Who's the Boss?: Mona

Who's the Boss?: Mona
ABC
May 12, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C

Cohan & Hunter wrote this attempted spin-off, which at least, unlike Charmed Lives, would've starred one of the regular WtB characters.  It's hard to imagine Boss continuing for another five years without Mona, so it's just as well this didn't sell.  On it's own terms, it's nothing special, and mainly should be watched to one, see, how important good writing and a supporting cast are, and two, to find out some biographical details for Mona.

She goes to New York to spend the weekend with her younger brother, Cornelius Rockwell (James B. Sikking, who's indeed five years younger than Helmond).  While there, she finds out that he's sunk his savings and hers into a faded hotel.  She decides she'll be a far from silent partner.  The most interesting part is the dream sequence that opens the episode, set in the summer of 1941, complete with Helmond as her own mother.  (When we meet Mona's mother, she's nothing like either Helmond character, but then I suppose that may be part of the dream aspect.)  Mona recounts the dream to Tony and Sam, and then Angela comes in.  Jonathan is absent.

This episode features a few actors who had appeared earlier in the series (or even that season) in other roles:

• Beau Billingsley as the Chef, Dave before;
• Joe Regalbuto as Don, Father Mickey Callahan earlier;
• and Paul Sand as Packard, Wally previously.

Suave Jim Ratcliff is played by David Hedison, who was Emily's old flame Steve Darnell on The Bob Newhart Show.  Hotel guest Mr. Padnick is played by Don Sparks, who had two roles on Three's Company.  And, yes, that's 11-year-old Candace Cameron as Little Mona.

M*A*S*H: Tuttle

M*A*S*H: Tuttle
CBS
January 14, 1973
Dramedy
DVD
B+

When a Bob Newhart Show episode in the first season is this good, it's not too surprising, but I am baffled by the miracle of an early M*A*S*H episode hitting this height.  David Ketchum and Bruce Shelly didn't write any other episodes, even of other of my shows.  (Ketchum does pop up as an actor on Mork & Mindy though.)  So I don't know if they wrote anything else this clever, both funny and thought-provoking.  Not only are there a lot of great lines, including the "Druid" ones and of course "There's a little Tuttle left in all of us.  In fact, you might say that all of us together made up Tuttle," but the way that Tuttle takes on a reality for everyone is wonderfully handled.  This is one of the episodes where Hawkeye, with of course the help of Radar, makes the Army bureaucracy work for him, rather than against him, and the cause, "Sister Theresa's orphanage," is undeniably a good one.  I would go with an A- or higher, but the pacing could be a shade faster and I wasn't on the floor laughing, just chuckling quietly.

Herb Voland returns as General Clayton.  James B. Sikking plays the Finance Officer.  Mary Robin Redd is Sister Theresa here and would be Susan Wick on Bob Newhart.  This is, by the way, the 500th program I've reviewed on this blog.

The Bob Newhart Show: Goodnight Nancy

MTM Enterprises was very fond of Richard Schaal.

The Bob Newhart Show: Goodnight Nancy
CBS
October 21, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode, the first of two written by Susan Silver, offers an early glimpse of part of what made and still makes Bob and Emily such a great sitcom couple: they argue in a realistic way and then they make up believably.  There are also some funny moments with Bob and his ex-girlfriend Nancy, including how she always rejects him during the salad course.  Note that B & E have been married for three years at this point.  Bob dated Nancy "in college," but that must've included grad school as well, since they broke up when he was 25.

Jack Bernardi would play a Waiter on the show again.  James B. Sikking makes the most out of his role as Dick, the man Bob mistakes for Nancy's husband.  Nancy's husband, Chuck Brock, is played by Richard Schaal, who would return in a different role.

Gidget Gets Married

Gidget Gets Married
ABC
January 4, 1972
TV-Movie, Dramedy
VHS
B-

It's funny, I recalled this as not as good as Gidget Grows Up, but I think that while Monie Ellis is not a great Gidget, she brings a certain naivete and enthusiasm to the role that works for this story.  (As for her being blonde, well, Gidget is blonde in the books.)  I think it helps that the story, written by Grows Up's John McGreevey, is more streamlined, focusing on Gidget and Jeff's (Michael Burns, looking and acting uncannily like Dean Butler, who'd take the role in the '80s) adjustments not only to married life but to his new job in a very employee-controlling company.  The movie is surprisingly dark, although the Paul Lynde scenes of course lighten the tone, and the story ends on a positive, and feminist, note.

Helen Funai reprises her role from Grows Up as Minnie Chan.  Michael Barbera, who's Chris, would soon be Harvey on The Brady Bunch, while Jimmy Bracken (Andy here) played three Brady parts.  Policeman Dennis Fimple would be Sergeant "Sparky" Pryor on M*A*S*H, while Corinne Camacho, playing Nancy Lewis here, would be Lt. Regina Hopkins there.  If Larry Gelman, as Louis's photographer Anatole, looks familiar, it's because he would shortly be Dr. Bernie Tupperman on The Bob Newhart Show.  And, yes, James B. Sikking plays Jim Johnson, while Elinor Donahue is Medley Blaine.