"Number 7? Does anybody have Number 7?...Number 8?"
I think the kids at the County Seat may have been walking of with some numbers.
Sweet, sweet Double Drick. I believe I've mentioned this before but: When I first started watching GA, I began with a run on CBN (5PM EST, M-F) that was at the second half of Season Six. I loved the wit, the charm, the characters, the love between Oliver & Lisa and the weirdness. When the show started over, it was very different. I watched (and loved) the episodes you've read about here. But, it was this episode that well & truly made me sit up and say "Ahhh! Here's the that weird show I've been watching."
And, DD does it in a GA-standard plotline. After 7 months of struggling without electricity and Haney's degenerator (always in 7's), Oliver goes to Drucker's to find out what the hold up might be... and it turns out Sam forgot to mail the application. So, the episode is about Oliver finally getting electricity (more or less) for the house. That's it. It's not a new bedroom or livestock or land... they just want electricity on their farm in early-1966 America. It's a fantastic episode.
Why? We finally say good-bye to the generator. Just at the point when the 7's might be bordering on repetitive, we wish it farewell. We get to go to the Hooterville Power, Water & Gas Company. (That may not be in the right order.) They do have a Pick A Number system. And, the scene of Oliver sitting in the empty waiting room as the man at the counter says "Number 4...Number 4...Sir, do you have number 4?" "I have 22!" is a scene that never fails to make me laugh.
After seeming a little off in The Deputy, Mr. Kimball comes back large. Lisa acts like Hank, briefly, which is awesome. And then, they have a wonderful rambling conversation... Lisa is now matching Hank and these are two very funny characters running in tandem. To hear them both reference hooking up the"electrical" is smile-causing. Haney gets a great scene. Even after all this, he has one more zing up his sleeve. Oliver loses one more time. But, this time, it's not so bad because of the impending power.
Lawlor the Installer is here. But, we never do get to meet Peter Greeder the Meter Reader. Sight gags, wordplay, witty lines and insanity: this episode is filled with all of it. I will admit that I watched this episode last night and laughed out loud more times than I could count. I adore the show up to this point. This is the episode that makes me love it. And, retroactively, makes me love the previous episodes.
And, I didn't mention my two favorite bits as a child: First, there is a Batman parody and it is awesome. (I'll let this gag surprise you.) Second, the gag about the Northeast Blackout of November 1965 gets a freeze frame and narration. (We haven't had a narrator appear since the first episode.) This show is cool.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
1.25: The Deputy
Lisa: Is that how you spell shopping, with one "o" and two "p"'s?
Oliver: Mmm-hmm.
Lisa: I always spell it with two "o"'s and one "p"?
Oliver: That's shooping.
Lisa: You mean all this time I've been "shooping" instead of "shopping".
Oliver: I guess so.
Lisa: Funny nobody noticed it.
Even the title clues you in, with this episode we're heading back to a more normal world of sitcom than Molly Turgis would have implied was our future. Mr. Drucker is going on vacation for two weeks. He tricks Oliver into becoming the deputy. That's the first act. The second act is general faffing around as Oliver gets his Deputy kit (more like a Deputy bag) and tries to give Mr. Charlton (?) Haney a ticket. Then, in time for the third act, he handcuffs himself to Lisa and that takes the wacky to the end.
Eisner & Krinksy's Television Comedy Series has an appendix that lists "Standard Classic Sitcom Plots", including meeting a person who is identical to one of the lead characters, a picnic or family trip of some sort and other great ones. One of them is "characters get handcuffed together". Lisa & Oliver's handcuffing isn't as funny as Kramden & Norton on the train. But, it's still darn good. The fact, however, that this plot line is in the "Standard Classic etc" list meas 1) GA is a Classic Sitcom & 2) there's a good chance that this episode isn't all that crazy.
You're right on both counts.
After the regular episodes of the house & farm being assembled and Lisa's decision day, the show would need to settle into a familiar groove. Something that people would want to tune into week after week. Something a little different each week but not terribly different. That's just the way sitcoms worked back then. So, the last third of this season is the show manoeuvring around as it finds its niche. Molly T. implies that the show is going mad. And, in fact, it will. This is the direction it followed. The Deputy shows the program as a Standard Sitcom. The structure might still be a bit strange but the storytelling is pure Classic Sitcom. Another route the show could have taken.
