Season 4, Episode 21: “The Case of the Pillow”
Directed by Howard Morris
Written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff
Originally aired February 17, 1965
Recap: Rob finds himself back in court (Previous court ep: “One Angry Man,” season one), this time in opposition to a pillow salesman who did him wrong.
Reaction: Woohoo, another flashback episode! Kind of a silly premise, too, which usually makes for a fun episode. Laura buys Rob special pillows that the salesman has assured her are made for people who like to scrunch up their pillows. Then, the pillows can’t be used because they smell like chickens. The ep moves along a bit slowly, but is at times quite amusing. Not the worst in the series, not the best.
Favorite quote/moment: Rob calling the pillows “Exhibits A through D” + Rob demonstrating how difficult it is to sleep without a pillow if you’re a side-sleeper
Season 4, Episode 22: “Young Man with a Shoehorn”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall
Originally aired February 24, 1965
Recap: Rob gets a nice bonus at work, but rather than saving the money or spending it on a few little luxuries for his family, he decides to invest it in a shoe store owned by Buddy’s uncle.
Reaction: This episode is a ton more fun than I expected it to be, with a lot of great lines and puns. Buddy and Rob are eventually forced to do their best as salesmen when left in the store alone, and the results are hilarious. Milton Frome is a great guest star, as disgruntled shoe salesman Sid.
Favorite quote/moment: Buddy climbing on the table to kiss Mel on the head after he gives the writers checks for a re-used sketch + Millie calling Laura a “shoe tycoon” + “Look, lady, I’m not a fashion expert. Take purple, it goes with everything!”
Season 4, Episode 23: “Girls Will Be Boys”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall
Originally aired March 3, 1965
Recap: When Ritchie comes home from school looking beat up three times in one week, his parents are none too happy, but they’re surprised when Richie tells them that he’s being terrorized by a girl.
Reaction: This episode is a little bit of a slow-starter, but by the end it’s quite entertaining. Rob’s visit with the uppity English Darwells is great, as is Laura’s visit (and face-off with Mrs. Darwell). Mr. Darwell looks very proud when he learns that Priscilla is capable of beating up her male classmates. The outcome of the episode, in which Rob and Laura learn that Priscilla has been hitting Ritchie because she’s in love with him, is very funny.
Favorite quote/moment: Rob asking if Mrs. Darwell’s night school has her “studying to be a knight”
Season 4, Episode 24: “Bupkis”
Directed by Lee Philips
Written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff
Originally aired March 10, 1965
Recap: Long ago, Rob co-wrote a wonderful song, but it has remained all-but-forgotten in the years since. Forgotten, that is, until he realizes he has no official credit or legal right to the song.
Reaction: Flashbacks and catchy tunes — this is my kind of episode! It’s not the most laugh-filled installment, but the central conflict is entertaining, and surprisingly still relevant seeing as copyright laws and plagiarism are still big issues in America. I love the scene were Rob and Sticks (guest star Greg Morris) team up to get back at Buzzy for stealing their music.
Favorite quote/moment: The weather jingle! + “What did I get from you? BUPKIS!”
Season 4, Episode 25: “Your Home Sweet Home is My Home”
Directed by Lee Philips
Written by Howard Ostroff and Joan Darling
Originally aired March 17, 1965
Recap: Rob is assigned a new tax collector and has a bit of explaining to do when the collector finds record of a check for “friendship money” to Jerry Helper. The explanation takes us back to the days when Laura was pregnant with Richie.
Reaction: The tax man is very puzzled to find that Rob pays Jerry to be his friend, and so is the viewer! But, as is always the case with this show, there is a wacky explanation that, while outlandish, helps it all make sense. I love Jerry and Millie, so I enjoyed this episode a lot. It’s always good to see more of their friendship with the Petries.
Favorite quote/moment: Laura dramatically crying at the prospect of being stuck in their small Willet Town house forever
Season 4, Episode 26: “Anthony Stone”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Joseph C. Cavella
Originally aired March 24, 1965
Recap: Sally’s found herself a lover, a man named Anthony Stone. But when Rob and Buddy find out a secret that Anthony is keeping, they’re unsure whether they should tell Sally, sure that it will break her heart.
Reaction: Anthony (portrayed by Richard Angarola) is totally different from all of Sally’s previous dates in the series. He’s wealthy, well-dressed, reserved, and uber-charming… very different from the outspoken and sassy Sally, who is charming as well, but in a much different way. Buddy and Rob suspect that Tony may be involved with the mob! As it turns out, they’re completely off base, though he does have an odd job: he’s a mortician. It would be easy to fault Buddy and Rob for poking their noses into Sally’s personal life, and they do go a bit far with their assumptions about Tony, but they’re all close friends. The central conflict of the episode is very true-to-life, as it’s natural to be curious about the new loves of our close friends. A pretty good episode.
Favorite quote/moment: Buddy saying that Tony looks like he belongs in a speakeasy + “Robert No, like the doctor, No”
The Motion Pictures 