The Bob Newhart Show: A Pound of Flesh

The Bob Newhart Show: A Pound of Flesh
CBS
January 25, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B

When Bob refuses to lend Jerry money to buy a motorcycle, Jerry gets the loan from Howard, which puts a strain on several friendships.  Merrie Earle plays Mrs. Loomis again, as well as her twin sister Bernice.  This time, Dick Wilson plays Mr. Berry.  And it's Jerry Mayer's penultimate BNS script.

The Bob Newhart Show: By the Way...You're Fired

The Bob Newhart Show: By the Way...You're Fired
CBS
February 16, 1974
Sitcom
DVD
B

Carol is distracted at work by her new romance with Don Livingston (who'd change his last name to Fezler but still be played by Richard Schaal).  Jerry gets so annoyed, he fires her, twice.  Bob is as always caught in the middle.  Note that Howard seems to be aging backwards, as he's celebrating his 40th birthday.  And despite having fallen in love with Ellen, he shows up with his old girlfriend Mary Ellen (Jill Jaress).  Maybe this episode is set earlier.

Besides Dr. Newman and Dr. Tupperman, Dr. Ralph Tetzi (Gene Blakely) returns.  Dick Wilson plays the Man With Hat.

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy

The Bob Newhart Show: My Wife Belongs to Daddy
CBS
December 8, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Emily's parents Junior (John Randolph) and Aggie (Ann Rutherford) Harrison visit from Seattle.  Jerry Mayer's script is funny and human, from the reactions to Bob's robe to his rivalry with his father-in-law.

Dick Wilson plays Milt.  Byron Morrow did a couple That Girl episodes and is Devereaux here.

That Girl: Eleven Angry Men and That Girl

That Girl: Eleven Angry Men and That Girl
ABC
October 10, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
C

This time Stan Cutler and Martin Donovan come up with the comedy gold of Ann being the one hold-out on the jury in a spousal abuse case, in favor of the husband.  The man (Dick Wilson) allegedly hit his wife (Bobo Lewis in her second of many TG roles) with an ashtray.  Ann convinces the rest of the jury, only to see the husband hit his wife with an ashtray in the courtroom, as the laugh track chuckles!  The only reason I'm not going with a lower grade is I sort of liked it when Ann (gently) hits and tells off the letch Dave Ketchum (Jack Packard, his first of three TG parts), and I was pleased to see 28-year-old Stuart Margolin as the hippie Talley.

Joe Besser had previously played a Messenger and is the Jury Foreman here.  Joe Perry makes his second of four appearances, as the Bailiff.

This is, unless I've forgotten to tag something, the 200th sitcom I've reviewed.  That genre will continue to dominate my collection, although other things will be mixed in as we go along.

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.

Gidget: All the Best Diseases Are Taken

Gidget: All the Best Diseases Are Taken
ABC
November 17, 1965
Sitcom
DVD
B

A very '60s episode, with Gidget trying to recruit a protest-singer (sort of Dylanesque) to perform at the protest she's organizing at the local movie theater.  (Yes, that's Mr. Whipple, Dick Wilson, as Mr. Lefferts.)  Much of the episode is from Russ's perspective, as he wants to support her idealism but is concerned, especially when it may lead to trouble at his college (UCLA, we know from earlier episodes).  I like that there's no clear right or wrong here, and in fact that lack of clarity is addressed in the episode itself.  Amusingly, John (who appears without Anne for a change) organized a mild protest at his college.  (I think he's supposed to be a grad student now.)  Larue is loyal to Gidget like always, and doesn't walk out on the initial protest, unlike their male friend.  We find out that Larue has a brother at Berkeley.  And, yes, this is more than a dozen years before Fields did Norma Rae.  The title I believe refers to the fact that Gidget, because of her tender age, has to address smaller issues.  And the title of one of the movies, Beach Party Vampire, may be a gentle dig at William Asher.