And, luckily, Jay & Dick are so good at what they do that this is a viable avenue for the show to take. Once the Second Season begins, it will be the rare episode that is as standard as this. There are wonderfully individual moments, pure GA: The shooping list, Wyatt Earp talk, "Let me see your credentials...Oh, you've got a whole bag of them" and talk of The De-Putty. Mr. Kimball is the sign that something isn't quite matching up, however. He seems rather out-of-place in his scene. His weird antics at the train tracks feel off here. But, setting that aside, the show could have run like this for years, (possibly with a toned-down Hank) telling regular stories with touches of strange wit & odd humor.
But, the show didn't go this way. It is still early enough in its run that it can play around with what it's doing and it's great to see. Many shows go down one route and then abandon it for something else. (For example: the first 12-ish episodes of The Munsters are far more macabre than the remainder of the show. And, frankly, I think it loses something.) GA has two types of Green Acres running alongside one another...I wonder if folks originally watching would have noted this? It's pretty cool to see. And, obviously, with each episode we draw closer to the Firm Green Acres Style set in stone.
Oddly enough, the next episode by production order (I've decided that's the way I'm doing it) is about fixing up the house in some way but it is loaded with the oddness to come. Stay tuned.
Oliver: Mmm-hmm.
Lisa: I always spell it with two "o"'s and one "p"?
Oliver: That's shooping.
Lisa: You mean all this time I've been "shooping" instead of "shopping".
Oliver: I guess so.
Lisa: Funny nobody noticed it.
Even the title clues you in, with this episode we're heading back to a more normal world of sitcom than Molly Turgis would have implied was our future. Mr. Drucker is going on vacation for two weeks. He tricks Oliver into becoming the deputy. That's the first act. The second act is general faffing around as Oliver gets his Deputy kit (more like a Deputy bag) and tries to give Mr. Charlton (?) Haney a ticket. Then, in time for the third act, he handcuffs himself to Lisa and that takes the wacky to the end.
Eisner & Krinksy's Television Comedy Series has an appendix that lists "Standard Classic Sitcom Plots", including meeting a person who is identical to one of the lead characters, a picnic or family trip of some sort and other great ones. One of them is "characters get handcuffed together". Lisa & Oliver's handcuffing isn't as funny as Kramden & Norton on the train. But, it's still darn good. The fact, however, that this plot line is in the "Standard Classic etc" list meas 1) GA is a Classic Sitcom & 2) there's a good chance that this episode isn't all that crazy.
You're right on both counts.
After the regular episodes of the house & farm being assembled and Lisa's decision day, the show would need to settle into a familiar groove. Something that people would want to tune into week after week. Something a little different each week but not terribly different. That's just the way sitcoms worked back then. So, the last third of this season is the show manoeuvring around as it finds its niche. Molly T. implies that the show is going mad. And, in fact, it will. This is the direction it followed. The Deputy shows the program as a Standard Sitcom. The structure might still be a bit strange but the storytelling is pure Classic Sitcom. Another route the show could have taken.
And, luckily, Jay & Dick are so good at what they do that this is a viable avenue for the show to take. Once the Second Season begins, it will be the rare episode that is as standard as this. There are wonderfully individual moments, pure GA: The shooping list, Wyatt Earp talk, "Let me see your credentials...Oh, you've got a whole bag of them" and talk of The De-Putty. Mr. Kimball is the sign that something isn't quite matching up, however. He seems rather out-of-place in his scene. His weird antics at the train tracks feel off here. But, setting that aside, the show could have run like this for years, (possibly with a toned-down Hank) telling regular stories with touches of strange wit & odd humor.
But, the show didn't go this way. It is still early enough in its run that it can play around with what it's doing and it's great to see. Many shows go down one route and then abandon it for something else. (For example: the first 12-ish episodes of The Munsters are far more macabre than the remainder of the show. And, frankly, I think it loses something.) GA has two types of Green Acres running alongside one another...I wonder if folks originally watching would have noted this? It's pretty cool to see. And, obviously, with each episode we draw closer to the Firm Green Acres Style set in stone.
Oddly enough, the next episode by production order (I've decided that's the way I'm doing it) is about fixing up the house in some way but it is loaded with the oddness to come. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
1.23: A Pig In A Poke
"Don't worry. My husband will get you son the pig out of trouble in no time at all."
A whole lotta Arnold!
