The Bob Newhart Show: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Not that Sting

The Bob Newhart Show: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
CBS
November 15, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B-

The Writers: Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses
The Director Who Did a Bunch of That Girls: Richard Kinon
The Returning Guest Characters: Mr. Carlin (Jack Riley) and Frank Walburn (Phillip R. Allen)
The Performer Who Was on Another Series: Titos Vandis, Gene the Janitor here, Col. Andropolis on M*A*S*H
The Plot: Bob forms a psychological corporation with Dr. Walburn
The Joke That Became an Episode: Howard's brother Gordon Borden the Game Warden
The Gimmick: Sting parody

That Girl: That King

More natural look

That Girl: That King
ABC
February 19, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
C+

In Warren S. Murray's last TG story, David Doyle sets Ann up on a date with a bratty preteen king who wears as much makeup as she does.  (So that's where glam rock started!)  Waiter Herbie Faye previously was Milton.

That Girl: Chef's Night Out

That Girl: Chef's Night Out
ABC
February 12, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

I was sure this episode was going to go in the direction of them recruiting the Maries' maid Laura to fill in as chef at the restaurant while Ann's parents are away, but I think she's just here to play chaperone while Ann and Donald have to stay over a couple nights.  With a boyfriend played by Al Molinaro, it's a little like the Alice and Sam dynamic on The Brady Bunch and, along with the hijinks at the restaurant, this is a funnier episode than usual.

Steve Benson, who plays the Chicken Boy, previously was a Porter.  Louis De Farra, who's Pierre here, would be Oscarelli later.  Bud Grossman had written for Gilligan's Island and would write for Three's Company, but this is his only That Girl script.

That Girl: That Shoplifter

That Girl: That Shoplifter
ABC
February 5, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
C+

OK, we got it, Ann is too trusting and will continually be a victim to con-men.  Can we move on now?

Judy Cassmore makes her third TG appearance, her second as a Secretary.  Bobo Lewis makes her last appearance, as a Shopper.  This is Arnold Horwitt's last TG script.

That Girl: A Limited Engagement

That Girl: A Limited Engagement
ABC
January 15, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B

Turteltaub and Orenstein contribute a surprisingly dark (by TG standards) episode where Donald gets cold feet and the engagement is temporarily broken off.  Ann is confused and upset, but Lew offers some comfort.  And Donald and Ann make up of course.  I was particularly impressed by Kopell's acting here, doing well with the unaccustomed drama.

Buddy Lester makes his last TG appearance, as the man waiting for the elevator.

That Girl: Super Reporter

That Girl: Super Reporter
ABC
December 4, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
C

Sigh, we're back to the disappointing sort of stories that Turteltaub-Orenstein too often cranked out. It starts out fine, with some farce of Ann actually hiding a man in her closet, and even the thing of Don being stuck in the superhero costume is OK, although I don't see why he can't send Ann to get other clothes from his apartment right away.  But then he behaves completely out of character, telling off an authority figure very rudely (when he's usually diplomatic, even when angry), and tricking his boss into giving a speech on not prejudging young people by their clothing.  "Relevancy" and hokey comedy is not a good combination.  (Unless you're working for Sherwood Schwartz of course.)

Jimmy Cross played a Policeman on Gidget but is the Drunk here (the sort of role he was much more often cast in).  Policeman Brad Trumbull was previously a Reporter.  Autograph Fan Florence Mercer was Estelle Webber before.

That Girl: That Cake

That Girl: That Cake
ABC
November 13, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Rick Mittleman's last TG script has Ann losing her engagement ring in a cake, but not the cake being served to Governor Rockefeller.  Donald later imitates the governor, although I suspect they got a celebrity impressionist.  Ann's feelings about the ring contradict what she said when she actually got engaged, and no one points out that it's not in fact the same ring Donald proposed with, but oh well.  Continuity was never big on this show.  (Or any of the other of the sitcoms I've looked at so far.)

Reva Rose again appears as Marcy and isn't just a sounding board for once.  This time Bob Ross's waiter character is named Tommy.  Harvey J. Goldenberg was Jones before and this time is the Assistant Chef.  Woodrow Parfrey was a Clerk before and is Clifford Magleson here.  Sheila Rogers, who plays Mrs. Kling, has a very distinctive voice, recognizable from her several Three's Company appearances for instance.  And, yes, that's 39-year-old Regis Philbin as Producer Ron Rouser.

That Girl: There Sure a Bunch of Cards in St. Louis, Part I

What a difference a decade makes!

