M*A*S*H: B.J. Papa San

M*A*S*H: B.J. Papa San
CBS
January 1, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Neither of the main plot threads of this Larry Balmagia story feel very fresh.   BJ taking care of a local family is reminiscent of things both Hawkeye and Trapper have done, while Charles hoping to become the personal physician of a gruff general who prefers Hawkeye seems like something I've seen before, more than once.  Still, the show isn't yet stale and at least these threads are well done.

Chao Li Chi makes his first of two M*A*S*H appearances, as the Father.  Johnny Haymer (Zale), Shizuko Hoshi (the Mother), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), Dick O'Neill (this time General Marian Prescott), and Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.  This is only the second M*A*S*H episode James Sheldon directed, the other being the first season's "Edwina."

M*A*S*H: Edwina

M*A*S*H: Edwina
CBS
December 24, 1972
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Hal Dresner's second of two scripts, and the first of two directed by James Sheldon, who'd done some That Girl and Gidget Grows Up, this starts out seeming like a typically sexist first season episode, but the episode and Hawkeye both redeem themselves on the date with the title character, played by adorkable Arlene Golonka.  Note that Burns doesn't disqualify himself from drawing straws for the date on the basis of being married.

Linda Meiklejohn again plays Scorch and is still involved with Blake.

Gidget Grows Up

Gidget Grows Up
ABC
December 30, 1969
TV-Movie, Dramedy
VHS
C+

Twenty-two-year-old Karen Valentine, around the time she started Room 222, plays the latest but far from the last incarnation of Francie "Gidget" Lawrence.  She has some Sally-Fieldesque mannerisms, like this sort of duck-footed walk when she's in a hurry, but she also makes the part her own.  I wish that the rest of the movie were at her level, but the performances range from pretty good to forgettable.  Bob Cummings is the latest Professor Russell Lawrence, while Donna Reed's Paul Petersen plays Moondoggie, and Irishman Edward Mulhare (the Captain from The Ghost & Mrs. Muir) plays Australian Alex MacLaughlin.  And Paul Lynde is sort of Paul Lynde if he were a grown-up '30s child star.

The main problem is in the writing.  The story is based on the novel Gidget Goes to New York, and John McGreevey had written for the Gidget sitcom, so that would seem to bode well.  But there are too many underdeveloped plot threads, including both of Gidget's romances.  We're supposed to believe Gidget is in love, and the two men are in love with her, but we never really get any sense of it.  She's apparently going to a New York college while working at the UN, after two years of studying in Europe, but we never hear about any of her classes or even see a campus montage.  Her tour guide boss is set up to be a self-described "old biddy" but we never get an actual confrontation.  Also, although this is clearly the '60s (Valentine's white go-go boots are a strong reminder), it feels odd to have Jeff stationed in Greenland and about to be "shipped out to closer to the action," without this discussed any further.  And so on.  Still, I can't really knock a movie that gets Paul Lynde into an Easter Bunny costume.


Helen Funai, as Minnie Chan, would return for the '72 Gidget TV-movie.  Nina Foch, who's Bibi Crosby, would appear on That Girl.  Hal Frederick, who plays Lee Basumba, would do a couple voices for Wait Till Your Father Gets Home.  Harlen Carraher, who's Ben, would have two Brady roles.  Lloyd Kino, who plays the Japanese Delegate, would be a Soldier on M*A*S*H four years later.  And, yes, that's 21-year-old Michael Lembeck as Arnold, his first on-screen role.

Since this closes out the '60s (airdate-wise anyway), I will give you my Top Nine of the decade.  (Too many B's to choose from for a tenth best.)

1. Gilligan's Island: The Producer--The only A- so far and just a delight on so many levels.
2. Gilligan's Island: Castaway Pictures Presents--Both the filming of the movie and the result are funny and sometimes sexy.
3. Gilligan's Island: Don't Bug the Mosquitoes--Three rock bands for the price of one!
4. That Girl: Thanksgiving Comes But Once a Year, Hopefully--Don, Ann, and their parents, the kind of show they should've done more of, especially in the later seasons.
5. That Girl: Decision Before Dawn--Great cameos by Larry Storch and Vic Tayback, mixed with the Don & Ann and Lew & Helen couples.  Donald serenading Lew is hysterical.
6. Gilligan's Island: The Postman Cometh--A shipper's delight and some fun celebrity impressions.
7. That Girl: The Other Woman--Farce that works, with Ethel Merman.
8. Gilligan's Island: The Second Ginger Grant--Identity-swapping, including gender-swapping, plus a new take on Gilligan/Mary Ann.
9. That Girl: Leaving the Nest Is For the Birds--You wouldn't think a nagging aunt and a suicidal Jerry Van Dyke could lead to a funny episode, but this is much better than it has any right to be.