The Ziffels state, unequivocally, that Arnold is their son. Well, they say that if they had had a son...he would have been Arnold. Close enough. The World of Hooterville has now fully absorbed Lisa. Oliver will never quite get in. The fact that Arnold is so smart and that he can turn on the TV will always confuse Mr. Douglas. The love the Ziffels have for the pig and the affection everyone else has for Arnold will always elude him.
But, when Mr. Haney sells a sofa to the Ziffels and it turns out to be junk and Haney attaches Arnold in lieu of payment, Oliver talks to Haney about it. Although, he thinks the Pig Love is madness, he will fight for the people that Haney has bilked.
It all becomes quite goof-filled after a while. Arnold hides out at the Douglas place. Oliver gets trapped under the bedroom floor. He gets his pants pulled off. He gets sprayed with water. All kinds of very funny stuff happens. And, in the end, when Oliver and Lisa go to NYC for a Harvard Alumni Society Meeting, Arnold has stowed away and joins them at the dinner. The whole episode, in fact, is a story told by Oliver to the Alumni Society to demonstrate some points of country law.
Oliver, yeah, he gets flustered. Lisa, however, is perfectly in sync with this world now. All of her malapropisms and confusions work for Hooterville now. Oliver keeps his composure through a lot of eye rolling and some wisecracking. He also tries to stick by the law to keep him sane. Unfortunately, the law gets as goofy as Hooterville.
It's a lovely episode. Possibly a good one to show someone if you can only show them one. Everybody gets a bit. There are some laughs and it actually has a plot. Not that it needs a plot but it can work against you to show an episode where nothing really happens. I love 'em meandering and goofy but some folks like plots.
That place I kept saying that we were working towards...that Mythical Green Acres Super-Cool spot is, pretty much, here. The house is, more or less, as good as it's going to get. Lisa is here to stay. Oliver is farming as good as he will get. The elements of the world are all here now. It's a good world. Immerse me.
A whole lotta Arnold!
The Ziffels state, unequivocally, that Arnold is their son. Well, they say that if they had had a son...he would have been Arnold. Close enough. The World of Hooterville has now fully absorbed Lisa. Oliver will never quite get in. The fact that Arnold is so smart and that he can turn on the TV will always confuse Mr. Douglas. The love the Ziffels have for the pig and the affection everyone else has for Arnold will always elude him.
But, when Mr. Haney sells a sofa to the Ziffels and it turns out to be junk and Haney attaches Arnold in lieu of payment, Oliver talks to Haney about it. Although, he thinks the Pig Love is madness, he will fight for the people that Haney has bilked.
It all becomes quite goof-filled after a while. Arnold hides out at the Douglas place. Oliver gets trapped under the bedroom floor. He gets his pants pulled off. He gets sprayed with water. All kinds of very funny stuff happens. And, in the end, when Oliver and Lisa go to NYC for a Harvard Alumni Society Meeting, Arnold has stowed away and joins them at the dinner. The whole episode, in fact, is a story told by Oliver to the Alumni Society to demonstrate some points of country law.
Oliver, yeah, he gets flustered. Lisa, however, is perfectly in sync with this world now. All of her malapropisms and confusions work for Hooterville now. Oliver keeps his composure through a lot of eye rolling and some wisecracking. He also tries to stick by the law to keep him sane. Unfortunately, the law gets as goofy as Hooterville.
It's a lovely episode. Possibly a good one to show someone if you can only show them one. Everybody gets a bit. There are some laughs and it actually has a plot. Not that it needs a plot but it can work against you to show an episode where nothing really happens. I love 'em meandering and goofy but some folks like plots.
That place I kept saying that we were working towards...that Mythical Green Acres Super-Cool spot is, pretty much, here. The house is, more or less, as good as it's going to get. Lisa is here to stay. Oliver is farming as good as he will get. The elements of the world are all here now. It's a good world. Immerse me.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
01.22: The Day of Decision
"Darlin', I love ya...but give me Park Avenue."
I know...What is a quote from the theme doing in the spot where a quote from the episode goes? Well, it'll make sense in the end. A little harbinger of "Things To Come" for the series involves this quote. But, we'll talk about that at the end. Other things are of importance now...
Today, Lisa decided if she stays in Hooterville or goes back to New York. The 6 months are up. Oliver is nervous. The whole town of Hooterville, including Uncle Joe, are on tenterhooks waiting for her answer. And, for a show that has had such endearingly slim plotlines, this one is the slimmest. The whole episode hinges around one woman making one decision....and it's a good one.
