SEASON 1, EPISODE 21: “THE BOARDER INCIDENT”
DIR. JOHN RICH
WRITTEN BY NORM LIEBMANN AND ED HASS
ORIGINALLY AIRED FEBRUARY 14, 1962
Recap: Rob and Sally discover that Buddy has been sleeping in the office. His wife is gone for a few weeks caring for her mother, and he doesn’t want to stay at home because there are too many reminders of his wife there, and he misses her. Rob invites Buddy to stay in he and Laura’s guest room so he won’t have to sleep in the office.
Reaction: Ah, the unwelcome houseguest. We’ve all had ’em – that person you can’t ask to leave without being rude, but don’t want to have in your house anymore. Buddy’s a bit of an odd fellow, so when this situation involves someone like him, it makes for many funny moments.
Favorite moment: Sally assuring Buddy that she and Rob aren’t laughing at him by saying “Yeah, Buddy, you know we never laugh at anything you say!”; Buddy constantly making noise that keeps Rob & Laura awake.
SEASON 1, EPISODE 22: “FATHER OF THE WEEK”
DIR. JOHN RICH
WRITTEN BY ARNOLD AND LOIS PEYSER
ORIGINALLY AIRED FEBRUARY 21, 1962
Recap: Rob has been named Father of the Week at Richie’s school and is asked to visit the class to talk about his job, but Richie doesn’t want his dad to come to school.
Reaction: This episode tells the all-too-familiar story of the “embarrassing” parent. Richie’s fear that his dad will look “silly” is very understandable — no matter how much we love our parents or admire them, as children we’re always worried that they’ll embarrass us, and nothing is worse than humiliation in front of classmates! Richie’s persistence on the issue is quite funny, as is Rob’s attempt to convince his son that he won’t be an embarrassment.
Favorite moment: Richie saying he’ll skip school if his dad decides to go; none of the kids raising their hands when Rob asks them if they’ve seen The Alan Brady Show.
SEASON 1, EPISODE 23: “THE TWIZZLE”
DIR. JOHN RICH
WRITTEN BY CARL REINER
ORIGINALLY AIRED FEBRUARY 28, 1962
Recap: Sally discovers a talented young singer who has invented a new dance craze called “The Twizzle,” and his name is Randy Twizzle (guest star Jerry Lanning). Sally is sure the craze will sweep the nation, so she drags the whole gang to the bowling alley where she discovered Randy, and Mel quickly decides to sign Randy on to The Alan Brady Show. But there’s a catch to Randy’s involvement in the show…
Reaction: I really love this episode. “The Twizzle” craze is such a perfect parody of all of the dance crazes of the era and the handsome, young male singers who helped popularize them. This episode is a lot of fun and the “twist” of what’s making Randy so nervous to appear on the show is unexpected. Definitely a favorite of the series.
Favorite moment: Mel doing “The Twizzle” at the bowling alley
SEASON 1, EPISODE 24: “ONE ANGRY MAN”
DIR. JOHN RICH
WRITTEN BY CARL REINER
ORIGINALLY AIRED MARCH 7, 1962
Recap: Rob gets called for jury duty and is glad for it, because he doesn’t want to write next week’s script, which he’s been having trouble with. He’s on the jury for the case of Marla Hendrix (guest star Sue Ane Langdon), an exotic dancer who is on trial for smuggling jewels. Rob is attracted to Marla, and it’s obvious to everyone… including Laura, who has visited the courtroom. He tries to convince everyone that Marla’s attractiveness isn’t affecting his opinion on the case, but he’s the only juror offering up an “innocent” vote.
Reaction: The character of Marla is your typical airheaded lady. Sue Ane Langdon’s guest performance is very good. She fills the role perfectly and adds a lot of humor to the courtroom scenes. The episode as a whole is good — not one of the best in the series, but as enjoyable as ever, and Laura’s reaction to Rob’s suspicious behavior is hilarious.
Favorite moment: Rob not wanting to read the letter from the federal building… until Buddy and Sally read it and give him a look, at which point he backpedals and begs to read it; Rob jumping (and then falling) over the wall of the jury box in order to pick up everything that Marla drops
SEASON 1, EPISODE 25: “WHERE YOU BEEN, FASSBINDER?”
DIR. JOHN RICH
WRITTEN BY JOHN WHEDON
ORIGINALLY AIRED MARCH 14, 1962
Recap: Sally’s birthday is fast approaching, and she feels lonely because she doesn’t have a date for the big day. An old friend from high school, Leo Fassbinder (George Neise), happens to call her at just the right time. She invites him to have a quiet dinner with her for her birthday, but Rob and the gang don’t believe Leo is a real person, so they plan a surprise party for Sally.
Reaction: Poor Sally! Everyone’s always taking pity on her and picking on her for being single. As Sally herself says, there’s nothing wrong with being single… but the others make a big deal of it nonetheless. Everything works out for the best in the end and the episode is funny, but if I was Sally I’d tell the gang to mind their own business every once in a while. They’re way too involved in trying to marry her off!
Favorite moment: Rob scaring Laura by hiding behind the door!
The Motion Pictures 