ABC
February 2, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B
While so far Ann and Donald's courtship has been loving and affectionate but far from hot and heavy, here they find themselves in a situation fraught with ABC Censor-Induced Sexual Tension (hereafter referred to as ABCCIST). This is not limited to ABC of course, and there are exceptions at ABC (notably with Bernie Kopell's The Love Boat), and I'm aware that some of this tension comes from the societal shift, with even "nice girls" like Ann facing the sexual revolution. But the way it plays out is visible, for instance, a decade later on Three's Company and even more so two decades later on Who's the Boss? Because this is early on, and That Girl is a genteel show, it doesn't get too farcical, or steamy here, but when Donald and Ann share a bedroom so that their friends (Kopell as Jerry, with Arlene Golonka now in the role of Margie) can be alone on their wedding night, there is definitely more tension than usual for our leading couple. They resolve it while staying in character, playing gin rummy and then having Donald sleep on the tiny couch. There is humor, too, of course, whether J. Pat O'Malley as Judge Hardy calmly talking about his divorce, or Lew jumping to conclusions, not to mention Don in the "whoopie pajamas" he borrows from Jerry. I almost went with a B+, but I didn't think the episode quite crossed over into near-classic. And much of my interest in it is meta. Definitely an improvement over James L. Brooks's Christmas script in any case.
James O'Rear was a Bailiff on an earlier TG and is the Clerk here.
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