A good episode, I mean. Lisa's choice is her own.
(Although, the slimness of the plotline does seem to get to the writer's slightly. The episode has several flashback scenes, mainly to the first two episodes. Either they were having trouble filling up the episode or they were reminding viewers (and cluing those who hadn't watched in) of what occurred several months before. I believe it is the latter.)
A little viewer's context:
GA - A Day of Decision aired on February 23, 1966. The show itself premiered on September 15, 1965.
That week:
Batman - That same day (2/23/66) the 13th episode aired - The Thirteenth Hat. The first appearance of the Mad Hatter. The one that ends with Batman getting covered in Super Fast Hardening Plaster.
The Beverly Hillbillies - Same Day - The Great Jethro - Episode 23 of Season 4. Jethro wants to be a magician with hilarious consequences.
Petticoat Junction - The day before (the 22nd) - The Invisible Mr. Dobble Episode 23 of Season Three
Get Smart - Later that week, 2/26/66, the 23rd episode aired - I'm Only Human The one where Fang's bark (I believe) will trigger a KAOS bomb.
And, across an ocean...2/26/66, Bell of Doom, the 25th episode of the 3rd Season of Doctor Who. The Doctor and Steven in Paris. The year is 1572...and another adventure is reaching its conclusion.
That's all the stuff I have handy right now but it gives you a feel for Pop Culture on TV at that moment.
It's a beautiful episode, The Day of Decision. From the opening scene, where Eb tells Elinor what day it is through to all the townsfolk and their worrying to the lovely decision scene to the closing moments...that echo the closing moments from Episode 2...it works. The sign of good writing is knowing when to complicate things and when not to. Extra plotlines can be fun but they can also get in the way. When you have a large cast, if you keep the focus on one man (a la The Great Gildersleeve) then you can focus on one plotline. If you have a show like The Simpsons and everyone needs something to do, you split the focus and can lose sight of the main story. Doesn't happen here and it is stellar.
Olive spends his time rambling around. Meanwhile, off camera, Lisa sits and dwells upon her choice. As she says, if they go back to NYC, she's happy but Oliver isn't. If they stay...you know. And, she does think about it and it wracks her mind...The joke about the noises in Lisa's head is a funny one and the follow-up is funnier but the great thing is that the jokes aren't the important element here...even the laugh track seems to know it. There are things that other shows would have tagged as a "Big Gag!" but GA, here, downplays it...especially during the Decision scene. The laugh track lies low and a very good choice that was.
We see how much the townspeople like The Douglases in this episode. Mr. Kimball's scene with them, in particular, is very affecting. And, during the final moments, we see how much Lisa has been changed by the farm, although she wouldn't admit it. And, after Lisa has made her decision, we see how much being on the farm hasn't really changed Oliver. (He's still rather uptight.)
SPOLIER TOWN!
OK, well, obviously, they stay. If they left, the show would have been very different. "A NYC couple leave their Park Avenue penthouse and move to a farm. Halfway through Season One, they move back to the city and never return to the farm." Doesn't quite grab ya in the same way...unless they moved in with Jimmie "J.J." Walker.
But, the wonder of the show is that you don't quite know what the Decision will be until it is made...Once Lisa asks Oliver to sit with her in the bedroom, you know the decision is made and you know they are going back to NYC. Eva Gabor's finest moment? Possibly. She plays the scene so lovely. She even has a malapropism that fits perfectly. I will say that this scene always waters up my eyes a bit. I always believe that Oliver's Dream is over and they're heading back.
Yeah, the Final Act reverses that but it does so in a completely believable manner. Lisa decides to stay another 6 months because Alice and Elinor will get killed and eaten if they go. 6 months before, NYC Lisa wouldn't have changed her life for a chicken and a cow. Now, Hooterville Lisa does and it feels like the dramatic punchline for a bit that has been building for 22 episodes.
Lisa now belongs in Hooterville. That's why, in 6 months, we don't have another episode like this. She belongs. Oliver, well, that's another story.
And, the opening quote? As Eb strolls to the barn with the milk pail, he "do do do" 's the Green Acres theme and, when he reaches the opening quote, he turns to the camera and sings the line...just like Lisa...in fact, it is Lisa. And, it is very odd and it is where the show shall bend shortly...
A beautiful episode. Let the show continue...
