That Girl: Author, Author

That Girl: Author, Author
ABC
March 30, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ann has to have an original comedy piece for an audition, so after the disappointment of Jerry's cousin Ernie Bernie, she recruits Donald, who wrote for a show back in college.  It almost wrecks their relationship but they come through OK.  I actually thought that Ann's rambling explanation would end up getting her a role, but it doesn't go in that direction.

J.B. Larson, who plays the Assistant Producer, was the Studio Usher earlier.  Jack Good, who's Mr. Handley, was Mr. Rudolph previously.  Snag Werris, who plays the Waiter, would have four guest shots on The Brady Bunch.  This is Howard Harris's only TG episode (co-written with Ronald Axe), although he wrote a couple for Gilligan.  It's the first of six TG Danny Arnold (best known for Barney Miller) would direct, although he'd write some, too.

That Girl: This Little Piggy Had a Ball

That Girl: This Little Piggy Had a Ball
ABC
March 23, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B

This middle of five collaborations between Arnold Margolin and Jim Parker has Ann in a very Lucy Ricardo kind of situation, with her toe stuck in a bowling ball when she has to go to a banquet on behalf of a friend, but it does play out differently.  We again see how supportive, literally as well as figuratively, Donald is and the last scene with them is sexy as well as sweet.  The episode is also notable for funny people in minor roles, including the first of two TG guest shots for Teri Garr (then going by Terry) and the second of three for Rob Reiner.  The instantly recognizable Jane Dulo plays the Nurse (a typical role for her, she'd be a Nurse on Welcome Back, Kotter for instance) and would return to the show later.

Shirley Bonne plays Sharon Hackett and was Charlotte on the Pilot.  Burt Taylor was a Waiter, is Frank here, and would be an M.C. later.  The Fireman is the second of four roles Jerry Fogel would play on the show.

That Girl: The Honeymoon Apartment

That Girl: The Honeymoon Apartment
ABC
March 16, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Another of Ann's relatives shows up, this time her cousin Harold Turner (Warren Berlinger, who'd appear in another role later).  He and his new bride spend the night at her apartment, so she stays with the Bessemers.  Don is going to go out of town but then it's cancelled, so the couple can't stay at his place.  And of course Ann could never stay overnight at Don's.  So instead we get a scene where Desk Clerk Dick Wilson is confused into thinking Don is checking into a honeymoon suite with two women, one of whom is crying.  Some cute farce, but I'm not a fan of episodes where people impose on each other to this extent.

Austin and Irma Kalish had written some Gidget episodes but this is their only one for TG.

That Girl: You Have to Know Someone to Be Unknown

That Girl: You Have to Know Someone to Be Unknown
ABC
March 9, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the first of many TG episodes for the writing team of Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein.  It's a nice blend of Don & Ann's relationship and her struggles to advance her career, and it's both funny and touching.  It feels like the show is starting to find itself.

Mover Art Lewis was a Man on an earlier episode and would be a Bellboy later, while A. G. Vitanza was a Shoe Man and is Herbie here.

That Girl: Paper Hats and Everything

That Girl: Paper Hats and Everything
ABC
February 9, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the first of two TG scripts by Sydney Zelinka and has Ann's father taking her out for her birthday, while she's expecting a surprise party.  Richard Dreyfuss plays a "nutty" actor friend, but the guests at the party are mostly forgettable.  Mitzi Hoag had earlier played Helen but is Patty here.  Laurie Main is the Maitre D' and would be Grimsley on a two-parter.

That Girl: Gone with the Breeze

I assume Ann isn't a flasher, but who knows?

That Girl: Gone with the Breeze
ABC
January 26, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B

Another nice "couple episode" by Tom and Helen August, here with Don wanting Ann to read his novel but her thinking she's lost the manuscript.  I could've done without Jerry's domestic violence joke, but otherwise this episode has aged much better than the preceding TG.

Audrey Christie is Ann's boss Miss Dailey and would return as Ella.  Mitzi Hoag plays Helen here and would be Patty later in the series.  This is the first of two TG appearances for Richard Schaal, here as the Lost & Found Man.  (He'd be more notable on The Bob Newhart Show and in Americathon.)

That Girl: These Boots Weren't Made for Walking

That Girl: These Boots Weren't Made for Walking
ABC
January 12, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is another episode written by Peggy Elliott and Ed Scharlach and it has something odd about it.  No, not the Paul Lynde guest shot, which is no stranger than anything else he's done, or that Ann is a "shoe salesman."  I mean that Donald and Jerry have a new secretary, Margie, who has a crush on Jerry (not seen in this episode), but we never hear anything further about it.  Why not just have her buying slippers for her nameless boyfriend?

