Taxi: Love Un-American Style [clips]

"Do you like bizarre?"

Taxi: Love Un-American Style [clips]
NBC
September 30, 1982
Sitcom
VHS
B-

This is the season when Taxi, which got referenced in a late Mork & Mindy episode, got picked up by NBC after ABC cancelled it.  I think I mostly watched Taxi in syndication.  I sort of liked it, but the reason why I taped bits and pieces of this episode is of course that Marcia Wallace guest-stars as herself, fixed up by Simka (Carol Kane) with a smitten Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd).  Jim's lyrics to the Bob Newhart Show theme are a definite highlight.  Director Noam Pitlik also had a long acting career, including as Donald Hardy on Gidget, a couple roles on That Girl, and, yes, as Mr. Gianelli on BNS.

The Bob Newhart Show: Mutiny on the Hartley

The Bob Newhart Show: Mutiny on the Hartley
CBS
November 10, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

This story by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses has Bob raising his rates for the first time ever.  There's a bit of back story, with Mr. Carlin as Bob's first patient (before he could afford a couch) and Michelle walking into his office in her high school graduation gown (at the time of the Bay of Pigs, so 1961, making her 30 now).  The funniest parts are the characteristic reactions to the price increase by the group members, and the reactions to the products of Mrs. Bakerman's late husband's taxidermy.

Henry Corden, who'd recently been Mr. Haskell on The Brady Bunch, plays Mr. Nenn, the plumber.

The Bob Newhart Show: Last TV Show

The Bob Newhart Show: Last TV Show
CBS
September 15, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

This season-opener written by Charlotte Brown has an ironic name, although it in fact refers to what will presumably be the last TV appearance of Bob's group.  (Bob on the other hand would make other regrettable appearances on various shows.)  The unwieldiness of Bob's first-season groups is gone, with no more one-shots and extras.  Now this group has a core of five who play off each other very well.  (Bob would, however, have two overlapping main groups, which would lead to hilarity when they all went on a mountain retreat with the Hartleys.)  I'd go with a B+ on the episode, but unfortunately the situation means that for one segment Bob is doing most of the talking, as stage fright is not exactly the best way to showcase cast chemistry.  This is, by the way, one of the episodes where Emily shows what a wonderfully supportive wife she is, not only pushing Bob out the door in a suit he's not sure he should be wearing but also enthusiastically lying to him at his request.

The Bob Newhart Show: Bum Voyage

The Bob Newhart Show: Bum Voyage
CBS
March 3, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Bob's group continues to solidify, with Mrs. Bakerman, Mr. Carlin, Mr. Gianelli, Mr. Peterson, and Michelle (yes, she's referred to by her first name rather than her last, unlike the others) all in one episode and interacting with each other.  Unfortunately, the writing (by Austin and Irma Kalish) for them and the main five is not quite at the level it could be.  And it seems a bit odd to have Bob and Emily going away for a two-month long trip in the penultimate episode of the season.  Maybe they didn't have the budget to show them in Europe (or Mexico awhile back), but it's off balance to have so much energy put into them leaving, with none of the trip or even its return.

This time Archie Hahn plays the German-accented Steward.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Crash of 29 Years Old

The Bob Newhart Show: The Crash of 29 Years Old
CBS
January 13, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

Charlotte Brown's second BNS script is almost as sharp and funny as her first, in part because she knows how to write for Carol, who's having doubts about her career now that she's 29.  Also, as you can see from the tags, the nucleus of Bob's group is starting to form, with the better, more interesting members recurring and starting to play off each other, as when Mr. Gianelli laughs at Mr. Carlin and Michelle.  And there are some funny lines about "lunch with Emily" inspiring people to quit their jobs.  Oh, and I like the way the "male secretary" aspect is handled.

Jill Jaress makes her first of three appearances as Howard's stewardess girlfriend Mary Ellen.

The Bob Newhart Show: Fly the Unfriendly Skies

The Bob Newhart Show: Fly the Unfriendly Skies
CBS
September 16, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Creators David Davis and Lorenzo Music co-wrote this pilot, which establishes the basic show for the next six years.  Not that there wouldn't be changes of course, if less dramatic ones than on the five years of The Brady Bunch, but the core settings and characters are here.  We even see three of Bob's regular patients at the Fear of Flying workshop:  Florida Friebus as Mrs. Lillian Bakerman, Noam Pitlik as Mr. Victor Gianelli, and of course Jack Riley as Elliot Carlin.  Since this is one of my favorite shows, it's tempting to give the first episode a higher grade, but things haven't jelled yet.  For one thing, Emily's toughness and humor have yet to emerge, to say nothing of the full daffiness of Howard.  Also, it's hard to forgive Bob for laughing at her when she cries.  But it's a good place to start.  And notice that this was still the era when you could smoke on planes.

Penny Marshall, still a few years away from sitcom fame of her own, plays the Stewardess.  Patricia Smith plays forgettable neighbor Margaret Hoover.  (I guess they figured Emily needed a sounding board friend, like Ann had on That Girl.)  To keep the tags simple, this show will be referred to as "BNS."