I know...What is a quote from the theme doing in the spot where a quote from the episode goes? Well, it'll make sense in the end. A little harbinger of "Things To Come" for the series involves this quote. But, we'll talk about that at the end. Other things are of importance now...
Today, Lisa decided if she stays in Hooterville or goes back to New York. The 6 months are up. Oliver is nervous. The whole town of Hooterville, including Uncle Joe, are on tenterhooks waiting for her answer. And, for a show that has had such endearingly slim plotlines, this one is the slimmest. The whole episode hinges around one woman making one decision....and it's a good one.
A good episode, I mean. Lisa's choice is her own.
(Although, the slimness of the plotline does seem to get to the writer's slightly. The episode has several flashback scenes, mainly to the first two episodes. Either they were having trouble filling up the episode or they were reminding viewers (and cluing those who hadn't watched in) of what occurred several months before. I believe it is the latter.)
A little viewer's context:
GA - A Day of Decision aired on February 23, 1966. The show itself premiered on September 15, 1965.
That week:
Batman - That same day (2/23/66) the 13th episode aired - The Thirteenth Hat. The first appearance of the Mad Hatter. The one that ends with Batman getting covered in Super Fast Hardening Plaster.
The Beverly Hillbillies - Same Day - The Great Jethro - Episode 23 of Season 4. Jethro wants to be a magician with hilarious consequences.
Petticoat Junction - The day before (the 22nd) - The Invisible Mr. Dobble Episode 23 of Season Three
Get Smart - Later that week, 2/26/66, the 23rd episode aired - I'm Only Human The one where Fang's bark (I believe) will trigger a KAOS bomb.
And, across an ocean...2/26/66, Bell of Doom, the 25th episode of the 3rd Season of Doctor Who. The Doctor and Steven in Paris. The year is 1572...and another adventure is reaching its conclusion.
That's all the stuff I have handy right now but it gives you a feel for Pop Culture on TV at that moment.
It's a beautiful episode, The Day of Decision. From the opening scene, where Eb tells Elinor what day it is through to all the townsfolk and their worrying to the lovely decision scene to the closing moments...that echo the closing moments from Episode 2...it works. The sign of good writing is knowing when to complicate things and when not to. Extra plotlines can be fun but they can also get in the way. When you have a large cast, if you keep the focus on one man (a la The Great Gildersleeve) then you can focus on one plotline. If you have a show like The Simpsons and everyone needs something to do, you split the focus and can lose sight of the main story. Doesn't happen here and it is stellar.
Olive spends his time rambling around. Meanwhile, off camera, Lisa sits and dwells upon her choice. As she says, if they go back to NYC, she's happy but Oliver isn't. If they stay...you know. And, she does think about it and it wracks her mind...The joke about the noises in Lisa's head is a funny one and the follow-up is funnier but the great thing is that the jokes aren't the important element here...even the laugh track seems to know it. There are things that other shows would have tagged as a "Big Gag!" but GA, here, downplays it...especially during the Decision scene. The laugh track lies low and a very good choice that was.
We see how much the townspeople like The Douglases in this episode. Mr. Kimball's scene with them, in particular, is very affecting. And, during the final moments, we see how much Lisa has been changed by the farm, although she wouldn't admit it. And, after Lisa has made her decision, we see how much being on the farm hasn't really changed Oliver. (He's still rather uptight.)
SPOLIER TOWN!
OK, well, obviously, they stay. If they left, the show would have been very different. "A NYC couple leave their Park Avenue penthouse and move to a farm. Halfway through Season One, they move back to the city and never return to the farm." Doesn't quite grab ya in the same way...unless they moved in with Jimmie "J.J." Walker.
But, the wonder of the show is that you don't quite know what the Decision will be until it is made...Once Lisa asks Oliver to sit with her in the bedroom, you know the decision is made and you know they are going back to NYC. Eva Gabor's finest moment? Possibly. She plays the scene so lovely. She even has a malapropism that fits perfectly. I will say that this scene always waters up my eyes a bit. I always believe that Oliver's Dream is over and they're heading back.
Yeah, the Final Act reverses that but it does so in a completely believable manner. Lisa decides to stay another 6 months because Alice and Elinor will get killed and eaten if they go. 6 months before, NYC Lisa wouldn't have changed her life for a chicken and a cow. Now, Hooterville Lisa does and it feels like the dramatic punchline for a bit that has been building for 22 episodes.
Lisa now belongs in Hooterville. That's why, in 6 months, we don't have another episode like this. She belongs. Oliver, well, that's another story.