That Girl: There Sure a Bunch of Cards in St. Louis, Part I
ABC
October 30, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B+

The engagement (but probably not the "daisies, snowflakes" theme song) seems to have revitalized the show and this Turteltaub-Orenstein episode is everything it should be and more.  For once, I'm actually looking to the second part of a TG two-parter.  Ann has an acting gig in Donald's hometown and that means she's also got to appear before his friends and family.  The results are funny and sweet but with an edge.  We again see Donald's parents, including the wonderfully cold Mabel Albertson, more than ever the mother-in-law no '60s woman would want.  Frank Faylen does a fine job stepping into the role of Don's father, showing where Don gets his sense of humor and warmth from.  (And making Donald an honorary brother to not only Darrin Stephens but Dobie Gillis.)  Yes, Ann's outfits are great again.

Lindsay Workman, who had made the first of four Brady appearances at this point, here plays Harry, the one who wonders if Ann is in plays like Oh! Calcutta!  And it's a nice touch to have William Christopher and Susan Quick return as Donald's old friends Chippy and Heather Dolan.

That Girl: No Man Is a Manhattan Island

Alex Rocco going on to bigger things.

That Girl: No Man Is a Manhattan Island
ABC
October 16, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Despite all the friends that Ann has made with her neighbors over the years, we're supposed to believe, in this Arnold Horwitt story, that she doesn't know any of their full names except the Baumans.  It's still an entertaining episode, even if the biggest laugh for me was the unintentional humor of Ann and a flirtatious neighbor talking about tossing a salad.

Jerry Fogel has his third of four roles on the show, as Mr. Hale, while Don Eitner has his middle of three, as the Policeman.  Charles Lampkin was previously a Janitor and is Horace Hansen here.  Amzie Strickland was Mrs. Chatsworth before and is Ann's game show rival Ella Tansy here.  And, yes, that is 34-year-old Alex Rocco as Biff Johnson.

That Girl: I Ain't Got Nobody

The head looks way too big for the shoulders, but
as Don says, who's going to be looking at the face?

That Girl: I Ain't Got Nobody
ABC
October 9, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
B+

The last TG script written by Ed Scharlach, and second of three for Warren Murray, is easily the best in a long while.  It's witty, e.g. the line "You're a disgrace to the service," and farcical in a fresher way than many of the rather worn and tired episodes of the third and fourth seasons.  It begins when Jerry rushes in from the barber shop.  (I thought there'd be a line about him being clean-shaven now but the mustache seems to have been a one-episode aberration.  Or maybe, ironically, he shaved for Lancelot Link voice-overs.)  He's seen a centerfold in Playpen magazine that appears to be of Ann.  It turns out to be her head in prehistoric Photoshop on another woman's body.  Donald presumably has never actually seen her nude, so he reacts.  And of course Lew reacts. And then the children's host Captain Gooney (Kenneth Mars), who's just hired Ann, reacts.  And throughout Ann reacts to all the reactions.  Also, Ann has some amazing outfits in this episode.  Note, Ann is Miss February, another example of the confusing chronology on this show.

This time Bob Ross plays Bob, although he's still a Waiter at Nino's, so it may be the same character.  The wonderfully voiced Hal Peary plays Lew's friend Harvey.

That Girl: The Reunion

That Girl: The Reunion
ABC
February 26, 1970
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Turteltaub-Orenstein story is another that could've been good with stronger writing.  There's the continuity problem of Ann having her five-year high school reunion, when she's been in New York three or four years.  Did she never graduate from college?  And what was she doing teaching in '63 and working as a meter maid in Fenwick in '64 or '65?  OK, some of that's not the fault of this episode, but it doesn't help.  Even something minor like the school mascot going from the Brewster Roosters to the "Giraffees" (with that spelling) is just odd.  And the episode could be about worrying over offending Lew by not holding the reunion in his restaurant, but that's sort of dropped.  Or it could be about Ann taking stock of her life after five-ish years out of high school, as I suspect it would've been had this aired in the first season or two.  As it is, it's both confusing and forgettable.  Still, the tag scene is one of the more suggestive ones, with Donald and Ann dancing in her apartment in the dark, and she says she could dance all night.  Since the censors usually put pressure on the producers to show Donald leaving Ann's apartment and saying goodnight, I'm not sure how this slipped by.

Harrison Page, who plays Mark, would later be Policeman #2.  Florence Mercer, who's Estelle Webber here, would play an Autograph Fan later.

