DAY 175: I Dream of Genie

Series Run : 1965-1970

139 episodes

Network: NBC

Series Premise (as far as I can tell):

Astronaut discovers a Genie Bottle and becomes the Genie’s master

Episode Watched: My Son The Genie (Season 3)

Episode Summary: Genie is tasked with training a new genie (Bob Denver) the same night that LBJ is coming to the house for dinner.

My Thoughts: I never really watched a full episode of this show, and after sitting through this one its unlikely I’ll never watch an episode of this again. It is a show that I found very little to write about, laughed very little, and had very few lines even worthy of noting. The entry I chose involved Gilligan as a new genie that needed to be trained. I thought the combination of this beloved sitcom with a star of another beloved sitcom would be comic gold! I was wrong. The biggest issue I had was that a lot of the humor involves sight gags, and they didn’t know when the gag had gone on too long. A joke that should have lasted 30 seconds seemed to go on for 2-3 minutes, outliving any humor that could have been wrung from the situation. I suppose this show ,which challenged it contemporary, Bewitched, was known more for Barbara Eden baring his midriff, than any actual humor happening on-screen. Thankfully, now that I have sat through one episode, I don’t have to again.

 Memorable Quotes:

“This was my dad’s idea, I wanted to be a chariot driver” -Harold

“Harold, do not stir the salad, toss it”-Jeannie

Acting Notables:

Jim Carrey- Skip

Jack Gilford- Brooks

Teresa Ganzel- Mrs. Winkler

Tomorrow: Academy Award winner tackles a movie adaptation

DAY 79: The Good Guys (1968)

Series Run : 1968-1970

42 episodes

Network: CBS

Series Premise (as far as I can tell):

Life long friends, Rufus and Bert, drive a cab and run a diner.

Episode Watched: Big Tom Gets Married (Season 1)

Episode Summary:  Big Tom comes by the diner to announce he’s marrying Gertie, but puts Rufus in charge of asking her and making all the arraingments.

My Thoughts: If you ever wanted to know what Skipper and Gilligan would be like in a city setting, then this is the show for you! While Alan Hale is only a semi regular on the series, there were many episodes he appeared in, including this entry. The premise of the show involves Bob Denver and his friend Herb Edelman and their shenanigans, but clearly the chemistry between Denver/Hale rises above anything Denver/Edelman had. In this episode, Big Tom (Hale) shows up and announces he wants to marry the local diner waitress, but is too afraid to ask, so he sends Rufus (Denver) to do the asking for him. This leads to a series of threats by the waitresses brothers, and an elongated scene featuring a very drunk Big Tom. While watching you just cant get the idea of Gilligan and Skipper out of your head. Bob Denver acts the same as Gilligan, and Alan Hale is the skipper, right down to calling Rufus ‘little buddy’ and hitting him with his hat. I was fascinated to learn that this show existed, as I didn’t know Hale and Denver were in more shows together. Sadly, the show wasnt cared for very well, and second takes were non-existent, as many lines were flubbed and re-said throughout the episode. Clearly the producer believed they could capture the same magic of Gilligan’s Island, but they didn’t put forth any effort to ensure success. An interesting watch, but a poor production.

Memorable Quotes:

“Keep it down fellas, my foot’s asleep”-Tom

“There’s no man that’s normal who doesn’t resist marriage”- Bert

“I’m gonna give you my book, plenty of names in there and they’re all swingers” – Tom

Acting Notables:

Bob Denver- Rufus

Herb Edelman- Bert

Joyce Van Patten- Claudia

Alan Hale- Tom

Tomorrow: Early sitcoms can be rather boring

DAY 4: The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

Series Run : 1959-1963

147 episodes

Series Premise (as far as I can tell):

Adventures of Dobie Gillis and his friends

Episode Watched: Caper at the Bijou (Season 1)

Episode Summary: Dobie meets Thalia Meninger, who he falls for. But she wont date him unless he has money. He and Maynard plan to “fix” the local lotttery drawing at the Bijou Theatre in order to split $100. Wackiness ensues.

My Thoughts: Full disclosure here, this series is one of my dad’s favorites, so I have some history with it growing up, seeing a few episodes from time to time, and the 1986 tv movie (Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis). Its easy to see why this show was successful, likable, relatable characters and the whole show has you very much rooting for Dobie in his quest for girls. This episode has a tried and true, “scheme goes wrong” plot, that you can see coming a mile away. In one scene it has Maynard introducing the guys to a portable radio with headphones! Big deal in 1960- the precursor to the ipod! This show also makes you appreciate Bob Denver, as he really was more than just Gilligan. Warren Beatty played a rival of Dobie’s during the first season as well, if you want to see some of his early work. Interesting note, the characters in Scooby Doo were based on the main folks in this show: Fred (Dobie), Daphne (Thalia), Velma (Zelda), and Shaggy (Maynard). No word on who Scooby was supposed to be. Overall, a fun romp through teenage angst, and a worthy watch if you are looking for an old show to check out.

Memorable Quotes:

“I gotta kil that boy, I just gotta-Dobie’s Dad

“I’m Dobie Gillis, I think I love you”-Dobie

Acting Notables:

Dwayne Hickman- Dobie

Bob Denver- Maynard

Tuesday Weld- Thalia Meninger

Tomorrow: A Heaven Sent Basic Cable Sitcom