And, the opening quote? As Eb strolls to the barn with the milk pail, he "do do do" 's the Green Acres theme and, when he reaches the opening quote, he turns to the camera and sings the line...just like Lisa...in fact, it is Lisa. And, it is very odd and it is where the show shall bend shortly...
A beautiful episode. Let the show continue...
Monday, September 6, 2010
1.21: What's In A Name?
"You hit me and I'll tell Ma and you'll get it!"
And, we are one episode away from the big day of decision...
Ralph wants to marry Mr. Kimball. He won't go out with a woman named Ralph. Oliver agrees to represent Ralph in court to get her name changed. Oliver, anxious to practice some law again, has to take the Hooterville bar exam. And, it's wonderful.
The opening sequence, with the Monroe Brothers hammering a sign into the bedroom wall, is hilarity incarnate...literally. A very funny mix of Mr. Douglas's exasperation, Lisa saying weird things, the Monroe Brothers being themselves and just joy. I don't know. I was thinking about why I'm not so terribly thrilled on most of today's TV shows. I believe it has something to do with all the "anti-heroes" and people living in awful worlds with little bursts of hope.
I like my heroes. And, if I can't get a hero, I'll take a world filled with whack jobs, like Green Acres. Mr. Douglas just wants to farm. And, in this episode, he wouldn't mind a little lawyering, too. We already know he still has lawyer thoughts (Lisa Bakes A Cake) so he's trying to get the best of both worlds. (Of course, what happens to Lisa's needs but...that's a whole 'nother write-up). There is so much great nonsense. And, there's never evil here. It's all fun.
And, when it's not fun, it's at least very charming. Look at that guy who runs the bar exams. The "Harvard, where's that?" scene is superb. Who knew that there was a Harvard School of Hypnotism? And, watch the (erroneous) info about Oliver being disbarred for hitting a judge spread like wildfire.
The plot is thin. Well, there really isn't one...just sort of a suggestion for a series of incidents and they're great incidents. Once again, the show feels like a 30's or 40's radio show. Doing its own thing and making us laugh.
I don't know. My favorite shows are Doctor Who and Green Acres. My heroes and my non-lethal goofballs. That's what I love.
I am, however, a little worried about or next episode: The Day of Decision. Will the shoe end here or continue on for, say, another 148 episodes? Tune in to find out!
And, we are one episode away from the big day of decision...
Ralph wants to marry Mr. Kimball. He won't go out with a woman named Ralph. Oliver agrees to represent Ralph in court to get her name changed. Oliver, anxious to practice some law again, has to take the Hooterville bar exam. And, it's wonderful.
The opening sequence, with the Monroe Brothers hammering a sign into the bedroom wall, is hilarity incarnate...literally. A very funny mix of Mr. Douglas's exasperation, Lisa saying weird things, the Monroe Brothers being themselves and just joy. I don't know. I was thinking about why I'm not so terribly thrilled on most of today's TV shows. I believe it has something to do with all the "anti-heroes" and people living in awful worlds with little bursts of hope.
I like my heroes. And, if I can't get a hero, I'll take a world filled with whack jobs, like Green Acres. Mr. Douglas just wants to farm. And, in this episode, he wouldn't mind a little lawyering, too. We already know he still has lawyer thoughts (Lisa Bakes A Cake) so he's trying to get the best of both worlds. (Of course, what happens to Lisa's needs but...that's a whole 'nother write-up). There is so much great nonsense. And, there's never evil here. It's all fun.
And, when it's not fun, it's at least very charming. Look at that guy who runs the bar exams. The "Harvard, where's that?" scene is superb. Who knew that there was a Harvard School of Hypnotism? And, watch the (erroneous) info about Oliver being disbarred for hitting a judge spread like wildfire.
The plot is thin. Well, there really isn't one...just sort of a suggestion for a series of incidents and they're great incidents. Once again, the show feels like a 30's or 40's radio show. Doing its own thing and making us laugh.
I don't know. My favorite shows are Doctor Who and Green Acres. My heroes and my non-lethal goofballs. That's what I love.
I am, however, a little worried about or next episode: The Day of Decision. Will the shoe end here or continue on for, say, another 148 episodes? Tune in to find out!
Friday, August 6, 2010
1.20: The Price of Apples
Well, I finished watching this episode and realized that I've been misleading myself and everyone reading and enjoying this blog. I keep saying that by this point in the show it is (pretty much) the crazy, strange show we all know and love.