Charles Lampkin, who plays the Janitor, would return years later as Horace Hansen, while Art Lewis and Patty Regan (just "Man" and "Woman" here) would each have two more TG roles.

That Girl: Among My Souvenirs

That Girl: Among My Souvenirs
ABC
January 5, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this episode co-written by Peggy Elliott and Ed Scharlach, Ann proves that she's either a very poor judge of character, not realizing that her boyfriend from roughly ages nine to eighteen is a lying wolf, or hopelessly naive and trusting.  At least she's able to get out of the situation, by threatening to tell his mother.  (Of course, if she has his mother's contact information, why not just send her the ring to begin with?)  The episode is mostly notable for Ann's outfit that looks like a Twister board that ran in the wash.  (Alas, I couldn't find a picture on the Internet.)

That Girl: Phantom of the Horse Opera

That Girl: Phantom of the Horse Opera
ABC
December 8, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This second episode written by Peggy Elliott and Ed Scharlach is an odd one.  From Donald going into Ann's apartment and, without asking, pouring himself a glass of milk and slicing a piece of cake, and then forgetting them when he and Ann leave suddenly, to the resolution that the sweet old organist, played by Sterling Holloway, is wanted by the police in seven states, it's just a weird episode, especially for That Girl.

That Girl: All About Ann

That Girl: All About Ann
ABC
December 1, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is Milton Pascal's second TG script and again features Ann training to be a better actress.  But mostly the episode is about a misunderstanding, where Don is gathering information on Ann for an article he wants to surprise her with, while she, encouraged by best friend Judy, thinks he's cheating on her with a girl from her acting workshop.  It sounds farcical, but it plays out so that we feel Ann's pain, and that makes the episode less enjoyable.  If this were a more cartoonish show, like Three's Company, we could shake our heads at the failure to communicate, while here Donald and Ann are enough like real people that it's like watching our friends be stupid.  I think both are to blame, he for keeping the article secret, and she for jumping to conclusions.

This is the first of ten TG episodes John Erman would direct.  And, yes, that's nineteen-year-old Rob Reiner as Chuck, his first of three TG roles.

That Girl: Soap Gets in Your Eyes

That Girl: Soap Gets in Your Eyes
ABC
November 24, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

While appearing on a soap opera as an evil "other woman," Ann meets Donald's parents.  And as soon as we see her future mother-in-law, we know she's in trouble, because Mildred Hollinger is played by Mabel Albertson, who was giving Samantha Stevens grief over on Bewitched.  Sure enough, Donald's mom doesn't like Ann, although much of this is due to that soap role.  Donald's father Harold, played by George Cisar, likes her right off.  There are some sweet moments between Don and Ann, and it's fun to see scenes from the soap.  This episode was written by Tom and Helen August and is the first of two TG directing gigs for Seymour Robbie.

That Girl: What's in a Name [revised]

That Girl: What's in a Name [revised]
ABC
November 17, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This reworking of the Pilot is an improvement but I'm marking it down from a B to a B- because it's not seamless, as when they don't change Ann's apartment number in the dialogue, and more significantly when Lew is told that "strange men" aren't allowed upstairs, and we've already seen, on a previous episode, the rich borderline-stalker in Ann's place when she's not home.  (Arguably Ann and Donald's '65 vs. '66 hairdos make continuity errors as well, but these are forgivable.)  Still, the recasting is definitely justified when comparing this to the original.

Cliff Norton, who plays Charlie, would be Charley [sic] Fitch later in the series.

That Girl: Break a Leg

That Girl: Break a Leg
ABC
November 10, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the episode where a very clean-cut George Carlin suggests Marlo Thomas push Sally Kellerman out the window, but this proves unnecessary because Dabney Coleman diagnoses Sally as having the measles.  Besides the OMGness of the casting, I think the story is solid, with Ann as understudy to her old friend who's making her Broadway debut.  Speaking of debuts, this is Carlin's very first screen credit, as Ann's agent.  It's also notable that Ann is still enough of a theater newbie to not know even such common superstitions as wishing someone luck with the episode's title.

This was Arnold Margolin and Jim Parker's second TG collaboration.

That Girl: Little Auction Annie

Judy became a redhead a few episodes ago.

