30 Rock: Mamma Mia

30 Rock: Mamma Mia
NBC
May 7, 2009
Sitcom
DVD
B

In this Ron-Weiner-written episode, Pete and Liz are suspicious of Tracy's supposed "love child" Donald (Michael Benjamin Washington in his first of two appearances), while Jack, at Liz's urging, finds out whose love child he is.  And meanwhile, Liz resents Jenna taking credit for the "dealbreaker" catchphrase, and the photo shoot shows that Jenna has learned from the Maxim debacle of the first season.  The title here is, as is made clear, a reference to the stageplay and film of that name, although in this case two of the three potential dads are immediately ruled out, leaving Jack to deal with the fact that his biological father is a liberal, secular humanist agnostic History professor from Vermont, perfectly cast with Alan Alda.

I'm omitting Friedlander and Powell from the overcrowded tags.  Frank Anello works hard at playing a member of the Production Staff.  And while Alda is of course going to walk away with the "Most Shows In My Collection" Award (if there was ever any doubt), the Longevity award will likely see Stuart Margolin pushing Ann B. Davis out of the way, since his role as Jack's potential-if-not-injured-in-the-war dad Fred comes a good 41 years after his first That Girl cameo.

M*A*S*H: Operation Noselift

M*A*S*H: Operation Noselift
CBS
January 19, 1974
Dramedy
DVD
C

As with the previous Stuart Margolin M*A*S*H episode, a potentially good story is ruined by his character (this time Maj. Stanley "Stosh" Robbins) attacking Houlihan, and its being played for laughs.  Not that I'm crazy about the approval of plastic surgery but there are some funny lines and it's nice to see twenty-six-year-old Todd Susman (who seems to be wearing make-up to change the shape of his nose, but then we never see him post-surgery) as Private Danny Baker.

Bobbie Mitchell (now Nurse Lyons), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Patricia Stevens (Nurse Mitchell) return.  This is the first of three M*A*S*H scripts from Erik Tarloff.

M*A*S*H: Bananas, Crackers and Nuts

M*A*S*H: Bananas, Crackers and Nuts
CBS
November 5, 1972
Dramedy
DVD
C

Burt Styler's second of two M*A*S*H episodes has potential, but sacrifices it all for a scene of Margaret fighting off the advances of Capt. Phillip G. Sherman (Stuart Margolin).  She's invited Sherman, who's a psychiatrist, to the 4077th because she suspects that Pierce is faking his sudden insanity.  She's right of course and again my sympathies were more with her and Burns, especially after the scene where she yells for help and no one but Frank seems concerned.  I also should mention that at this point I'm not sure how to take all the times where Hawkeye and Trapper sort of flirt, played for laughs but not really homophobic, I mean not hostile.  In this episode, he pretends to be in love with Frank, as a sign of his craziness.

Odessa Cleveland again plays Bayliss.  This is the only episode in the series that Bruce Bilson directed, although he'd done one for That Girl and three for Gidget.

That Girl: The Subject Was Rabies

That Girl: The Subject Was Rabies
ABC
February 20, 1969
Sitcom
DVD
C+

A cute, possibly stray, dog bites Lew and chaos ensues.  Not very funny chaos unfortunately, despite a slew of guest stars.  One of the boys at the door, Richard Steele, had played a Trick-or-Treater.  Jules Munshin had been Rudy Clarn but this time is Ann's agent Harry Fields.  Dick Balduzzi makes his third and last TG appearance, as the Messenger.  Ed Peck has his middle of five TG roles, as Ketchum.  And this time Stuart Margolin is Dr. Phillip L. Priddy.  This is Skip Webster's only TG script, but he'd write five for The Brady Bunch.

That Girl: 7 1/4, Part 2

That Girl: 7 1/4, Part 2
ABC
October 24, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
B-

While the interwoven threads of Donald writing a series on violence in the media (a very hot topic in '68 by the way, especially after the RFK and Dr. King assassinations) and Ann doing death-defying soda commercials don't really pay off as well as they could (for one thing, why not just hire a stunt woman for the distant shots?), this is definitely one to watch for its guest cast.  Jesse White is back, this time as director Phil Bender.  Thirty-year-old Peter Bonerz plays his assistant,  Larry Yorkin.  Stuart Margolin is director Leonard Stanley, who makes the point (not original with him) that he'll stop making war movies when wars stop.  The episode's director Hal Cooper appears as the Interviewed Screenwriter.  Frank De Vol plays cartoonist Mr. Barber.  And, yes, that's an uncredited 14-year-old Barry Williams as the Autograph Seeker, around the time that he was being cast on The Brady Bunch.

Ken Lynch, who's Carl Sheldon here, was previously Officer Dombrowski.

That Girl: Eleven Angry Men and That Girl

That Girl: Eleven Angry Men and That Girl
ABC
October 10, 1968
Sitcom
DVD
C

This time Stan Cutler and Martin Donovan come up with the comedy gold of Ann being the one hold-out on the jury in a spousal abuse case, in favor of the husband.  The man (Dick Wilson) allegedly hit his wife (Bobo Lewis in her second of many TG roles) with an ashtray.  Ann convinces the rest of the jury, only to see the husband hit his wife with an ashtray in the courtroom, as the laugh track chuckles!  The only reason I'm not going with a lower grade is I sort of liked it when Ann (gently) hits and tells off the letch Dave Ketchum (Jack Packard, his first of three TG parts), and I was pleased to see 28-year-old Stuart Margolin as the hippie Talley.

Joe Besser had previously played a Messenger and is the Jury Foreman here.  Joe Perry makes his second of four appearances, as the Bailiff.

This is, unless I've forgotten to tag something, the 200th sitcom I've reviewed.  That genre will continue to dominate my collection, although other things will be mixed in as we go along.