It isn't. Not yet. But, it's still something very rare in the pantheon of odd 60's sitcoms.
A little plot...
The apples are ready to go to market. Oliver's first crop...although, technically, they were all on the land they purchased a few episodes ago. Oliver has the local kids pick them all. He buys Mr. Ziffel's crop and Newt Kiley's and, possibly, Ben Miller's. He gets on a truck with Lisa and they drive to the State Capital to sell the bushels and bushels of apples. But, of course, it doesn't go quite right.
And, of course, the plot synopsis doesn't go quite right either. The show has the same meander along that the past episodes have had. Oliver walks right into the kitchen with an apple in the first few minutes so that is the sort of "plot theme" of the episode. Lisa is cooking hotcakes in a very odd manner that, satisfyingly, saves the day. Mr. Douglas has a chat with Mr. Kimball, goes to Drucker's store, almost gets flim-flammed by Haney (although that sequence does seem a trifle rote) and drives along with Lisa. Even when the apple prices are dropping, there's no real urgency. And, in the end, Lisa helps fix the truck and they are on their way to the State Capital...and the episode ends. Just a charming series of adventures for our pals.
Charming and funny...There's the thing.
Green Acres is funny. While most shows of this era (stand up Munsters and Bewitched!) were charming and fun to watch, they were rarely, if ever, funny. They relied on their characters strangeness and the weird situations. But, Green Acres is put together by two funny men with a strong director and a funny cast. All this meandering is fine because it is funny. The point of the episode is not the race to get the apples to market...it's the goofball things that happen en route.
The show is in no way "surreal" or crazy...Yes, the characters are beginning to make jokes about each other (Lisa talking like Mr. Kimball, Mr. Ziffel asking if Mr. Douglas is going to make one of his speeches) but it's all in the standard sitcom framework. The true crazy twist hasn't happened yet. What has happened is that it's gone from being a fun sitcom to being a funny sitcom...and that will make all the difference when the change comes.
Knowing how the show goes so strange, these early episodes are a heck of a lot of fun. Like early albums by The Beach Boys or The Rolling Stones before they really got their music under control and made the brilliant stuff...Ah, GA...
It isn't. Not yet. But, it's still something very rare in the pantheon of odd 60's sitcoms.
A little plot...
The apples are ready to go to market. Oliver's first crop...although, technically, they were all on the land they purchased a few episodes ago. Oliver has the local kids pick them all. He buys Mr. Ziffel's crop and Newt Kiley's and, possibly, Ben Miller's. He gets on a truck with Lisa and they drive to the State Capital to sell the bushels and bushels of apples. But, of course, it doesn't go quite right.
And, of course, the plot synopsis doesn't go quite right either. The show has the same meander along that the past episodes have had. Oliver walks right into the kitchen with an apple in the first few minutes so that is the sort of "plot theme" of the episode. Lisa is cooking hotcakes in a very odd manner that, satisfyingly, saves the day. Mr. Douglas has a chat with Mr. Kimball, goes to Drucker's store, almost gets flim-flammed by Haney (although that sequence does seem a trifle rote) and drives along with Lisa. Even when the apple prices are dropping, there's no real urgency. And, in the end, Lisa helps fix the truck and they are on their way to the State Capital...and the episode ends. Just a charming series of adventures for our pals.
Charming and funny...There's the thing.
Green Acres is funny. While most shows of this era (stand up Munsters and Bewitched!) were charming and fun to watch, they were rarely, if ever, funny. They relied on their characters strangeness and the weird situations. But, Green Acres is put together by two funny men with a strong director and a funny cast. All this meandering is fine because it is funny. The point of the episode is not the race to get the apples to market...it's the goofball things that happen en route.
The show is in no way "surreal" or crazy...Yes, the characters are beginning to make jokes about each other (Lisa talking like Mr. Kimball, Mr. Ziffel asking if Mr. Douglas is going to make one of his speeches) but it's all in the standard sitcom framework. The true crazy twist hasn't happened yet. What has happened is that it's gone from being a fun sitcom to being a funny sitcom...and that will make all the difference when the change comes.
Knowing how the show goes so strange, these early episodes are a heck of a lot of fun. Like early albums by The Beach Boys or The Rolling Stones before they really got their music under control and made the brilliant stuff...Ah, GA...
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