M*A*S*H: Tell It to the Marines

M*A*S*H: Tell It to the Marines
CBS
January 12, 1981
Dramedy
DVD
B-

This is the only M*A*S*H episode written by Hank Bradford, who'd do a Three's Company episode the next year.  While Potter is away, Winchester is commanding officer, and he pays Klinger extra to serve as his manservant, certainly a different use of power than Burns would've tried.  It's interesting that the Max-Charles relationship is one of the recurring themes this year, I suppose because teaming up opposites provides some friction on what has become a rather bland show, compared to the strong emotions of earlier seasons.  The other thread is that Hawkeye tries to help a Dutch-American soldier get home before his recently divorced mother is deported.

Denny Miller, who plays the beefy MP, may look familiar from his appearances as Tongo and Duke on Gilligan's Island, or Tank Gates on The Brady Bunch.  James Gallery, who plays reporter Murray Thompson, would soon become Marcia's father-in-law in The Brady Girls Get Married, and then the next year he'd be Kip's uncle on Bosom Buddies.  Kellye Nakahara returns as Yamato.  Morgan directed, but then his character is absent most of the episode.

The Brady Bunch: Quarterback Sneak

The Brady Bunch: Quarterback Sneak
ABC
November 9, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

Chris Beaumont plays his last Brady character and arguably the sleaziest, while Denny Miller, who had played two jocks on Gilligan's Island (Duke Williams and Tongo the Ape Man) is Carol's jock high school boyfriend, Tank Gates.  Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman put a new spin on the boys vs. girls theme, focused on Greg vs. Marcia but with their younger siblings taking sides, as Marcia dates Jerry Rogers from the ironically named Fairview High football team.  No matter how many times I've seen this, I'm still not clear if Marcia knows that the stolen playbook is a phony one, but what matters to her is that Jerry has faked an interest in her.  All ends happily of course, with Alice having "winning" and "losing" cakes just in case.  There's a big Mike & Carol smooch at the very end.  And note that Carol has clearly gotten over her fear of Greg playing football, maybe because he's older and bigger now.

Gilligan's Island: Our Vines Have Tender Apes

Gilligan's Island: Our Vines Have Tender Apes
CBS
January 30, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Both Denny Miller and Janos Prohaska return in this second collaboration between Sidney A. Mandel and Roy Kammerman.  This time Miller is an actor pretending to be Tongo the Ape-Man, while Prohaska is again an Ape, although this costume looks more like an orangutan than the gorilla the script claims it is.  I find it a bit much for Tongo to be carrying around a tape recorder in his simple costume, although I guess it's supposed to clue in the audience more easily than if he had a diary.  And he has to leave something behind to give away that he speaks English.

Gilligan's Island: Big Man on a Little Stick

Splendor in the sand.

Gilligan's Island: Big Man on a Little Stick
CBS
February 20, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B

Talk about a shipping shift!  When slang-talking, muscular surfer Duke Williams (Denny Miller) arrives, the girls fall for him, and it's mutual.  Then he comes on too strong, even for Ginger, who apparently prefers to do the seducing.  And Duke won't leave the island on a reverse tsunami (don't ask), so Mrs. Howell comes up with a scheme (which her husband takes credit for) that worked to discourage one of her old suitors.  The Professor & Ginger pretend to be a couple, as do Gilligan & Mary Ann.  I don't think Ginger has to pretend to be impressed by the Professor's big words, and he's pretty cooperative when she kisses him.  However, Gilligan, whom the Skipper plans to tell about the birds & the bees later, doesn't seem to know how to respond to Mary Ann's kisses.  (We see her lipstick on his face.)  He does seem jealous of the attention the girls pay Duke earlier, but as if he's not really conscious what he's feeling.  Still, it's fair to say that he has entered a new phase in his very, very slow sexual development.

This is Lou Houston's only GI script, but Charles Tannen's third, while Tony Leader would direct some more episodes.

Sometimes who's on top makes a difference.