The Brady Bunch: Getting Greg's Goat

The episode where there's a big misunderstanding

The Brady Bunch: Getting Greg's Goat
ABC
October 19, 1973
Sitcom
DVD
B

Milton Pascal and Sam Locke's penultimate Brady script offers us more farce, first with Greg's father and brothers thinking he's snuck a girl or two up to his attic bedroom, and then with Greg and Mike trying to keep Carol's anti-mascot-stealing committee from spotting "Raquel."  Note that Greg makes Marcia his confidante again.  The position of "boys' vice-principal" seems like a dated one, even for the '70s.  I know that by the time I was in high school a decade later, there was no longer any such thing in public schools of Southern California.

Sandra Gould, who plays Mrs. Gould, is best known as one of the Gladys Kravitzes on Bewitched, but she did play a Telephone Operator on Gilligan's Island.  This is the last episode Robert Reed directed as well as the 100th of his I've reviewed.

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home: The Neighbors

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home: The Neighbors
Syndicated
February 20, 1973
Cartoon, Sitcom
DVD
C+

The only first season episode written by co-creators R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock, this has the feel of a back-door pilot, since it's mostly focused on the title characters, with just brief appearances by the Boyles.  I guess they wanted to do "young marrieds" stories for a change, and it wouldn't have worked to marry off Chet.  Since this is Hanna-Barbera, there's an evil snickering dog, and since it's '73, the wife's mother is modeled on Maude Findlay.

The first season of WTYFGH averages a B-, but it's fair to say that my enjoyment wore off as the show went on.  Unlike All in the Family, which could be watched and identified with in different ways, this show is so Harry-focused, with him often the only rational and honorable person around, it blunts the quality of the show.  This disservice is seen particularly with the character of Irma, who becomes shallower and more irritating as the season "progresses."  From what I recall, the second season had more guest celebrities, but since it is not at this time available on DVD, I don't remember much about it.

Gilligan's Island: You've Been Disconnected

Gilligan's Island: You've Been Disconnected
CBS
January 13, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

My favorite aspect of this episode is not Ginger taking notes for The Ginger Grant Story movie that she hopes to star in once they're rescued, but rather the sights and sounds of people off the island, including a smooching couple with the phone taken off the hook and a quarreling British couple.  (I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say that R. Johnson and T. Louise provided the voices.)  Sandra Gould, who plays the Telephone Operator, is probably best known as one of the Gladys Kravitzes on Bewitched, but she'd also appear on The Brady Bunch.  Note that the Professor thinks the Skipper's birthday is in April rather than May.