My favorite episode is the one where Dietrich saves a woman from life in an asylum, where she's been kept for years because the only language she speaks is some weird kind of gibberish.

She gets arrested because she took flowers from a street vendor without paying, and just wanders around saying "Nogo upav den" to everyone. Obviously a nut-case, right?

On a hunch, Dietrich plays a tape of her natterings around some Greek restaurants, and finds a guy who recognizes it as an obscure dialect of Ancient Macedonian.

One of Harris' all-time *greatest* lines was in this episode, too. The doctor tries to take the woman back to the asylum while Dietrich is still out searching for a translator, and Harris refuses to release her, saying: "Dietrich and I have an understaning, I never let his people go, and he never let my people go!"

My question is, which episode is this? I've looked at a couple of episode guides on the WWW, and can't seem to find it.

Was this just a sub-plot in an episode that was "about" something else? Any info would be appreciated. (If possible, please CC to my email address: taiwanjohn@pobox.com)

Thanks!

-- TaiwanJohn

I found this info at
http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/barney8.html

#159 - Hunger Strike
First Aired: February 18, 1982
Writer: Tony Sheehan
Story: Tony Sheehan, Stephen Neigher
Director: Tony Sheehan
Guest Stars: Nora Meerbaum, Larry Gelman, Stanley Kamel, Ion Teodorescu

A prisoner stages a hunger strike to end nuclear arms; Dietrich aids an elderly psychiatric patient; and Barney refuses his latest nomination for promotion to deputy inspector.

Judging by the name "Teodorescu" in the credits, I'm guessing this might be the "nogo upav den" episode I'm looking for.

Funny how the most poignant and memorable theme of the episode is listed only as "Dietrich helps an elderly psych patient"... Eye of the beholder and all that...

Cheers,

-- John

PS: Dietrich also has a nice moment at the end of the episode, when he asks the translator "By the way, what's that 'nogo whatever' she keeps saying?"

The translator says, "'Nogo upav den?' means 'Isn't it a lovely day.'" To which Dietrich replies, "Yeah, it is."