That Girl: Little Auction Annie
ABC
October 27, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the first of four TG episodes written by Rick Mittleman and is more suspenseful than usual, although of course it all turns out to be a misunderstanding.  Menacing Michael Conrad (later of Hill Street Blues) is not only an FBI agent but a former baseball player.  Whew!

Ken Lynch, who plays Officer Dombrowski, would return as Carl Sheldon.

That Girl: Help Wanted

That Girl: Help Wanted
ABC
October 20, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is Tom and Helen August's first of six TG scripts, as well as the introduction of Bernie Kopell as Donald's coworker Jerry Bauman.  It's a good start for them all, as well as an interesting look at what happens to Ann and Donald's relationship when she fills in as his secretary.  Perhaps because it's written by a couple, it comes across as balanced and fair, with faults on both sides, and the resolution is very sweet.  Also, the twist in the tag is progressive for its time.  Note that Donald and Ann go to a Japanese restaurant, which, as the DVD commentary for Down with Love points out, was a common motif in '60s movies, and this is a very cinematic television show.

Ogden Talbot was a customer on another episode and is the Messenger here.  Yuki Tani would return as a Waitress.

That Girl: Rich Little Rich Kid

That Girl: Rich Little Rich Kid
ABC
October 13, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is the first of two TG episodes directed by Sidney Miller and the first of four written by Joseph Bonaduce (and, yes, the latter is Danny's father).  No, the title has nothing to do with Rich Little.  Instead this is about a rich guy who pursues Ann, who doesn't call the cops even when she comes home and finds him in her apartment.  I think we're meant to assume that he just has no boundaries because he's rich and doesn't understand how the real world works.  I do like how Ann prefers Donald because he's real, not like Disneyland as she puts it.  And it's interesting to see what a fancy restaurant looked like roughly fifty years ago.  (Pretty tacky in this case.)

Paul Bryar plays a Clerk here and would return twice more.

That Girl: Never Change a Diaper on Opening Night

The uncredited baby, now about 50.

That Girl: Never Change a Diaper on Opening Night
ABC
September 22, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
C+

The first of five TG episodes written by Milton Pascal, this has Ann torn between babysitting for the neighbors-- with a mustache-less Dabney Coleman introduced as Judy's husband Leon the obstetrician-- and auditioning for an insufferable but apparently brilliant acting teacher, Jules Benedict played by Billy De Wolfe.  While it's nice to see Ann working on her career and I appreciated the moments where she stands up for herself, I was getting so irritated with everyone that I wished it was an episode about Ann & Donald or Ann and her parents.

That Girl: Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye

"It's your father."

That Girl: Goodbye, Hello, Goodbye
ABC
September 15, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ann leaves home for New York but soon finds herself caught in the middle of an argument between her parents, who've been well recast as Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp.  The episode also features Ronnie Schell as her agent Harvey Peck.  And it properly introduces Bonnie Scott as neighbor Judy.  So in some ways it's more of a "first" episode than the previous two.  I like the touches like Ann repainting her table and trying to settle into her first apartment.

J.B. Larson, who's the Studio Usher here, would play an Assistant Producer on another episode.  Byron Morrow, who's Mr. Corcoran here, would be Officer Ben Cooper later.  Ogden Talbot, who plays a customer here, would be a messenger later.

That Girl: Don't Just Do Something, Stand There

Communication difficulties

That Girl: Don't Just Do Something, Stand There
ABC
September 8, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ann and Donald meet-cute when she sells him a stick of gum (5 cents!), but complications ensue, because of a roll-top desk and a perfume commercial that involves a fake kidnapping.  (Ann doesn't seem to have an agent at this point, and she could really use one, considering the casual negotiation for her role, with the salary and expectations pretty fuzzy.)  As Marlo Thomas explains in the cute pre-closing-credits bit, this aired slightly before the official start of the Fall Season and she hoped that we'd all tune in the next week to see how Ann ended up leaving her parents' home and moving to New York.  I'm not sure why this aired first, except perhaps because the producers or ABC recognized the chemistry between Thomas and Bessell and hoped that that would draw in viewers.

Jerry Fogel would later play three other characters in the series and Burt Taylor two more, while Luana Anders, who's Shirley here, would be Beryl later.  But Ed Peck, who's Sam, would play four more characters!  Jack Goode, who plays the slimy Mr. Rudolph, would return as Mr. Handley.  And Bonnie Scott is introduced as neighbor Judy Bessemer, although her character isn't really explained at this point.  Arnold Margolin and Jim Parker would co-write five more TG episodes, while Bob Sweeney would direct six more.