That Girl: She Never Had the Vegas Notion, Part Two

Dam

That Girl: She Never Had the Vegas Notion, Part Two
ABC
December 18, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Well, at least this is better than Part One.  It turns out that the "Vegas wedding" was just a practical joke by Marty.  Joanne feels guilty and confesses, then she, Ann, and Donald team up to fool Marty.  Lew gets shoehorned into the plot, flying all the way to Vegas, less plausibly than the episode where he interrupted Ann and Donald's "wedding night" when they were snowed in with Jerry and Ruth.

Lillian Field, who plays Gertrude, was previously a Lady.  This is the 300th show I've reviewed for the '60s, and the 100th That Girl episode (counting the Pilot).

That Girl: She Never Had the Vegas Notion, Part One

That Girl: She Never Had the Vegas Notion, Part One
ABC
December 11, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C-

Ann's line "I'm not having fun anymore" pretty well captures my feeling about this Orenstein-Turteltaub episode.  While it's nice to see vintage Vegas, and some cute if not particularly memorable cameos by Carl Reiner and Pat Boone as themselves, I found the plot of Donald going off the rails in Vegas-- in a matter of hours-- both implausible and unfunny.  Also, if Ann's in a show, is it too much to ask that we actually see some of it?  Jack Cassidy as Ann's boss Marty Haines and Hope Holliday as Joanne Ferrer (Donald's bride) would of course return for Part Two.

Morty Gunty plays himself here (as a sexist stand-up comic) but would later appear as Sandy Stone.  Bill McLean would be a Waiter in Part Two as well, while Allen Davis would again be the Desk Clerk, and later Lionel Vernon.  Brad Trumbull is a reporter here but would subsequently be a Policeman.

Sadly, this is Marlo Thomas's 100th show I've reviewed.

That Girl: Nobody Here But Us Chickens

That Girl: Nobody Here But Us Chickens
ABC
October 9, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Ann dresses as a chicken and attracts the unwanted attentions of a Colonel Sanders wannabe played by Slim Pickens, in the first TG story written by Arnold Howitt.

Harry Basch makes his first of three TG appearances, as the Driver, while Don Eitner does his first of three, as the Young Man.  Mari Oliver is Girl #1 and would later be a Ticket Seller.  This time Ed Peck is Walter Clark.

That Girl: My Part Belongs to Daddy

That Girl: My Part Belongs to Daddy
ABC
October 2, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this episode by Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein, Ann ends up directing a play for her father's country club when she turns down the chance to direct the annual variety show.  Although her father is funny and can do a pretty good rendition of "Minnie the Moocher," he's not right for the serious role of the father character.  There are some interesting elements here, but I felt like it actually would've worked better as a two-parter, so we could see more of the play.  (This modern Hamlet, set on a college campus, sounds "relevant" in a very dated way and I can't imagine the country club going for it.)

For the man cast to play "Ned," we get an early appearance by The Jeffersons' Ned Wertimer, although by no means his first.  (He was on Amos 'n Andy back in '51.)  Dave Ketchum makes his middle of three TG appearances, as Harry.

That Girl: Fly Me to the Moon

That Girl: Fly Me to the Moon
ABC
March 6, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I was somewhat annoyed by people's behavior in this episode, but it was cool to see such late '60s trappings as a Lucy Van Pelt sweatshirt and a bathroom decorated in newspaper clippings.  (Honorable mention in the First Toilet in My TV Collection race goes to Donald's tank cover.)  And I was sort of glad that the major isn't actually interested in Ann.

Richard Jury had played a Business Man before and is an Airman here.  Joe Higgens, who's the Staff Sergeant, was previously Noel.  Noam Pitlik plays Beaumont and was Det. Harry Walters.  Joe Perry makes his last of four TG appearances, as Fletcher.  This is the only TG script by John McGreevey, who'd written a few for Gidget.

That Girl: The Defiant One

That Girl: The Defiant One
ABC
February 27, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C

I was getting so restless watching this episode, written by Richard Baer, that I kept watching the time-marks on my DVD player.  Not that I was bored exactly, it's just I couldn't figure out what the point was in having a little black boy play Ann for a fool.

Sid Clute, who's the Desk Sergeant, was a Policeman on the show earlier.
Lillian Field who plays a Lady in this episode, would later be Gertrude. Shopper Naomi Stevens would later play Sophie twice.

That Girl: The Seventh Time Around

Benay Venuta in her younger days.

That Girl: The Seventh Time Around
ABC
November 28, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
B-

After so many episodes where Ann is naive about the intentions of men, especially older men, we get this episode where Donald seems oblivious to the fact that a wealthy woman in her 70s wants him as her seventh husband.

This is Carl Kleinschmitt's middle of five TG scripts and Richard Kinon's first TG directing job of eighteen.