick at Nite.  Once the initial shock of seeing chimpanzees wear mod clothing, act out spy stories, play pop music, and be dubbed by voice actors (including Bernie Kopell, who was still doing That Girl) wears off, the show seems a bit slow-moving and repetitive.  I recommend watching in small doses and possibly fast-forwarding to the music segments, which are introduced by "Ed Simian."  The dates on these episodes are approximate, since I can find episode titles but not original airdates.

Other than Kopell, the series regulars:

1. Dayton Allen
2. Debbie (as Mata Hairy)
3. Joan Gerber
4. Malachi Throne (narrator)
5. Tongo (as Lance)

That Girl: I Ain't Got Nobody

The head looks way too big for the shoulders, but
as Don says, who's going to be looking at the face?

That Girl: I Ain't Got Nobody
ABC
October 9, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B+

The last TG script written by Ed Scharlach, and second of three for Warren Murray, is easily the best in a long while.  It's witty, e.g. the line "You're a disgrace to the service," and farcical in a fresher way than many of the rather worn and tired episodes of the third and fourth seasons.  It begins when Jerry rushes in from the barber shop.  (I thought there'd be a line about him being clean-shaven now but the mustache seems to have been a one-episode aberration.  Or maybe, ironically, he shaved for Lancelot Link voice-overs.)  He's seen a centerfold in Playpen magazine that appears to be of Ann.  It turns out to be her head in prehistoric Photoshop on another woman's body.  Donald presumably has never actually seen her nude, so he reacts.  And of course Lew reacts. And then the children's host Captain Gooney (Kenneth Mars), who's just hired Ann, reacts.  And throughout Ann reacts to all the reactions.  Also, Ann has some amazing outfits in this episode.  Note, Ann is Miss February, another example of the confusing chronology on this show.

This time Bob Ross plays Bob, although he's still a Waiter at Nino's, so it may be the same character.  The wonderfully voiced Hal Peary plays Lew's friend Harvey.

That Girl: They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

That Girl: They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
ABC
March 12, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is one of the better Turteltaub-Orenstein scripts, although it still feels a little off.  Ann, Donald, and a newly hirsute Jerry (mustache and mutton-chops) come back from seeing an independent film and decide to shoot one of their own.  But when Ann and Don screen footage that he shot of Ann washing the windows, the apartment visible in the background seems to contain Ruthie kissing a strange man.  Ann assumes she's having an affair, and blames Jerry!  It turns out Ruthie is pregnant, and was kissing the tenant across the way, who's promised to move out so she and Jerry can move in.  Kopell does a good job of acting ecstatic over the news of his impending fatherhood, especially considering Borden is the third woman to play his wife on the show.

Bobo Lewis again is Gloria at the answering service.

That Girl: Kiss That Girl Goodbye

Color combinations previously unimaginable

That Girl: Kiss That Girl Goodbye
ABC
November 27, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Donald has a chance to be associate editor for another publication, but he'd have to move to Paris.  Thanks to Jerry, Ann assumes Donald will take the job and she gets very upset.  Lew tries to comfort her.  Donald instead gets a job as associate editor at his current magazine.  He's definitely making more progress in his career than Ann is in hers.  One of the co-writers of the episode, Lynne Farr, would go on to write for The Bob Newhart Show.

That Girl: Sue Me, Sue Me, What Can You Do Me?

That Girl: Sue Me, Sue Me, What Can You Do Me?
ABC
March 27, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This script, co-written by Milt Rosen, Ruth Brooks Flippen, and Danny Arnold, has Jerry urging Lew to sue Newsview when Lew slips on some water near a drinking fountain.  Donald ends up quitting, after four years, when his integrity is questioned.  The episode never quite comes together, but it has its moments.  Alan Oppenheimer plays his first of four TG roles, as Stewart Hurly.

The season ends after 26 episodes, as compared to 36 for Gilligan's Island in '64-'65.  I don't know the reasons why seasons shrank at this time, with half the year in "summer reruns."  Perhaps it was production costs, but this length for a season would be consistent I believe well into the '90s.  (For sitcoms anyway.  Obviously, Saturday morning TV was a different matter.)

The average for That Girl's third season remains a B-, but now on the lower end rather than the higher.

That Girl: The Earrings

That Girl: The Earrings
ABC
January 23, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Well, we're now in the Nixon era, at least as far as air dates go.  This was a time when the trend was away from escapism and towards realism, although you won't really be able to tell that from my TV collection.  This episode isn't exactly topical, beyond being set (a bit early) on Valentine's Day.  Donald buys Ann diamond earrings (I guess Newsview was paying pretty well), and she loses one, and he gets annoyed with her, even though she didn't want such an expensive gift for that very reason.

Albert Carrier has his first of two TG roles, as the Waiter, while Fabian Dean's first of two is the Messenger.  This is Howard Leeds's only TG script, although he'd also write one for The Brady Bunch, along with a bunch of other series, while this is the first TG episode Russ Mayberry directed out of ten, and he would also direct six episodes of B Bunch, among other shows.

That Girl: The Eye of the Beholder

Renata Vanni in 1959

That Girl: The Eye of the Beholder
ABC
January 9, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This could've been a good episode with sharper writing, but it's mostly just a bunch of stupid arguments.  I did like Lew thinking that the sculpture was pornographic, so that bumped this up from a C.

Renata Vanni is again Mrs. Brentano, while Frank Puglia, who was the Restaurant Owner on one episode, is Mr. Brentano.  This is Paul Wayne's only TG script, although he did go on to write, in particular, eighteen episodes of Three's Company.

That Girl: Should All Our Old Acquaintances Be Forgot

That Girl: Should All Our Old Acquaintances Be Forgot
ABC
December 26, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Another Stan Cutler and Martin Donovan script, this one is obviously set on New Year's Eve.  (No Christmas episode this year.)  Donald and Ann plan to spend a quiet evening at her place, but Lew soon puts a stop to that, and it soon snowballs into a big party, with Ann serving peanut butter on corn flakes as snacks.  Meanwhile, Jerry and Ruthie would have a quiet evening themselves, except that Ann keeps dropping by to get supplies.

Renata Vanni returns as Mrs. Brentano.  Cliff Norton plays Charley Fitch, but I don't think it's the same character as Charlie on both versions of "What's in a Name?"  Patty Regan has her middle of two TG roles, as Marge.

That Girl: The Seventh Time Around

Benay Venuta in her younger days.

That Girl: The Seventh Time Around
ABC
November 28, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
B-

After so many episodes where Ann is naive about the intentions of men, especially older men, we get this episode where Donald seems oblivious to the fact that a wealthy woman in her 70s wants him as her seventh husband.

This is Carl Kleinschmitt's middle of five TG scripts and Richard Kinon's first TG directing job of eighteen.