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: Just Donald and Me and Jerry Makes Three

That Girl: Just Donald and Me and Jerry Makes Three
ABC
November 21, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Stan Cutler and Martin Donovan script is somewhat of an improvement, although I was on the fence between a C+ and a B- until the reunited Jerry and Ruth did that slow-motion running towards each other thing that was then a fairly new cliche.  Again, this isn't a terribly realistic episode, treating the subject of divorce as the subject of (shallow) humor.  And I didn't see why Donald and Ann decide to make Ruth and Jerry jealous of non-existent Other People, when all they have to do is have Ann tell Ruth how much Jerry misses her, since Ruth had left thinking that Jerry didn't love her anymore.

That Girl: Sock It to Me

That Girl: Sock It to Me
ABC
September 26, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
C

Weak opener for Season Three (the first TG episode written by Stan Cutler and Martin Donovan), with Ann unsuccessfully trying to stage-slap actor Barry Sullivan as himself.  Lew and Donald of course jump to the wrong conclusions and hit him.  I like farce, but this is getting stale.  The title phrase was of course popularized by Laugh-In.  Milton Selzer makes his third and last TG appearance, this time as the director Sidney Gold.

That Girl: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, You're Under Arrest

That Girl: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, You're Under Arrest
ABC
December 21, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Although by no means a classic episode, this is definitely an improvement over the first season's Christmas episode.  And I will admit I wasn't quite sure what the final twist of the twisting plot would be.

William Bramley plays Tim here and would later be Bert Weevle on TG.  The role of Eppie is the middle of three TG roles for Paul Bryar.  Ed Peck's role of Bart is his second of five on TG.  Herbie Faye, who plays the scalper Milton, would later be a Waiter on the show.

That Girl: The Mailman Cometh

That Girl: The Mailman Cometh
ABC
November 30, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B

The title is a bit of a misnomer, since Ann's new agent is a former mailboy, Don Penny as Seymour Schwimmer, a role he'd reprise.  He comes up with a scheme involving stage comedian 43-year-old Dick Shawn, shortly before his scene-stealing role as LSD in the movie The Producers.  The teaming up of writers Danny Arnold and Ruth Brooks Flippen works, with one of the better, funnier episodes about Ann's career.  Both Penny and Shawn are good, as is Buzzi of course, although given less to do here.

George Neise did a couple Gilligan's Island episodes and plays Norman Kramer here, his first of two TG roles.

That Girl: Thanksgiving Comes But Once a Year, Hopefully

That Girl: Thanksgiving Comes But Once a Year, Hopefully
ABC
November 23, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Considering that Peggy Elliott's preceding TG script was for "Kimono My House," the quality of this one is particularly impressive, although she did other episodes as well.  This one is hilarious, but with some sweet moments, as Ann, Donald, and both sets of parents celebrate the holiday at her house.  It's great fun to see the characters play off each other, and the editing with the phone calls is especially sharp.  Add in a Mailman (Joe Perry in his first of four TG appearances) who's suspicious about the herb being mailed for Ann's "pot," and some very memorable outfits for Ann, and the episode comes close to being classic.  I could point out that this is not Ann's first Thanksgiving in NYC, and I don't think it was Summer when she met the Hollingers, but those are just quibbles.

That Girl: To Each Her Own

That Girl: To Each Her Own
ABC
September 28, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This, the first of seven TG episodes James Sheldon directed, has an interesting concept, then very timely, where Donald and Ann both try computer dating, he for an article, she to see if she'll end up with someone like him but flawless, as he seems to have with his computer date who's somewhat like her.  The episode itself has two flaws that bring it down from a B or higher.  One is that Donald's date has been distractingly dubbed, and since she's not that remarkable-looking by modern standards, I don't see why they couldn't have found an equally pretty actress with a better voice.  The other is that Ruth Buzzi makes her first of five appearances as neighbor Pete Peterson (which I think was the name of a minor character, also female, on Gidget) and since we've never seen her before, it seems like she's just there to make Ann's date be temporarily disappointed.  Considering that Rich Little (of course doing impressions) is really not that much better looking than Buzzi, this seems unnecessary.  Note, Ann's white dress for her date looks like the sort of late '60s wedding minidress that would not be handed on to the next generation.